Top 10 Native Plants to Attract Pollinators in the UK

A curated, season-spanning list of native and near-native plants that keep UK bees, butterflies, and moths fed from early spring through late autumn, backed by RHS pollinator research.

The UK is home to more than 270 species of bee alone, and while honeybees and bumblebees get most of the attention, solitary bees, mining bees, and leafcutters do an enormous share of the actual pollination — some of them are extreme specialists that depend on just a handful of plant species to survive, according to Urban Bloom Gardening. Planting well means planting for the whole season, not just a single summer burst.

The Core Rule: Flowers From February to November

In a mild UK year, bees are active from February through to November, so a garden that only flowers in June is leaving pollinators without food for most of the year, according to Urban Bloom Gardening. The RHS’s Plants for Pollinators programme, now covering more than 10,000 evidence-based plant choices, recommends mixing native and non-native species, weighted toward UK natives, and steering clear of double-flowered varieties, which are often difficult or impossible for pollinators to access, according to the RHS.

Quick Fact: Skip double-flowered plants like double dahlias and double roses where you can — they're frequently inaccessible to bees and often contain little to no nectar at all, according to Urban Bloom Gardening.

With that in mind, here are ten reliable choices for a UK pollinator garden, arranged roughly by the season they carry.

1. Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)

Foxglove in bloom

A tall, native woodland-edge plant that flowers through early summer, foxglove is a favourite of long-tongued bumblebees, which are perfectly built to reach into its deep, tubular flowers. It self-seeds readily once established, making it a low-maintenance option for a partly shaded border.

2. Dog Rose (Rosa canina)

The UK’s most widespread native wild rose flowers with pale pink, single, open blooms between June and July, exactly the simple, accessible structure pollinators need, then follows up with bright red hips that feed birds into autumn.

3. Bird’s-Foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus)

Known by a handful of folk names, including “eggs and bacon” for its yellow-and-red flowers, this low-growing member of the pea family flowers from May to September and attracts both bees and butterflies, doubling as a larval food plant for several moth species, according to Discover Wildlife.

4. Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)

Reliable, drought-tolerant, and beloved by bumblebees, lavender is one of the most widely recommended plants on the RHS Plants for Pollinators list. It needs full sun and free-draining soil — on heavy clay, plant on a slight mound or raised bed to avoid waterlogged roots.

5. Honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum)

Honeysuckle flowers

The UK’s only native honeysuckle mostly attracts moths, essential but often-overlooked pollinators that work the night shift, according to the RHS. Its scent intensifies in the evening, and its sticky crimson berries feed birds through autumn — dormice also rely on it for both food and nesting material.

6. Wild Marjoram (Origanum vulgare)

A native herb that flowers through mid to late summer, wild marjoram is a magnet for bees, hoverflies, and butterflies alike, and it thrives in exactly the poor, well-drained soil that many other garden plants struggle with — useful if you’ve got a dry, sunny patch that’s otherwise hard to plant.

7. Common Ivy (Hedera helix)

Often dismissed as a nuisance climber, ivy is one of the most valuable late-season plants a garden can offer. It flowers in September and October, a period when very little else is in bloom, providing a crucial late supply of nectar just as pollinators are preparing for winter.

8. Michaelmas Daisy (Symphyotrichum novi-belgii)

A superb food source for many autumn pollinators, though — as with roses and dahlias — the double-flowered varieties are far less valuable than the single-flowered types, according to the RHS. Its lilac, yellow-eyed flowers produce generously over many weeks, making it one of the longer-flowering options on this list.

9. Knapweed (Centaurea nigra)

A native meadow perennial with thistle-like purple flowerheads, knapweed is a strong performer for butterflies and bees through summer, and its seed heads later provide food for finches — a plant that keeps working for wildlife well after it stops flowering.

10. Winter-Flowering Sarcococca (Sarcococca confusa)

Easy to miss visually, since its small white flowers hide among glossy evergreen leaves, but its scent is unmistakable and draws in bees and other pollinators willing to brave the cold, according to the RHS. It’s one of the few genuinely useful winter-flowering options for pollinators that manage to stay active in milder spells.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I only plant native species for pollinators? No. RHS research found that a mix of native and non-native plants supports the broadest range of pollinators, with a slight weighting toward natives being ideal rather than an exclusive native-only approach.

What’s the single biggest planting mistake for pollinators? Leaving gaps in the flowering calendar. A garden packed with summer colour but nothing blooming in early spring or late autumn leaves pollinators without food exactly when they need it most, at the start and end of their active season.

Ten plants is a starting point, not a ceiling — the real goal is a garden that has something in flower nearly every month of the year, which does more for pollinators than any single “best” plant ever could.