19 Plants Beneficial Insects Love
The following plants will make your garden a boon to beneficial insects that will in turn provide you with free, all-natural pest control.
By Vicki Mattern
These annual (a) and perennial (p) plants draw an abundance of diverse beneficial insects in many regions. Choose early-, mid- and late-season bloomers. Include flowering perennials and shrubs native to your area, too. Learn more about beneficial insects and see profiles of our top 10 in Enlist Beneficial Insects for Natural Pest Control.
| Plant | Bloom Time |
| Sweet alyssum (a) | spring through frost |
| Hairy vetch (a) | spring to summer, depending on seeding time |
| Angelica (p) | late spring |
| Common garden sage (p) | late spring to early summer |
| Orange stonecrop (p) | late spring to early summer |
| Thyme (p) | late spring to early summer |
| Catmint (p) | late spring to midsummer |
| Buckwheat (a) | three weeks after planting; continues up to 10 weeks |
| Dill (a) | summer |
| Fennel (p) | summer |
| Shasta daisy (p) | summer |
| Mints (p) | midsummer |
| Coreopsis (p) | summer to fall |
| Cilantro (a) | summer to fall, if reseeded |
| Cosmos (a) | summer to fall |
| Oregano (p) | summer to fall |
| Yarrows, common and fern-leaf (p) | summer to fall |
| Goldenrod (p) | late summer to fall |
| Asters (p) | late summer to fall |
For a list of more than 100 additional plants that will give you year-round natural pest control, check out Organic Pest Control: The Best Plants to Attract Beneficial Insects and Bees.
Vicki Mattern is a contributing editor for MOTHER EARTH NEWS magazine, book editor and freelance magazine writer. She has edited or co-authored seven books on gardening, and lives and works from her home in northwestern Montana. You can find Vicki on Google+.
