Top 50
A selection of medium to large shrubs and small trees that you can grow in UK gardens to benefit our pollinating insects
List Curated by Thomas McBride From research data collected and collated at the National Botanic Garden of Wales
NB: Butterflies and Moths are not studied at the NBGW so any data on nectar plants beneficial for them is taken from Butterfly Conservation Map Maps depict the native area of the plant (in green) Guide to using these pages: They also show areas the plant is naturalised (in purple)
Latin Binomial All maps shown Name are derived from ‘Plants of the Common World Online’; English courtesy of Kew Name Gardens
Flowering Period Photograph (this is when it is good of the plant for pollinators!) in flower
Plant Family
Insect groups known to Growing habit favour the and mature size nectar of this of the plant plant
Useful knowledge or warnings about the plant RHS AGM cultivars of this species (or a related species occasionally) i Key to these Pages Warnings
Additional information on these garden plants
This plant would The flowers only be suitable for and/or leaves meadow-style have a Pleasant Plant tissue is highly planting scent toxic if ingested
The plant has edible parts that are Sap may cause irritation Plant is often used in commonly eaten or (Wash hands after touching traditional Herbal Remedies used in cooking or avoid touching)
ii Temperature RHS Hardiness Scale
Some of the plants listed in our Top 200 are not fully H1a - Above 15ºC hardy in all or some parts of the United Kingdom. H1b - Minimum 10ºC Plants without a thermometer symbol are fully hardy in the severest UK Winter; equating to H5 or hardier. H1c - Minimum 5ºC Plants with a coloured thermometer symbol are hardy to varying degrees as follows: H2 - Minimum 1ºC
H3 - Minimum -5ºC
H4 - Minimum -10ºC
H5 - Minimum -15ºC Almost Hardy Half-Hardy Not Frost Hardy Not Hardy (H4) (H3) (H2) (H1) iii Pollinators Our data on pollinators has been collected from studies spanning over a decade. Pollinator symbols appear when plants are proven to be good nectar (a) (b) plants for certain insects. It should be noted that all bee and hoverfly data is ours but lepidoptera data is taken from Butterfly Conservation.
Our data spans a wide range of different insect species. For simplicity, these species have been condensed into six easy icons to represent them: (c) (d) a) Honeybees c) Bumblebees e) Moths b) Hoverflies d) Butterflies f) Solitary Bees (Includes Moths)
(e) (f) iv Abelia x grandiflora Abelia chinensis Abelia uniflora Garden Abelia Abelia chinensis x Abelia uniflora
East Asia
‘Hopleys’ Midsummer - Early Autumn ‘Lake Maggiore’
Caprifoliaceae Honeysuckle Family
Medium Shrub
Photograph from Flickr (CC) Manuel M Vicente 1 Amelanchier lamarckii N. America Snowy Mespilus
- Species - Spring .
Rosaceae Rose Family
Small Tree
Photograph from Flickr (CC) Ekenitr 2 Berberis darwinii S. America Darwin’s Barberry
- Species - Spring . x media (Hybrid with B. empetrifolia) Berberidaceae Barberry Family
Medium Shrub
Photograph from Flickr (CC) Harry McGregor 3 Buddleja davidii China Common Butterfly Bush
‘Black Knight’ Summer . ‘Dartmoor’
Scrophulariaceae Figwort Family
Large Shrub
Photograph © Thomas McBride 4 Buddleja globosa S. America Orange-ball Butterfly Bush
-Species- Summer .
