I'd recommend anise hyssop 'Blue Fortune' for your pollinator garden. My plant has bumble bees on it all day long. The cultivar stays upright without staking, unlike my native hyssop plant. It has not had any powdery mildew, even though we've had a lot of rain this year.
Thanks for sharing your recommendation. That plant seems to be a real winner here in the comment section. I just happen to have a few plants along my side year that are not getting enough sun so they are definitely going to move into the pollinator garden this autumn. Thanks for watching.
I absolutely agree with Agastache ‘Blue Fortune’. It sometimes isn’t hardy for me but well worth growing. I’d also suggest white blooming Eupatorium (Joe Pye Weed). One of the nicest white Eupatorium in my garden is Eupatorium rugosum ‘Chocolate’. It blooms very late in the season, has deep reddish-brown foliage and white flowers. A drawback is this plant insists on moist conditions and could self-seed everywhere if you don’t remember to cut it back in the fall.The tall white Eupatorium I have needs staking. It attracts insects I would never see otherwise. Again it needs to be cut back to prevent self-seeding.
Hello. I also have a pollinator garden which features the plants that you have as well. I live in West Michigan. The most popular plants that I have and would recommend are Miss Molly Butterfly bush and Meadow Blazing Star Liatris. Miss Molly is always covered in bees and butterflies. Meadow Blazing Star Liatris (not the standard Liatris that is commonly sold) is unlike anything else that I have seen for attracting butterflies. When it is blooming, it is not uncommon to see as many as 6-8 lined up on each individual stalk. I find it especially attracts Monarch’s. The bees love it as well. It can be grown from seed or found in specialty nurseries. Mexican sunflower (Torch) is also good.
Hello fellow Michigan gardener! Thanks for the great recommendations. I appreciate you clarifying the details about the Liatris too. That helps us all look into new varieties that are worth growing. Happy gardening!
Thanks for this important info. I’ve ordered these seeds to try. Thanks for clarifying it was different than the usual liatris we get as bulbs in spring, though they are great as well.
@@skepticalhound5574 You’re welcome! They are tall plants, especially once established. Give them plenty of space and you won’t need to stake them. If they are planted too close to other plants they might need support.
Thanks for sharing the recommendation. This plant is getting such great reviews! I can't wait to move the plants from my side yard into the pollinator garden where they will get more sunshine.
The great thing about sedum autumn joy is the late season blooms and it have a great texture in the garden. I love the scent of hyssop too. Thanks for sharing your recommendations.
Zinnias worked so well for me. That's all I have in my little pollinator garden. I planted by direct sow three years ago and they self seed. Goldfinch will sit on them and pick the seeds out. We get bees, wasps, butterflies, moths, the most beautiful dragonflies and all kind of bugs. I also saw hummingbirds around them - although, I'm not sure what the hummingbirds get. 🙂 Thank you for your video, enjoyed it.
My favorite dual purpose pollinator magnet is oregano. The plant is covered in small purplish pink flowers for about six to eight weeks, July through August. The clumps of oregano are always swarming with bees and hover flies. But the best pollinator that's attracted to oregano flowers is the great black wasp (is solitary). Love watching this wasp zip from one bunch of flowers to another. The only issue with oregano is that it spreads easily, similar to mint but not as aggressive. But since it's also easy to pull, I don't mind too much. Still, I think I will take some of the oregano, plant into large plastic pots and put the pots in the ground. Love your pollinator garden and I will definitely try some of the plants that you've suggested.
Thanks for the recommendation. That is a great idea to add it to the border in a pot to help prevent it from spreading too much. I love herbs in the garden too. Thanks for watching.
As I love salvia of any form or color. I found one last year that has hit my heart hard. Wendy’s Wishes Salvia. It attracts bees, butterflies and hummingbirds like a magnet. I purchased 3 in the spring. They were hard to find. We have enjoyed my little attractor garden all the most because of this plant. I can view it from my bedroom windows and watch closely as the hummingbirds come and go. It’s definitely my favorite garden bed this year.
I have red salvia that everything, especially hummingbirds love. I have a blue salvia that attracts nothing. It doesn't have the same shape of flowers as the red.
I'm so glad you're enjoying your pollinator garden. I've had success with Caryopteris ×clandonensis, echinacea, any bee balms, hollyhocks (which great wars of hummingbirds have been fought over) and st. John's wort (the small shrub type). If people have plenty of space and dry condition Russian sage and sunflowers are a great combination. For shade hostas & astilbe.
