Don’t Forget the Pollinators!

The hustle and bustle of spring and summer might have passed for us, but our buzzing and fluttering friends are still busy at work collecting food for their winter survival and migration. Now is a great time to assess what your landscape has to offer as far as late-season food for our beloved pollinators. There are many wonderful late flowering plants that will give you bloom for your buck and feed the bees and butterflies at the same time.

Sedum- Sedums are super drought tolerant late bloomers loaded up with tasty nectar. These tough plants come in a wide selection of upright and ground cover varieties. Check out Autumn Joy and Thunderhead varieties blooming happily at the nursery.

Chocolate Eupatorium- This late blooming Joe Pye weed has interesting dark foliage that’s topped by small white flowers in late summer. A real treat for pollinators and gardeners alike!

Honeysuckle- Bush and vine honeysuckle varieties have an incredibly long bloom time and are favored by pollinators. Hummingbirds love the ‘Scentsation’ vining honeysuckle. Kodiac Orange bush honeysuckle is non-invasive and boasts long lasting yellow flowers and orange fall color.

Asters- Late summer and fall bloomers are an excellent source of nutrition for pollinators. They attract butterflies and human admirers to the garden with their prolific blooms!