Snowy Snakeroot

snakeroot in bloom gives my hillside the look of snow. (charlotte ekker wiggins)

Snowy Snakeroot

Fall-blooming white snakeroot is that nondescript weed that has been inconspicuously growing in shady spots all spring and summer. You barely notice the one- to four-foot-tall plant with toothy, dark green leaves until suddenly your garden looks like it snowed. One of the last wild natives to flower, Ageratina altissima is a godsend to hungry insects like bees, moths, and flies furiously foraging before the weather turns cold and food becomes scarce.

After blooming, its seeds are dispersed primarily by wind, their fuzzy tails carrying them far and wide.

The plant also spreads by rhizomes (underground stems), so you’re as likely to see a colony as a single specimen.

Originally a woodland plant, white snakeroot is also perfectly at home in sidewalks, vacant lots, and shady gardens. Mine is budding but not in bloom yet, looking forward to finding it scattered throughout this shady hillside.

Role in History

In the early 19th century, European settlers, unfamiliar with the plant, allowed cows and other domestic animals to feed on it. A toxin in the plant called tremetol tainted the cow’s milk, causing sickness and death to those who drank it.

Milk sickness claimed the lives of thousands of people, including, it is thought, Abraham Lincoln’s mother.

Native Americans, who made poultices with snakeroot, knew of its toxic properties, but their botanical knowledge was frequently overlooked by settlers.

A frontier doctor in Illinois named Anna Pierce Hobbs Bixby learned of the cause of the sickness from a Shawnee medicine woman. Bixby helped control the disease locally by instructing settlers to remove white snakeroot from their fields, but she too was largely ignored by the medical community. Research confirming the connection between snakeroot and milk was only confirmed and published much later.

Today, industrial agriculture has all but eradicated milk sickness. Since milk from thousands of cows is now combined when processed, the occasional toxin-containing contribution is diluted to harmless levels.

White snakeroot is most easily identifiable in the fall, when its fluffy white flower heads appear, but it has another distinctive characteristic that appears when it leafs out in spring. Look for elaborate, curving trails on some leaves. These are the work of a species of fly (Liriomyza eupatoriella) that makes white snakeroot its host.

The fly lays its eggs on the leaf, and after they hatch, the larvae feed on the leaf tissue, tunneling their way around and creating the beautiful, albeit destructive patterns. Vegetable gardeners may recognize these patterns as the telltale sign of leaf miners that attack their chard, beet, spinach, and tomato plants in much the same way. The intricate tunnels don't do these plants any good, though white snakeroot seems better able to tolerate them than some other species.

Charlotte

Native Trees and Shrubs

eastern redbuds provide my apiary with spring food. (charlotte ekker wiggins)

Native Trees and Shrubs

If you want to help bees, the best thing we can all do is plant native tree and shrub seedlings. Some trees and shrubs provide the most flowers in the spring, when bees need the food for their increasing colonies.

Native trees and shrubs feed pollinators as well as help to improve wildlife habitat, conserve soil and water, and improve the appearance and value of private property. And they are easier to plant because they are adjusted to local growing conditions.

One of my favorite places to get Missouri native threes and shrubs is the George O. White State Forest Nursery. They offer a variety of low-cost native tree and shrub seedlings starting September 1, 2023 through April 15, 2024.

some of these are excellent bee food for pollinators. (charlotte ekker wiggins photo)

Available Trees and Shrubs

The nursery provides mainly one-year-old, bare-root seedlings with sizes varying by species. Seedlings varieties include: pine, bald cypress, cottonwood, black walnut, hickory, oak, pecan, persimmon, river birch, maple, willow, sycamore, blackberry, buttonbush, hazelnut, redbud, ninebark, elderberry, sumac, wild plum, witch hazel, and others.

Their catalog, available to download online, also offers a helpful grid showing how the seedlings can improve your property from being a wind break to feeding pollinators.

a handy guide helps shoppers decide what to buy. (charlotte ekker wiggins photo)

Order Even If Marked Sold Out

“The nursery grows millions of seedlings each year, but some species are very popular and sell out quickly,” said Forest Nursery Supervisor Mike Fiaoni. “And some seedlings occasionally succumb to harsh weather or hungry wildlife, despite the nursery staff’s best efforts.”

Fiaoni added that even if a species is listed as “sold out,” customers can still place an order for those seedlings because other orders may get cancelled, freeing up inventory. Customers won’t be charged for seedlings unless they are available to ship.

three ways to order including how to get a discount. (charlotte ekker wiggins photo)

Three Ways to Order

Seedlings are available in bundles of 10 or increments of 25 per species. Prices range from 34 cents to $1 per seedling. Sales tax will be added to orders unless tax exempt. There is a shipping fee and a $9 handling charge for each order.

Receive a 15% discount up to $20 off seedling orders with a Heritage Card, Permit Card, or Conservation ID Number.

Orders will be shipped or can be picked up at the nursery, located near Licking, from February through May. You can designate whether you want your seedlings shipped or picked up when you place your order and when.

There’s also several helpful free guides on tree planting. If you are new to planting seedlings, those will be helpful to get you started in the right direction.

Charlotte

Rose Mallow

Missouri’s native rose mallow, or native hibiscus, is a lovely white with a red throat. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Rose Mallow

Rose mallow (Hibiscus moscheutos) is a large, fast-growing, cold hardy relative of Rose of Sharon, (Hibiscus syriacus), native to southeastern US swamps and wetlands. It has 6-8 inch flowers that entice bees and butterflies and are an asset to perennial garden borders.

This species of mallow, also known as swamp hibiscus, has become increasingly popular in recent years as a native alternative to tropical hibiscus in warmer growing zones. Though it is found in wet soils in nature, it grows quite well in ordinary garden soil as long as it has regular irrigation. I have some planted towards the bottom of a flower bed on an incline so it collects moisture to keep the roots hydrated.

You can tell there’s a family connection between rose mallow and the once-popular perennial “Rose of Sharons” now found in old homesteads. Rose Mallow tends to be white and red; Rose of Sharon, considered a woody shrub, has smaller pink, lavender and purple blossoms.

Because of their easy growth habit, there are many new rose mallow and rose of sharon cultivars being offered.