Thanks so much. You've shared some great recommendations. I completely forgot about how much the bumbles love the flowers on the hostas. Thanks for mentioning that.
Great video, Sue - so interesting that the Monarda fistulosa grows so differently under meadow conditions. Mine blooms well in part sun and stays straight but it gets no additional watering other than rain. One plant easy to grow from seed that is beloved by bees and hummingbirds is Agastache 'Apricot Sprite'; it blooms the first year from seed and I mostly grow it in pots on my decks or along the edges of beds. I've been able to overwinter it in pots in a cold frame (Z6) and if it is in well-drained soil without winter protection, it will reseed itself politely. Agastache 'Tango' grows larger and in a deeper apricot but also blooms first year from seed, I can't always get the seed for that though.
Hi Lynn and thanks for the great recommendations. I love learning about seeds that bloom the first season. I am definitely looking into that Agastache. I actually bought some Agastache 'Heather Queen' seeds to try sowing this fall. I'll let you know how those go. Thanks for watching.
I have a tardiva paniculata hydrangea which is unlike the monster blossoming ones we see at the garden centers. There are as many as 50 bees on them at a time. The blossoms remind me of the lace cap hydrangeas even though it has panicle flowers. Quite a find in the bargain bin of Flowerland in West Michigan-only $10. It loves the sun and is 7/8' tall. It doesn't attract Japanese beetles like the oakleaf hydrangeas in my area. Thanks for sharing your successes and questionable plants, Sue. Your suggestions are very helpful. Happy gardening!🌸🐝
I love Blue Boa Agastache for the pollinator garden. I agree the Coreopsis are not a good pollinator plant. The deer, especially the young ones, will sample any plants, but usually don't eat any more after their first bite. Cone flowers are nice in the pollinator garden too and the Goldfinches really like them.
I try to incorporate pollen producing plants as well as nectar. Most plants touted as pollinator plants are just for nectaring only and often at the neglect of pollen consuming natives and lifecycle completion. I find that in my area, coreopsis attracts adorable hover flies and native bees and not your more charismatic pollinators. I have been diversifying to be more inclusive of pollen producers, nectar, and host plants. The sea change of insect diversity has been so fun to watch. I see more birds and lizards (I am in Texas) too, as there are more insects for them to feed on. I've come to really love the hover flies. They are so darling, but very hard to see because they are often quite small and very fast.
This is interesting and a good point. This spring/summer I was amazed to watch bumblebees covering the new seed heads of lanceleaf plantain, as they were loaded with pollen. Not weeds to me. Every plant seems to have some type of benefit. Love hover flies too.
Love your practical plant review. Persicaria ‘Firetail’ is a plant that I think is underused here in North America. You see it a lot in Europe. It blooms from June to frost and the bees are all over it. The deer may munch on it but it always ends up blooming. The flower is an attractive airy wand and a great colour similar to polygonum oriental except it is upright. Also great as a cut flower. The plant is tall, the Japanese beetles do like it but it doesn’t affect the flowers. Give it a try.
The biggest draw in my NJ garden is the mountain mint, pycnanthemum muticum. It also has lovely frosted foliage, deer don't touch it, and it doesn't flop. However, please be aware it spreads like...mint. So plant it somewhere with room to grow, or know you will have to spend some time keeping it in check.
Thanks for sharing your recommendations. I mentioned in another comment that I have unsuccessfully tried winter sowing mountain mint. I definitely want to add that plant to the garden. I appreciate the details on the things to look out for too.
The flowers that attract the most pollinators in my garden are Culver’s Root, all the different kinds of Salvia, Joe Pyle Weed, Anemone…bumblebees, Veronica, Agastache, Obedient Flower and Sedum. Oh and the Heuchera and Hosta blooms. I mostly see bumblebees at the Hosta blooms. You have a beautiful garden.
Thanks so much and thanks for the great list of plants. It sounds like you have an amazingly beautiful garden based on that recommended list. I appreciate you sharing it.
My favorite native plant that is a pollinator magnet is Asclepius incarnate (rose milkweed). This attracts so many native bumblebees and monarchs! It’s prettier than common milkweed and blooms later/longer than butterfly milkweed. It loves water and does well in my garden that is hit by my lawn sprinklers. Agastache is pretty great too, but the rose milkweed is a showstopper!
