Fall is often seen as the garden’s winding-down season, but it’s a critical window for pollinators. Bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects need late nectar sources to survive migration or overwintering. By planting fall-blooming perennials and designing pollinator-friendly containers, we extend the garden’s generosity right up until frost.
In Minnesota, fall is not the end of the garden; it’s a chapter filled with color, purpose, and pollinator support.
Diana Pierce, author of the Substack blog Bloom with Me, invites readers to slow down and notice the beauty around them. She recently asked me about which pollinator-friendly plants bloom in autumn. Here are my recommendations to keep pollinators happy in the fall and prepare them for winter.
Fall perennials for pollinators
Asters
- Benefits: Late nectar; purple blooms attract bees and butterflies.
- Growing habits: Full sun; well-drained soil; cut back after flowering.
Goldenrod
- Benefits: Native powerhouse; bright yellow blooms; fuels pollinators preparing for winter.
- Growing habits: Full sun; tolerates poor soils; allow space to spread.
Rudbeckia (Black-eyed Susan)
- Benefits: Golden blooms bridge summer into fall; seed heads feed birds.
- Growing habits: Full sun; medium moisture; deadhead to extend bloom.
Pollinator-friendly container plants
Compact native asters (Aromatic, Wood’s Blue)
- Benefits: Critical late nectar; thrive in chilly nights.
- Growing habits: Full sun; well-drained soil; transplant into beds before the first freeze.
Pansies and Violas
- Benefits: Frost-tolerant; bounce back after dips; nectar for insects.
- Growing habits: Cool-season tolerant; fresh potting mix; water consistently.
Salvias (Salvia coccinea, deep purple cultivars)
- Benefits: Fuel bumblebees and hummingbirds into October.
- Growing habits: Full sun; regular watering; pinch spent blooms.
Sweet alyssum
- Benefits: Frost-tolerant; blankets pot edges; attracts beneficial insects.
- Growing habits: Full sun to partial shade; moist soil.
More from Extension Yard and Garden
Permission is granted to news media to republish our news articles with credit to University of Minnesota Extension. Images also may be republished. Check for specific photographer credits or limited use restrictions in the photo title.