Plan for a succession of bloom
Pollinators need food all season, not just in June. The classic failure mode is a garden that's spectacular for three weeks and empty the rest of the year. Sketch your plan against the calendar: early bulbs and willows for the first bees, a relay of summer perennials, then asters and goldenrod carrying the buffet to frost.
Aim for at least three species blooming at any given moment. On NurseryDirect you can filter flowering plants by bloom season to fill the gaps in your sequence.
Natives, hosts, and planting in drifts
Native plants generally feed more species than imports — many butterflies and moths can only raise caterpillars on specific native hosts (monarchs and milkweed are the famous pair, but oaks, asters, and goldenrods are quiet workhorses). A pollinator garden that includes host plants supports the whole life cycle, not just the adults.
Plant in drifts of three to seven of the same species rather than one of everything. Foraging bees work one flower type at a time, and a mass of bloom is visible from much farther away than a lone plant.
What to skip
Skip insecticides entirely — systemic ones especially, since they move into nectar and pollen. Go easy on the fall cleanup too: hollow stems and leaf litter are where next year's native bees overwinter, so leave a rough corner standing until spring.
Double-flowered ornamental varieties often trade their nectar and pollen for extra petals, so favor open, single-flowered forms where pollinators can actually reach the goods.
Finally, add the two things flowers can't provide: water and sun. A shallow dish with pebbles for safe landing gives bees and butterflies a place to drink, and siting the garden where it gets six or more hours of sun keeps nectar production — and visits — high.