In a well-balanced garden, pest problems can be held in check by a dynamic web of natural relationships. This kind of ecological balance doesn’t happen by accident!
It’s built through plant diversity, careful observation, and a bit of strategy. One of the most overlooked players in this system is the hoverfly.
Hoverflies, sometimes called flower flies or syrphid flies, might be mistaken for small bees or wasps at first glance. But unlike wasps, they don’t sting. And unlike many bees, their larvae are voracious predators of aphids, mealybugs, and soft-bodied pests.
That dual role—pollinator and predator—makes hoverflies an important ally in a chemical-free garden.
Why Hoverflies Are Good for Your Garden
As adults, hoverflies feed on nectar and pollen, pollinating flowers, fruits, and vegetables as they go.
While they’re not as prolific as honeybees in terms of pollinating, they often visit flowers that bees ignore. This can make them effective pollinators of things like carrots, leeks, and even strawberries.
But it’s their larvae that can benefit a garden. One hoverfly larva can eat hundreds of aphids over the course of a few days—natural pest management that scales with the ecosystem.
And unlike most synthetic pesticides, which wipe out both pests and their predators, hoverflies target only what they need to survive.
What Kinds of Flowers Attract Hoverflies?
Hoverfly tongues are short, and their feeding habits are more opportunistic. So they gravitate toward flowers with exposed nectar—nothing too deep or complicated.
Umbel-shaped blooms, like those found on many plants in the carrot family (Apiaceae), are especially attractive. These open, flat-topped flowers offer easy access and a stable landing pad.
It’s not just about shape, though. Diversity matters. Hoverflies are active throughout the growing season, so you want to offer blooms from early spring through late autumn. Mixing perennials, herbs, and fast-growing annuals gives them something to feed on at every stage.
9 Flowers That Bring Hoverflies to Your Garden
1. Sweet Alyssum (Lobularia maritima)
This unassuming groundcover is one of the best-kept secrets in ecological gardening. Its tiny white or lavender flowers bloom continuously and provide easy-access nectar that hoverflies love.
Plant it along garden edges, between vegetables, or in pots—it’s fast-growing, cold-tolerant, and self-seeds readily.
Bonus: it also attracts parasitoid wasps and tachinid flies, adding even more biological control to the mix.
2. Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
Yarrow’s broad, flat clusters of tiny flowers offer an ideal feeding platform. It’s a favorite not just of hoverflies, but also lady beetles and native bees. Its foliage is drought-hardy and aromatic, and it naturalizes well in poor soils—perfect for low-input gardens or wildlife corridors.
Tip: Try mixing white and colored varieties. The white seems to attract the most insect activity, but the pastel hybrids do well too.
3. Dill (Anethum graveolens)
Let your dill flower. Gardeners often deadhead it to prolong foliage production for culinary use, but when it bolts, it produces flowers that hoverflies love.
Dill is also a fantastic companion for cabbage family crops. The flowers attract hoverflies that keep aphids in check, while the foliage supports swallowtail caterpillars.
4. Coriander (Cilantro) (Coriandrum sativum)
Coriander flowers are often seen as a sign you’ve missed your harvest window. But if you let a few plants bolt, the lacy white umbels draw in hoverflies, parasitic wasps, and minute pirate bugs. These are the kinds of flowers that quietly support a whole suite of beneficial insects.
Tip: Plant coriander in succession, and let every third or fourth sowing go to flower for the insects.
5. Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)
Like dill, fennel produces tall, umbrella-shaped flowers beloved by hoverflies. Its feathery foliage and upright structure also provide excellent vertical diversity in mixed borders. Bronze fennel is particularly ornamental and just as effective.
Just be cautious if you’re planting in a small space—it can self-seed aggressively.
6. Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla or Chamaemelum nobile)
Those cheerful, daisy-like blooms aren’t just good for tea. Chamomile’s open shape and sweet scent are attractive to hoverflies and small solitary bees. Plant it at the base of taller crops or in the gaps between perennials.
7. Marigolds (Tagetes spp.)
Often praised for their pest-repelling powers, marigolds also feed a surprising number of beneficial insects—hoverflies among them. The single-flowered varieties (with fewer petal layers) tend to offer more accessible nectar than the double-flowered varieties.
8. Cosmos (C. bipinnatus)
Cosmos are long-blooming, forgiving, and exuberant. Their flat, daisy-like blooms are easy for hoverflies to land on, and their loose, airy form makes them ideal for tucking into borders or behind vegetable rows.
Deadhead occasionally, and they’ll flower from midsummer until frost. Leave a few blooms to go to seed in late season for a self-renewing patch.
9. Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum)
Usually grown as a summer cover crop, buckwheat’s fast growth and frothy white flowers make it a hoverfly hotspot. It blooms just 4–6 weeks after sowing, making it ideal for quick habitat patches in transition beds.
Tip: When the bloom ends, cut it back and dig it in—it improves soil structure and helps suppress weeds.
Tips for Attracting Hoverflies
Final Thoughts
Using the natural relationships predator and pollinator relationships helps build a resilient garden that is more reflective of a natural, balanced ecosystem.
By planting for hoverflies, you’re not just solving an aphid problem—you’re building an equilibirum. And once established, this kind of system takes less work to maintain. A few well-chosen flowers can shift the balance in your favor—and keep it there.