I love this topic. I’m often watching to see which plants are bee magnets (though there are many types of bees/wasps). I’ve found in early spring that the bumbles prefer ajuga with its lovely blue flowers. It creeps everywhere and puts on a great spring flower show. The bumbles also love self-heal, which has a similar blue flower and is medicinal. My favourite would be catmint (not catnip, though it’s good later in the season) due to its very long bloom time. All the flowers on these plants are very similar. I’ve tried calamintha but mine is still very small so not much action (year 2). It might be borderline hardy for me (zone 5-6, Canada, which I think is equivalent to 4-5 in the US). Thanks for the video.
Beautiful video Sue. A nice surprise this year for me is Nicotiana. They come in a variety of heights and colors. I have them scattered in pots on my deck. The bees and hummingbirds love them. At night the scent is gorgeous and I enjoy it with friends and wine on the deck. Moths are also attracted to this lovely flower. Annual in my zone 8b garden. I love that you sleuthed out what your monarda would look like in the wild. Please call our attention to how they do in smaller clumps next year. Be well Sue💗
Hi Shelley. Nicotiana is such a great plant. You are right about the beautiful scent too. What an added bonus. I will definitely keep you posted on the monarda. When I saw that native meadow, I realized it grows well in a different environment than I have in the front. I am sure the grasses at its feet are helping keep it in place, but it gave me the idea to learn a bit more and try something a little different for next season. It's fun to try news things too.
Velvet Queen sunflowers (the red one) were absolutely crawling with bees for me last year. And this year, it was chive flowers and Italian oregano flowers. The chives bloomed in spring and were covered in bees, and big bumble bees would fall asleep on them - that was so cute to see! The Italian oregano has blue green leaves, and gorgeous purple flowers in late summer so far.
Your garden sounds beautiful. I planted a bunch of sunflowers this season and they were eaten by deer unfortunately. They make things more challenging. Thank you for sharing your recommendations.
My current favorite is Hoary Skullcap. I grew mine from seed and it's beautiful as well as native and pollinator friendly. It's been blooming now for 3 weeks and still going strong. I also love floss flower. (I have a tbing for blue flowers, I guess). There are native perennial types. But I planted mine this summer so I am not totally sure how well it will over winter.
Forgot to also say, I have these amazing lemon queen perennial sunflowers. They get about 6+ feet tall, about 3’ wide, larger each year. I think I now have about 22 (big garden 😝). In the fall, they are covered with bumbles. I found that honeybees love the goldenrod and fall asters, as do bumbles. Often, bumbles prefer different flowers to honeys. Evening primrose is a magnet for the goldfinches in fall when the seeds are ripe. I’m finding the most joy in letting wild parts of the yard grow to see what delights await. God has already done the sowing for me.
Sue this was another clear and thoughtful video. I would add salvia Black and Blue and Blue Suede Shoes. They are absolutely deer proof and are covered in pollinators and hummers dawn to dusk. I missed pulling one salvia last fall and it overwintered in the garden beautifully. It’s now 4 ft tall and 3 feet wide Your experience with deer and perennials is similar to many of us. Can you tell us how you started your verbena bonariensus and your purple coneflowers. Direct seed or in the house. Thanks Your fellow gardener from NE Ohio.
Hello Ohio neighbor. It is great to have you here. Thanks for the recommendation too. I started the verbena indoors a couple seasons ago, but this past season I found that its best to winter sow them. The plants you see in the border in the video are mostly self-seeded for last season. I did grow seed this year, but until I placed them outside in the colder weather, they weren't germinating. Once I just put them on the patio in early spring, that did the trick. Coneflower are another great winter sowing plant from seed, but the plants you see in my border I purchased as plants.
Solidago Fireworks is a must have IMHO for late season forage. This is one of the only perennials that in my experience approaches the diversity of pollinators drawn to clethra - a good all around choice - but unlike most solidago cultivars fireworks is relatively compact and blooms in sprays…
I observed the same thing that you did regarding tickseed-no pollinators. I got a lot of pollinator activity on anise hyssop, blanket flower and turtlehead this year. I am looking forward to planting mountain mint and cardinal flower this fall for next year’s garden.
I want to add Mountain mint to my garden too. I tried growing it from seed this season, but it was a flop. It dried out after it germinated. Thanks for sharing your recommendations.
So refreshing to be able to watch the plants and insects as you speak. I hit subscribe part way through. I'm tired of the presenters where I have to look up their nose while they verbally describe the plants and I have to hit pause to take in the beauty.
