What's in a Plants for Pollinators collection?

Lazy Flora is proud to introduce our new outdoor plant collection: Plants for Pollinators.

This collection signals a change in direction for Lazy Flora. While the focus of this collection is plants that are good for pollinators like bees and butterflies, it's also the start of an ongoing commitment to always include pollinator plants in our outdoor plant collections. It's something we believe in (and scary hard to execute), but we're dedicated to this cause and want to use this business to do good.

Bee and pollinator populations are in decline, in part due to reduction in habitats and availability of flowering plants. By planting pollinator plants in your garden, you're doing your bit to reduce that decline.

Here are a list of plants that are included in this collection. We hope you love them as much as we do!

Forget-me-not

The forget-me-not is known for attracting bees, butterflies, moths and other pollinators. It has nectar/pollen-rich flowers and is a caterpillar food plant. It grows in sun and shade - easy peasy! It also emits a pleasant fragrance at night, but not during the day. It's the state flower of Alaska, so you know it can cope with the cold!

Tulip

In the 1600s, tulips were the most expensive flower in the world. One flower was more valuable than most people's homes. Experts say that 'Tulip Mania' in the 1600s caused the first economic crash, likely due to the bubonic plague. Nowadays, Holland exports 3billion bulbs each year.

Aubretia

A low, spreading plant, perfect for a rock garden as it does not require a lot of water. It is an Alpine plant and as such it tolerates very well-drained soil, like you find on the side of steep mountains. Cut it back by 50% at the end of the flowering season so it blooms well next year too.

Iris

Iris reticulata is known for attracting bees. It has nectar rich/pollen rich flowers. Bulbs have all the nutrients they need already in them. In the Greek language, 'Iris' means 'rainbow', which refers to the huge range of colours that iris come in.

Heather

All heathers attract bees. They prefer a slightly acidic soil. Heather honey is highly prized, and many beehives are moved to moorland in summer months to ensure bees have good access to these plants. Prune back within the green area when cutting back at the end of the summer. 

Muscari

Muscari flowers secrete lots of nectar and are a valuable fragrant bee plant in the spring. They are commonly known as grape hyacinths and are super easy to grow. We've tried to hunt out some more unusual white ones for you, but you might also see the usual blue colour if we can't get hold of those at all times.

Azalea

Also known as a rhododendron, this evergreen is from the same family of plants as heather. Azalea nectar and leaves are poisonous to humans and pets, and in the past, when sent in a black vase, were sent as a death threat! But they attract butterflies when in flower. 

Viola

Violas themselves aren't pollinator plants, but this low-level plant will add a variation in height to this plant collection. It will easily grow, even in the shade, and will come back year-on-year. They flower profusely.

Mint

Mint is an absolute magnet for bees when in flower. However, be careful when planting mint out in the garden, as it can grow very vigorously and become a bit of a weed. It is best kept in containers.

Dianthus

Pollinators love dianthus, aka pinks. The single, open blooms of dianthus that sway above wiry stems are nectar-rich. Bumblebees, honeybees and hoverflies all love the long season of the dianthus.

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And that just about sums it up!

If you like what you see here, head on over to our Seasonal plant collections where you can order one of these beautiful collections for yourself.