Flowers are not only a delight for the eyes and noses, but also an important source of nutrition for insects. Find out here which insect-friendly flowers are suitable for the garden and balcony.
What would a garden be without flowers? The colorful plants can be found in almost every garden and on every balcony and enchant us with their beauty and their wonderful scent. Insects are also fascinated by the colorful flowers; after all, they form an important food source. Unfortunately, there are more and more insect-unfriendly plants in the garden: cultivated roses (pink) block the path of the insects with their double flowers so that they cannot get to the nectar. The forsythia (Forsythia × intermedia) is even sterile and offers the beneficial insects no food at all - this means that the insects cannot find a suitable habitat despite the bloom. If you want to take action against this, you can actively help: Numerous native flowers are not only insect-friendly, but also beautiful to look at. We'll tell you here which insect-friendly flowers should definitely not be missing in the garden.
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- Insect-friendly spring flowers
- Insect-friendly summer flowers
- Insect-friendly autumn flowers
Insect-friendly spring flowers
Early bloomers are particularly important for insects because they are the first source of food after the hard spring. Some of the most insect-friendly flowers include the following.
1. Spring crocus (Crocus vernus): The spring crocus is one of the first spring bloomers and is particularly popular with bees.
2. Daisies (Bellis perennis): With its extremely long flowering period from early February to late October, the daisy is one of the most insect-friendly flowers. Although the flower only donates a little pollen and nectar, thanks to its long bloom it can be an important source of food for gaps in costume.
3. Gold lacquer (Erysimum cheiri): Whether on the balcony or in the bed - the gold lacquer attracts bees and other beneficial insects with its sweet honey scent. From April to June, the plant donates nectar and pollen with its flowering.
4. Cone flower (Echinacea angustifolia): With its bloom from March to April, the cone flower is a welcome spring bloomer, which is particularly popular with bees.
5. Snowdrops (Galanthus): With a flowering that can begin as early as January, that is snowdrop one of the first early bloomers and therefore particularly interesting for insects. Its pollen is gratefully accepted by smaller wild bee species in particular.
6. Star hyacinth (Scilla sect. Chionodoxa): The star hyacinth begins to bloom as early as February and is therefore one of the insect-friendly flowers. It is particularly popular with bees and bumblebees.
7. Winterling (Eranthis): With its early flowering from late January to April, the Winterling a particularly precious flower for insects: butterflies, bees and bumblebees fly to it as well as hoverflies or wild bees.
Insect-friendly summer flowers
In summer there are a particularly large number of flowers in bloom. The most important insect flowers include:
1. Knapweed (Centaurea montana): With its long flowering period from June to October, the Knapweed indispensable for many insects. Butterflies in particular, but also bees and bumblebees, like to use the plant as a source of food.
2. Bellflower (Campanula): Bluebells belong to the balcony flowers that not only look beautiful, but are also an important source of nutrition for insects. Numerous species of insects like to use the plant, scissor bees even specialize in them.
3. Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus): With its high pollen and nectar content, the Cornflower popular with many insects. In addition to butterflies, hoverflies and bumblebees, the honeybee is particularly common as a guest on the cornflower.
4. Girl's eye (Coreopsis verticillata): Their extremely long and abundant flowering makes the girl's eye the favorite flower of many insects. But be careful: only unfilled varieties can reliably provide food for bees, butterflies and the like.
5. Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea): As a flower for beneficial insects, the red coneflower is particularly popular with bees, bumblebees and hover flies. With its long flowering from May to October, the plant is particularly valuable.
6. Vanilla flower (Heliotropium arborescens): One of the insect-friendly balcony plants is definitely the Vanilla flower: When the sun is shining, its scent attracts numerous insects, for which it provides a nutritious meal.
7. Violets (viola): It's not just people who love the sweet scent of violets: Butterflies that fly early, such as the painted lady, find a suitable source of food in the plant.
8. Zinnia (Zinnia): Unfilled Zinnias are known as insect-friendly flowers for the balcony. Its bloom from July to October attracts numerous beneficial organisms such as bees and bumblebees.
Insect-friendly autumn flowers
Insect-friendly autumn flowers on the balcony and in the garden are of particular importance, as they are often the last source of food before winter. The most important are:
1. Erika (Calluna): With its late flowering, which, depending on the variety, goes from December to May, the heather is an important plant for many insects. Butterflies in particular, but also wild bees, like to use the Erika.
2. Autumn aster (Symphyotrichum): Myrtle, pillow or rough-leaf asters, with their late bloom in autumn, provide a richly covered buffet that is gratefully accepted by bees and bumblebees in particular.
3. Autumn anemone (Anemone hupehensis): With its late flowering from August to October, the Autumn anemone to the insect-friendly flowers. It supplies the animals particularly well with pollen, but it hardly contains any nectar.
4. Unfilled dahlia varieties (Dahlia): Dahlias are not known to be an insect-friendly flower. But if you decide on an unfilled variety, the plant can be a real asset for bees and co. because it has an unusually long flowering period, which lasts until the first frost enough.
5. Unstuffed marigolds (Tagetes): As an insect-friendly balcony plant, the Tagetes known for their long flowering that lasts until the first frost. However, only unfilled varieties can serve as pollen and nectar dispensers.
tip: With seed mixes like that Plantura beneficial insect magnet plant a large number of flowers that support the insects with their large number and the long flowering period. In addition, the mixture is particularly easy to care for and can simply be sown in the bed or in the balcony box.
With an insect-friendly garden, you are also doing good for your feathered gardeners. We have more tips on how to design one bird-friendly garden put together for you.