Other pollinator magnets here in our patch of New England - Allium Serendipity (or Millenium) Monarda Purple Rooster, Giant Purple Hyssop. But I am continuing to explore natives for our local beneficials.. many of these can be grown from seed. The ones that I added that I am most excited about are Pasture Thistle - Cirsium discolor … and NJ tea
@@GardenMoxie I would consider one of heather holm’s books like bees/wasps to help make plant choices regionally. And/or check out prairie moon catalog - loads of choices for your region that can be grown via winter sowing. (Ie cold moist stratification). NB Agastache scrophulariifolia - finches could drop some seeds…
Hello, Sue! I planted over a hundred zinnias, I grew from seed, along a 40-foot fence. I'm planning on making this a proper bed in the fall. I always have volunteer zinnias somewhere in my garden. However, I wanted this bed to color coordinate for bouquets. This border has drawn so many butterflies! A variety of swallowtails showed and even a few Monarchs! I've never had Monarchs here, and just the sheer number of butterflies was amazing.
Oh my goodness! That sounds like a slice of heaven. I bet that is an incredible sight. I am loving zinnias more and more each year. I am really happy with the Queeny Lemon Peach variety I grew this season. It makes me want to grow more of the Queeny series. Thanks for watching.
Your pollinator garden is so full of life now, it’s filled out very quickly in only a couple of years. Each variety of flower flows seamlessly into the next, you’ve done a brilliant design job. Two that work well for me in attracting pollinators are heleninums and Angelica. I’ve tried different varieties of coreopsis but my borders are too wet and the slugs and snails decimate them.
Thank you and thanks for watching. Heleniums are the perfect suggestion because they are late bloomers which I need to continue to add. I saw Angelica at Gravetye and it is a great structural plant. Thanks for sharing your suggestions.
Agastache Meant To 🐝 (PW) but rather any agastache and the white gaura which has been in bloom all season long. I am pleasantly surprised at the calamint as u’ve mentioned. So what I’m planning to do is put those in various spots since white flowers works almost anywhere and they’re all pretty great accompanying stars ✨ Love ur videos ❤
My daughter lives in Minnesota and send me a picture yesterday of six monarchs butterflies on one Blazing star plant. Will be adding blazing star to my beds next year
Love seeing your pollinator garden and hearing about what has and hasn’t worked for you. I would recommend aster lady in black, heliotropium aborescens, any single petal dahlias, cupheas and salvias (waverly, chiapensis have been good for me). These plants attract pollinators in droves in my garden. I’m located in zone 10b (San Francisco Bay Area) for context.
I had the same disappointing experience with coreopsis and I also decided not the keep all of them, echinacea also kind of gets ignored. Agastache was already recommended but that's the most favoured plant currently in my garden too, besides that pollinators love veronicastrum virginicum, white gaura and Allium Millenium. Echinops is done now, but it was a huge favorite, before that it was penstemon digitalis, especially the bumble bees loved them, wasps favoured eryngium and allium sphaerocephalon. I also have tradescantia andersoniana that is hit by the early morning sun and the bees and bumble bees usually start their day on it.
I have Coreopsis ‘Crème Caramel’ which has done well in a dry location next to Sedum ‘Angelina’. I wondered about the pollinators too in the beginning but realized that only the tiny bees and pollinators utilized it. I’m keeping mine for the color that blends in that area of my border. Thank you for the wonderful videos.
I just get excited seeing you’ve uploaded one of your videos full of info. My mentor ! I love the caryopteris full of polo stores and it blooms late into fall! Btw how are your boxwoods responding ding to your treatment of blight? 🤞🤞🤞
Thanks so much and thanks for the recommendation. I am happy to report that the boxwood are surviving so far. I need to keep a close eye for the next "invasion". Thanks for watching!
I love this garden, Sue and have many of the same plants in my own garden. I am going to add the calamintha as I hear so many good things about it, as well as the verbena bonariensis. Like others have said, Blue Fortune Hyssop is a great one but also the Golden Jubilee Hyssop which reseeds nicely. Another one I’m wanting to try, and one that either of may not have is Southern Cross Ironweed.
Hi Peggy, There is Ironweed in my local native meadow that I love to see. What a beauty! Thanks so much for your kind words. I have a few of the Blue Fortune hyssop along my side yard that don't get enough sun to thrive. I think they are going to get moved in the autumn to take the place of the monarda. Thanks for the suggestions and thanks for watching.
I'm in the tip of the mitt area. In summer, the plant most frequented by bees is hyssop. But, for late season, it's sedum Autumn Joy, by far. It's always covered with more bees than I can count.
