Pollinator plants for shade

Shade-tolerant plants that still feed pollinators.

Most advice on feeding bees and butterflies assumes a sunny border, which leaves shaded gardens short of guidance, yet plenty of nectar-rich plants flower happily out of direct sun. The trick is timing: shade under deciduous trees is brightest in early spring before the canopy closes, so this is the moment for early-flowering shade plants that feed the first bumblebees and emerging pollinators when little else is open. Through the shaded summer, lean on the woodland-edge flowers that keep producing nectar in dappled light. Plant in drifts so foragers do not waste energy, and avoid sterile double flowers. These plants combine genuine shade tolerance with real value to pollinators, for a border that feeds insects out of the sun.

Border Builder is a garden border planner for iPhone and iPad. Pick from the 221 plants below and it works them into a full plan: how many of each, where they go, and how the bed reads through the seasons.

221 plants for this

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