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BEEBALM IS A HUMMINGBIRD, BEE AND BUTTERFLY MAGNET
Beebalm (Monardo didyma) is also known as Oswego tea or monarda), is a plant that anyone trying to attract hummingbirds, bees, butterflies and other pollinators need to plant in their backyard. This perennial native is easy grow and produces flowers from June into September. It grows to a height of one to five feet. Beebalm grows best in moist to dry soil types. It will grow in partial shade to full sun.
The plant’s flowers attract a number of species of butterflies ranging from the eastern tiger swallowtail, and fritillaries, to whites and sulphurs. It is also visited by snowberry clearwing moths (better known as hummingbird moths).
Some of the native bees attracted to the plant are sweat bees, carpenter bees, digger bees, leaf-cutter bees and mason bees.
After the colorful blooms die, American goldfinches, sparrows and others eat beebalm seeds.
IT IS GLOSSY ABELIA TIME
If you are searching for a shrub that produces an abundance of blooms and nectar for hummingbirds, butterflies, bees and other pollinators, glossy abelia just might be the plant for you.
From summer well into fall, a time when many flowering plants have already quit blooming or are slowly fading away, glossy abelia is in full bloom.
This shrub is a hybrid that was once commonly grown around homes during the first half of the 20th century. However, for reasons I do not understand, it fell out of favor. Consequently, it rarely graces new homes. 
However, there are a number of reasons for folks to find a place for it in their home landscapes. Glossy abelia is a medium sized shrub. It is both deer and drought tolerant, produces beautiful flowers that provide food for honeybees, native bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and other pollinators. However, it does not produce seeds.
The shrub requires little maintenance. About all you need to do to ensure it produces lots of flowers from year to year is the prune it in the winter or early spring. This is due to the fact its blossoms form on new wood.
Since the glossy abelias are in full bloom, this is a good time to check them out at your local nursery. If you are not familiar with the plant, I am sure you are going to fall in love with its small pinkish white, bell shaped blossoms and the fact this hard shrub requires little care.
HOSTAS ARE HUMMINGBIRD PLANTS THAT WILL GROW IN THE SHADE
When we think of hummingbird nectar plants the plants that immediately come to mind are those that do well in direct sunlight. However, if you are one of those homeowners that has a shady yard or portions of your yard remains shady throughout most of the day, you will be pleased to know that hostas are nectar-bearing plants that grow well in shady locations. In addition, hummingbirds regularly visit many of them.
Hostas are native to Asia and are widely grown across Georgia for their attractive foliage. There are some 70 species and more than 300 varieties of this hard perennial.
While I am far from a hosta expert, the hostas that I grow in my yard produce beautiful long pink bell-shaped blossoms. Since my plants are pass-along plants, I do not know the name of the variety is rooted in my yard.
One of the varieties that been people say is a hummingbird magnet is a variety known as lance-leaved hosta (Hosta lancifolia).
While some gardeners report that the varieties of hostas they grow attract hummingbirds, others say the birds rarely use them. With that mind, if you are looking for a hosta that will attract hummingbirds in your neck of the woods, talk to local hummingbird gardeners as see what works for them.
Another thing to keep in mind is some hostas are more deer resistant than others are.
If you are lucky enough to locate the right variety for your yard, please share the name of this special plant with your fellow bloggers.
BACKYARD SECRET – MILKWEEDS BENEFIT MORE THAN MONARCHS
Whenever you think about trick-or-treat it is impossible to think of any other holiday than Halloween. Similarly, with all of the interest swirling around milkweed plants, we cannot help but think of monarch butterflies when we think of the milkweeds. This is understandable since the milkweed is the host plant for this colorful orange and black butterflies. However, ecologists now tell us that a wide range of range of pollinators and other insects also depend on milkweeds to survive. These insects include the likes of native bees, hoverflies, true bugs, moths, and even ants.
This is once again an example of how plants and animals are often linked to one another in an unimaginable number of ways.
BLOGGER REPORTS MONARCHS NECTARING AT ENCORE AZALEAS
Native azaleas are nectar plants used by butterflies and other pollinators. However, such is not the case with ornamental azaleas. While these showy exotic spring bloomers are beautiful, they are not known for their production of nectar. However, a few years ago I was surprised to find that a hybrid known as Encore Azalea does indeed attract butterflies.
Since that discovery, I have witnessed eastern tiger swallowtails, cloudless sulphurs, painted ladies, ocolas, common buckeyes, and long-tailed skippers nectaring at Encore Azalea blossoms.
An April 13, 2024, post by an anonymous blogger stated that monarchs also nectar on the shrub.
If you have noticed other butterflies nectaring on Encore Azaleas, please let me know.