The other major difference with rose mallow is that the leaves are bigger, up to eight inches long. Depending on the soil they are growing in, they can have a deep green color. The leaves are also serrated making them just as interesting and showy as the flowers.

According to Don Kurz in “Ozark Wildflowers,” Rose Mallow is one of the largest wildflowers in the Ozarks. Their seeds are also a favorite food source for ducks and bobwhite quail.

Rose mallow plants grow as a single branched stalk that emerges from the ground in late spring where I live. In the fall, they tend to die back to the ground so it’s helpful to mark their location if you don’t want to inadvertently dig and plant over them.

Another perennial mallow is the hardy hibiscus called Rose of Sharon. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Their cousins, Rose of Sharon, die back but leave their stems for regrowth the following years.

i added Rose of Sharon starts to my garden years ago, even before I had bees, because they flower mid-summer undisturbed by scorching heat. To make sure I can enjoy their lovely blooms, I’ve trimmed many of the plants into a tree shape, leaving the top canopy full of flowers.

To make sure young trunks grow straight, I tie them to rebar stakes for a year or two until their trunks are strong enough to stand on their own. This little corner Rose of Sharon has been growing in that spot for 5 years and just started blooming last year.

I trim most of mine hardy hibiscus into tree forms. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Rose mallow, and Rose of Sharon, are excellent pollinator plants because their pollen is easily accessible. They also start blooming when other plants are ending their blooming cycle, giving pollinators a food source.

The top of another tree form hardy hibiscus entices butterflies and bees. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

This is one of the older Rose of Sharon trees growing in the front garden now covered in blooms, bee and butterflies. Great combination!

Charlotte

Price Comparison

Price Comparison

I am only half-joking when I say I’m a walking billboard for George O. White State Nursery in Licking, Missouri.

For years, I have ordered native Missouri trees, shrubs and perennials, slowly adding new sources of nectar and pollen for my native and honey bees to my one-acre Missouri hillside garden. I know where the seed stock comes from, I used to work for the agency that started this nursery, now managed by Missouri’s Department of Conservation.

So let’s do a little inventory:

Excellent local seed stock, check.

Grown in Missouri soil conditions, check.

And what about the price?

Hard to beat any way you look at it. The minimum order of 10 seedlings is 90 cents per seedling compared to $6.98 for an Eastern Redbud seedling.

For 25 seedlings, the George O. White State Nursery price drops to 44 cents per seedling. For 100 or more seedlings, the price is 36 cents per seedling. If you have a Missouri Heritage card, you get a 20% discount up to $20.

Shipping is free if you live in Missouri, or you can also visit the nursery in spring to pick up your order.

If you miss getting what you want this year, ordering opens up September 1.

Native Missouri Pawpaws, a tree that is coming back into Missouri gardens, (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

If your desired item is marked sold, order it anyway. I ordered PawPaw trees last December and was just notified that the seedlings are available because the previous person didn’t pay for them.

Once you get the invoice, send in your check to secure your order.

This is a great source of native trees, shrubs and flowers, for a variety of reasons, including the price!

Charlotte

Showy Goldenrod

Showy Goldenrod, one of the 23 native Missouri goldenrod plant varieties. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Showy Goldenrod

Talk to any Missouri beekeeper about fall flowers and goldenrod will be top of their list. It is either appreciated for providing honey bees in the garden with a fall food supply or reviled for adding a “dirty sock” kind of taste to fall honey.

Goldenrod is often mistaken for the plant that causes fall allergies so let’s see the difference between the plant that does, ragweed, compared to goldenrod.

Ragweed, on the left, causes fall allergies, not pretty goldenrod on the right. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Missouri is lucky enough to have 23 different goldenrod varieties. They don’t all grow across the state, the varieties are scattered across Missouri and grow only where conditions are optimum. Goldenrod starts blooming in June and continues to bloom until the first hard frost.

It’s easy to not appreciate the beauty of these yellow flowers since they tend to grow along roadsides, ditches and abandoned garden sites. Often mistaken for weeds, the flowers on thin stems grow to 3-4 feet tall and often fall over.

Showy Goldenrod in a field near Belle, Missouri. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Thanks to Missouri Department of Conservation, the following are the goldenrod varieties:

1. Tall goldenrod (S. altissima, including vars. altissima and gilvocanescens). Very widespread and common statewide. Large, to 7 feet tall. Stems hairy. Largest leaves, to 6 inches long, are at the middle of the plant, rough above and hairy below. Together, the flower clusters form a pyarmid shape, with all the tiny flower heads pointing upward. Stem galls made by midges and moths are common on this species. Blooms August–November.

2. Atlantic or cut-leaf goldenrod (S. arguta, including vars. arguta, boottii, and caroliniana). Scattered in the Ozark and Ozark Border divisions, in upland forests, glades, ledges and bases of bluffs, stream and river banks. An attractive species that would be fine in a wildflower garden. Blooms June–October.

3. Buckley's goldenrod (S. buckleyi). Scattered in the Ozark and Ozark Border divisions and on Crowley's Ridge in southeast Missouri, on glades, at bases, ledges, and tops of bluffs, upland forests, savannas, roadsides, and open, disturbed areas. Similar to downy goldenrod, but the leaves are thin (not thick), relatively wider, and have sharp teeth. Only blooms September–October.

4. Blue-stemmed or wreath goldenrod (S. caesia). Scattered in the southern quarter of Missouri, almost entirely in the Ozark Division. Unlike most other goldenrods, this is mainly a woodland species, occurring on bases and ledges of shaded bluffs, stream and river banks, bottomland forests, and rich upland forests, and along roadsides. Look for it especially along sheltered bluffs and nearby lower terraces of streams. Not standing erect like most other goldenrods, the stems of this species arch gracefully like wands to about 3 feet long. The stems are bluish with a whitish-waxy coating. Leaves are lance-shaped and lack petioles (stalks). Flowerheads are small and arise at the leaf axils along the stem. This species would be good in a wildflower garden. Blooms August–October.

5. Common goldenrod (S. canadensis var. hargeri). Scattered statewide, though uncommon in most of northern Missouri; found in prairies, upland forests, savannas, stream and river banks, pastures, old fields, edges of crop fields, railroads, roadsides, and other open, disturbed areas. This species is cultivated as an ornamental, including dwarf forms. Blooms July–October.

