Six on Saturday – 05/09/2020 – Pollinator Garden

Chris Mousseau

When choosing perennials and annuals for my garden, I always try to select species that will help feed bees and other pollinators by providing easily accessible pollen or nectar. I don’t bother with the real fancy zinnias, for example, with their multi petaled flower heads that make it difficult for bees and butterflies to penetrate. Nor with pollenless sunflowers – even though they produce a far more desirable cutting flower. Late summer is the height of pollinator season – bumble bees, honey bees, butterflies and moths – all are exceedingly busy, usually during warm afternoons, trying to tease all the pollen they can possibly find on these blooms. Here are six of my top pollinator plants this year.

Can you spot the six honey bees on these garlic chives (Allium tuberosum)?
How about the six honeybees on this Sedum spectabile?
The Agastache seems to be the flower of choice for many bumblebees this year.
While wasps, hornets, flying ants and other small flying insects prefer the Solidago – Goldenrod.
No pollinator to show, but this is native Turtlehead – Chelone – just starting to bloom. I’ve often seen bumblebees squirm their way deep inside.

Finally, and once again, Lablab purpureas – Hyacinth Bean Vine. I’m loving this vine so much, and want to share two more characteristics. First, it’s devastatingly deep purple seed pod, whch quickly develops even before the flower has disappeared. Second, how strong the vine it – it pulled down part of the tutoir is was growing on. If you grow this annual vine, make sure the trellis is strong and tall! Oh, and not only does it attract bees, I spotted hummingbirds buzzing all over them yesterday evening. Must be a lot of nectar in the flowers!

I hope everyone gets to enjoy what’s going to be here a gorgeous late summer weekend. Stay safe, and, if it’s perhaps a bit rainy and you’d like to stay indoors, gawking over Six things in gardens all over the world, click on this link to The Propagator’s site.

20 Comments

  1. You surely do have some busy bees — and beautiful goldenrod. I’m going to make myself get out and about this weekend, despite the heat. It’s been so oppressive, but it seems it may stay below the century mark today and tomorrow, so it’s time to check on our goldenrod.

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    1. Thanks Fred – this warning set me off trying to eat them: “The fruit and beans are edible if boiled well with several changes of the water.[17] Otherwise, they are toxic due to the presence of cyanogenic glycosides, glycosides  that are converted to hydrogen cyanide when consume”

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  7. The Lablab vine is really beautiful. I have not heard or seen it before so I am glad you featured it. Interesting to read the comments about eating/not eating the pods! I’m pleased to hear the Golden Rod attracts pollinators, as it is one of the plants on my ‘must have’ list! We successfully created our garden to attract pollinators and native birds, and seem to have succeeded judging from the variety of birds and insects that we have now.

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    1. Every year, as my garden grows and changes, I’m thrilled to see more and new wildlife. This year toads, frogs and a salamander showed up, and right now there seems to be a small flock of gorgeous (and noisy) blue-jays in residence in the woods surrounding us. Fearless, they are!

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    1. I needed to transplant one that I’ve had in a pot all summer, into the garden. That meant getting outside this morning while it was still cold – ie before the bees ventured out. I now think I may have too many….

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