My go to pollinator plants is Mystic Spires salvia for bumblebees and Gregg's blue Mistflower for butterflies. I give a whole bed to the Mistflower as it is very invasive, but the butterflies it brings far out ways the any reason to be mad at the room it takes over in my garden. Love your garden!
I am in Central Texas and African Blue Basil has been the go to for the pollinators this year. It’s not a perennial, but I am told it is easy to take cuttings now for planting out next season.
I’ll always recommend the ornamental sage varieties. They don’t get eaten in my garden and both bees and hummingbirds love them. For bumbles, you cannot beat cerinthe. The plant and blooms are gorgeous and the buzzing they make on the flowers is too cute. I also have ‘Fireworks’ goldenrod and swamp milkweed and those are always popular. A few more to mention are alyssum, caryopteris, lantana and bronze fennel. Herbs like thai basil and Mexican tarragon I plant just to let them flower. There are a lot!
Such great recommendations. I just started bronze fennel this season from seed. It has started opening and I can't wait to see how the pollinators like it. Thanks for sharing such a great list of recommended plants.
White guara, white salvia, and blue/purple salvia are covered in bees and butterflies from early morning to evening. My coneflowers are beautiful, however I don’t notice pollinators on these.
Thanks for sharing your recommendation and your experience with coneflowers. I always love watching the yellow finches eating the seeds from the coneflowers late in the season. I am in love with the white flowering guara too. That plant has such a presence in the garden, doesn't it? I appreciate the great list of plants. Thanks for wathcing.
Bumblebees always bypass the coneflowers in my garden - they prefer the lavender, artichoke, native snowberry, and native spirea. But the coneflowers have been covered with small native bees and wasps this summer, so they are beneficial.
On a suggestion from P. Allen Smith I have a border with garlic chives. It just started blooming about1-2 weeks ago and the pollinators go bonkers over it, especially the wasps.
Great suggestion. I actually grow garlic chives in the back garden so I could definitely add some to the front as long as I remember to cut them down before they set seed (haha). They make the most beautiful cyanotypes when you press the spent flowers too so that is an added bonus. Thanks for sharing your recommendation.
I have grown Solidago Wichita Mountains for years. Blooms late in the season but attracts tons of bees and butterflies. Tall, stately yellow flowers. It does reseed gently. I love it! Bluebird Nursery in Nebraska carries this plant. Another plant that blooms later and attracts tons of bees is Sedum Autumn Joy. Nice video, Sue!❤
Thank you. I am not familiar with Solidago 'Wichita Mountains', but I just looked it up on the Missouri Botanical Garden website and it looks like a beautiful native plant. Wow! Thanks for sharing your recommendations.
Hi Sue, lovely video. My coastal garden is in zone 6b in Nova Scotia. Two of my plants that are covered in pollinators all summer are lemon thyme and anise hyssop.
Thanks so much. I have started to appreciate the benefit of adding herbs to the garden. Thanks for the recommendations. They both have a lovely scent too.
Sedum! I'm not sure the variety as I have had it for so long. Maybe 20 to 24" tall, clump forming, very architectural and a perennial to boot. It has really started to be in full bloom just this past week and will turn a deeper rose as it ages. Bees & wasps love it.
Here in Central Ohio we have had very little rain since spring, and quite a bit of heat. It has been sad to see so many of my flowering plants put up buds that never open because of the drought. I am watering a lot, so I think they will survive, but no/very few flowers on my glads, coreopsis, and most dahlias especially. The zinnias and four-o-clocks have saved the day, bringing colorful blooms and lots of pollinators.
This year was my 1st year trying to put a native flower garden together. To my surprise, not many flowers or color. Hopefully, next year will be better.
I am sorry to hear you are struggling with drought. That is a challenge. It makes you appreciate the shear power of zinnias. I am going to look into four-o-clocks. I am not super familiar with that plant. If it survives drought conditions, it sounds like a plant to try. Thanks for the recommendations.
I grew a bunch of pollinator friendly plants this year, and the one that attracted the most pollinators, including bees and hummingbirds, was easily the agastache. They can’t leave it alone and even though it’s fading, they keep trying to get as much food from it as possible. I’m planning on adding another one next year. They also liked the salvia, but completely ignored the rudbeckia.
That plant is a great plant for the pollinator garden. I actually have a few plants along the side yard that don't get enough sun. I think I'm going to move them into the pollinator garden this autumn. Thanks for sharing your recommendations.
