Enjoy the Beautiful Work of Pollinators by Adding These Five Plantings in the Needham and Wayland, MA Areas
Being able to enjoy the beauty of stunning birds and butterflies in your Needham and Wayland, MA area yard can be a wonderful experience for you, your family, and any guests. If you want to be intentional about attracting pollinators, you could consider these five plantings for your landscaping.
Related: 6 Plantings to Provide Privacy to Your Plunge Pool in the Sherborn, MA, Area
Spotted Cranesbill
This beautiful perennial does extremely well in shaded areas that may be more dry, which makes it hardy and easy to grow. When it begins to bloom, it will grow upward-facing flowers that are shaped like a saucer in stunning lilac-pink colors. It can be an ideal plant for gardens or bordering your flower beds. It will typically produce flowers from late spring to early summer and then occasionally rebloom in the fall.
Virginia Rose
The Virginia Rose is extremely hardy, which makes it ideal for areas with harsh winter conditions. This fast growing shrub produces stunning dark-green foliage that turn orange-red in the fall months. When it begins to bloom in the summer, the flowers will be fragrant and bright pink in color. Following the flowers, this unique plant will then have red, pumpkin-shaped fruits that stick around for several months.
New Jersey Tea
The New Jersey Tea shrub will produce eye-catching clusters of tiny, white flowers in the spring months, which immediately attract a variety of pollinators. These flowers will last quite a while and they rise from the leaf axils at the end of the new shoots. They are a nectar source for hummingbirds, butterflies, and native bees, which makes them an excellent choice if you are wanting to draw in plenty of wildlife.
Bottle Gentian
This perennial blooms striking dark blue flowers in the late summer months. These beautiful flowers will always remain closed and stay bottle-shaped, giving the plant its name. They will bloom from late summer to mid-fall, occasionally continuing to bloom until the first frost of the year. The primary pollinator for this plant is the bumblebee due to having to force their way past the closed flower.
Black Raspberry
To reap the benefits of not only attracting pollinators but having fruits that you can enjoy, then you might want to consider the black raspberry plant. It is a multi-stemmed thorny shrub that will produce clusters of white, rose-like flowers in late spring to early summer. These blossoms will then give way to edible, red berries which will eventually mature to black. The black raspberry plant will attract a wide variety of songbirds that can bring added enjoyment to your outdoor space.
Other Ways to Attract Pollinators
Aside from having plantings that will attract pollinators, you might also consider making the rest of the environment enticing to them as well. There are many beneficial insects that spend the winter as larvae or eggs inside plant stems or under leaf litter, so if push back raking and cutting back stems until two weeks after the last spring frost, you will likely be able to keep them around for another year.
It is also important to keep in mind that the use of pesticides in or near a pollinator plant can not only potentially kill them, but it can deter them from coming around.
Related: 5 Ideas for Plantings to Refresh Your Backyard in the Needham and Newton, MA, Areas
About the Author
As a fourth-generation landscape and building construction professional, Peter Indresano grew up working for his father’s construction business. At just 14 years old, he worked 50 hours per week in the summers, which helped him develop his strong work ethic and uncompromising belief that a clean job is a happy job.