‘Sungold’ (Hybrid)
Scrophulariaceae Figwort Family
Large Shrub
Photograph from Flickr (CC) Margrit 5 Camellia japonica Japanese Camellia
East Asia
‘Hagoromo’ Spring . ‘Pink Perfection*’
Theaceae Tea Family
Medium Shrub
* Fully double flowered cultivars are not good for pollinating Photograph from Flickr (CC) Eric Hunt insects so try to buy single flowers (see photo) when6 possible. Ceanothus arboreus California Island Californian-Lilac
‘Autumnal Blue’ Mid Spring - Early Summer ‘Trewithen Blue’
Rhamnaceae Buckthorn Family
Small Tree
* This plant will not survive below -10’c night temperatures, protect from very harsh winter nights Photograph from Flickr (CC) Eliot Phillips, Johnson Earls (Close-up) 7 Cercis siliquastrum Eurasia Judas Tree
‘Bodnant’ Spring .
Fabaceae Legume Family
Small Tree
Photograph from Flickr (CC) Andreas Rockstein 8 Chaenomeles speciosa Chinese Quince
China
‘Geisha Girl’ Spring . ‘Moerloosei’
Rosaceae Rose Family
Medium Shrub
Photograph from Flickr (CC) Stanze Bla 9 Cistus x purpureus Mediterranean Purple Rock-rose Cistus ladanifer x Cistus creticus
Cistus Cistus ladanifer creticus
-Hybrid- Summer . ‘Betty Taudevin’
Cistaceae Rock-rose Family
Small Shrub
Photograph from Flickr (CC) Franco Folini 10 Cornus mas Eurasia Cornelian-cherry
‘Aurea’ ‘Jolico’ Late Winter - Early Spring ‘Golden Glory’
Cornaceae Dogwood Family
Small Tree
Photograph from Flickr (CC) Andreas Rockstein 11 Cornus sanguinea Europe Common Dogwood
‘Magic Flame’ Summer . ‘Anny’s Winter Orange’
Cornaceae Dogwood Family
Large Shrub
Photograph from Flickr (CC) Andreas Rockstein 12 Crataegus laevigata Europe Midland Hawthorn
‘Punicea’ Spring . ‘Rosea Flore Pleno’*
Rosaceae Rose Family
Small Tree
* Double flowered cultivars are not good for most pollinating insects so try to buy single flowers when possible Photograph from Flickr (CC) Peter Stenzel 13 N. America & Dasiphora fruticosa Eurasia Garden Potentilla
‘Chelsea Star’ Early Summer - Early Autumn ‘Limelight’
Rosaceae Rose Family
Medium Shrub
Photograph from Flickr (CC) Irmeli Hasanen 14 Deutzia gracilis Japanese Snow Flower
Japan
‘Nikko’ Mid Spring - Early Summer
Hydrangeaceae Hydrangea Family
Medium Shrub
Photograph from Flickr (CC) Dan Mullen 15 Enkianthus perulatus Dodan-tsutsuji
East Asia
- Species - Spring .
Ericaceae Heather Family
Medium Shrub
Photograph from Flickr (CC) Ume Y 16 Erica arborea Afro-Eurasia Tree Heather
*
var. alpina Spring . ‘Estrella Gold’
Ericaceae Heather Family
Medium Shrub
* This plant will not survive below -10’c night Photograph from Flickr (CC) Tim Waters temperatures, protect from very harsh winter17 nights Exochorda Exochorda x macrantha racemosa var. Garden Pearlbush grandiflora Exochorda albertii x Exochorda grandiflora* Exochorda racemosa var. albertii
C. Asia China
‘The Bride’ Late Spring - Early Summer
Rosaceae Rose Family
Medium Shrub
* The two parents were originally considered separate species Photograph from Flickr (CC) Tim Waters due to geographic separation, however, genetic studies show they might simply be different variants of Exochorda18 racemosa Fatsia japonica Japanese Aralia
East Asia
- Species - Autumn . ‘Variegata’
Araliaceae Ivy Family
Medium Shrub
Photograph from Flickr (CC) Cerlin Ng 19 Hydrangea macrophylla Large-leaf Hydrangea
Japan
‘Hanabi’ ‘Zorro’ Summer . ‘Quadricolour’
Hydrangeaceae Hydrangea Family
Medium Shrub
Photograph from Flickr (CC) CyprusPictures 20 Hydrangea paniculata Panicled Hydrangea
East Asia