I grew native blue vervain from seed this year and it’s been blooming well. It has been covered with bees since it started blooming at the beginning of July.
I recommend equinops and agastache. These are perennial plants, I grew them from seed. I need to give away 5 of the equinops because they really are rather large but what a shiw of blue globes they give, spectacular and they are akways conered in bees. The agastache also is very popular and you can dry the keaves to enjoy a cup of annis tea.
Great recommendations. I have been on the look out for a source for Echinops 'Veitchs Blue' which I found at Digging Dog nursery. That might be a special treat to myself. Thanks for watching.
I’m having good luck with hyssop (aghastche) and liatris. Both are attracting a lot of pollinator traffic. My false indigo plant is small but I think it’s a good choice. Violets believe they are a ground cover here. 🦋I fought them until I found out they are host to fritillaries. More and more, I am being guided in my choices by what gets rave reviews from the pollinators. 🐝
Thanks for your recommendations. I am also starting to get swayed by those plants that attract the pollinators. It is so much fun to see the garden buzzing! Thanks for watching.
I think the hyssop recommendation is a great one too. I love veronica, but I struggle with getting it to thrive in my poor soil. I am a little jealous...its such a beautiful plant. Thanks so much for the recommendations.
Love your video. I would recommend Agastache Blue Fortune (Anise Hyssop) for attracting bees. It attracts just as much or more bees than the Calamintha in my garden. And if you want to attract some Monarchs, I would plant the Meadow Blazing Star Liatris (Liatris Liguliststylis), which looks a lot different than the kobold or floristan liatris. I love it in my garden! Then I plant some swamp milkweed so the monarchs can lay eggs too. :)
Thanks for the great recommendations. I love the liatris in the garden. I have an issue with the deer eating it some years. I am glad you mentioned that plant because I forgot about it. I planted a few in my mother-in-law's garden when she lived behind us and they add a great vertical element to the garden. I think Agastche Blue Fortune is going to be the winner. Thanks so much for being here.
Horsemint and I believe wild bee balm grow in my area naturally. The horsemint is just starting to color up and both are always busy with customers. And garlic chives smell so wonderful in bloom and Really Hum with pollinators, BUT-catch those seeds before they fall 😂. Many new varieties tout double blossoms and pollinators can’t get to the pollen as they prefer flat or multi blooms (like alliums) surfaces. I’ve also noticed petunias and geraniums are avoided. It was cute to watch a hummingbird flit from one flower to the next and it sat on a pail rim to enjoy some impatiens in the shade. I will plant more impatiens next year vs. petunias because they are really lighting up the shade and look beautiful this time of year compared to petunias which if not tended to carefully look pretty bad right now. Because of all the rain this summer I have noticed something I’ve never had which I think is asters yellow on marigolds and calendula. There is something to be said about planting to close or letting volunteers grow too close because they just don’t get what they need to flourish-mainly air in a wet year. Zinnias are the same-more room = bigger plant+flowers. SIL was here yesterday and we discussed coneflower varieties and her sister works at a garden center for years. She said there are only two coneflower colors-purple and white. I have to agree as an orange one never really is orange and never flourishes and I believe they cross back to purple. Oh, and I just read hops is favored by pollinators. I will have to wait for next year to see how attracted they are to Jupiter’s Beard, Russian Sage, Sea Holly and agastache. It takes 2-3 years when starting from seed. I had them before and think they were winners. And of course the bumbles Love foxgloves. And I had Veronica resurface that was forgotten about-Much nicer than salvia as it doesn’t splay out mid season. Liatris is great in any variety also. Love Gomphrena Vegas Lights-the purple is neon 🤩
Ha! You are right about those garlic chives. Oh my can those things seed themselves. But they make great cyanotypes when you press the flowers so I love having them in the garden. Thanks so much for the recommendations and for watching the video.
Sue your pollinator garden has grown so beautifully! 💚 The gomphrena was especially lovely. Did you direct sow the seeds or grow indoors? Sunflowers might be a lovely addition to replace the bee balm they come in so many beautiful varieties these days. I have the same problem with the powdery mildew with the bee balm so usually remove after they flower.
