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

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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

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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

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Purple Coneflower

• Echinacea purpurea• Blooms from mid–June until

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

established it is very hardy

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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

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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

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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