Need ideas for tough plants for happy insects

[NeedMoreTea]

My garden is like a living example of the RHS common weeds list - Herb bennet, Bindweed, Lesser celandine, Herb robert, Creeping buttercup, Rosebay willowherb, and worst of all Green alkanet (whose leaves make me itchy). BUT the garden is also currently full of pollinators and every time I try to tidy up I find lots of caterpillars underneath many of these plants. I love having all these insects in the garden - my favourite is the fluffy Tiger Moth caterpillars, which I've read are in decline. So can any of you wonderful gardeners out there recommend some fairly tough plants that the insects will love that I could use to replace the weeds?

Grow some bronze fennel in the corner of your garden for the caterpillars. One kind of caterpillar absolutely loved mine last year. And the birds loved them!

Snap dragons and foxgloves are also non fussy self seeders for bees. They love a flower they can get inside. So lovely to watch.

Thanks, this calls for a trip to the garden centre to buy some seeds!

The bronze fennel looks beautiful, the colour will go very nicely with my purple hazelnut tree, and my toddler will probably like the feel of it as well - good for tickles.

Nectaroscordum siculum (Allium bulgaricum) Is great for bees. I love watching them disappear and reappear from the cups of the flowers. Wrong time of year for the bulbs but if you plant a few bulbs in October they will make a lovely addition to your garden next may.

Nasturtiums for caterpillars. Anything alliumy snapdragons (no double flowering ones) achillea lavender scabiosa foxgloves lupine

Scabious (bomb proof) - should be able to find several varieties in the garden centre
Perennial Verbena (ditto)
Hebes are very popular with bumbles
Lots of flowering herbs are as well altho they’re also popular with slugs 🐌
Buddleia.