My Tickseed is doing the same thing. I thought they'd really draw in the insects since they're native plants, but I think the cultivars commonly for sale have been tweaked a bit too much so the pollinators no longer recognize them. This is actually a pretty big problem, as Dr. Tallamy notes in his videos. Unfortunately, there's no real solution to it because people aren't going to stop planting non-natives or cultivars of natives. Anyhow, one thing that I've found really helps to boost the garden's performance is to plant the understory with good native ground cover plants. Allegheny Spurge, Wild Ginger, Carex pensylvanica, Carex radiata, Chrysogonum virginiana,.... there are a slew of "living mulch" types of native plants that really help to build up the ecosystem so that beneficial insects can live there. And once you have the insects, the birds will show up. As Dr. Tallamy talks about in his many videos, even though we see bees buzzing around plants doesn't mean that the overall system is healthy. Non-native plants haven't evolved with the ecosystem, so they don't provide the necessary stuff for most of the insects who are specialists in what they eat or use for shelter. As a result of our habit of using non-natives in the garden, we've actually lost more than 30% of our insect population, and that's resulted in a loss of more than 30,000,000 songbirds who rely on caterpillars and such things to feed the chicks in the nest. Fewer insects means fewer birds. Still, I'm not going to plant any more Coreopsis. It's been a floppy and underwhelming plant for the garden, even in a large pot, so it will get replaced with something else. Not quite sure what that might be, but I'm thinking maybe a small Yaupon Holly for evergreen impact and free tea leaves. Of course, that Verbena canadensis "Snow Flurry" is looking like a really nice option. And I have to get some Frog Fruit to see if it'll replace the front lawn. Oh, and can't forget some Echinacea laevigata if I can source it. So many plants, so little time!
Thanks for the sharing the details behind your suggestions. I am definintely trying to build up a living mulch with ground covers so I especially appreciate the recommendations. Happy gardening!
@@GardenMoxie I'll certainly look forward to seeing what you come up with. I know the number of birds in my yard has increased as I plant more native grasses and sedges to provide them with seeds and the insects that use the grasses and sedges for their home. That Panicum virgatum 'Cape Breeze" is calling to me, and I just might have to make a hedge from it!
Hi and thanks you for the recommendations. I have a short showing my Winter sowing, but if you want a great lesson on winter sowing, I recommend you check out my friend Roxana's channel (ru-vid.com). Just search "winter sowing" on her channel and you'll find some great videos to help you.
Hello, the other plants that attract pollinators in my garden are Daucus carota, Centranthus ruber coccinea, Centranthus ruber albus, Centranthus ruber rosenrot (Pretty Betsy)
Thanks for the recommendations. I adore centranthus ruber albus. I have a few plants, but the deer love them too so I am struggling to get them to establish in the front garden. Thanks for the great list of plants.
Thank you, we don't have any deer or rabbit in the garden, only birds and squirrels, it makes it much easier ! I also love your recommandations 😍 I have a funny little plant that self seeds every year and it's Impatiens walleriana 'Balfiesaci'. I got it from seeds and once established it comes back every year. It self seeds everywhere but I just pull out the unwanted ones and it's very easy. I have much more sophisticated and rare plants but it's always a favorite one ! I already had in the garden a Campsis or Trumpet vine, it's a bee magnet from dawn to dusk.
The plant with the most pollinators on it BY FAR in my garden this year is regular (not fancy) garden oregano. Yes the herb. The first year it didn't bloom at all, but second year it grew long arching stalks covered in tiny white flowers and has been covered for the entire summer in all kinds of bees, wasps, and flies. I cannot over emphasize the amount! I will be adding this to several more garden beds in the future- I also think it's beautiful and flowers for a long time.
You are right! I am starting to love the idea of herbs in the garden. I have mother of thyme in the front and it is a favorite for the bees. I need to stay on top of it because it likes to spread. Oregano would also be something the deer would avoid which is perfect for my area. Thanks for sharing your recommendation.
A lot of nepeta are rapid invaders, but a few have sterile seeds and are easier to keep from being a problem. Try Walker's Low nepeta, for a good example.
Gaura white and pink, lantana, salvia, cone flowers, walker low nepeta, zinnias, dahlias, vermillion, pink cashmere verbena just to name a few on the top of my head.
Two plants which are always covered in insects from spring to autumn are perovskia, aka Russian Sage and pycnanthemum aka mountain mint. Veronica seems to attract just one type of large bumblebee from late spring to late summer , but those bees arrive in impressive profusion. Panicle Hydrangea are covered in all types of insects including large beetles just during the short time when the flowers are open;the bracts give pleasure to the gardener right into winter.
