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PLANT TREES

Plant native flowering trees and shrubs especially late or very early bloomers:

  • American Linden/ Basswood (Tilia americana ) tree

  • Sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum) tree 

  • Tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) tree

  • Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) tree

  • America Witch-Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) tree

  • Sumac Staghorn (Rhus typhina) tree

  • Sumac Winged (Rhus copallinum) tree

  • Smooth Sumac (Rhus glabra) tree

  • Button Brush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) shrub

  • Devils Walking Stick (Aralia spinosa) shrub

  • Summersweet or Pepperbrush (Clethra alnifolia)  shrub

  • New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus americanus) shrub 

  • Coralberry (Symphoricarpos orbiculatus)

  • Shrubby St. John’s Wort (Hypericum prolificum)

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Plants for Bees: Text
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EARLY OR LATE BLOOMING NATIVES

Plant native flowering plants especially those that bloom in mid/late summer through fall or very early spring

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  • dandelions (are very early nectar and pollen source)

  • Anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum)

  • Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)

  • Swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)

  • Clustered mountain mint (Pycnanthemum muticum)

  • Late Boneset (Eupatorium serotinum)

  • and other late season plants like these: (PDF) 

Plants for Bees: Text
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"BEE LAWNS"

"While flowering lawn weeds such as dandelions and creeping charlie are often seen as a nuisance, they can actually have benefits to lawns in addition to bees. They may be better adapted than turfgrasses to difficult site conditions such as compacted soil, drought, flooding, shade, and low nutrient availability." - University of  Minnesota BeeLab  tool Kit PDF 

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Recommended Species by UMN BeeLab:

  • Dutch White Clover -Trifolium repens

  • Self-Heal -Prunella vulgaris

  • Creeping Thyme- Thymus serpyllum

  • Ground Plum -Astragalus crassicarpus


Species already in your lawn you should continue to cultivate:

  • Violets- Viola odorata

  • Dandelion - Taraxacum officinale

  • Creeping Charlie "Ground ivy"- Glechoma hederacea

  • Dead Nettle- Lamium

  • Clovers- Trifolium

Plants for Bees: Text
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PATIO AND SMALL SPACE GARDENS

Try to steer clear of "doubled" varieties that make it difficult for bees to access the nectar and pollen

Annuals: 

  • Sunflowers 

  • Zinnias 

  • Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus)

  • Sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima )

  • Ageratums

  • Calendulas

  • Phlox

  • Herbs of all kinds

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Perennials:​

  • Mints and herbs of all kinds

  • Alliums 

  • Sedums 

  • Catmints (Nepeta)

  • Salvias (countless varieties, some are annual but most are perennial)

  • Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)

  • Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

  • Native Phlox (Phlox spp.)

  • Stinging Nettles (Urtica dioica)

  • Asters (Aster spp.)

  • Asclepias tuberosa (Butterflyweed)

  • Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)

  • Wild Lupine (Lupinus perennis)

  • Bee Balm (Monarda didyma)

  • Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum)

  • Verbena (Verbena officinalis)

  • ​Dicentra eximia (Wild Bleeding Heart)

  • Geranium maculatum (Wild Geranium)

  • Geum triflorum (Prairie Smoke)

  • Penstemon hirsutus (Hairy Beardtongue)

  • Phlox subulata (Moss phlox)

  • Zizia aptera (Golden Alexanders)

  • Eutrochium dubium “Bably Joe’ (dwarf cultivar of Joe Pyeweed)

  • Pycnanthemum tenuifolium (Narrow-leaved Mountain Mint)

  • Scutellaria incanum (Downy Skullcap)

  • ​Aster novae-angliae ‘Purple Dome’ (dwarf selection of New England Aster)

  • Boltonia asteroides ‘Jim Crocket’ (dwarf selection of false aster)

  • Eurybia divaricata (White Wood Aster)

  • Helianthus salicifolius ‘Low Down’ (dwarf selection of Willowleaf Sunflower)

  • Helenium flexuosum ‘Tiny Dancer’ (dwarf selection of Purplehead Sneezeweed)

  • Solidago sphacelata ‘Golden Fleece’ (selection of Short-Pappus Goldenrod)

Plants for Bees: Text
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COVER CROPS

And Large Scale Planting

Cover crops: 

  • Clovers (scarlet, white, sweet etc)  

  • Buckwheat

  • Mustards

  • Sunflowers

Resources :​

Plants for Bees: Text
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