#Agastache – Licorice Mint: Makes a delicious hot or cold tea for humans, is a source of nectar for butterflies, birds feed on its seeds in the fall. It’s a beautiful, non-invasive perennial mint for the garden.
*Aster – Douglas Aster: A BC native perennial, blooms in Aug-Sept providing late season colour and nectar to butterflies and other insects.
#Basket of Gold – Aurinia: an evergreen perennial that has profuse golden bloom from mid to late spring, attracts butterflies, bees and birds. After blooming the silvery foliage remains an attractive ground cover.
#Bergamot – Bee Balm – Monarda: perennial herb/flower that is very attractive to bees and hummingbirds. Blooms throughout the summer. leaves can be dried for use in tea.
#Blanket Flower – Gaillardia: a brightly coloured annual? that prefers dry soil and full sun.
#Butterfly Weed – Asclepias: also know as ‘orange milkweed’, a perennial that is very attractive to butterflies and other beneficial garden insects. Grows to 27” tall
#Catmint – Nepeta: is a first year blooming perennial and very popular with pollinators. It blooms from mid summer until late fall, shear spent blooms and it will rebloom!
*Clarkia – Farewell to Spring: a native annual that requires direct seeding after the last frost, the seeds require light to germinate so must not be buried.
Cleome – Rocky Mt. Bee Plant: An annual that is native to BC and is highly attractive to bees. Also has been used by First Nations people as a food, medicine and dye plant. Can grow to 60”.
#Cosmos- An annual that comes in a variety of colours and heights. Is very attractive to bees, hummingbirds and butterflies.
#Cranesbill – Perennial Geranium, hardy perennial that spreads by rhizomes, blooms nearly all summer and likes full sun or partial shade, attracts bees and butterflies.
*Delphinium – Larkspur: an annual that is very attractive to bees. Likes sun or part shade and moist soil. Comes in shades of purple and blue.
#Echinacea – Purple Coneflower: this drought tolerant can bloom from July to October. If you leave the seed heads in place they feed wild birds.
#Golden Rod – Solidago: perennial that blooms in late summer into fall when other sources of nectar are lacking, bees love it!
#Honeywort – Cerinthe: easy to grow, blooms all summer, deer proof and drought resistant! Blue flowers are rich with nectar and attract bees. Works in a container.
Red Columbine – Aquilegia: a native perennial that thrives in partial shade. Blooms from mid-spring to early summer with generous nectar that lures hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees.
Penstemon – Beardtongue: a hardy perennial that attracts bees, hummingbirds and other pollinators with its tubular shaped flowers
Phacelia – Purple Tansy: an annual but be careful of its vigorous self-seeding habit! Very attractive to bees, it’s pale, lavender flowers are irresistible!
#Rudbeckia – Black-Eyed Susan: a perennial that is very attractive to butterflies. Deadhead regularly to lengthen bloom time.
#Salvia – Meadow Sweet: perennial, shades of blue, bees love it, deer proof
*Sea Blush – Plectritis: a beautiful, bright pink wildflower, native to the northwest coast. A tough little plant that tolerates full sun to part shade, and will self-seed in protected areas.
*Self Heal – Prunella: a slow-growing creeper that spreads by seed and self-rooting. The small pink/purple flowers are rich in pollen, an important food source for bees and butterflies. It’s a perennial that stays evergreen on our south coast.
#Snapdragon – can be a perennial in our climate, bumblebees are attracted to its heavy scent and are the only bees able to pry open its ‘mouth’
#Tithonia- Mexican Torch: Annual bright, orange flowers grow on 6’ plants. Attract hummingbirds and butterflies.
Also make excellent cut flowers.
#Veronica – Perennial, tall spires of deep blue flowers attract bees and butterflies from spring to late summer.
*Wooly Sunflower – Eriophyllum: aka Oregon Sunshine, a native perennial that blooms from May to August with intense yellow flowers above silvery, wooly foliage. Prefers full sun, tolerates part shade.
*Yarrow – Achillea: golden flowered perennial that grows on sturdy stems to 4’ tall. Drought tolerant. It’s scent repels aphids but attracts hover flies, ladybugs and wasps
Some explanations, comments and questions:
- = these items Dorothee and i seeded at the Pollinator workshop. With any luck, we will have enough excess that we can have some potted up for sale and/or demonstration as to what they look like
# = these we have on hand at BLG, either potted in gal. pots from last year, popping up in the pollinator beds as
excess to our needs and needing to be potting up, or as seeds that need to be started asap
Cleome – Rocky Mt Bee Plant is native to BC – who knew?? I’d like to try and find a package of seeds and try them this year, WCS has them.
Gaillardia – this is listed as an annual in WCS, but in our gardens it seems to be a perennial. Any thoughts on that?
Penstemon – we don’t have any divisions or seeds. What to do?
Phacelia – because it’s such a great pollinator, I think we should have a few. Anyone have seed, or passionate objection?
Red Columbine – we did save seed from a red/yellow Columbine in our garden last year. Do you think it could be the native perennial? Otherwise, there are sure to be several pop up in my garden but probably too late for sales, maybe?
-I know I got a bit carried away with the number of items on this list. Once I got started I just couldn’t stop, and didn’t want to exclude any of what we had! We can discuss if /which need labels. Also, Dorothee, you may have planted some different items than what I have. Let me know if you want to make amendments to this.