(L) Coleus in front of ‘Little Joe’ Joe Pye Weed; (R) Persian Shield with sweet potato vine.
About a year ago I asked you guys – the savvy, experienced gardeners who read this blog – for what “Potted Annuals for Pollinators” you’d recommend. I was unhappy with some annuals I’d been growing near my front door – which do soooo well but attract nothing. But what could I grow instead, here and in the tomato-red pots in my back garden where the ‘Standing Ovation’ Little Bluestem weren’t standing after all, and were so lackluster that even a commenter here on the Rant called them “underwhelming”? The truth hurts!
(I’m keeping the Persian Shield+sweet potato vine combo shown above despite their lack of appeal for pollinators (though holes in the vine tell me it’s supporting something). Look how great they still looked on December 1 when this photo was taken! (I’m in Zone 7B.) And in this spot very close to my front door, I’m okay with no flowers and no bees, which I don’t want in my house.)
Back to the question I asked readers – out of concern for wildlife, sure, but also, selfishly, so that I could enjoy watching them from my patio – your answers were almost thrilling in the possibilities they opened up for this old gardener.
You suggested:
- Annuals: Salvia ‘Lady in Red,’ butterfly sage (Salvia guaranitica), Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’, blue salvias generally, lantana (several votes), verbena, verbena bonariensis, pentas, ‘African Blue’ basil, bronze fennel, zinnias, Anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) (several votes), ‘Truffela Pinks’ Gomphrena, Lacy Phacelia, Teddy Bear sunflowers.
- Perennials: Red Valerian, lavender, Calamintha nepeta, single dahlias, catmints, gaillardias, “almost anything in the mint family, which includes Salvias,” wax begonias for hummingbirds, and as a filler, small hostas like ‘Golden Tiara’ or ‘Rainbows End.’
Wow!
What I Bought – Lantana ‘Red Spread’
After reading Ranter Elizabeth’s praise for the annuals she buys online, I chose one of her favorite suppliers (Select Seeds) and ordered some lantanas, and boy, did they perform! They bloomed like crazy until the first hard frost, and the growth pattern is perfect – mostly horizontal, so there’s need to hack them back to prevent flopping. I love the bold, vibrant color! 
Another wonderful surprise is that they don’t need deadheading. Not only do they bloom just fine without it, but the dying blooms (above) still look good right up until they fall off, so why bother?
Pollinator-wise, they performed like the champs you guys promised they’d be. Honestly I’d need a much better camera to capture the critters in stills, but I took videos throughout the season and I’ll have a short compilation to show you soon. (Preview: it’s the hummingbirds, sometimes two at a time, that steal the show.)
Here in my back garden, by mid-July I’d given up on the grasses in these pots and replaced them with some ‘Havana Red Sky’ lantanas that I found at my local farmer’s market. 
They took off right away and at the end of the season they were this size. And what a great match for the pots!
I was also happy to learn that lantanas are less thirsty than other annuals – I don’t think I ever saw them wilt.
What I Bought – Verbenas
The other completely new-to-me plant I bought from Select Seeds is this ‘Vanity’ verbena, which did attract some bees and butterflies but didn’t have much impact in my border. I’m going to try a shorter, bushier variety next time.
Extended Season for Pollinators – Done!
My tiny front garden was already attracting critters to the Joe Pye Weed, bronze fennel, Nepeta and wood aster, but with the addition of tropical annuals like verbena and especially lantana, the wildlife action now goes on continuously for a very long season.
A Happier Gardener – Done!
So yeah, I love upping my garden’s game at performing important eco-services, like supporting pollinators.
But I’ll tell ya, adding SO many flowers to this small space outside my front door, near the patio where I sit and gaze upon the garden – that’s been thrilling! The combination of floral beauty with stunning insects swarming over them in the sun. You could say it’s upped my mental well-being.
Flowers just make us happy! They attract people to gardening and then reward their efforts with beauty to be enjoyed by them and their family and visitors.
A Happier Shopper – Done!
Finding a good online supplier meant I could stop driving around search of the unusual annuals I might want and rarely succeeding. Of course I knew there were reliable seed suppliers but I prefer plants because I want the flowering to start right away. I’ll own it.
