Pollinators need you to grow these plants

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It would be so easy for each of us to add one more pollinator-friendly plant in a pot or a plot.

"Attracting Native Pollinators" provides plant lists by region. The plants were selected to tolerate a wide range of soil land light conditions. Here's a link to the Xerces Society for more information.

First, their list of low cost ornamental plants for pollinator gardens:
Perennials: Catnip, coneflower, lavender, giant hyssop, oregano and Russian sage
Annuals: Borage, common sunflower, cosmos
Shrubs: Rugosa rose, pussy willow and false indigo

Pollinator plants by U.S. region -

Northeastern U.S.
Spring: Wild lupine, eastern waterleaf, cranesbill
Summer: Smooth penstemon, bergamot, giant hyssop, butterfly milkweed, Culver's root, Joe-Pye weed
Autumn: New England aster, New York aster, Canada goldenrod
Trees: American basswood, serviceberry, highbush blueberry

Southeastern U.S.
Spring: Spiderwort, Eastern smooth beardtongue, Manyflower beardtongue, spotted geranium
Summer: Virginia mountainmint, Summer farewell, Dense blazing star, Spotted beebalm, blanketflower, Joe-Pye weed
Fall: Sneezeweed, Pine barren goldenrod, giant ironweed
Trees: Southern magnolia, sourwood, Carolina rose, Smallflower blueberry

Midwestern U.S.
Spring: Smooth penstemon, wild lupine, Eastern waterleaf, spotted geranium
Summer: Wild bergamot, purple giant hyssop, butterfly milkweed, purple prairie clover, purple coneflower, prairie blazing star
Fall: New England aster, showy goldenrod, Riddell's goldenrod
Trees: Lead plant, prairie rose, pussy willow, American basswood

Great Plains and Prairie
Spring: White wild indigo, prairie spiderwort, Largeflowered beardtongue
Summer: Bergamot, blazing star, showy milkweed, purple prairie clover, narrowleaf coneflower, compassplant
Fall: Smooth blue aster, white heath aster, showy goldenrod, zigzag goldenrod
Trees: Prairie rose, serviceberry, lead plant, chokecherry, pussy willow

CA and Southwest
Spring: CA poppy, lacy phacelia, silvery lupine
Summer: Showy milkweed, yellow beeplant, Firecracker penstemon, wild buckwheat
Fall: Vinegarweed, Nevada goldenrod, Eaton's aster, Hayfield tarweed
Trees: Mule-fat, Chamise, Mexican locust, Rabbitbrush, Redbud

Pacific Northwest/British Columbia
Spring: Lupine, Arrowleaf balsamroot, CA poppy, blanketflower
Summer: Venus penstemon, Blue MT. prairie clover, showy milkweed, wild buckwheat
Fall: Canada goldenrod, Western mountain aster, Maximilian's sunflower
Trees: Golden currant, oceanspray, Oregon grape

In the book, there is a 40-page illustrated section of recommended pollinator plants plus 8 pages of charts of bloom time, color and other garden planning help.

The book's source list is not helpful to us home gardeners since we won't meet a $300 minimum wholesale order. But, there are plenty of other seed and plant sellers for us to use.

Comments

Anonymous said…
I have had purple coneflower and sunflowers for two years. I'll be sure to plant more. Going to do some asters for sure and I'll look for the others as well.
Got to get rain barrels too, with all these watering restrictions!
January 28, 2012 at 7:57 AM
Molly Day said…
We don't have water restrictions in NE Oklahoma so I wonder where you live.
I'm torn between wanting to plant plant plant and remembering what a heartbreak last summer was.
January 28, 2012 at 6:04 PM
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