Scented plants for pollinators in partial shade

Choosing plants for our gardens that attract polinating insects through the seasons is good for biodiversity and fascinating to watch

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<i>Sarcococca</i> are very highly scented and attract many pollinators
Sarcococca are very highly scented and attract many pollinators

Quick facts

  • Having a variety of flower types can attract more pollinators
  • Choosing plants that flower at different times of the year provides more opportunities for pollinators
  • Many insects are attracted to scented plants

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.

Scented plants to attract pollinators

Choosing plants for pollinators

Pollinating insects are in decline, but there are plenty of flowering plants to help them. Increasing flowering plants in our gardens can also improve fruit and vegetables: with more pollinating insects around, harvests will be bigger and better.

The plants included below provide a succession of pollen and nectar for insects across the growing season.

The rose and geranium provide some groundcover and will help prevent erosion of bare soil. Groundcover can also help to reduce moisture evaporation from the soil surface and suppress weed growth. Additional organic mulching can further improve soil moisture retention and weed suppression.

1Lonicera × purpusii 'Winter Beauty' 
2 - Hydrangea paniculata ‘Big Ben’
3 - Sarcococca hookeriana var. digyna 'Purple Stem' 
4 - Skimmia japonica 'Fragrans’ 
5 - Geranium macrorrhizum ‘White-Ness’
1Lonicera × purpusii 'Winter Beauty' is a rounded, deciduous or semi-evergreen shrub about 2m tall, with paired, ovate dark green leaves, and abundant small, tubular, sweetly-scented cream-white flowers 2cm long, on the bare branches in winter and early spring, occasionally followed by red berries.

2Hydrangea paniculata ‘Big Ben’ is an upright, slightly spreading deciduous shrub with light green leaves and reddish-purple young stems that turn brown as they age. The summer flowers have a distinctive tapered conical shape, opening pale green, changing to greenish-white then maturing to deep pink. This cultivar is very floriferous and strongly scented.

3 - Sarcococca hookeriana var. digyna 'Purple Stem' is small evergreen shrub, growing to around 75cm with narrow lanceolate leaves held alternately on purple stems. Small, delicate and muskily-scented light red and white flowers are borne in the leaf axils in winter.

4 - Skimmia japonica 'Fragrans’ is a small, bushy evergreen shrub, growing to around 1m forming a low dome with aromatic, dark green, obovate leaves to 10cm in length. Dense clusters of small, fragrant white male flowers appear in the spring.

5Geranium macrorrhizum ‘White-Ness’ is a robust evergreen perennial with pale green lobed leaves and profusions of small, pure white flowers in summer.

About plants for pollinators

Using scientific evidence, our extensive experience and the records of gardeners and beekeepers, we’ve selected a range of year-round flowering Plants for Pollinators to tackle the decline in pollinator numbers. Visit our Plants For Pollinators page to discover more of the best plants for attracting pollinators.
 

Growing plants for pollinators

​Many insects are suffering from a lack of pollinator-friendly plants in the countryside to provide nectar and pollen. By offering a good range of pollinator friendly plants in our gardens, we can help these essential creatures to thrive. Increasing biodiversity is also benefical for encouraging a healthy garden ecosystem in general.

Choose plants with a variety of different flower types and structures in order to attract a wider range of pollinators across the seasons. A succession of overlapping flowering times ensures there is always something available.
 

Why choose a sustainable planting combination?

Using the ethos of ‘right plant, right place’ to create a sustainable planting combination is great for the environment. It helps to avoid waste and the use of products and practices needed to try and help ailing plants, such as applying fertiliser. It also creates robust, long-lived planting that benefits soil health and garden biodiversity.

Additionally, this combination will also attract more pollinating insects into the garden, creating better diversity by in turn encouraging birds and other wildlife into 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.