In This Article >  Beneficial Borders >  Plants for Pollen and Nectar >  Plants that Shelter Beneficials Related Articles >  Meet The Beneficial Insects >  Control Insects Without Pesticides >  Flowering Herbs >  Wildlife Garden Products >  Annuals for Every Purpose >  Perennial All-Stars Discussions >  New Gardeners

Annuals:
Basils (Ocimum basilicum)
Bachelor's buttons (Centaurea cyanus)
Bee phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia)
Birds Eyes (Gilia tricolor)
Blue Lace Flower (Trachymene coerulea, aka Didiscus coeruleas)

Borage (Borago officinalis)
California poppy (Eschscholtzia californica)
Candytuft (Iberis umbellata)
Chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium)
Coriander (Coriandrum sativum)
Corn (Zea mays)
Corn poppy (Papaver rhoeas)
Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus)
Dill (Anethum graveolens)
Lobelia (Lobelia erinus)
Meadow foam (Limnanthes douglasii)
Mexican sunflower (Tithonia rotundifolia)
Pincushion flower, aka Sweet scabious (Scabiosa atropurpurea)

Signet (?Gem') marigolds (Tagetes tenuifolia)
Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus)
Sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima)
Sweet marjoram (Origanum majorana)
Tidy Tips (Layia platyglossa)

Perennials.
Early research on flowers for beneficials has focused primarily on weeds and wildflowers growing around farms, to discover which of these plants farmers might encourage to help with pest control. Gradually, more ornamental plants are being identified, and we now have a very nice list you can choose from:

Asters (Aster alpinus and A. tartaricus)
Angelicas (Angelica)
Anise hyssop (Anastache foeniculum)
Basket of Gold (Aurinia saxatilis)
White lace flower, aka Bishop's weed (Ammi majus)
Blanketflowers (Gaillardia)
Blue cardinal flower (Lobelia syphilitica)
Bog rosemary (Andromeda polifolia)
Catmints (Nepeta)
Carpet bugleweeds (Ajuga)
Cinquefoils (Potentilla)
Comfrey (Symphytum)
Coneflowers (Echinacea)
Coral vine (Antigonon leptopus)
Coreopsis (Coreopsis)
Crimson thyme (Thymus serpyllum ?Coccineus')
Crocus (Crocus )
Cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum)
Evening primrose (Oenothera biennis)
Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)
Feverfew (Chrysanthemum parthenium)
Garlic Chives (Allium tuberosum)
Golden marguerite (Anthemis tinctoria)
Goldenrod (Solidago)
Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus)
Korean mint (Anastache rugosa)
Lavenders (Lavandula)
Lavender globe lily (Allium tanguticum)
Lovage (Levisticum officinale)
Lupines (Lupinus)
Milkweeds (Asclepias)
Mountain Mints (Pycnanthemum muticum and P.
virginianum)
Mints (Mentha)
Mountain sandwort (Arenaria montana)
Peonies (Paeonia)
Pincushion flower (Scabiosa caucasica)
Poppy mallow (Callirhoe involucrata)
Queen Anne's lace (Daucus carota)
Rocky Mountain penstemon (Penstemon strictus)
Sea lavender (Limonium latifolium)
Sea pink (Armeria alliacea)
Stonecrops (Sedum kamtschaticum, S. spurim, S. album)
Fernleaf Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare var. crispum)
Teasel (Dipsacus)
Thrift (Armeria maritima)
Green lace flower, aka Toothpick ammi (Ammi visnaga)
Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)
Wood Betony (Stachys officinalis)
Yarrows (Achillea)
Patrinia (Patrinia)

Trees and shrubs.
Top choices include willows (for their early spring pollen to provide a food source and get overwintered beneficials off to a strong start), forsythia, firethorn, potentilla, ceanothus, four-winged saltbush (Atriplex canescens), euonymous, and Texas sage (Leucophyllum frutescens).

Cover crops.
Clovers and other soil-building cover crops provide pollen and nectar, alternate insect prey, and shelter. Crimson clover is as beautiful as any "regular" flower, and buckwheat is a standout because it grows very, very fast and has extrafloral nectaries that attract a wide variety of beneficials even before it begins blooming.

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