6. Ozark, cliff, or Drummond's goldenrod (S. drummondii). Scattered mostly in the eastern half of Missouri; occurs on ledges and tops of calcareous bluffs and, rarely, banks of rivers. "Cliff goldenrod" is a good name for it. Height about 3 feet; stems arching, with soft hairs. Flowerheads arranged in short branches at the tips of stems. Resembles elm-leaved goldenrod, but Ozark goldenrod's stem leaves mostly have short petioles (as opposed to the leaves being stemless), and the leaves are wider-shaped, the blade only 1–2 times as long as wide. Blooms August–December.

7. Broadleaf goldenrod (S. flexicaulis). Scattered in the eastern half of Missouri, uncommon farther west; occurs on bases and ledges of shaded bluffs, banks of streams and rivers, bottomland forests, and rich upland forests. Blooms July–October.

8. Gattinger's goldenrod (S. gattingeri). Scattered in the Ozark and Ozark Border divisions. Occurs on calcareous glades and rock outcrops in upland prairies; rarely also on roadsides. Oddly, this plant occurs in glades in the northern half of the Ozarks and in the cedar barrens of Tennessee. Resembles Missouri goldenrod, but note the short, branched roots (not creeping rhizomes), 5–8 (not 7–13) ray florets, and absence of small clusters of leaves in the axils of the main leaves. Blooms July–October.

9. Late, tall, or giant goldenrod (S. gigantea). Scattered nearly statewide; occurs in a wide variety of habitats, but especially in open, disturbed areas. This species is relatively glabrous (smooth; hairless). Blooms July–October.

10. Hairy goldenrod (S. hispida var. hispida). Scattered in the Ozark and Ozark Border divisions. Occurs in upland forests, ledges and tops of bluffs, and roadsides, frequently on acidic soils. One of the easier goldenrods to identify: usually single-stemmed; leaves and stems are noticeably hairy; basal and lowest stem leaves are the largest on the plant. Blooms July–October.

11. Early goldenrod (S. juncea). Scattered in the southern half of Missouri and in the northeastern quarter. Occurs in prairies, glades, savannas, forest openings, railroads, roadsides, and other open disturbed areas. Reaches 4 feet tall, branching near the top into curved, flower-bearing branchlets; leaves are willowlike, narrow, variably toothed; lower leaves may be a foot long but become shorter toward the top. (Despite the name of this species, downy and rough goldenrods actually bloom earlier, starting in May.) Blooms June–October.

12. Missouri goldenrod (S. missouriensis var. fasciculata). Scattered nearly statewide in a wide variety of open habitats, ranging from the loess hill prairies of northwest Missouri to old fields, railroads, and roadsides. Leaves on the lower part of stem have 3 main veins for most of the blade length. Resembles Gattinger's goldenrod, but note the creeping rhizomes (not short, branched roots), 7–13 (not 5–8) ray florets, and small clusters of leaves in the axils of the main leaves in the middle and upper portions of the flowering stem. Blooms July–October.

13. Old-field or gray goldenrod (S. nemoralis, including ssp. decemflora and ssp. nemoralis). Scattered nearly statewide in a wide variety of open habitats; it is characteristic of old fields and other open, grass-dominated habitats. Reaches 2–3 feet tall. Stem and leaves with dense, curved gray hairs, making the plant look grayish-green. The flower cluster is typically a narrow pyramid shape that arches over slightly at the top, with all the flowerheads oriented upward. Blooms July–November.

14. Sweet or fragrant goldenrod (S. odora var. odora). Scattered in the southeastern portion of the Ozark Division and also on Crowley's Ridge; occurs in openings of moist upland forests, margins of spring branches, and savannas, and in old fields and roadsides. The crushed foliage smells like licorice (anise). Blooms July–September.

15. Rough-leaved goldenrod (S. patula var. patula). Scattered in the eastern portion of the Ozark, Ozark Border, and Mississippi Lowlands divisions. Occurs in fens, acid seeps, swamps, seepy banks of streams, and ledges of calcareous bluffs. Blooms August–October.

16. Downy or woodland goldenrod (S. petiolaris). Scattered mostly south of the Missouri River. occurs in glades, bases, ledges, and tops of bluffs, openings in forests, and savannas; also in pastures and roadsides. To 3 feet tall; stems smooth at the base and hairy at the top. Leaves are thick and firm; uppersurface of leaves is hairy. Flowers are clustered at the stem tips in a column shape. It is recommended for wildflower gardens. This attractive species has relatively large flowerheads and is one of the earliest species to start flowering in our state. Blooms May–November.

17. White upland aster, sneezewort aster, upland white goldenrod, or white flat-top goldenrod (S. ptarmicoides; formerly Aster ptarmicoides). With its white, petal-like ray flowers and pale disc florets, this is truly the oddball of the goldenrods: it looks much more like a white-flowered aster. It used to be considered an aster, but because it hybridizes with goldenrods and not with asters, its true genetic relationship is clear. Scattered in the Ozark and Ozark Border divisions, in glades, blufftops, upland prairies, pastures, railroads, and roadsides. Blooms July–September.

18. Rough goldenrod (S. radula). Scattered in the southern half of Missouri, and north locally to Monroe and Marion counties, but absent from nearly all of the Bootheel, in forest openings, bluffs, glades, and rarely upland prairies; also roadsides. One of the earliest goldenrods to bloom in Missouri. Blooms May–October.

19. Riddell's goldenrod (S. riddellii). Scattered to uncommon in the Ozark and Ozark Border divisions, it occurs only in high-quality calcareous seepage wetlands along streams, and especially fens. It has narrow leaves, shiny stems, and rounded clusters of flowerheads that are solitary or in small clusters at the branch tips. Blooms August–October.