COMMON BLUE VIOLET — A GREAT CONTAINER PLANT FOR WILDLIFE AND BEAUTY
Container gardening for wildlife is gaining popularity across the Peach State. It offers gardeners the opportunity to bring wildlife onto their decks and patios while at the same time enhancing the beauty of their home landscape. One plant that does well in such settings is the Common Blue Violet (Viola sororia).
This Georgia native grows throughout the state. This small beauty grows only 5-7 inches tall. It produces stunning asymmetrical flowers from late winter into summer that range from dark blue, pink and white. In addition, its heart-shaped leaves remain attractive well after it ceases blooming.
Unfortunately, it is a little-known fact that the plant is a source of pollen and nectar for many pollinators. In addition, it provides these insects with food in late winter and spring with it is scarce. The insect pollinators that visit the plant range in size from petite syrphid flies (they are especially fond to the violet’s pollen) to butterflies.
Violets also serve as host plants for both the Diana and variegated fritillaries. In fact, throughout its range at least 27 other species of moths and butterflies also use this violet as a host.
After the flowers shrivel and die, several species of birds eat the violet’s seeds.
I think that if you find a place for the common blue violet in your container garden, you will enjoy it beauty and be amazed at how much wildlife you will attract and enjoy just a few feet outside your backdoor.
If you would like more information about the Container Gardening For Wildlife for initiative sponsored by the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division, The Garden Club of Georgia and The Environmental Resources Network (TERN), contact Melissa Hayes at melissahayes@dnr.ga.gov
BLOGGER QUESTIONS USE OF BUTTERFLY BUSH
Recently I posted a blog advising that this is a good time to prune butterfly bushes (Buddleia davidii). In response a The blogger’s posted a response that simply stated that since butterfly bush has the reputation of sometimes being invasive, gardeners should plant native plants as an alternative to this non-native. I am glad the blogger brought up this important issue.
Butterfly bush is native to China. It is one of the many ornamentals that have been brought to North America throughout our history. Unfortunately, some of these plants have proven to be invasive and usurp habitats populated by native species and cause problems for native wildlife.
In the case of butterfly bush, several states have placed it on their invasive species list. However, to date, the Georgia Invasive Plant Council has not done so in the Peach State. This does not mean it is not a problem in some areas in the state. If it has, I am not aware of it. My wife and I live in Middle Georgia and have planted butterfly bush for years. To date, we have never found any evidence that butterfly bush has escaped confines of our yard.
It is true that an exotic such as butterfly bush can occupy a spot where a native plant can grow. In fact, many Georgia homeowners are converting their property to strictly natives. I think this is a great idea. Others, on the other hand, are just beginning to realize the value of native plants and are methodically adding more natives to their yard each year. In the meantime, they can continue to enjoy the beauty of zinnias, glossy abelia, and non-natives that are not invasive.
There are a number of native plants that you can crow instead of butterfly bush. This list includes joe-pye-weed, goldenrod, blazing star, purple coneflower, buttonbush, and Georgia mint.
If you harbor any concern that butterfly bush is an invasive in your part of the state, contact your County University of Georgia Cooperative Extension office. They can advise you whether butterfly bush is a problem in your locale. If you find that it is, please let me know.
I want to thank the blogger that brought up this issue. Deciding what we plant on our property can have huge implications on our environment. When it comes to invasive plants, we do not want to be part of the problem.
WHEN SHOULD BUTTERFLY BUSHES BE TRIMMED AND/OR REPLACED?
In Georgia, the best time to prune butterfly bushes (Buddleia davidii) is either late winter or early spring. At that time cut them back to a height of a foot or two above the ground. This will help promote new growth and a bounty of blossoms later in the year.
The average life expectancy of a butterfly bush is 10-20 years. Consequently, once older bushes begin producing fewer flowers, it is time to consider replacing them.
BEEBALM WAS PLANTED IN THOMAS JEFFERSON’S GARDENS
I am always on the lookout for heirloom plants that have link with our history. With that in mind, I found that unbeknownst to me, one of the plants that has been growing in my yard for years was grown by Thomas Jefferson. The name of this plant is beebalm (Monarda didyma).
The gardens that Thomas Jefferson designed and built on his plantation known as Monticello are recognized as botanic showpieces. While Jefferson is known to have experimented with plants from around the world, roughly 80 percent of the plants grown in his gardens were native to North America. Some say beebalm was planted to attract hummingbirds.
Although winter has Georgia in its icy grip, it is not too early to plan on what you will be adding to your gardens this spring. With that in mind, beebalm is a plant you should consider introducing into your home landscape. This native perennial is beautiful and is a bee. butterfly and hummingbird favorite.
Now that I realize it is a plant that adorned the gardens at Monticello, when I point it out to visitors to my home, and talk about its value as a wildlife plant, I can tell them it is a plant that was grown by Thomas Jefferson. In my mind, that makes it extra special.
