Feed Your Pollinators

If your landscape plans for next year include a pollinator garden, consider including Buddleia, known as Butterfly Bush. Some gardeners shy away from using this heat- and drought-tolerant plant because older cultivars may grow to be huge and can reseed to the point of nuisance. In some states they are considered invasive. Newer introductions, namely the Lo and Behold™ series and the Pugster™ series (both trademarked) are small in stature and well-behaved.

Buddleias bloom on new growth, so should be pruned in late winter  or very early spring (before new growth emerges) to increase the number of blooms and to retain their rounded form. The blooms produce copious nectar. In addition to butterflies, many other pollinators flock to the clusters of sweet-smelling bloom panicles that are shaped almost like ice cream cones. In my zone 7b garden, Buddleias start blooming in June and continue until a hard freeze occurs. Pruning away the dead flowers will make future blooms more plentiful.

Buddleias need full sun and well drained soil. They prefer a soil with pH of 6.0 to 7.0, so throw an extra handful of lime their way if your soil test indicates an acidic soil. These tough shrubs are cold hardy in zone 5 to 9, although they may be winter-killed to the ground in the colder zones. Their growth rate is so fast, this hardly matters.

Most Buddleia blooms are shades of purple or lavender, but are also available in shades of white, blue, pink and yellow.

Buddelias are typically trouble-free, but on occasion may be stricken with spider mites, mildew, or nematodes. Resist the urge to use insecticides for these problems, since those would have a negative impact on visiting pollinators. Try to counter any issues by insuring adequate moisture during droughts and siting plants in locations with good air circulation.

If your space allows for a large specimen, ‘Black Knight’ is widely available; its blooms are a rich purple. It may reach six feet or more in a single season. ‘Nanho Blue’ is smaller, reaching four or five feet. For smaller yards and smaller gardens, the Pugsters and Lo and Beholds make wonderful anchors for beds but can also stand alone. Lo and Behold is a small shrub with small flower clusters; Pugster is even smaller but has full-sized blooms. A well-grown Pugster is a thing of beauty.

A white Buddleia pairs with yellow Coreopsis and rosy Joe Pye Weed in the pollinator bed of Lake Lure Flowering Bridge in Lake Lure, NC

A young planting of Buddleia Pugster Amethyst with yellow Coreopsis

Stunning Shade Plant

Variegated Solomon’s Seal is a top performer in the Mary Snoddy garden. It looks good from the time bulbous, pinkish heads emerge from cold soil in March until dry, frost-killed yellow/tan leaves make whispery sounds in autumn breezes. In late spring, dainty white flowers dangle in pairs from the underside of its curved stems, like tiny white bells. These are described as fragrant, but I have never been able to detect a scent.

We do not normally think of tall plants as being groundcovers, but Solomon’s Seal works well as a carefree soil cover in areas where few other plants thrive. Solomon’s Seal is undemanding. It prefers partial shade and moist-to-wet soil, but survives full-sun exposure at a pond perimeter in my zone 7b garden. Elsewhere, I do not offer supplemental irrigation except in extended dry periods. Plants grown in sun attain only half the height of those grown in partial to full shade. It will also tolerate deep shade. They can be grown in containers, but all stems arch the same direction which may give an unbalanced look.

Plants combine well with ferns and hostas, and look especially great when paired with dark green European ginger, Asarum europaeum.

I am a bit of an evangelist when it comes to Solomon’s Seal. Visitors to my garden often admire the large swaths in my shady beds and woodland areas. Though they are best divided in autumn, I grab a sharp shovel and dig clumps of the shallow rhizomes to share. They spread rapidly enough to disguise the removals within one season. Plants are not bothered by insects and are rarely browsed by (my) deer,

There are several anecdotal explanations for the common name, but none of them appeal to me. Instead, I think the gardener who chooses this plant for their shade garden exhibits the wisdom of King Solomon. Variegated Solomon’s Seal, Polygonatum odoratum ‘Variegatum’ was named as Plant of the Year in 2013 by the Perennial Plant Association.

Solomon’s Seal in bloom

Solomon’s Seal buds pushing up in March

Marvelous Melampodium

Melampodium is one of the hardest working plants in the Mary Snoddy garden. Its butter-yellow bloom color is not at the top of my favorites lists, but all of its other characteristics make it a winner.

It starts blooming when it is only a few inches tall.
It blooms all summer and fall.
It does equally well in beds or containers.
The spent blooms drop off without the need for deadheading.
No need to stake. The strong stems keep it erect.
It thrives in heat and humidity.
It will forgive a little bit of drought.
The plant branches as it grows, making a nice round shape.
It is deer resistant.
It is fairly easy to grow from seed, but plants are widely available in nurseries during April and May. When left alone, it will reseed all by itself.
Bees and butterflies love the blooms.
It is rarely bothered by insects or diseases.

Several cultivars are available. Labeled height range from 10 inches to 24 inches, although mine usually grow a littler taller than the label predicts.

The only drawback to the plant is that the warm yellow color of its flowers does not mix well with pastels. Instead, pair it with bold reds and strong purples. Perhaps I am biased, but I think it looks pretty wonderful with purple-leaf Perilla frutescens here at New Hope Farm.

Melampodium makes an impressive companion to Perilla (left) and Ironweed (right).

Melampodium in container (4 plants).

A single yellow Melampodium makes the colors of Gomphrena, Zinnia and Liatris POP.

Angelonia - Summer Snapdragon

Last week I wrote about one of the best long-blooming summer perennials, Purple Coneflower. Today we focus on one of the very best annuals for heat and humidity. Angelonia angustifolia is heat resistant. It will also withstand short periods of drought, but it looks best if given regular water during the hottest part of the year.

Angelonia does well in containers and in ground. It is an annual but will act as a perennial in zones 9b and warmer. Plants are tall are narrow. I pack them densely into containers, where they reach about 24 inches tall with a limited spread. In the ground, they may reach up to 40 inches and will branch to 12 inches wide. They look fabulous planted in large masses.

Angelonias are available in blue, purple, white, rose/pink and a bi-color purple-white combination that I love. The spikes of blooms start opening from the bottom. The old blooms drop off without the need for deadheadling. Once the top-most blooms have opened, snip the entire stem off with scissors. The plant will branch and the new branches will bloom in just a few weeks. They make long-lasting cut flowers if you remember to remove any leaves that will be below water level.

For best blooms, give them full sun and good drainage. If the leaf color starts looking wimpy, give them a drink of liquid fertilizer to restore them to their original medium green. If you neglect them or allow them to dry out completely, cut them back hard and they will regenerate if given water and liquid fertilizer.

Angelonia are great plants for the new gardener. Easy and beautiful!

Purple, bicolor and white Angelonia.

Angelonias in a cast iron urn.