20. Stiff or rigid goldenrod (S. rigida, including ssp. glabrata, ssp. humilis, and ssp. rigida). Scattered nearly statewide, but uncommon in the eastern part of the Ozarks and apparently absent from the Bootheel. Occurs in prairies, glades, forest openings, and uncommonly stream and river banks; also old fields, pastures, roadsides, and other open disturbed areas. Reaches 5 feet tall; the plant is usually hairy, making it look somewhat grayish. Leaves are rough, leathery, and stalkless and get smaller the higher on the stem. Flowerheads are relatively large, with rather large petal-like ray florets making the flowerheads look a little like asters; the overall flower arrangement is dense and flat-topped or rounded. This is an attractive species sometimes sold in native wildflower nurseries for gardeners. Blooms August–October.

21. Rough-leaved or rough-stemmed goldenrod (S. rugosa, including ssp. aspera and ssp. rugosa). Scattered, but mostly in the southeastern quarter of Missouri. Prefers wetter habitats than most other goldenrods: bottomland forests, banks of streams, rivers, spring branches, fens, bases and ledges of bluffs; less common in upland forests; also pastures and roadsides. Blooms August–October.

22. Prairie or showy goldenrod (S. speciosa, including vars. rigidiuscula and speciosa). Scattered nearly statewide, but uncommon in most of the Ozark, Ozark Border, and Mississippi Lowlands divisions. Mainly grows in upland sites: prairies (including the loess hill prairies of northwest Missouri), bluff ledges, upland forests, glades, but also on banks of streams and rivers and rarely in swamps, plus roadsides and railroads. Unbranched, to 3 feet tall; flowerheads arise in a spiral around the stalk and are relatively large (for goldenrods); leaves are alternate, lance-shaped, long-pointed, with leaf stems, and have rounded teeth. This is another favorite goldenrod for ornamental and prairie plantings. Blooms August–November.

23. Elm-leaved goldenrod (S. ulmifolia, including vars. palmeri and ulmifolia). Scattered nearly statewide in a wide variety of open habitats. Especially characteristic of dry bluffs. Stems single, hairless, to 4 feet tall. Flower clusters are usually fairly open, with lower branches widely spaced, long, and arching. Resembles Ozark goldenrod, but elm-leaved goldenrod's stem leaves mostly are sessile (stalkless, as opposed to leaves having short petioles), and the leaves are more slender-shaped, the blade 2–8 times as long as wide. Blooms August–November.

Showy Goldenrod going to seed in my hillside garden. (Photo by Charlotte
Ekker Wiggins)

I don’t know what goldenrod variety this is, it was a gift from a friend so I was happy to adopt it.

Within 48 hours, the goldenrod had turned to seed so I planted it n a flower bed that will help spread the seeds downhill.

I like how the seeds look so fluffy.

Showy Goldenrod going to see on the left, still in bloom on the right. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

As I was walking at sunset, I spotted the goldenrod seeds still waiting to take their trip down hill.

Showy Goldenrod going to see at sunset. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

I’m looking forward to seeing more goldenrod growing on my hill side!

Charlotte

Brown-Eyed Susans

These tiny Brown-Eyed Susans make charming cut flowers. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Brown-Eyed Susans

They are one of my favorite summer flowers, a close clone to the more popular, and well-behaved Black-Eyed Susans, both north American native wildflowers. Both are also excellent pollinator plants, providing food and nectar for a variety of pollinators including native and honey bees.

How to tell the difference. Well, Brown-Eyed Susans are a smaller version of the Black-Eyed Susans. Take a look at the difference:

On left, Black-Eyed Susans and, on right, Brown-Eyed Susans. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

They look very similar, don’t they.

Black-Eyed Susans bloom continuously from July until frost. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Black-Eyed Susans

Black-Eyed Susans are members of the sunflower family. The “black eye” is named for the dark, brown-purple centers of its daisy-like flower heads.

The plants can grow to more than 3 feet tall with leaves of 6 inches. The stalks are usually over 8 inches long with flower diameters of 2 to 3 inches.

Butterflies, bees, and a variety of insects are attracted to the flowers for the nectar. As they drink the nectar, they move pollen from one plant to another, causing it to grow fruits and seeds that can move about easily with the wind.

These plants bloom from June to October. Note that they can be territorial in that they tend to squash out other flowers growing near them.

Black-Eyed Susans are good for cut flowers; they also work well for borders or in containers.

Late afternoon sun helps to explain why these are called brown-Eyed Susans. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Brown-Eyed Susans

Brown-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia triloba) is the country cousin of the common garden perennial black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida).

This native wildflower is distinguished from more cultivated Rudbeckia species not only by its slightly lighter center, or "eye," but by its greater height, its three-lobed leaves, and its tendency to be a less reliable short-lived perennial or biennial. Suitable for gardens in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 10, brown-eyed Susan can be coaxed into returning as a perennial with proper care.

Brown-Eyed Susans are often self-pollinated, but it nonetheless attracts numerous nectar-seeking and pollen-seeking insects to its flowers. These visitors include bumblebees, little carpenter bees (Ceratina spp.), digger bees (Melissodes spp.), cuckoo bees (Triepeolus spp., Coelioxys spp.), leaf-cutting bees (Megachile spp.), Andrenid bees (Andrena spp., Heterosarus spp.), and Halictid bees (including green metallic bees).

One of these bees, Andrena rudbeckiae, is a specialist pollinator (oligolege) of Rudbeckia and Ratibida coneflowers.

Other floral visitors include Sphecid wasps, Vespid wasps, Syrphid flies, bee flies, thick-headed flies, Tachinid flies, small to medium-sized butterflies, and the common Chauliognathus pennsylvanicus (Goldenrod Soldier Beetle).

Since it takes them one year to establish and a second year before they bloom, it’s easy to forget where seeds have been scattered. Allowing the plant to bloom and go to seed, though, it the easiest way to allow these North American wildflowers to reseed.

They prefer partly shady areas and mulch over their roots to keep them hydrated.

The foliage is sometimes browsed by deer, rabbits, groundhogs, and other mammalian herbivores.

Brown-eyed Susans getting established in a flower bed at the edge of my property. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

I have Black-Eyed Susans planted close to my house and brown-Eyed Susans planted in the shady flower beds towards my property line. The smaller Susans make the property seem deeper because they are mistaken for the larger Black-Eyed Susans.

Just think of it as a version of a gardener’s joke.

Charlotte

Wow, White Clover!

