Bee Friendly Plants for Pots & Containers
A container pollinator garden is one of the easiest ways to support honey bees, native bees, butterflies and other beneficial insects. You don’t need a large yard -even a small patio, porch or deck can become a valuable food source for pollinators. In this guide, you’ll find some of the best bee friendly potted plants to consider for your space.
When creating any type of honey bee garden, plant choice is always the top priority. Choose flowers that bees love that grow well where you place them. Unhealthy plants will not produce much nectar or pollen.
Why Create a Container Pollinator Garden for Bees?
Container gardens filled with nectar and pollen-rich flowers can provide valuable food sources for honey bees, bumble bees, butterflies, and native pollinators – especially in neighborhoods with limited green space.
In many areas, natural forage plants and even common flowering weeds bees love are disappearing from carefully maintained landscapes.
A few blooming pots on a patio, porch, or balcony can become an important feeding stop for traveling bees.
Potted pollinator gardens are also easy to manage and work well for gardeners with limited space.
Pots warm up quickly in spring, provide better control over soil and drainage, and make it easy to grow a variety of bee friendly plants in one area.
I often see bees visiting flowers in my patio containers just as eagerly as the same plants growing in my garden beds.
A lovely garden space will also invite other types of nature in for a closer look. Hummingbird feeders are a nice addition and in normal cases hummingbirds do not conflict with bees.
Quick List of Bee Friendly Plants for Containers
If you are in a hurry, this quick list is a great place to start.
- Bee Balm
- Borage
- Coneflowers
- Lavender
- Salvia
- Sedum
- Thyme
- Verbena
- Zinnias
- Basil
- Oregano
- Rosemary
- Mint
- Dwarf Sunflowers
Best Bee Friendly Plants for Pots and Containers
The best plants for pollinator containers are those that produce plenty of nectar and pollen while thriving in limited growing space.
Your final plant selection will depend on sunlight, climate, and container size, but many flowers and herbs adapt very well to pots, patio planters, and balcony gardens.
Mixing several plant types together helps create a longer bloom season and provides a steady food source for honey bees, bumble bees, butterflies, and native pollinators. Also, not every insect likes the same type of flower!
If you are new to container gardening, start with easy plants such as zinnias, thyme, basil, salvia, and bee balm.
Long-Blooming Flowers Bees Love
Long-blooming flowers help provide nectar throughout the growing season and keep your containers colorful for months. This is great for the bees and you.
Salvia – Salvia is one of the best pollinator plants for containers because it blooms heavily for months and handles summer heat well.
Bumble bees with their longer tongues are especially attracted to the nectar-rich tubular flowers. I have even seen hummingbirds visiting. Do pay attention to variety. Some Salvia grow rather large.
Zinnias – Zinnias are easy-to-grow annuals that bloom continuously until frost. Compact and medium-sized varieties perform especially well in containers.
These flowers always remind me of my granny – she always had a plot of zinnias near the house.
Verbena – If you want a plant that blooms for months with very little fuss, verbena is hard to beat. Trailing varieties spill beautifully over container edges and attract both bees and butterflies throughout summer.
Phlox – Compact phlox varieties add bright color to patio pots while attracting a variety of pollinators.
Coneflowers – Coneflowers are dependable nectar plants for bees and later provide seeds for birds. Many newer cultivars are bred more for appearance than pollinator value, so read plant labels carefully before buying.
Dwarf varieties are often easier to manage in containers than the taller traditional purple coneflowers.
Red Hot Poker – Red hot poker plants add dramatic height and bold color to pollinator containers. They do best with:
• full sun
• excellent drainage
• a large container
I have not grown one myself yet, but every mature planting I’ve seen eventually became a huge clump.
Sedum – Sedum becomes especially valuable late in the season when many flowers begin to fade. Bees often cover Autumn Joy sedum blooms in late summer and fall.
Quick tip: Sedum prefers drier soil and performs best in containers with excellent drainage.
Bee Balm – Bee balm is a favorite of honey bees, bumble bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. I enjoy starting bee balm from seed.
Compact varieties work surprisingly well in containers when provided with consistent moisture. There are also many companion plants for bee balm that can create a beautiful display.
Easy Herbs That Attract Pollinators
Flowering herbs for bees are some of the easiest and most productive plants for pollinator containers.
Many culinary herbs produce abundant blooms when allowed to flower and grow very well in pots.
Good choices include:
• thyme
• basil
• oregano
• rosemary
• mint
Mint is especially well suited for containers because it spreads aggressively in garden beds. Creeping thyme also works beautifully spilling over the edges of pots and hanging baskets.
