Gardening for Texas Pollinators

Pollinators are important because they aid in plant reproduction. They help produce our favorite fruits and vegetables, provide beneficial ecosystem services, and help maintain local ecosystems.

Pollinators can be butterflies, moths, bees, birds, bats, beetles, flies, and other animals.

Creating a Pollinator Garden

18

Step By Step Guide

Follow this simple step-by-step guide to build a pollinator garden from scratch.

Prefer a Video?

Check out our Gardening for Texas Pollinators video.

Planning and Design

Designing for Specific Pollinators

Butterflies
  • Plant flowers in bright-colors like pink, yellow, orange, or white.
  • Plant flowers with flat surfaces and tiny, short tubes, like Asters.
  • Provide a shallow water source.
  • Butterflies love rotting fruit and beer!
Hummingbirds
  • Plant flowers in deep colors like red, purple, or orange.
  • Plant large flowers shaped like deep funnels, trumpets, and cups.
  • Provide clean nectar feeders with fresh sugar-water.
Bees
  • Plant flowers with bright-colors like blue, yellow, purple, or white.
  • Plant shallow flowers with a platform.
  • Plant fragrant flowers and flowers with nectar guides.
  • Provide a shallow water source.

Designing for Monarch Butterflies

3

Monarch Waystation Requirements

Looking to attract Monarch Butterflies? Check out the Monarch Waystation Certification requirements for a good start.

Prefer a Video?

Check out our Gardening for Monarch Butterflies video.

Designing for Wildlife

Stone path

Wildscapes Certification

Follow requirements for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Wildscapes Certification to support native wildlife, including pollinators.

Pollinator Page

Certified Wildlife Habitat

Certify your home landscape as a Wildlife Habitat to with the National Wildlife Federation.

Designing a Garden

Purple Coneflower

Texas SmartScapes

Get design ideas and help with plant selection specifically for North Texas.

Lantana

Compare Design Outcomes

Enter information about a potential design and see the estimated water use, benefit to pollinators, and carbon footprint.

Landscape Design Basics

Watch a video on the basics of landscape design in North Texas.

Garden 1

Pollinator Garden Design

For an easy pollinator garden design, check out design #3.

Want Wildflowers?

Learn how to create a Wildflower Patch or Pocket Prairie in this video.

Plant Choice

Always Plant Native Texas Plants

Golden Wave

Is It Native to Texas?

Look up any plant on the USDA PLANTS Database.

American Beautyberry Berries Green to Purple

Search by Attribute

Search native Texas plants by various attributes including light requirements, water requirements, plant type, and more with Texas SmartScape.

24

Local Butterfly Host Plants

Common North Texas Butterflies and their host plants.

21

Fall Plants for Butterflies

Fall blooming plants for North Texas that attract butterflies during the fall boom.

Pollinator Plant Lists

Purple Coneflower with Bees

North Central Texas Native Plants

Commercially available native plant species suitable for planned landscapes in North Central Texas.

Butterfly and Moth Plants

Native Texas plants that support butterflies and moths.

Native Bee Plants

Native Texas plants that support native bees.

27

Bumble Bee Plants

Native Texas plants that support Bumble Bees.

Gulf Muhly

Nesting Material Plants

Native Texas plants that provide nesting material for native bees.

6

Southern Plains Plants

Plants for a pollinator garden in the Southern Plains Region.

Purchasing Native Plants

Nurseries that specialize in native plants will be the best bet.

Look for local plant sales from organizations like the Native Plant Society of Texas, the Tarrant County Master Gardeners, or the Fort Worth Botanic Garden in spring and fall.

Sometimes native plants can be found at large chain stores, although the selection is often small. Look for Texas Native or Texas Superstar labels on plants in chain stores.

Wildflower sign

Looking for Seeds?

Native American Seed Company has 100% native Texas seeds grown from local ecotypes and pre-made seed mixes for various pollinators.

Nurseries that specialize in native plants

Weston Gardens 8101 Anglin Dr, Fort Worth

Ecoblossom Nursery Online Only

Native Gardeners 407 S Pipeline Rd, Euless

Painted Flower Farm 3801 Lariat Rd, Denton

Rooted In 12804 Pelzel Rd, Pilot Point

Nurseries that carry native plants

 

Marshall Grain Multiple Locations

Green’s Produce and Plants 3001 W Arkansas Ln, Arlington

Guardado Garden Center 3228 Alta Mere Dr, Fort Worth

Premier Nursery Multiple Locations

Pollinators

Identify or Learn About a Pollinator

20

Butterflies and Moths of North America

Check out information such as host plants and range maps for butterflies and moths.

7

Bug Guide

Look up any insect and find a variety of information, including photos.

Want More?

Golden Columbine Bloom

Sign Up for a Class

Take a look at our calendar of events to find a variety of online and in-person classes.

Redbud in Bloom

Watch a Video

Check out the Save Tarrant Water YouTube channel for recordings of past classes.