This island in a roundabout has a lovely crop of white clover. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Wow, White Clover!

I was driving through our northern-most roundabout a couple of days ago, in the rain, when I almost jumped the center median. Up ahead along the roundabout curve was the most beautiful sight, a traffic island covered in white clover!

After making my turn, I doubled back to get a better look, and some photos.

Of all of the plans beekeepers can plant for honey bees in the eastern part of the US, white clover would top that list. According to Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education, this low growing plant has a lot of wonderful qualities including feeding bees nectar and pollen. Nectar is a bee’s flight fuel; pollen is baby food.

White Clover Trifolium repens is also known as Dutch White, New Zealand White and Ladino. I call it an excellent cover crop and a great alternative to planting turf grass. It is a long-lived perennial that holds in soil, helps replenish soil and provides critical food to pollinators including bees.

There are other ways to use white clover in a garden and landscape. White clovers are a top choice for “living mulch” systems planted between rows of irrigated vegetables, fruit bushes or trees. They are persistent, widely adapted perennial nitrogen producers with tough stems and a dense shallow root mass that protects soil from erosion and suppresses weeds. Depending on the type, plants grow just 6 to 12 inches tall, but thrive when mowed or grazed.

Once established, they stand up well to heavy field traffic and thrive under cool, moist conditions and shade. 

Cultivars of white clover are grouped into three types by size. The lowest growing type (Wild White) best survives heavy traffic and grazing. Intermediate sizes (Dutch White, New Zealand White and Louisiana S-1) flower earlier and more profusely than the larger types, are more heat-tolerant and include most of the economically important varieties. The large (Ladino) types produce the most N per acre of any white types, and are valued for forage quality, especially on poorly drained soil. They are generally less durable, but may be two to four times taller than intermediate types. 

White clover performs best when it has plenty of lime, potash, calcium and phosphorus, but it tolerates poor conditions better than most clovers. Its perennial nature depends on new plants continually being formed by its creeping stolons and, if it reaches maturity, by reseeding. 

White clover is raised as a winter annual in the South, where drought and diseases weaken stands. It exhibits its perennial abilities north through Hardiness Zone 4. The short and intermediate types are low biomass producers, while the large ladino types popular with graziers can produce as much biomass as any clover species. 

White clover is an excellent choice for high traffic areas. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

More White Clover Benefits

Wherever there’s intensive field traffic and adequate soil moisture, white clover makes a good soil covering that keeps alleyways green. It reduces compaction and dust while protecting wet soil against trauma from vehicle wheels. White clover converts vulnerable bare soil into biologically active soil with habitat for beneficial organisms above and below the soil surface. 

Premier living mulch. Their ability to grow in shade, maintain a low profile, thrive when repeatedly mowed and withstand field traffic makes intermediate and even short-stemmed white clovers ideal candidates for living mulch systems. To be effective, the mulch crop must be managed so it doesn’t compete with the cash crop for light, nutrients and moisture. White clover’s persistence in the face of some herbicides and minor tillage is used to advantage in these systems (described below) for vegetables, orchards and vineyards. 

Spreading soil protector. Because each white clover plant extends itself by sending out root-like stolons at ground level, the legume spreads over time to cover and protect more soil surface. Dropped leaves and clipped biomass effectively mulch stolons, encouraging new plants to take root each season. Reseeding increases the number of new plants if you allow blossoms to mature. 

Over seeded companion crop. Whether frost seeded in early spring into standing grain, broadcast over vegetables in late spring or into sweet corn in early summer, white clover germinates and establishes well under the primary crop. It grows slowly while shaded as it develops its root system, then grows rapidly when it receives more light. 

White clover makes a pretty border and edging. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

And, it’s pretty, adding a lovely white blanket. Even before I had honey bees, I used to move white clover to spots in my garden, especially those where little would grow.

Glad to see this hardy plant getting renewed attention and use!

Charlotte

George O. White Nursery Tree Delivery

Shipping label from my George O. White State Nursery order. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

George O. White Nursery Tree Delivery

It’s been almost six months since I placed this order for trees for bees. The George O. White State Nursery in Licking, Missouri is a great source for native trees and shrubs, a place I order from every year knowing full well I may not get what I ordered.

This is how it works. You place an order online beginning September 1. You are given a short window to pay for the order. If you don’t, the order is cancelled and the next person who ordered is contacted, and so forth. So I was thrilled to be reminded that, among my Missouri native tree and shrub order, I was getting elderberries.

The Missouri native trees and shrubs can either be picked up at Licking or shipped free to Missouri residents. I had initially planned to go pick them up but changed my mind once they notified me the seedlings were available.

They arrived safely packed in paper that keeps the bare roots moist and protected.

How seedlings were shipped from George O. White State Nursery. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

I should have left the bundle wrapped until tomorrow but of course I couldn’t wait to be reminded of what I ordered.

The reason I gave myself to open the package was to check that the shipped Missouri native trees and shrub bare roots were still hydrated.

Shipped seedlings are bare root but moist. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

The Missouri native trees and shrubs are sold in bundles of 10 for $8.95, with the price going down the larger the bundles.

This year I indulged in one of my favorite Missouri native trees, dogwoods, and added a bundle of another spring-blooming plant, serviceberries. Serviceberries got their name for blooming when the winter frozen ground was thawed out enough to bury the dead.

Flowering dogwood and serviceberry are among the shipped seedlings. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

In addition to flowering dogwoods, serviceberries and elderberries, I ordered American beauty berry shrubs, button bush and white Rose Mallow, all except the beauty berries excellent bee food plants. Tree pollen is baby food and flower nectar is flight fuel, both important sources of energy for bees, which move the pollen around trees to help trees survive. The flower nectar gets dehydrated into honey.

The American beauty berry are lovely native shrubs that I have wanted to add to my garden for years but found them usually sold out. This past year, I ordered within days of the ordering window opening up for the season so when ordering, do so quickly or the inventory you want may be sold out.

These bee plants will now get planted in pots and allowed to spend a growing season getting their roots established before I move them permanently into the garden.

Charlotte

New England Asters

New England Asters are a favorite source of fall pollen for honeybees.

