Flowering Shrubs That Support Pollinators

Flowering shrubs play a critical role in sustaining bees, butterflies, and other pollinators that are important to a healthy ecosystem. Planting shrubs for pollinators is an effective practice as a way to have healthier gardens and stronger local environments, and make your landscape more beautiful. These shrubs also serve as a source of nectar, shelter, and food over the year that supports the populations of pollinators. At Tree Nursery Co., you will find high-end, pollinator-friendly shrubs with expert growing knowledge that you can rely on.

Why Are Flowering Shrubs Important for Pollinators?

Flowering shrubs have important benefits compared to smaller plants in terms of sustaining the population of pollinators. They are bigger, and thus they offer plenty of nectar and pollen, as well as shelter and nesting places for useful insects and birds.

Shrubs for pollinators will also provide stable sources of food, unlike annuals, which need to be replanted annually, so the shrub will be there to provide food season after season. They flower at various times during the growing period, which provides all-time nutrition. They are also safe against predators and bad weather since their foliage is thick.

The main positive impacts on pollinators:

• A rich supply of nectar and pollen.
• Shelter and nesting habitat
• Blooming periods of multiple seasons.
• Fall and winter food production of berries.

The shrubs sustain whole ecosystems because they attract useful insects to take care of pests, enhance soil organisms, and augment the productivity of microbes. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service states that native shrubs for pollinators are the most useful ones since, for thousands of years, the local species of pollinators have been able to evolve around them.

Best Flowering Shrubs That Support Pollinators

The chosen flowering shrubs can guarantee the greatest utility to the pollinators and the introduction of beautiful, low-maintenance landscapes.

Black Chokeberry

The Black Chokeberry is one of the best pollinator garden plants because it produces spring flowers and fall fruits. In late spring, white clusters of flowers attract a wide variety of species of bees, and in the fall, dark berries give migrating birds the much-needed food. It grows 3-6 feet, and it can withstand both wet and dry soils.

Viburnum Dentatum Shrub

Our Viburnum Dentatum Shrub is the most dependable shrub that attracts hummingbirds and butterflies. In late spring, flowering plants create clusters of creamy white flowers that appeal to dozens of species of pollinators, and berries of blue-black color feed birds throughout the fall and winter. It is a native viburnum that grows 6-10 feet in height, and it acclimates to full sun or partial shade.

Black Haw Viburnum Shrub

The Black Haw Viburnum shrub has long-lasting flowering seasons with pollinators lasting from spring to early summer. White-topped flower clusters are considered attractive to bees, butterflies, and beneficial insects; a high density of branches gives a good nesting place. It is an extremely versatile shrub that is good as an informal hedge or a specimen plant.

Arrowwood Viburnum Shrub

The Arrowwood Viburnum Shrub is a flowering bush that grows numerous white flowers in late spring, making it a spectacular source of pollinator diversity. Being a flowering shrub for shade, it is able to endure half-shade and bloom consistently. The migrating birds and animals depend on the blue-black berries as an important source of fall food.

How to Design a Pollinator-Friendly Shrub Garden?

Designing the arrangements of pollinator garden plants should be carefully considered with the specifics of bloom, height, and the preferences of pollinators. The nature of this is to provide continuous nectar and pollen from early spring to fall.

Plant these shrubs with 3 or more common shrubs for pollinators. Such a high density of planting ensures that the pollinators can find the resources with ease and results in higher pollination rates. Combine varieties so that there is something that will be in blossom all season, without making the growing season too short.

Design principles:

• Plants in groups so that they can be seen.
• Have early, mid, and late-season bloomers.
• Offer sources of water nearby.
• Use non-toxic pesticides.

Take into consideration sun exposure when buying flowering shrubs for shade or full sun. Viburnums are flexible and can be used in varying scenarios since most of them can adapt to partial shade. Create form layers by mixing high native shrubs for pollinators with medium-sized varieties and low-growing perennials of different pollinator species with different feeding habits.

Bloom Seasons and Pollinator Activity

Knowing the time of bloom is also useful in choosing flowering shrubs that can be said to favor the pollinators at the most active time of the day. Early spring flowers are important sources of food for young pollinators, and the flowers in the late season assist the butterflies and bees in closing out the winter or the migration.

The Chokeberry flowers in late spring, and the nectar is available when the numbers of native bee populations are high. Viburnum species flower mid-to-late spring, when there is great activity in butterfly and hummingbird migration. Shrubs that attract hummingbirds should be in bloom when the birds are migrating in spring and late summer.

Seasonal blooming guide:

• Early spring: Supplies food to the growing pollinators.
• Late spring: Supports high populations of pollinators.
• Summer: Supplies butterflies and indigenous bees.
• Fall berries: Nourish migrating birds and animals.

At Tree Nursery Co., we ensure that we put at least three plants of the pollinator garden with different blooming times to ensure there is sustained support throughout the growing season.

Planting Tips for Healthy Pollinator Shrubs

By planting properly, shrubs for pollinators can grow fast and start having beneficial insects in no time. Long-term success depends on site selection, soil preparation, and initial care.

Select sites that have the right amount of sunshine for a species. The majority of flowering shrubs like full sun to partial shade. Some viburnums are good flowering shrubs for the shade of woodland gardens. Check the drainage of the soil by digging a hole and filling it with water, and it should drain off in 12-24 hours.

Dig a width twice the root ball but equal depth. Add compost to the soil to promote the growth of beneficial soil organisms and improve root health with 2-3 inches of compost. Plant at the same depth as nursery-planted shrubs, irrigate, and place 2-3 inch layers of mulch, spacing it at least 3-6 inches from the diameter of the stems.

Water profusely 2-3 times a week in the initial first growing season so as to develop strong roots. Planting native shrubs for pollinators—they should not be fertilized during the first year. Pay attention to the development of healthy soil using compost, which promotes the existence of microbial diversity that is vital to the health of plants. When these shrubs are established, they need minimal maintenance and are of maximum benefit to the populations of pollinators.

Conclusion

Flowering shrubs provide the necessary disposition to benefit the bees, butterflies, and other valuable pollinators as well as beautify your landscape. Most of the population of pollinators is supported annually by reliable species such as Black Chokeberry, Viburnum Dentatum, Black Haw Viburnum, and Arrowwood Viburnum, which serve as sources of nectar, shelter, and food. Tree Nursery Co. provides the best shrubs for pollinators with professional advice that allows you to create decades-long wildlife-friendly landscapes.

FAQs

What shrubs are best for pollinators?

Black Chokeberry, Viburnum Dentatum, black Haw Viburnum, and Arrowwood Viburnum are good pollinator-supportive bushes.

Do flowering shrubs attract bees and butterflies?

Yes, flowering bushes are rich sources of nectar and pollen to attract different species of bees, butterflies, and other pollinating insects.

Which shrubs bloom the longest for pollinators?

Be careful to plant various types of shrubs that flower in different seasons to ensure that nectar flow is present from early spring until the fall.

Are native shrubs better for pollinator gardens?

Native shrubs are still better at supporting local pollinator species due to their co-evolution over thousands of years.

How can I make my garden more pollinator-friendly?

Plant various flowering shrubs, do not use pesticides, water, and have host plants for butterfly larvae.

Where can I buy pollinator-friendly shrubs online?

Tree Nursery Co. provides high-quality shrubs that support pollinators with professional advice on planting and free shipping.