If you enjoy growing herbs, you can learn more in my complete guide to herbs that bees love.
Compact Plants for Small Containers
Some bee friendly plants stay naturally compact, making them ideal for balconies, porches, rail planters, and other small-space gardens.
Smaller varieties are often easier to manage in containers because they require less staking and are less likely to become top-heavy in windy areas.
Dwarf Sunflowers – Dwarf sunflowers provide pollen and nectar without overwhelming a container garden. Be aware that not every sunflower variety is equally useful for bees, so read plant labels carefully when shopping.
Lavender – Lavender remains one of the most popular pollinator plants for containers because of its fragrance, drought tolerance, and long bloom period. I admit lavender can be a challenge in my humid climate, but bees absolutely adore the flowers when the plants thrive.
Creeping Thyme – Creeping thyme works beautifully in shallow containers or trailing over the edges of larger pots. I am planting an area with red creeping thyme now and expect it to become spectacular in a few years.
Compact Salvias – Some salvia varieties stay much smaller than others and fit nicely into mixed patio containers while still producing months of blooms for pollinators.
Native Plants for Pollinator Pots
Native flowering plants are often especially valuable because local pollinators evolved alongside them.
Depending on your region, many native flowers adapt surprisingly well to container growing and provide excellent nectar and pollen sources.
Good native plant choices for pollinator pots may include:
• native salvias
• coreopsis
• native phlox
• bee balm
• black-eyed Susans
• coneflowers
Bee balm deserves special mention because it attracts honey bees, bumble bees, butterflies, and even hummingbirds. Compact varieties grow quite well in containers when provided with consistent moisture.
Whenever possible, purchase untreated plants from local growers to reduce the risk of exposing pollinators to systemic pesticides.
Some highly bred ornamental cultivars may produce less nectar or pollen than traditional varieties, so it pays to research plants before buying.
Annual vs Perennial Container Plants
Both annuals and perennials can work well in a container pollinator garden. Annual flowers bloom heavily for one season and must be replaced each year. Popular annual choices include zinnias, basil, sunflowers, verbena, and borage.
Bee friendly Perennials return year after year in suitable hardiness zones and often become larger and more productive over time.
Lavender, salvia, bee balm, coneflowers, and sedum are popular perennial choices for pollinator containers.
Many gardeners enjoy combining annuals and perennials together to create containers that stay colorful and attractive to bees throughout the growing season.
Tips for Growing Pollinator Plants in Containers
Most flowering plants for bees grow best in full sun with well-drained soil. Larger pots usually hold moisture longer and are less likely to dry out during hot summer weather.
A few simple container gardening tips:
- choose pots with drainage holes
- use quality potting soil
- avoid pesticide-treated plants
- group containers together for better pollinator visibility
- water regularly during summer heat
Container gardens dry out faster than in-ground flower beds, so check soil moisture often during periods of hot weather.
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Choosing the Right Pots
Pots and planting containers come in all sizes, colors and materials. Larger pots are more expensive. But, they offer so much variety that they are worth the price tag if your budget allows.
If your chosen pots do not have drainage holes, add some. Unless you are growing bog plants, the soil must drain well or you risk disease or plant death.
Greenstalk Patented Large 5 Tier Vertical Garden Planter with Patented Internal Watering System
Stacked Pots Create Interest
If you have the space, stacked whisky barrels (or similar pots) can create a very interesting display. You need 2 half barrels – one large and one smaller.
Place a pot (upside down) in the larger barrel. The bottom of the pot should be about 12 inches shorter than top of the large container.
Add some type of medium in the large barrel around the inverted pot. This can be gravel or cut up pool noodles to aid in drainage and reduce soil needed.
Set the smaller whisky barrel on top of the inverted pot. Now you have a 2-tier pollinator garden to plant as you wish. You can even buy a set of 3 for a 3 tier garden.
More Ideas
As you are designing consider:
- creating a water source for bees
- grow the unusual – I have several containers with lotus flowers – outside the pond area
- consider growing a luffa plant for bees in a large container with a trellis
- Involve the kids – make a cute little bee waterer
FAQs
No, even among the selection of bee friendly plants, some are more attractive to pollinators than others.
Yes, you can mix bee-friendly plants with other types of plants in the same pot, but it’s essential to consider each plant’s growth habits, watering needs, and sunlight requirements.
Final Thoughts
A few carefully chosen plants growing in pots can provide valuable nectar and pollen throughout much of the growing season. Start with a couple of easy container plants that grow well in your climate and expand your pollinator garden over time.