New England Asters

There are several flower families that provide honeybees their food and asters are one of them. Some of my favorite fall blooming plants belong to this family group: White Boneset, White Heath Asters and one of my all-time top favorites, New England Asters.

According to the Missouri Botanical Garden, "Symphyotrichum novae-angliae, commonly called New England aster, is a Missouri native perennial which occurs in moist prairies, meadows, thickets, low valleys and stream banks (Steyermark) throughout the State. It is a stout, leafy plant typically growing 3-6' tall with a robust, upright habit.

New England Asters feature a profuse bloom of daisy-like asters (to 1.5" diameter) with purple rays and yellow centers from late summer to early fall. Rough, hairy, lance-shaped leaves (to 4" long) clasp stiff, hairy stems. Flowers are attractive to butterflies" and I will add bees, too.

How to Grow New England Asters

Easily grown in average, medium, well-drained soil in full sun, prefers moist, rich soils. Good air circulation helps reduce incidence of foliar diseases. Pinching back stems several times before mid-July will help control plant height, promote bushiness and perhaps obviate the need for staking. Pinching back will also delay flowering.

Most New England Asters are sold early fall when they are in bloom. I buy the plants after bloom, remove the spent flower heads and make sure they are well watered and mulched when I plant them. Any dead branches get left on to help protect the new growth that will start at the plant base. I also give them some water for a couple of months to make sure their roots get established.

A closeup of a New England Aster flower shows the generous source of pollen.

New England Asters also add color to fall cut flower arrangements. I don't cut many, though, I prefer to leave the flowers for the bees.

Charlotte

Four Fall Bee Plants

White Heath Asters are a wonderful source of fall pollen for bees, even in drought.

If weather conditions cooperate, there is a smaller nectar flow in fall in Missouri. No such luck this year, we ended up with a drought stressing plants and shutting down most of my bees pre-winter pollen sources except for these four, easy to grow native perennials wildflowers.

There were a few other plants in bloom but these all had one thing in common, they all belong to the same plant family.

White Heath Asters

Missouri's native white heath asters Aster pilosus continued to bloom through the dry days of September and October. According to Don Kurz, Ozark Wildflowers, these wildflowers provide food for deer, turkey and songbirds in the fall. Native American tribes also thought the smoke from burning these plants was helpful in reviving someone who had fainted so not sure you want to add this to a smoker.

They do transplant if you have access to plant starts. If they are in bloom, the flowers will almost automatically go to seed so if you leave the area undisturbed, they should seed themselves.

Another traditional fall flowering wildflower is yellow, Goldenrod.

Early Goldenrod is one of 22 Goldenrod species blooming in Missouri June-November.

Goldenrod

Often blamed for fall allergies caused by ragweed, Goldenrod is another plant in the aster family. Missouri has 22 different varieties that bloom from June through November including Early Goldenrod Solidago juncea, Woodland Goldenrod Solidago petiolaris and Old-Field Goldenrod Solidago nemoralis.

Whether bees collect Goldenrod pollen or not is often determined by fall honey developing a wet sock smell, not necessarily the most appealing of attributes. Some of my beekeeping friends also don't see bees on Goldenrod so contend they are not a favorite fall pollen plant but I think that's because there may be other, better pollen sources around.

Regardless, I try to harvest my honey before I see the yellow of Goldenrod popping up around my garden, I prefer my wet sock smell to be limited to my dryer.

Purple woodland asters are a hardy perennial wildflower that provides bees fall pollen.

Purple Woodland Asters

The one wildflower I am currently trying to encourage in my one-acre hillside garden are the fall purple asters Aster anomalus. I cut some of them back early spring to make them bushier, then anxiously waited to see if they would bloom this fall and they did. The year before, I cut them back too late in the season and lost a whole blooming cycle. Not sure why it bothered me so much, deer like to eat the leaves and naturally prune the bushes back, and wild turkey are fond of the flowers and fruit. 

There are several other lavender-colored asters including Stiff-Leaved Aster Aster linariifolius, Silky Aster Aster seriseus and New England Asters Aster novae-angliae. 

The more domestic New England Asters are perennials in USDA zone 5b but tend to sell out quickly so I end up finding the more pink varieties on sale. Doesn't mean I won't keep looking!

Another fall-blooming white perennial wildlfower that provides pollen is Common boneset.

Common boneset

This last Missouri wildflower is also a member of the - surprise- aster family. Common boneset Eupatorium perfoliatum will grow nicely if you can keep it moist. It's common throughout the Ozarks particularly along streams.

I had a little patch growing naturally in a garden corner and have nurtured it over the years by not disturbing the area. I did say I like to keep things simple and easy, didn't I. So now I have a corner of my property that turns white in the fall, almost as if it's snowed. Very pretty.

The Native American Indians called Common boneset  "Indian sage" and used it to treat a variety of ailments including a flu that caused several body aches. I wonder if it has the same use in a bee hive, surely by fall some of those worker bees are a little sore from all of that summer hauling!

Charlotte

Flowering Crab Apples for Spring Bee Food

Crab apple trees provide bees pollen in spring.

Flowering Crab  Apples for Spring Bee Food

Flowering crab apple trees are one of the popular spring bee trees in mid-Missouri. My bee buddy David has a beautiful specimen in his front yard and I love to visit it to see how many varieties of bees I can find among the lovely white blooms.

Whether it's honeybees from his nearby apiary or native bees from the neighborhood, this flowering crab apple tree is abuzz with a variety of winged insects from bees to wasps, all important pollinators.

A variety of bees visit this crab apple tree in spring including native bees.

One of my favorite things to do is to stand under the tree and just listen. It takes a few seconds for my focus to sharpen but once I get quiet, it is amazing the sounds I pick up from all of the insects flying around in the tree.

A honeybee takes off after visiting the flowering crab apple tree.

See the little yellow pollen this honeybee is packing on its leg?

Flowering crab apples are a great source of spring pollen for bees at a time when they are quickly growing the bee nursery. Crab apple trees also provide wildlife pretty fall color and winter fruit for wildlife. What's not to love?

Charlotte

First Spring Bee Pollen Source

This year, I found my first dandelion blooming mid-January 2017, a new early record.

