late summer plants for honey bees allyson shabel urban regional extension agent

Late Summer Plantsfor Honey Bees

Allyson ShabelUrban Regional Extension

Agent

Pollinator Plant Solutions

• Long term – establish trees• Two years out – establish pollinator

meadow• Short term (this year) – Annual plants

Trees

Sourwood

• Oxydendrum arboreum• Prefers acidic soils• Full sun – part shade• Very drought tolerant• Flowers in July• Very hard to transplant,

use container plants

Shrubs

Monk’s Pepper / Chaste Tree

• Can tolerate alkaline soils• Grows to 15 ft tall• Purple or white flowers 6”long• Flowers June-July

Chaste Tree

www.ag.auburn.edu

Summer Sweet

• Clethra alnifolia• White or pink blooms• July–August flowers• Prefers moist/wet soil• Sun – part shade

ww

w.m

issouri

bota

nica

lgard

en.o

rg

Butterfly Bush

• Blooms June – Sept.• Cut off spent flowers• Does not like wet soils• Full sun• Can grow to 10’X8’

www.missouribotanicalgarden.org

Glossy Abelia

• Abelia grandiflora• A ‘last resort’ plant• Blooms June – frost• Dry, sunny sites• 5’x5’

Perennials&

Wildflowers

Criteria for Selection

• Spreads quickly and/or easily• Low maintenance• Drought tolerant• At least a moderate tolerance of poor

soils• Easy to grow• Easily available as seed or plants• Blooms late summer/fall

Verbena bonariensis

• Blooms from late spring up to late fall• Very easy to grow

from seed• 3 - 4 feet tall• Perennial

ww

w.a

g.a

ub

urn

.ed

u

Milkweed

• Asclepias sp.• Swamp (A. incarnata) or Common (A.

syriaca)• Blooms June – August (Common blooms

first)• Spread quickly by rhizomes• Also, Tropical milkweed (A. currivassica)• Does well in poor soils• Aphids love milkweed

Milkweedw

ww

.south

eastg

ard

en.co

mw

ww

.wild

flow

erf

arm

.co

m

Purple Coneflower

• Echinacea purpurea• Blooms from mid–June until

September• Very drought tolerant wildflower• Spreads slowly, but once

established it is very hardy

ww

w.w

ildflow

erf

arm

.com

Ironweed

• Vernonia fasciculata• Very tough, drought tolerant• 4-5 ft tall, with very large

bloom heads• Blooms August-Sept• Seeds are ‘fluffy’ and

start easily

ww

w.w

ildflow

erfa

rms.co

m

Joe Pye Weed

• Eupatorium maculatum• Blooms August-Sept• Very large bloom heads • Tolerant of wet soils• ‘Fluffy’ seeds are easy to

propagate• 5 ft tall

www.finegardening.com

Swamp Sunflower• Helianthus angustifolius• Blooms September – Frost• 7 ft tall• Loaded with blooms• Starts easily from seed

ww

w.a

g.a

uburn

.edu

Annuals

Annual Sunflowers

• Must be seeded out every year.• Blooms July-Sept• Flowers come in many sizes,

small flowers bloom for longer timeframe

• About 50-80 days to flower• Plant dwarf varieties or

shelter from strong winds

Scarlet Sage Salvia

• Salvia coccinea• Re-seeds every year• No maintenance• Up to 24” tall

Partridge Pea

• Cassia fasciculata• Does well in poor, dry soil• Bean family – fixes nitrogen• Annual, but reseeds itself• Seed in March

Buckwheat

• Summer annual • Plant seed April 15 – June 1• Depth ¼ - ½” deep• Can flower as soon as 4 weeks after

planting• Does well in poor soil• Prefers well drained soil• Not drought tolerant

Buckwheat

Plant Sources

• Flag plants and collect seed later• Divide existing plants• Wildflowerfarm.com• Seedland.com