Great suggestions. I have been UNSUCCESSFULLY trying to Winter sow mountain mint for the past two seasons. I desperately want that plant in my garden. I saw it at the Oudolf Garden Detroit and it is always covered with insects.
@@GardenMoxie we have a wonderful local nursery here in Athens Ohio, called Companion Plants. They sell all their plants at such reasonable prices that I only grow from seed for vegetables and bedding plants….think Bluestone Perennials back in the day.
I read that bees only pollinate 1 species/type of flower per flight. So they are likely to focus on the most abundant flowers in the area. In that way mixed flower gardens with lots of variety may not be optimal for bees, but they sure look nice.
Do you know the name of your red coreopsis? How tall do their flower stems get? Yellow Lance-leaf coreopsis does attract pollinators. Anise Hyssop is a favorite of the pollinators and yellow finches
Hi. That red flowering coreopsis came out of a Dyer's blend that I bought from Grand Prismatic Seed. Thanks for sharing your recommendations and for watching.
My Buttonbush shrub has been covered with bees and butterflies, and the Caryopteris is also a bee magnet. The Sedum is just coming into bloom and is mobbed by pollinators.
Can you do a video with suggestions for removing and keeping from coming back my arch enemy, IVY? Every year it begins its long crawl, especially along my fence line with the neighbor. It climbs everything and anything it climbs dies eventually. It even can slowly pull down my wire fence. :o(
Oh my! Ivy is a real horror to remove from the garden. I don't have any in my garden so I don't have any tried and tested methods I can suggest for removal. I appreciate you watching the video. Thank you.
Garden looks great Sue! The coreopsis you have are all nativars, and the pollinators have a hard time with them. The straight species coreopsis Lancelota or, lance leaf coreopsis, is much better. It is solid yellow and I think the issue with the others is the markings and the may not offer nectar or pollen. The other plants I would recommend are, straight species anise hyssop or giant blue hyssop which is taller and could be use to replace the monarch clump. It’s definitely a favourite. I didn’t see any asters or goldenrod, and I’m guessing it’s because they haven’t come up yet or maybe you haven’t added them to the garden. Anyway, after calamentha nepeta and anise hyssop, my number one native pollinator plant is stiff goldenrod. Solidago rigida. Bees, wasps, butterflies, moths….everybody loves it. It comes into bloom this time of year, a week ago this year, and from the time the sun comes up, until it sets, it’s covered with pollinators. It grows about five feet tall and may need some support, because the flower heads can be quite heavy, but well worth the effort. Glad to see you discovered calamintha nepeta, but I would add for people to make sure they are getting calamintha nepeta ssp (subspecies) nepeta, as they are starting to make cultivars of it, and they are duds, when it come to attracting pollinators. Asters as well, are very important, especially this time of year, when food is in short supply. New England aster is the work horse, but there are so many varieties, (same with goldenrods) for lots of different locations. Some like more moisture or sun, than others. There are even ones that do well in shade. I could go on and on about all the awesome native (I’m in the same zone as you) plants that are available lol. I’ll leave it at that. If you are still on Instagram, I have a page for my garden, if you want to see the plants I mentioned. @nativepollinatorpatch
Thanks for sharing such detailed information. I am glad you shared your page so we can all see more details. That is so helpful. I appreciate you taking the time to share your experiences. Happy gardening!
Aren't zinnias the greatest flowers? And you have to love a plant you can direct sow into the garden. I'm surprised the deer have been eating mine this season...or the ground hogs. They usually don't have visitors besides the ones we love to see...the bees and butterflies.
In the spring, I planted seven Summersweet shrubs, Hummingbird varity, as a border of my pollinator garden. It attracts honey bees, butterflies, and daily visits from hummingbirds!
Taking notes! I had forgotten about Calamintha. In my garden, autumn sage (salvia greggii) plants in fuchsia and purple are hummingbird and butterfly magnets, and they are perennial. Among annuals, Salvia Skyscraper Pink has been blooming continuously since spring, and it attracts hummingbirds. I added it to the list of plants to buy again next spring.
Thanks so much for the recommendations. You will not regret adding the Calamintha. I am in love with that plant and its fluffy texture. Thanks for watching.
Caryopteris is always covered in bees. It's really more shrub like and with the blue flowers in August and the pretty foliage is dark on one side and grey on the other. What is a true disappointment is the butterfly bush. I have yet to see one butterfly on it.
That is great to know. The variety I have doesn't flower. I have a bit of trouble with them spreading otherwise. Thanks for sharing your recommendation and experience with it.