First Spring Bee Pollen Source

Seed and plant catalogs are piling up on my coffee table, some extolling yet again the virtues of their new plant offerings as bee and pollinator food sources. 

People want to help pollinators. It's a very romantic concept to some, the idea of "saving" a species by planting flowers. I certainly rank among them. I have contended all along that we need more flowers and less grass, although my brothers will tell you I haven't met a flower I didn't like. When they were growing up in southern Illinois and had grass-mowing duty, it was a challenge for them to trim the green plants and yet not mow down all of the blooming weeds I loved. We compromised and had a neatly-trimmed green center with paths along the edges lined with "weed patches." I preferred to call them the more dignified cottage gardens. Consider it one of the few - well, ok, one of the many - big sister privileges.

One of the flowers I loved finding even then was the first dandelion. The sunny color, especially when the flower was growing tall and reaching for the sun, was the epitome of a sunny spring day. When the flower turned to the puffy seed ball, even better, I loved nothing more than to carefully pick the stem and gently blow the seeds into the wind. 

I suspect I just gave someone a heart attack. That is what comes from not growing up in North America and being taught dandelions are evil weeds. As a matter of fact, dandelions are a perennial herb, once highly prized for their medicinal qualities. Even today in some cultures they are still appreciated, not just for their varied health benefits but in cooking, especially the young spring greens for specialty salads. 

For beekeepers, dandelions are also a great harbinger of spring. They are usually among the first spring sources of pollen for bee colonies raising young. A beekeeping friend and I even joke about the various seasons with spring being BD, before dandelions and AD, after dandelions.

This year, I am not sure what the USDA zone 5b growing season will be. It's been a record mild winter so it's anyone's guess about what the new growing season will bring. So far, we are two months ahead of schedule, with my bees raiding my bird feeders for the cracked corn dust for a pollen substitute for baby food.

A couple of days ago, the raiding stopped but the honeybees were still packing in pollen. I suspect they found real pollen from flowering oak trees and dandelions. Although it's early, I made a note. I didn't have to buy any plants or seeds; the dandelions must once again be blooming somewhere, taking care of themselves quite nicely, and now taking care of my bees.

They are still my kind of plant.

Charlotte

Garlic Chives Honey

Garlic chives are lovely small white flowers that bloom late summer. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Garlic Chives Honey

I am not so sure now this was such a good idea.

Earlier this spring, I dug up a lot of plants from a former neighbor's house, many of the plants unidentified. To make sure I could find them again, I planted some small plants along my flower garden border, in between Liriope "monkey grass."

One of my honeybees discover blooming garlic chives late summer at Bluebird Gardens. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Turns out the little green stems are garlic chives, Allium tuberosum, also called Asian chives, Chinese chives and Oriental garlic. This plant is native to the Himalayans and the Chinese province of Shanxi. It is cultivated and naturalized in many locations around the world and especially now in my garden.

I planted garlic chives between monkey grass so I could find them again when blooming. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

I love anything that has a flower and is easy care. Garlic cloves have quickly settled in around my garden, adding beautiful white swaths to my garden at a time when little is in bloom. And so far they seem to bloom through record hot temperatures and drought.

The lovely garlic chives were in full bloom August 2016 next to my bees favorite bird bath. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Late summer is also the time beekeepers start to monitor blooming goldenrod. It's not as easy as it sounds, Missouri has 22 different kinds of goldenrod that bloom from June-October.

The discussion about goldenrod, however, centers around harvesting honey before bees add goldenrod pollen to their winter stores. Goldenrod adds a bitter taste to honey, at least to some human palates.

As I was listening to a discussion about when to harvest and when goldenrod blooms, my thoughts went to all of the garlic chives now blooming in my garden.

One of my honeybees checking out garlic chives blooms at Bluebird Gardens apiary. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Having bottled honey for two years now, I can say the garlic chives have not adversely altered the taste of the honey from my flowers but it is a fun discussion to have with non-beekeepers!

Charlotte

Monkey Grass August Favorite

Monkey grass makes defining flower borders and paths easy.

Monkey Grass August Bee Favorite

Before I had bee hives, I knew this was a favorite bee plant. When little else was blooming, this low maintenance border plant entertained pollinator visits from bees to butterflies. 

Liriope muscari is a charming perennial that requires little and gives back a lot. It is easy to care for, heat and drought resistant, crowds out weeds and tolerates a variety of soils and light conditions. 

I use monkey grass as a border plant to mark off my flower borders and adjoining paths. Most of the year, they are bunches of long green leaves until late July, when they start to bloom.

My bees are starting to discover that monkey grass flowers are starting to bloom.

The plants start to bloom about the same time as surprise lilies. The little buds form on the spikes for a couple of weeks. Then they start to open into teeny tiny purple flowers with yellow centers.

The teeny tiny monkey grass flowers starting to bloom at Bluebird Gardens.

Sometimes I find my bees riding the flower spikes like a carnival ride, their little legs packed full of yellow pollen.

At other times, they may ignore the plants in favor of a better available pollen source.

Nevertheless, I would want to add monkey grass to any flower garden as insurance that if nothing else is blooming during Missouri's August dearth, at least these plants are available.

Do you have monkey grass in your garden?

Charlotte

What Bee Likes Surprise Lilies?

Can you spot the bee amongst the surprise lily flowers? 

What Bee Likes Surprise Lilies?

I don't even think about it when I do it, follow bees around my Missouri hillside garden to see what flowers have their attention.

It works well when visiting a garden center or nursery. Bees buzzing around a particular kind of flower, and better yet, packing pollen, is a good recommendation to bring that plant home. Although bees are supposed to favor blue, yellow and white flowers, it also depends on weather and what else may be blooming at the same time.

When walking through my garden, it's not as easy. Between birds, hummingbird moths, bumblebees, butterflies and bees, the place can be very busy with buzzing wings and moving parts. On this particular day, I saw a movement in the blooming surprise lilies out of the corner of my eye.

Since I knew if I moved I might chase off the visitor, I just kept shooting. When I reviewed the photos, there was my little winged visitor, right in the middle.

There it is, in the middle of the lovely scented flowers, cousins to the South American Amaryllis.

Now can you tell what bee was visiting the surprise lilies?

