Top 12 plants for autumn pollinators

As flower-filled summer gives way to autumn and its mellower garden bounty of fruits and foliage, there’s a chance that the nectar and pollen on offer could fall short of what our bees, butterflies and moths need as they stock up for winter.

You can make sure you’re still providing for these invaluable insects just by introducing a few plants for autumn pollinators into your outdoor space.

Take your pick from these 12 expert recommendations, chosen by Bumblebee Conservation Trust founder Professor Dave Goulson, ecologist Dr Nick Tew and RHS Senior Wildlife Expert Helen Bostock, to give pollinators a helping hand as they prepare for hibernation.

1) Hylotelephium species (stonecrop, sedum)

Hylotelephium ‘Autumn Joy’

Perennials are any plant living for at least three years. The term is also commonly used for herbaceous perennials which grow for many years (To compare: annual = one year, biennial = two years).

perennials

Gardeners often use the word variety when referring to a specific plant, but the correct botanical term is 'cultivar'. Whichever word you use, it means a distinctive plant or plants, given a specific cultivar name and usually bred to enhance certain characteristics, such as flower or fruit size, colour, flavour or fragrance, plant size, hardiness, disease resistance, etc. Additionally, it is worth knowing that, botanically, variety has another meaning - it refers to a naturally-occurring distinct plant that only has slight differences in its looks. For example, Malva alcea var. fastigiata differs from typical plants by having an upright habit.

cultivar

2) Fuchsia magellanica (lady’s eardrops)

This hardy shrub, with its elegant slender blooms, is absolutely loaded with pollen and nectar. In fact, Fuchsia magellanica and its cultivars were identified in a study by Nick Tew as being responsible for a whopping 50% of the total nectar produced in 59 Bristol gardens during September and October – more than any other species.

With their long, tubular flowers, fuchsia provide abundant nectar for long-tongued bees, butterflies and moths. Blooming right up until the first frosts, this is a great plant for carrying pollinators through from late summer into early winter.

Plant it: anywhere from full sun to full shade, in the middle of a border or in a large container

• Nick Tew’s study reveals the top 5 ways to provide for pollinators in urban gardens

3) Dahlia ‘Bishop of Llandaff’

The winner of an Award of Garden Merit, this popular dahlia is prized for its combination of bright crimson blooms and striking deep bronze foliage; creating spectacular contrast. But it isn’t just us gardeners who love it – unlike pompom and cactus varieties, the simple, open blooms of this cultivar mean that the pollen-laden stamens are readily accessible to bees, making this one of the very best dahlias to plant for pollinators.

Plant it: in the middle of a sunny border or in a large container, digging up the

Tubers are swollen, usually underground, parts of a stem or root used to store food by the plant. They have buds that can produce new plants. Examples are tuberous begonia, cyclamen, dahlia and potato.

4) Hedera helix and Hedera colchica (ivy)

Ivy is much maligned as a garden plant, but its value to wildlife is enormous. There is even a specialist bee – the ivy bee, Colletes hederae – that depends on ivy flowers as its staple food source. This new arrival, first recorded in Britain in 2001, times its emergence for the flowering of the ivy, whose pollen it adores. While other bees are starting to think about winding down come September, the ivy bee is just getting going.

Allowing this British native plant to grow and flower where you can will encourage ivy bees and a great many other pollinators, as well as providing habitat for a wide range of invertebrates, and supporting birds with its berries and dense cover for nesting.

Plant it: you’ve probably already got it somewhere, if you just let it grow! Ivy will happily grow almost anywhere, and provides great groundcover for tricky areas such as dry shade

5) Salvia greggii and S. microphylla (autumn sage, baby sage)

Salvia microphylla ‘Kunth’

Salvia microphylla and two of its cultivars – the hot pink ‘Cerro Potosí’ and the pale pastel pink ‘Ribambelle’ – hold AGMs, while award-winning S. greggii cultivars include ‘Royal Bumble’ (brilliant red) and ‘Dyson’s Joy’ (pale mauve).

6) Honeysuckles (Lonicera periclymenum, L. japonica and L. caprifolium)

Lonicera caprifolium

Honeysuckles were the final key autumn nectar source identified in the Bristol survey. Though their nectar contribution peaks in June, honeysuckles’ long blooming season means they remain an important player well into autumn. The fragrant tubular blooms of this versatile climber mostly attract moths – essential pollinators that are often overlooked in favour of their counterparts on the day shift.

A great all-rounder plant for wildlife (particularly the British native species Lonicera periclymenum), honeysuckle produces sticky crimson berries that are loved by birds. Dormice also rely on honeysuckle for both food and habitat – they build their nests from the woven bark, and feed on the nectar in the autumn.

• Top 10 plants for moths
• Moths in your garden

7) Helenium ‘Moerheim Beauty’ (sneezewort)

Though tubular flowers such as those of honeysuckle, salvia and fuchsia are nectar-rich, not all pollinators have tongues long enough to reach the nectar. In contrast, open, daisy-like flowers cater for a wide audience, being particularly valuable for short-tongued solitary bees.

Helenium are fantastic

Perennials are plants that live for multiple years. They come in all shapes and sizes and fill our gardens with colourful flowers and ornamental foliage. Many are hardy and can survive outdoors all year round, while less hardy types need protection over winter. The term herbaceous perennial is used to describe long-lived plants without a permanent woody structure (they die back to ground level each autumn), distinguishing them from trees, shrubs and sub-shrubs.

8) Symphyotrichum novi-belgii (Michaelmas daisy)

Perennials are plants that live for multiple years. They come in all shapes and sizes and fill our gardens with colourful flowers and ornamental foliage. Many are hardy and can survive outdoors all year round, while less hardy types need protection over winter. The term herbaceous perennial is used to describe long-lived plants without a permanent woody structure (they die back to ground level each autumn), distinguishing them from trees, shrubs and sub-shrubs.

perennial

9) Elaeagnus x submacrophylla (oleaster, Ebbinge’s silverberry)

Elaeagnus × ebbingei ‘Limelight’

Variegated means having leaves or other plant parts with streaks, blotches or patches of different colours. Typically, these would be a combination of two colours, such as green and gold or green and white.

variegated

10) Ceratostigma plumbaginoides (hardy plumbago)

11) Succisa pratensis (devil’s bit scabious)

12) Arbutus unedo (strawberry tree)

Arbutus unedo f. rubra

• Find out more more about gardening for wildlife
• See our full list of Plants for Pollinators