Native Plants for a Small Pollinator Patch

A pollinator patch does not need a park. A strip beside a path, a corner of a school ground or a few square metres behind a community hall can feed bees and butterflies for months. The one idea that matters most is that a small patch works when it does three jobs at once: flowers in sequence for adults, host plants for caterpillars, and somewhere to nest, all kept free of sprays.

This page sets out choosing the spot, plants by the job they do, a flowering sequence, nesting and water, and the plants growers list for it. It draws on the pollinator bodies named below. It also draws on HortOS, a free directory of New Zealand wholesale plant growers with their published availability and trade prices. Planning a pollinator planting with trade suppliers covers larger plantings ordered from the trade.

Quick facts

Size	A patch can be small. A strip of about nine square metres, or several smaller pieces, still works when it is planted densely.
Sun	Most pollinator plants and most butterflies need sun. Choose a spot with at least six hours of it.
Three jobs	Flowers in sequence for adults, host plants for caterpillars, and bare soil or hollow stems for nesting.
No sprays	Insecticides kill the insects the patch is for. Ask growers whether plants were treated with systemic insecticides.
Natives first	Native plants feed native insects best and are the ones the regional guides name.
Where the growers are	Growers near the patch are on the region hubs: Auckland, Canterbury, Waikato.

What the patch is for

The Trees for Bees NZ research programme publishes a Bee Plant Finder that covers 222 bee forage plants and varieties, searchable by site, flowering time and value to bees. The Moths and Butterflies of New Zealand Trust runs projects on native butterflies and monarchs, including advice on swan plant health, since the swan plants monarchs breed on are not native.

A patch of native flowering shrubs and flax, kept free of sprays, feeds native bees, butterflies and nectar-feeding birds through the year, and a few swan plants beside it serve monarchs if the garden wants them.

Plants by the job they do

• Nectar and pollen. Flowering perennials, shrubs and small trees feed adult bees, butterflies and other pollinators. Plant drifts of five or more of each, not single plants.
• Host plants. Caterpillars eat particular plants. Native grasses and shrubs host many native butterflies and moths.
• Nesting. Most native bees nest alone in bare ground or hollow stems. Leave a patch of bare, sunny soil and some stems standing over the cold months.
• Water. A shallow dish with stones to land on gives insects water on hot days.
• Shelter. Plants set close together, without crowding, give shelter from wind and predators.

The table lists native plants of the kind a pollinator patch uses, with how many growers listed each on HortOS on 25 October 2026. Grower counts are the growers listing each plant on HortOS on 25 October 2026, in any size. Median trade prices are not published for most New Zealand plants yet.

Of the plants in the table, harakeke (Phormium tenax) had the most growers listing it, 39, and koromiko (Veronica stricta) the fewest of those shown, 4. A count here is growers listing the plant, not how well it suits a site.

A flowering sequence

A patch that flowers only in late spring feeds nothing for the rest of the year. List the plants by month of flowering and fill the gaps, with the early and late flowers in the biggest numbers because they are the scarce ones. Three or four plants for each part of the season is enough for a small patch.

Native grasses earn a place beside the flowers. Many native butterflies lay their eggs on grasses, and a clump of grass shelters ground-nesting bees and beetles. Where a patch meets a lawn, a strip left unmown through spring and summer extends the patch for nothing, and shows neighbours the change is deliberate when its edge is mown neatly.

Plant in the cooler months so roots establish before the first hot spell, and water weekly for the first summer. Cut back in late winter rather than autumn, so seed heads feed birds and hollow stems shelter insects through the cold months.

Where a patch fits

Small patches work best where people already pass and someone already cares for the ground. A school ground, the edge of a community garden, a church yard, the front of a hall and the berm outside a home are all common sites. A berm or a park belongs to the council, so ask before digging, and ask whether there is a programme that supports residents planting there.

A patch beside a path is also a teaching patch. A small sign naming the plants and saying why the soil is left bare in places answers the questions neighbours ask and stops a tidy-minded volunteer from mulching over the nesting ground.

Keeping the patch going

The first year is about roots. Water weekly in dry weather, pull weeds by hand rather than spraying, and replace the few plants that fail with more of the ones that thrived. From the second year the patch needs little more than a cut back in late winter, a check for weeds each month, and a note of what flowered when.

Resist the urge to tidy. Seed heads left standing feed birds, hollow stems shelter insects through the cold months, and leaf litter under shrubs is where many insects spend the winter.

Buying the plants

Pollinator plants are mostly sold small, as root trainers and PB3 bags, and a small patch needs a tray or two. Median trade prices are not published for most New Zealand plants yet, so each grower's own published price sits beside its line on the plant pages. Ask the grower two questions before ordering: whether the plants are the straight native species or a cultivar, since double flowers and some selections feed less, and whether they were treated with a systemic insecticide.

Buy from growers near the patch where you can. Plants raised in the same climate settle faster, a short trip keeps small plants in good condition, and a nearby grower is easy to go back to for the few plants that fail in the first year. Order a few more than the plan needs, and keep them in pots for gaps.

What to watch for

• Single plants of many kinds. Pollinators find drifts, not specimens. Plant five or more of each.
• All spring. Fill the late summer and autumn gaps first, then the early spring.
• Sprayed plants. Plants treated with a systemic insecticide can harm the insects they are meant to feed. Ask before buying.
• Too tidy. Bare soil, standing stems and leaf litter are nesting sites. Do not mulch every centimetre or cut everything back in autumn.
• Shade. A patch in shade grows leaves, not flowers. Find the sunniest spot there is.

Getting it right

1. Choose a sunny spot, as small as a few square metres, protected from mowing and sprays.
2. Take the plant list from the regional guide and check which plants growers near you list.
3. Plant in drifts, with host plants, a flowering sequence across the season.
4. Leave bare sunny soil and some hollow stems, and add a shallow water dish.
5. Plant in the cooler months, water weekly through the first summer, and cut back in late winter.
6. Record what flowers when, to fill gaps next year.

A word of caution

Which plants feed which pollinators in a region is the regional guides' to say, and this page does not rank them. The plant counts are what HortOS printed on 25 October 2026, and the live pages change as growers update their lists. On treatments and stock the grower's written answer is the record.

Sources

• Trees for Bees NZ: bee forage plants and the plant finder.
• Moths and Butterflies of New Zealand Trust: butterflies, monarchs and swan plants.
• Department of Conservation, Native plant restoration: planning a restoration planting.
• New Zealand Plant Conservation Network, Plant lists by ecological region and district: plant lists for each district.