‘Big Ben’ Summer . ‘Pinky Winky’
Hydrangeaceae Hydrangea Family
Medium Shrub
Photograph from Flickr (CC) Jack Wolf 21 Hypericum addingtonii Hypericum x hidcoteense Europe China Garden St John’s Wort Hypericum calycinum x Hypericum x cyathiflorum* S. Asia
Hypericum calycinum Hypericum hookerianum
‘Hidcote’ Midsummer - Early Autumn
Hypericaceae St Johns Wort Family
Medium Shrub
* Hypericum x cyathiflorum is a cross between Photograph from Flickr (CC) Allan Harris H. addingtonii and H. hookerianum22 Europe & Ilex aquifolium N. Africa European Holly
Spring . ‘Amber’ ‘Argentea’ ‘Golden Queen’ A/W (Berries)
Aquifoliaceae Holly Family
Medium Tree
Photograph from Flickr (CC) Randi Hausken, Bjorn S(Flowers) 23 Jasminum fruticans Afro-Eurasia Yellow Jasmine
None Late Spring - Early Summer
Oleaceae Olive Family
Medium Shrub
Photograph from Flickr (CC) Jean-François Bousquet 24 Kalmia latifolia N. America Mountain-laurel
‘Freckles’ Mid Spring - Early Summer ‘Pink Charm’
Ericaceae Heather Family
Medium Shrub
Photograph from Flickr (CC) Nicholas A. Tonelli 25 Kerria japonica Japanese Marigold-bush
East Asia
‘Golden Guinea’ Late Spring - Midsummer ‘Pleniflora*’
Rosaceae Rose Family
Medium Shrub
* Double flowered cultivars are not good for most pollinating insects so try to buy single flowers when possible Photograph from Flickr (CC) A. Qiao 26 Laburnum anagyroides Europe Golden Chain
L. anagyroides x L. alpinum Late Spring Laburnum x - Early Summer watereri ‘Vossii’
Fabaceae Legume Family
Medium Tree
Photograph from Flickr (CC) Maja Dumat 27 Magnolia campbellii Campbell’s Magnolia
East Asia
‘Darjeeling’ Spring .
Magnoliaceae Magnolia Family
Medium Tree
* This plant may not survive below -10’c night Photograph from Flickr by Bernard Spragg temperatures, protect from very harsh winter28 nights Magnolia stellata Star Magnolia
Japan
‘Centennial’ Spring . ‘Royal Star’
Magnoliaceae Magnolia Family
Small Tree
Photograph from Flickr (CC) Ting Chen 29 Mahonia aquifolium N. America Oregon Grape
‘Apollo’ Spring .
Berberidaceae Barberry Family
Medium Shrub
Photograph from Flickr (CC) Maja Dumat 30 Malus floribunda Japanese Crab Apple
Korea
Spring . - Species - Autumn (Fruits)
Rosaceae Rose Family
Small Tree
Photograph from Flickr (CC) Maja Dumat, Vanlap Hoàng (fruit) 31 Malus baccata Malus Malus x robusta prunifolia Siberian Crab Apple Malus baccata x Malus prunifolia
Asia East Asia
Spring . ‘Red Sentinel’ Autumn (Fruits)
Rosaceae Rose Family
Small Tree
Photograph from Wikipedia (CC) Rasbak, Juhele_CZ (Fruit) 32 Philadelphus coronarius Anatolia Sweet Mock-orange
‘Aureus’ Late Spring - Midsummer ‘Variegatus’
Hydrangeaceae Hydrangea Family
Medium Shrub
Photograph from Flickr (CC) Stanze Bla 33 Prunus incisa Fuji Cherry
Japan
‘Fujimae’ Spring . ‘Kojo-no-mai’
Rosaceae Rose Family
Small Tree
Photograph from Flickr (CC) Autan 34 Prunus laurocerasus Afro-Eurasia Laurel-leaved Cherry
‘Otto Luyken’ Spring . ‘Rotundifolia’
Rosaceae Rose Family
Small Tree
Photograph from Flickr (CC) Linda de Volder 35 Pyracantha coccinea Eurasia Red Firethorn
Summer . ‘Orange Glow’ A/W (Berries) ‘Teton’
Rosaceae Rose Family
Medium Shrub
Photograph from Flickr (CC) Scott Zona (Berries), Janice Waltzer (Flowers) 36 Rhododendron luteum Eurasia Yellow Azalea
- Species - Spring . (Possibly mildly invasive so AGM tentatively removed recently)
Ericaceae Heather Family
Large Shrub
Photograph from Wikipedia (CC) Chrumps 37 Rhododendron viscosum Swamp Azalea
N. America
- Species - Summer .
