Which plants in your garden do insects love?

[dubyalass]

Just been putting the washing out and the teasels, Verbena bonariensis, hyssop, Heleniums and Fuchsias were all covered in various bees. I'm currently planning a slight redesign of my garden and want it as pollinator friendly as possible. I'm on very sandy soil with plenty of sunshine so am including the obvious stuff like mint and carrot family, but rather than using lists on the internet I'd like to know what gets the most attention in your garden, particularly if it's not what you'd expect.

Thanks in advance!

Lavender
Alliums
Thyme
Oregano
Buddleia
Borage
Salvia's
Verbena
Clover
Valerian
Hedge Woundwort
Blackberry
Blueberries
Poppies
Honeysuckle

Oregano cosmos and cornflower.

Oh foxgloves
Nepata
Deadnettle
Hyssop

I've also recently planted night-scented phlox (for moths), eriygium, hollyhocks, lupins, & summer bulbs, which hopefully will be out in force next year.

I second this. Have never seen so many bees around one plant.

Lovely idea for a thread by the way.

Our lavender is absolutely covered in all sorts of different bees and other insects. They also loved the bramble when it was in flower and the clover in the lawn. Oregano, chives and basil very popular too.

My two stand-out plants this year for attracting pollinators have been:

Achillea (yarrow) - I have Cerise Queen and it is covered in ladybirds, which have very helpfully done a sterling job on this year's rose and sweetpea aphids.

Salvia - has been like Grand Central Station for bees and hoverflies. I have Nemerosa Caradona plus a less dense & upright variety. Both are equally popular.

I have a low thyme that flowers prolifically and the bees and other insects go mad for it - it becomes a sort of buzzing carpet. Excellent for edges of borders or paths.

Lavender, echinanea, marjoram, rosemary, allium, lupins.

They also love our apple and pear trees.

Lavender, scabious, marjoram, betony

Lady's bedstraw and birds-foot trefoil bring in lots. White globe thistle has been a hit with the bees, oregano covered with butterflies, and we've allowed purple toadflax to come up which has plenty visiting it.

Erygnium, borage, foxgloves, geranium, Japanese anemone.
The erygnium and borage were new this year at our back door and have been covered in bees!

This is brilliant, thank you all. I've grown kidney vetch for the first time this year but haven't seen a single insect on it, which is surprising. There's some tansy about to flower so I'll see if anything likes that. The eryngium only had one flower spike but they were all over it. Oregano/marjoram - got both but I think my thyme has died.

I've got a pink self-seeded geranium that pops up everywhere and they love that. I love salvias so they're definitely on the list (inherited 'Cherry Lips' which I don't love but am keeping for now cos the bees are all over it). My sedum has been on the verge of flowering for what feels like months - presumably it's waiting for warmer weather before it flowers.

Lemon Queen sunflower is fantastic for bees. https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/10/2018/08/c5dde0ef-7636-4bca-b30d-ae8e0a53c05a-ec5921f.jpg?quality=90&webp=true&resize=1100,734
Also have masses of lavender, verbena bonariensis, comfrey, wild marjoram, salvias. For butterflies birds foot trefoil good for commin blues and ladies smock (needs a damp spot eg by pond)great for orange tips. Lovely thread OP.

I think that’s a Japanese anemone. Not sure which one though.

Bees are all over my everlasting sweet pea.

We have a bush of tree germander in the garden. The bees really love it and it's a very pretty shrub - pale blue flowers and greyish-white foliage.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teucrium_fruticans

Hebe
Echinacea
Cosmos
Lavender
Verbena bonariensis
Pansies

Don't think it's been mentioned but my number one is Abelia. Flowers from August to November so good for late summer. The bees absolutely love it.

Lady’s bedstraw isn’t a common plant in gardens. Do you have it as a border plant or is it in your grass? I have it on top of a low wall and in the narrow border at the base, where it makes quite a show.

Mere - I have a meadow area and it's growing happily there. It has also 'taken' in one of the areas we planted up with shade-loving plants. The colour has been amazing.

We have a few varieties of Echinops thistles and the bees can’t get enough of them. They’re tall so are at the back of the border but you can hear them buzzing from across the garden.

Budleia. Butterflies are supposed to love nettles but I never see them on the nettles, just the buddlea.

This year: nasturtiums, borage

Prev years: borage, wallflowers, catmint

I started planting for pollinators a few years ago so I’ve got a lot of everything already mentioned but one of the best plants going over to late summer and autumn is Sedum Autumn Joy. It get absolutely covered in bees and other insects just as a lot of the other plants are going over. I actually don’t love the look of it but I let it grow in huge clumps just for the insects.