Dry Garden Starter Kit - The Pollinators

This starter kit brings together seven nectar-rich, drought-tolerant plants chosen for their staying power in the garden and their irresistible pull for pollinators. From dawn-blooming yarrow to evening-scented four o'clocks, this collection keeps something in flower — and something buzzing — from spring right through to the first frost, all while requiring very little water once established.

Includes: Achillea millefolium 'Apfelblüte', Agastache 'Pink Pop', Allium schoenoprasum, Geranium macrorrhizum, Hyssopus officinalis, Mirabilis jalapa 'Salmon Sunset', and Nepeta x faassenii.

Achillea millefolium 'Apfelblüte' (Yarrow)

A tough, feathery-leaved perennial topped with flat clusters of soft pink flowers from early summer through autumn. Yarrow is a magnet for bees and butterflies, and its ferny, aromatic foliage adds fine texture to any border. Extremely drought tolerant once established, it thrives in poor, well-drained soil and shrugs off neglect — the perfect low-fuss anchor for a pollinator patch.

Agastache 'Pink Pop' (Hummingbird Mint)

A compact, free-flowering perennial bearing tall spikes of vivid pink, tubular flowers from summer into autumn. Aromatic, minty foliage and nectar-rich blooms make it a magnet for bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Once established, 'Pink Pop' handles heat and dry spells with ease, making it a long-blooming, low-fuss addition to any sunny bed.

Allium schoenoprasum (Chives)

A hardworking herb as happy in a pollinator border as it is in the kitchen. Grassy, edible foliage is topped in early summer by round, purple-pink pompom flowers that bees can't resist. Easy-going and drought tolerant once rooted in, chives return reliably year after year, making a neat edging plant that pulls double duty on the plate and in the garden.

Geranium macrorrhizum (Bigroot Geranium)

A vigorous, mat-forming perennial with aromatic, deeply lobed foliage that turns rich red-bronze in autumn. In late spring and early summer it's covered in cheerful pink to magenta flowers loved by bees. Remarkably drought tolerant and happy in poor soil, it makes excellent, weed-smothering ground cover for the front of a dry border.

Hyssopus officinalis (Hyssop)

An upright, semi-evergreen herb with narrow aromatic leaves and dense spikes of violet-blue flowers that bloom for weeks in summer. A long-standing bee and butterfly favorite, hyssop is as at home in an herb garden as in a dry, sunny border. Tolerant of poor soil and drought once established, it needs little more than sun and good drainage to thrive.

Mirabilis jalapa 'Salmon Sunset' (Four O'Clock)

A bushy, tuberous perennial grown for its fragrant, trumpet-shaped salmon-pink flowers that open in the late afternoon and release their scent into the evening — a favorite of moths and hummingbirds at dusk. Fast-growing and heat loving, it tolerates dry spells with ease once established, bringing color and fragrance to the garden right through summer and into autumn.

Nepeta x faassenii (Catmint)

A billowing, easy-care perennial with soft grey-green foliage and a long season of lavender-blue flower spikes from late spring well into autumn. Extremely drought tolerant and unfussy about soil, catmint is a classic edging or filler plant that softens borders and pathways while shrugging off dry summers. Bees adore it; deer and rabbits tend to leave it alone.