Ericaceae Heather Family
Medium Shrub
Photograph from Flickr (CC) Doug McGrady 38 Ribes odoratum N. America Scented Golden Currant
None Spring .
Grossulariaceae Currant Family
Medium Shrub
Photograph © Thomas McBride 39 Ribes sanguineum N. America Red-flowered Currant
‘Koja’ Mid Spring - Early Summer ‘Pokey’s Pink’
Grossulariaceae Currant Family
Medium Shrub
Photograph from Flickr (CC) Andrew A Reding 40 Rosa gallica Eurasia Rosa-mundi, French Rose
var. officinalis Summer . ‘Versicolor’
Rosaceae Rose Family
Small Shrub
Photograph from Flickr (CC) Tim Waters 41 Rosa rugosa Japanese Rose
East Asia
‘Fru Dagmar Hastrup’ Midsummer - Early Autumn ‘Scabrosa’
Rosaceae Rose Family
Medium Shrub
Photograph from Flickr (CC) Andrew A Reding 42 Rosa xanthina Yellow Manchu Rose
East Asia
‘Canary Bird’ Spring .
Rosaceae Rose Family
Medium Shrub
Photograph from Wikipedia (CC) T Voekler 43 Rosmarinus officinalis Mediterranean Rosemary Plant
‘Sissinghurst Blue’ Late Spring - Midsummer ‘Miss Jessop’
Lamiaceae Mint Family
Small Shrub
Photograph from Flickr (CC) Amanda Slater 44 Sambucus nigra Eurasia Common Elder
f. laciniata Late Spring - Midsummer ‘Thundercloud’
Adoxaceae Moschatel Family
Small Tree
Photograph from Flickr (CC) Andreas Rockstein 45 Spiraea japonica Japanese Spiraea
Japan
‘Candlelight’ Summer . ‘Dart’s Red’
Rosaceae Rose Family
Medium Shrub
Photograph from Flickr (CC) BeautifulCataya 46 Stachyurus chinensis Chinese Spiketail
East Asia
‘Celina’ Late Winter - Mid Spring ‘Joy Forever’
Stachyuraceae Spiketail Family
Medium Shrub
Photograph © Thomas McBride 47 Syringa vulgaris Balkans Common Lilac Bush
‘Primrose’ ‘Vestale’ Mid Spring - Early Summer ‘Sensation’
Oleaceae Olive Family
Small Tree
Photograph © Thomas McBride 48 C. Asia Viburnum East Asia Viburnum x bodnantense farreri Bodnant Viburnum Viburnum farreri x Viburnum grandiflorum
Viburnum grandiflorum
‘Charles Lamont’ Mid Autumn - Early Spring ‘Dawn’ ‘Deben’
Adoxaceae Moschatel Family
Large Shrub
Photograph from Flickr (CC) Peter Stenzel 49 Viburnum opulus Eurasia Guelder-rose
‘Compactum’ ‘Rosea’ Late Spring - Midsummer ‘Xanthocarpum’
Adoxaceae Moschatel Family
Large Shrub
Photograph from Flickr (CC) Fred F 50