10 Plants That Naturally Attract Ladybugs Into Your Garden

Who doesn't love ladybugs? Those tiny, red-shelled and dotted garden guests are commonly associated with luck. But these are not just cute visitors, they're also hardworking heroes. While they may look like they're hanging out on leaves, ladybugs are also gobbling up garden pests like aphids, mites, and other harmful insects that could threaten your garden. In short, ladybugs are nature's cutest pest control.

If seeing one brightens your day, we have good news for you. There are plenty of plants that naturally attract ladybugs to your garden. Many of them are umbelliferous plants which includes the dill (Anethum graveolens) and parsley (Petroselinum crispum) families, as well as flowering plants that provide comfortable room for them to land and walk around. Ladybugs make a great team with plants that are particularly prone to small bugs like beetles, for example, sunflowers (Helianthus annuus), where they can enjoy a snack along with some rest. Like tons of pollinators, they also favor flowers that are brightly colored, like marigolds (Tagetes) or calendula (Calendula officinalis). No matter where you live in the United States, you're definitely going to be able to find plants to bring more ladybugs to your yard. With a bit of patience and some smart gardening, you'll have new visitors buzzing around your home ecosystem and helping your garden thrive. 

Dill is an edible herb that's commonly known because of its strong and distinct flavor. The great news is that dill blooms are beloved by ladybugs and other beneficial insects, like bees and butterflies, because they're full of pollen and nectar. Even before dill flowers, the foliage provides safety as a host plant for baby ladybug larvae. It grows throughout the United States, and it's very low maintenance, requiring just water and sun. Grow dill in either containers and pots or directly into the ground, depending on your soil and garden layout.

Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) is another ladybug-magnet herb from the umbellifer family. The flowers from fennel plants are full of nectar and can attract adult ladybugs, while the leaves and stems can provide shelter for their larvae. It grows across the United States and is hardy in zones 4 to 9. These plants can reach six feet, so they require a bit more garden space and landscape planning than some smaller alternatives. It has a distinct smell that's a bit reminiscent of licorice, which makes fennel wonderful for cooking.

Another way to fill your garden with umbellifers that ladybugs adore is to plant some parsley. Once again, make sure to let the parsley bloom so that its flower's nectar can attract ladybugs. Parsley can grow in garden beds, containers, or directly in the soil. It's better suited for sun and needs water about once a week to thrive. This is a low-maintenance and delicious way to bring more ladybugs to your yard.

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is a beautiful flowering plant that you can grow at home in the ground or in containers. It has long stems with pretty leaves that resemble feathers, and large clusters of tiny flowers. These beauties come in all sorts of colors, from white to yellow, red, and orange, and is hardy in zones 3 to 9. Yarrow's large and flat flower clusters are a wonderful spot for ladybugs looking to land after a flight or some space to crawl around. 

Another wonderful flowering option for gardeners looking to make a ladybug oasis in their backyard is calendula. This stunning annual, also known as pot marigold, is actually a member of the daisy family. It's known for its large orange and yellow flowers. It's the core of the calendula flower that's especially attractive to ladybugs because it's full of nectar and because it's visible, flat, and provides a welcoming spot for them to land on. Therefore, the more flowers, the better!

You might have realized by now that ladybugs love a large flower they can see from far away with flat centers to use as a helipad. What better, then, than a gigantic sunflower's core to welcome these red garden guests into your garden? In exchange, the ladybug will eat sunflowers' most persistent pests: Aphids. This is truly a beneficial relationship because each ladybug can eat up to 50 aphids a day. These small flying visitors are a great ally if you're at war with aphids and your flower garden is suffering as a result. 

Tansies (Tanacetum vulgare) are a unique-looking plant that grows long stems and tight clusters of rounded yellow flowers that ladybugs absolutely love. To attract more ladybugs, leave the blooms on the plant. Ladybugs will use these flat flowers for their nectar and to rest. In addition, this gorgeous flowering plant can even keep ants away from your home and garden. Tansy is hardy in zones 3 to 8, which makes it an easy choice for gardeners from Illinois to Texas.

Marigolds are another one of the stunning flowering plants that are beloved by ladybugs for their bright colored, striking petals, and their pollen. To attract ladybugs, just keep your marigolds healthy and blooming. These plants come in many varieties and are also known to attract other beneficial insects, like butterflies and bees. Not only that, but marigolds are also thought to keep mosquitoes away. Growing marigolds is easy if you avoid common mistakes, like not providing them with enough sun to thrive. 

Golden Marguerite (Anthemis tinctoria) is a fantastic plant to introduce into your garden if you're looking to bring more ladybugs around. Golden marguerites have bright yellow flowers with a rounded, golden core that's packed with nectar. Once again, the daisy-like shape of this flower makes it convenient for the ladybug to spot and land on. The best part is, you can attract tons of beneficial insects to your yard with this daisy-like perennial herb, not just ladybugs. It is hardy in zones 3 through 8, and it's fairly low-maintenance.

Milkweed (Asclepias) is a perennial flowering herbaceous plant that comes in several different varieties and is hardy in zones 3 to 9. It has clusters of small, star-shaped flowers that are particularly stunning, and it gets its name from its milk-like white sap. Milkweed is likely to bring ladybugs to your yard because of the plant's most common pests. They are particularly prone to aphids, which ladybugs absolutely love to eat. Where milkweed sees danger, ladybugs see a buffet. This is a wonderful win-win collaboration.