What to plant in a Colorado pollinator-friendly garden

What plants can you plant in our area that will attract bees and butterflies and also allow them to thrive?

Colorado has a dry and semi-arid climate, which means that plants that are drought-tolerant and can thrive in this environment are ideal for a pollinator garden. 

​Here are some of the best pollinator garden plants for Colorado including their bloom season. Everything listed is deer-resistant.

• Rocky Mountain Bee Plant (Cleome serrulata) - This plant is native to Colorado and produces pink to lavender flowers that bloom from mid-summer to early fall. It attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
• Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) - This perennial plant has purple petals and a cone-shaped center. It blooms from mid-summer to fall and attracts bees, butterflies, and other pollinators.
• Blanket Flower (Gaillardia aristata) - This plant has bright red and yellow flowers that bloom from late spring to fall. It attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
• Bee Balm (Monarda spp.) - This plant produces pink, red, or purple flowers that bloom from mid-summer to fall. It attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
• Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) - This plant has yellow or orange petals with a dark center. It blooms from mid-summer to early fall and attracts bees, butterflies, and other pollinators.
• Milkweed (Asclepias spp.) - This plant is essential for monarch butterfly conservation. It produces pink or orange flowers that bloom from mid-summer to early fall and attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
• Lavender (Lavandula spp.) - This plant produces fragrant purple or blue flowers that bloom from mid-summer to early fall. It attracts bees and butterflies.
• Penstemon (Penstemon spp.) - This plant has tubular-shaped flowers in shades of pink, purple, blue, or red. It blooms from late spring to early summer and attracts bees and hummingbirds.
• Salvia (Salvia spp.) - This plant has spikes of purple, blue, or red flowers that bloom from mid-summer to early fall. It attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
• Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) - This plant has flat-topped clusters of white, pink, or yellow flowers that bloom from mid-summer to fall. It attracts bees, butterflies, and other pollinators.​​

It's best to choose a variety of plants that bloom at different times throughout the growing season to ensure that your pollinator garden provides food for pollinators all season long.

Photos top row left to right: Bee Balm, Blanket Flower (Gaillardia daisy), Coneflower
Bottom row left to right:  Penstemon, Yarrow (be sure to not plant the invasive kind), and Salvia.