So as a bigger fan of annuals than ever, next week I’ll be ordering some more of your suggestions – to plant in pots and also to fill in open spots in my borders:
- More ‘Red Spread’ lantana, plus some ‘Cherry Sunshine’
- ‘Graffiti’ pentas
- ‘Lollipop’ verbena
- ‘Black and Blue’ salvia
- Cosmos seeds
- Purple Bell vine
- I’ve already ordered a dwarf canna from a specialist, to replace the (nonblooming) banana in my largest pot.
That’s a lot to look forward to, for not a lot of money, or effort.
Cuphea ‘Vermillionaire’ is another champion, great in containers too. Incredibly long bloom time and hands down hummingbird favorite.
Susan, check out African Blue Basil for height, bulk, bees, beauty, little care. Edible too.
Agree with Liane’s comment. Vermillionaire is one annual I won’t be without. However, there are a number of great Cuphea’s that bloom their hearts out and attract a ton of insects including hummingbirds.
Susan, I’d suggest a small correction. Anise hyssop is not really an annual as far as I know. They come back up every year and spread like crazy in my zone 5 yard.
My best pollinator for a couple of years in our area (Berwyn Heights) has been African blue basil. Grown and kept in plug trays and kept well watered and fertilized, the 12″ flower spikes continue to bloom all summer long and the insects, especially bees, go mad over them. I grow several hundred just for the bees.
I also vote for Vamillionaire, planted in pots on our deck with other annuals, the hummingbirds come non-stop
Susan,
You made me happy reading how happy all of these “new” additions made you! Thank you for your wonderful follow-up report! (I loved the plants in your fun, fun red pots! And, what an amazing difference!)
Thank you! (You gave me a great idea for a presentation at the Chalet Learning Center.)
Jennifer Brennan
Verbena is one of my most favorites for attracting hummingbirds, bees, and many other pollinators. There are many options in sizes and colors. May not be a high brow plant, but boy does it perform! Pentas are also a sure thing for me to attract the hummingbirds. So after so many years of avoiding annuals, I am including them every year!
In our area (Berwyn Heights) the plant that attracted tons of pollinators in my backyard nursery was African Blue basil. The 12″ tall flower spikes kept flowering all summer long and honey bees and bumble bees were all over them. I grow several hundred plants in trays just for the pollinators.
Black and Blue Salvia is sold as an annual in my area (College Park, MD) but it has been reliably perennial for the last four years for me. And it easily gets at least three feet tall. Hummingbirds visit it on a daily basis and it is usually covered in bumble bees. The bees don’t appear to act as pollinators though – they pierce the nectary from the outside of the flower because the bees are too big to fit in the flower. This plant is also a good candidate to try out leaving some of the stalks as described in your earlier post. I already have stalks left standing so I’ll be sure and not cut them to the ground next year.
I have found, in my SE Michigan gardens that the pollinators love my Salvia ‘May Night’ and Sedum ‘Matrona’. Of course, all of my 7 rain gardens are planted with perennials native to Michigan and the pollinators love the Culver’s Root, Monarda, all the various goldenrods, and more.
Nice piece — thanks! You might try growing the Verbena bonariensis hybrid among other lower plants. Its open growth pattern allows it to rise above shorter plants without shading them out. Doesn’t works so well on its own in a narrow border.
I’m not an expert, but not all pollinator-attracting species are created equal. A non-native can supply nectar to bees that might more profitably be focusing on plants that have the pollen they need to reproduce. (See Robert Gegear on bumble bees here: https://grownativemass.org/Great-Resources/experts-videos/More-than-Just-the-Buzz.)
Your patio looks a treat-V. bonariensis ‘Lollipop’ might do the trick for you-more compact and responds well to cutbacks, plays well with other border flowers, though all V. b will re-seed prolifically. Another couple that you might like for late autumn are Farfugium & one of my all time favorites for great foliage and attracting small pollinators-Ajania pacifica. Conoclinium coelestinum is a favorite of Monarchs, and I think hardy for you. Happy holidays and happy garden planning to you!
omg, Lantana ‘Red Spread’ are beautiful, i vote for ‘Black and Blue’ salvia to fill in open spots in your borders
Filling in borders with annuals is an exciting, potentially fabulous concept for me.