Plants with evergreen foliage to attract pollinators

There are plenty of evergreen plants, with a variety of shapes, sizes and colours. It’s possible to create a full and attractive border with year-round appeal to attract a range of pollinators

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Evergreens can provide year-round interest
Evergreens can provide year-round interest

Quick facts

  • Plants can provide important food and shelter for pollinators 
  • Avoid using pesticides in your garden
  • Providing water for pollinators is also helpful

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The planting plan

James Lawrence, RHS Principal Horticultural Advisor, has designed this simple, attractive, and most importantly, sustainable border design for you to try at home with plants that are easy to grow, widely available and look good together.

This planting plan of evergreens provides a range of plants that, once established, will thrive and attract pollinators to your garden. 

An increased presence of many pollinators such as lacewings and hoverflies will also help to manage populations of some of the less desirable insects you may find in your garden, such as greenfly and aphids.

Evergreen plants to attract pollinators

© James Lawrence

Choosing foliage plants to attract pollinators

The Elaeagnus provides height in the centre of the design, while the other plants add extra seasonal colour and interest throughout the growing season, providing a variety of different flower types over a long period.

Thymus is a useful groundcover plant and will help reduce erosion from bare soil. The groundcover can also help to reduce soil surface moisture evaporation and suppress weed growth.

Additional organic mulching, preferably with homemade compost, can further help with soil moisture retention and weed suppression. 

1 - Ceanothus ‘Puget Blue’ 
2 - Elaeagnus x submacrophylla ‘Gilt Edge’
3 - Phlomis fruticosa
4 - Veronica rakaiensis
5 - Thymus serphyllum ‘Pink Chintz’ 
6 - Veronica ‘Margaret’  
7 - Erysimum ‘Bowles's Mauve’ 
1 - Ceanothus ‘Puget Blue’ is a dense, evergreen shrub with dark green, narrow leaves. Panicles of deep, rich blue flowers are produced over a long period in late spring and early summer.

2 - Elaeagnus x submacrophylla ‘Gilt Edge’ forms a large shrub whose dark green leaves are outlined with yellow. Small, silvery, highly fragrant flowers open in autumn, sometimes followed by orange berries.

3 - Phlomis fruticosa is a small, spreading evergreen shrub, the erect shoots bearing sage-like, grey-green leaves to 12cm in length. Whorls of deep yellow, hooded flowers open from early summer.

4 - Veronica rakaiensis is a compact, rounded evergreen small shrub with small, bright green leaves and short spikes of white flowers from early summer.

5 - Thymus serphyllum ‘Pink Chintz’ is an evergreen sub-shrub forming a wide mat, with small, aromatic, dark green leaves and heads of tiny pink flowers.

6 - Veronica ‘Margaret’ is a compact, rounded evergreen shrub with bright green foliage and spikes of light blue flowers in early summer, often repeating in early autumn.

7 - Erysimum ‘Bowles’s Mauve’ is a bushy evergreen perennial with clusters of rich mauve flowers rising above narrow, dark grey-green leaves.

About evergreen plants

Choosing evergreen plants that flower at different times of the year will keep your border growing well, attracting a variety of pollinators and looking good all year round. Blocking light to the soil by providing continuous leaf cover will help keep weeds at bay.

A simple planting plan helps create depth, interest and good coverage in a border.
 

The challenge of growing evergreen plants

Evergreen plants can cast a lot of shade and limit the choice of species that can be used to underplant. Keeping small patches clear for more light-demanding plants will enable you to add something extra if you wish.
 

Why choose a sustainable planting combination?

Using the ethos of ‘right plant, right place’ to create sustainable planting combinations is great for the environment. It encourages more pollinating insects into the garden, creating better overall diversity by encouraging birds and other wildlife to the garden.

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The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.