Viper’s bugloss
Echium vulgare
Toxic to grazing horses (PA).
🐶Dog moderate🧒Human (child) moderate
Pollinator garden
Bees, butterflies and hoverflies from spring to autumn
Continuous bloom from March to October, single (not double) flowers, no chemicals – even a balcony box can be a pollinator oasis.
☀️LightSunny, 6+ h
💧HumidityOutdoor
🌡️TemperatureNative, hardy species
🪴Water & substrateLittle once established; a shallow water dish with stones
Build
Step by step
- 1
Plan a bloom calendar: flowers in spring, summer and autumn.
- 2
Plant in groups of 3–5 – pollinators look for patches.
- 3
Leave stems over winter (insects overwinter) and a bare soil patch for ground bees.
Plant list
What to plant
Background
Giant hyssop
Agastache
🐶Dog no data🧒Human (child) safe
Midground
English lavender
Lavandula angustifolia
🐶Dog mild🧒Human (child) safe
Purple coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
🐶Dog safe🧒Human (child) safe
Woodland sage
Salvia nemorosa
🐶Dog safe🧒Human (child) safe
Foreground
Catmint
Nepeta × faassenii
🐶Dog mild🧒Human (child) safe
Oregano
Origanum vulgare
🐶Dog mild🧒Human (child) safe
Orpine
Sedum telephium
🐶Dog safe🧒Human (child) safe
Carpet / ground cover
Early crocus
Crocus tommasinianus
🐶Dog mild🧒Human (child) safe
Accent
Sunflower
Helianthus annuus
🐶Dog safe🧒Human (child) safe
⚠️ Common mistakes
- Double-flowered cultivars – no nectar or pollen.
- Insecticides, even “organic”.
- Only summer bloomers – hunger in spring and autumn.
Member setups
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