Here's a hint, it's one of Missouri's 400 different native bee species.

Now can you tell what kind of bee likes these flowers?

That shiny backside is a dead giveaway, it is a carpenter bee. Carpenter bees are solitary bees, nesting in wood. I have one living in the bottom of one of my bird houses. There are some 500 carpenter bee species worldwide.

Do you see carpenter bees in your garden?

Charlotte

Bachelor Buttons Bee Favorite

Bachelor buttons volunteer to grow in this Missouri garden.

Bachelor Buttons Bee Favorite

One of the easiest flowers to grow for bees - well, easy to grow regardless -  is bachelor buttons, also know as cornflowers. They are so easy to grow, they usually are the first seeds given to kids to grow when they are starting to garden.

The nickname "cornflower" comes from the fact that the plant grows wild in the grain fields of southern Europe. When Napoleon forced Queen Louise of Prussia from Berlin, she hid her children in a cornfield and kept them entertained and quiet by weaving wreaths of cornflowers. One of her children, Wilheim, later became the emperor of Germany. Remembering his mother's bravery, he made the cornflower a national emblem of unity.

Depending upon the variety, plants will grow to between 1 and 3 feet tall and are most effective when massed in beds and borders for color. Bachelor buttons are a cutting garden favorite, and they are one of the easiest flowers to dry for everlasting arrangements.

Although considered an annual, once established in an area they will usually re-seed themselves.

I have grown bachelor buttons in the three home sites I have had since I graduated from college. All three sites had a varying degree of good soil, moist conditions and, in one case, was precariously close to a border with iris that periodically was inadvertently mowed down.

How to Grow Bachelor Buttons

To grow, mark off a site where seeds are scattered after all danger of frost, usually early May.

Water.

Wait for seeds to sprout. Once seedlings are a good two inches, move to their final growing spot.

Bachelor button starts from seeds at Bluebird Gardens. I keep them watered until I can move.

We have had record hot temperatures in Missouri this year so I am going to wait until temperatures cool off before I move my seedlings. In the meantime, I keep them watered so their roots don't dry out in our record hot Missouri summer temperatures.

Looking forward to seeing my bees discover these beautiful, blue plants next summer!

Charlotte

Bee in Double Rose of Sharon Bush

A honeybee visits a double Rose of Sharon at my bee buddy David's house.

Bee in Double Rose of Sharon Bush

When I first started beekeeping, I thought there would be some discipline to what plants bees would visit.

Not that there isn't. Bees do prefer high pollen-producing plants, such as dandelions, clover, sunflowers, buckwheat and blue salvia.

There are a number of books that explain how bees chose their flowers and what flowers they might prefer. Bees visit 2 million flowers and fly 55, 000 miles to produce one pound of honey. One bee colony can produce 60 to 100 pounds of honey per year. An average worker bee makes only about 1/12 teaspoon of honey in its six-week lifetime.

Considering that bees make honey for winter food, flower visitation is important to the bees success in getting honey stored before winter.

I had just finished reading one such book, which basically said bees need to have clear access to pollen. Double-bloomed plants, although very pretty, are not supposed to be good bee plants.

My bee buddy David and I were discussing the book when I spotted one of his honeybees visiting a nearby double Rose of Sharon bush. We watched for several minutes as the bee moved around the inside of the plant. When it left, its little leg pouches were stuffed with a cream-colored pollen.

Add Double Rose of Sharon Bush to a honeybee's favorite plant list!

Charlotte

Gooseneck Loosestrife Pollinator Magnet

A carpenter bee visits Bluebird Gardens gooseneck loosestrife just starting to bloom.

Summer is still a couple of weeks away but the summer-flowering plants aren't waiting to get started. One of my favorites is gooseneck loosestrife, Lysimachia clethroides, a perennial with tiny white flowers that drape when in bloom.

Pollinators of all shapes and sizes also like these flowers. From bumblebees to butterflies, the patch of blooms will soon be buzzing with visitors, especially early morning.

Gooseneck loosestrife can be invasive. It propagates through runners, much like mint, and can grow in either sun or shade. I have encouraged it to grow in garden spots with ample room so bees and other pollinators can collect the nectar and pollen.

Charlotte

Welcome Coreopsis!

Honeybees and small native bees visit variegated coreopsis in my bee buddy David's garden.

Cool Coreopsis

Delighted to see honeybees attracted to this pretty perennial, a variegated coreopsis. This hardy perennial is pretty in its original all yellow form but I also like the tinged with burn red variety. Both have easy to access pollen for bees and both grow well all summer, including Missouri's infamous August derth.

Good Plant for Hot August

August is traditionally so hot in Missouri plants shut down producing nectar and pollen when temperatures are over 95F for more than a week or so. Gardeners know not to plant much in August because the soil is so dry anything that gets water dries out quickly.

My established coreopsis make it through this hot period, even when I sometimes forget to water them.

Several Coreopsis Choices

There are now a number of coreopsis varieties, from dwarf mounding plants perfect to line borders to plants that grow 4-feet tall, perfect for the back of the flower borders. Remember to plant several plants together so bees can easily see them.

Charlotte

Seeds for Bees

I often get asked what people can plant in their gardens to help bees. Here are my first three recommendations:

North American Wildflower mix

Bachelor Buttons

Sunflowers

These three seed packets are my top recommendations for planting for bees.

Wildflower Mix

The wildflower mix will be the hardest to manage because some plants will sprout later or maybe take a year to establish themselves.

When planting a wildflower mix, plant in an area you can set aside and observe since the flowers may show up at different times of the year. That is one of the ways you can help pollinators, making sure they have something offering them pollen continuously through the growing season.

Bachelor Buttons

To that end, bachelor buttons provide a nice pollen source through summer and into fall. Once established, bachelor buttons will self-seed and spread so give them room.

Sunflowers

Sunflowers, if planted early enough, will provide pollen from summer through fall, which includes the dreaded Missouri August dearth. When temperatures reach more than 90F for a week or more, plants stop producing pollen leaving bee colonies at their highest population numbers bereft of a food source.

There are other seeds you can plant to help bees, these happen to be the ones I recommend to someone just starting out.

Have you tried to grow these? How did you do?

Charlotte