Pollinators love these late summer bloomers
Bright summer hues are now yielding to the resplendent colors of autumn. This is the time to adorn our gardens with native plants that extend the beauty of the season and sustain bees and other important pollinators. A continued supply of pollen and nectar is vital to ensure the continuity of our food chain.
Most gardens have fewer native plants than required for the survival of essential pollinators. Penn State Extension offers a guide to plants that attract and support them. A Certified Pollinator Garden must have four native woody plant species, either trees or shrubs. By adhering to these standards, you can ensure that the fall and winter garden sustains pollinators until spring.
The guide recommends three types of late-blooming plants, each grouped in clusters of three. Grouping plants provide an enhanced visual field to attract the birds, bees, wasps and flies
critical for pollination. Researchers have determined that bees are attracted to blue, purple, white and yellow blooms in the garden, while hummingbirds love reds and pinks.
Plan for a late season burst of longlasting flowers, whether searching out perennials that are still in stock at your local nursery or by creating a wish list for seeds or plants come spring. Easily found choices include brown-eyed Susan ( Rudbeckia fulgida), ‘Fireworks’ goldenrod ( Solidago rugosa), zig-zag goldenrod ( Solidago flexicaulis) and Maximilian’s sunflower ( Helianthus maximiliani).
Goldenrod has famously been blamed for seasonal allergies, but ragweed is the major culprit, so don’t be afraid to indulge in its beauty.
The aster family comes to the fore in autumn; the hardest part is deciding which suits your fancy. Classic “rayed” or daisy-like flowers include New England aster ( Symphyotrichum novae-angliae), New York aster ( S. novi-belgii) and calico aster ( S. lateriflorum). All are hosts for butterfly larvae. Less commonly found in the trade are blue mistflower, also known as hardy ageratum ( Conoclinium coelestinum), common boneset ( Eupatorium perfoliatum) and white snakeroot ( Ageratina altissima). Some of these plants self-sow prodigiously and are well suited for areas where you want a naturalized planting.
Native shrubs provide structure and can be an attractive background for herbaceous plants. Dried flowers of smooth leaf hydrangea ( Hydrangea arborescens), purple berries of American beautyberry ( Callicarpa americana), and fall color of oakleaf hydrangea ( Hydrangea quercifolia), Virginia sweetspire ( Itea virginica) and native blueberries ( Vaccinium spp.) complement late season flowers well.
One of the best benefits of growing late-blooming flowers is bringing flowers and foliage into your home. Fill a vase or display individual stems of plants and celebrate the beauty of the garden at close range.
Dispense with fall cleanup of native plants and allow the spent blooms and seed heads to remain in the garden over the winter. Native pollinators take cover and overwinter in plant debris. Seeds of coneflower ( Echinacea purpurea), Rudbeckia and ornamental grasses are relished by birds. This paradigm shift has been hard for me, as “putting my garden to bed” by cutting back plants and leaving a neat, clean space was a yearly ritual as winter approached. Over time, I’ve learned that by leaving my garden untended in the winter, I am performing one of the greatest acts of pollinator rejuvenation, giving them safe haven for next year’s growing season.
Michelle Keane Domeisen is a Penn State Master Gardener. This volunteer program supports the outreach mission of Penn State Extension. Have a gardening question? Email it, along with photos, to the Garden Hotline, staffed by the Penn State Extension Master Gardeners of Allegheny County at alleghenymg@psu.edu. They are answering emails from home during the pandemic but cannot take phone calls or office visits at this time.