Bloom Day What’s Blooming for Bees May
This month’s Bloom Day is a native plants for native bees theme once again. I’m a lazy gardener I’ve decided. All of the shrubs presented here are low maintenance, prune and shape if you wish or let go if you don’t feel like it. Basically I just dig a hole (having good soil in the first place), plop a plant in the ground, put it on my drip line and let it rip. These guys are stout and can take abuse. In spring I do go through a bit of shaping and trimming but nothing major, as well as keep the surrounding area clear of invasive plants. Japanese honeysuckle is my nemesis in my zone 7b woodland garden. I can personally recommend these plants to any gardener who would like a care free, wildlife friendly landscape.
Chionanthus virginicus, Fringe tree or Old Man’s Beard bloomed early this month to my surprise. They are known to flower at a young age and I got lucky. This specimen had only been planted last fall and she is about 5′ tall, so I wasn’t expecting blooms. What a show she put on and the hummingbirds loved her! This is a female, which is not as showy as the male plant but she will get lovely, larger blue berries that attract birds if she managed to get pollinated. I do have a male as well but he is too young to bloom yet.
Chionanthus virginicus Zones: 3-9 is a small tree or shrub reaching 12′ to 20′ feet. Grow in sun to partial shade; prefers moist, well drained soil. Mine is grown as an understory tree with dappled sun, located in a drier site and doing fine. Fall color is yellow and can be showy.
Hydrangea arborescens, Smooth hydrangea. Oh yes it starts out that lime green. I love this plant! The flowers are huge and take their time opening so it prolongs the bloom season a bit. This stunning native has several cultivars which usually range from 3′ to 5′. Finally a native shrub that comes in a more compact size. Hydrangea arborescens can be grown in zones 3 to 9 and requires part shade. Water requirements are average and like a hydrangea is a drama queen so will tell you when it needs a drink. The bees love it! It’s another low maintenance native shrub with no serious insect or disease problems. I don’t touch this plant until about January when I finally clip off the dead blooms before the next season’s growth begins. Blooms on new wood so you can prune or not depending on how you wish it to be sized. A must for the woodland garden.
Hydrangea quercifolia, Oakleaf Hydrangea Alice. I can’t get enough Hydrangea quercifolia. What’s not to love about this native shrub? They just grow and grow with little care, the flowers are magnificent and turn a beautiful papery golden brown later so you don’t need to be clipping dead blooms. Bees are all over the blossoms. The bark is exfoliating and twisty so even in winter it’s pretty. The fall color is just WOW. See: Hydrangea quercifolia Oakleaf Hydrangea.
Hydrangea quercifolia can be grown in zones 5 to 9, requires part shade and will reach 6 to 8′. That’s what the tell me anyhow but I have seen them at 12′ with an equal spread so take this with a pound of salt, make room for this beauty. It’s low maintenance with no serious insect or disease problems, medium water requirements. The above photo is an Alice cultivar, which looks exactly the same as my species specimen but I will say that Alice bloomed more profusely.
Hydrangea quercifolia, Oakleaf Hydrangea Snowflake. So I decided to find out what all of the fuss is about with the Snowflake Oakleaf Hydrangea. Now I know. It’s certainly different with the second bloom. Wish I’d bought two. Of course to stuff another Oakleaf on my property I’m going to need to buy the neighbors land for more room.
Itea virginica, Virginia Sweetspire Henry’s Garnet is a favorite of native bees. They are busy on the fragrant flowers all day. Itea virginica can be grown in zones 5 to 9, full sun to part shade and has medium water requirements. Mine is grown as an understory plant with dappled shade and is thriving. It’s low maintenance with no serious insect or disease problems. I don’t prune, fertilize or touch this guy and he’s happy. I grow it for the bees and the fall color, which ranges in the oranges and yellows with red. Itea virginica is a wonderful, trouble free native shrub for the woodland garden.
Clarkia elegans, Elegant Clarkia is a native annual which I seeded for the heck of it and the bees and hummingbirds adore it. This plant requires a bit of water I have found, and being the low maintenance gardener that I am, I’m not sure that I will grow it again. My woods are mostly oak so quite dry and my understory plants are on a drip irrigation system. The idea of hand watering confuses me – I have to remind myself that I have a chore to do. I’ve gotten very spoiled!
Erm…well I thought this was Ratibida columnaris, Mexican Hat but I’m not sure any more. It’s coming up at the base of an oak, let’s see if it hats out soon. The bees visit frequently and I know that it is a native so I’m happy they showed up. The bright yellow spots are quite cheerful on the forest floor.
Viburnum nudum, Smooth Witherod Winterhur Female. These are just passing and the bees are still all over her. I don’t have a male but my female still produces beautiful deep pink and blue to purple berries which the birds love. With the birds eating the berries it means no dead heading blossoms, just a spring tidy up with a pair of scissors. The fall color is amazing, reds to purples.
Grow Viburnum nudum in full sun to part shade, zone: 5 to 9. It reaches 5′ to 12′ with an equal spread. Low maintenance, no pruning or dead heading. Water requirements are average and it can be grown in my zone, 7b, with a little more shade than in norther climates. The sun here is fairly strong so a little goes a long way.
On a note, I also have Viburnum nudum Count Pulaski and it hasn’t even begun to bloom yet. This cultivar flowers much later than the others I have grown, and somehow manages to get pollinated. Don’t ask me what’s doing the job but it produces berries so the birds, bees and I are all pleased.
Where to purchase:
Kinsey Family Farm, Gainesville GA, pick up only. Twitter: @KinseyFarm. This is where I purchased the Hydrangea arborescens.
Mail Order Natives – Mail order only.
Nearly Native Nursery, Fayetteville, GA. Pick up and mail order.
Wilkerson Mill Gardens – Pick up and mail order.
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Month by Month List of Native Plants to Attract Honey Bees
This is part II of 
Today I get to add a new category to my blog: Vegetables. Now I have never grown vegetables, in fact, I don’t “grow” annuals at all. I grow trees. You know, Dear Diary: today I planted a 1′ stick which shall one day be a Mighty Chestnut Tree (say it in caps). I’ll get back to you in 60 years and let you know how it goes. Any annuals which appear on my woodland floor grow where they may and are free to do as they wish. I’m a woodland gardener which is a bit of a different mindset. While most gardeners think in terms of annuals, perennials and vegetables, I think in terms of canopy, understory and ground. 
