From Becky Griffin, Pollinator Census Project Coordinator:
The 2024 New Year’s Pollinator Challenge is to add at least new native pollinator plant to your garden this year. Native plants are under appreciated! They generally require less inputs, handle native soil types, and can be magnets for our native pollinators. We asked Amy Dabbs, the South Carolina Census project coordinator, to tell us about her favorite native plant. Amy likes coral honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) because of the long bloom time. The perennial vine blooms in her Charleston, South Carolina, yard for nine months of the year attracting all types of pollinators, including hummingbirds. The plant was also chosen as one of the University of Georgia’s 2002 Pollinator Plants of the Year. Coral honeysuckle requires light as well as air circulation. The soil should have adequate drainage to prevent powdery mildew. This vine is wonderful on a trellis or arbor.
Amanda Wilkins, one of the North Carolina Census coordinators, enjoys all varieties of mountainmint (Pycnanthemum spp.). Her choice is understandable as this plant brings ALL the pollinators to the yard – bees, wasps, flies, butterflies. Amanda says “there is one for every spot, habit, and aesthetic, and they have such a long bloom time.” They are easy to grow in just about any soil type. Once established this plant can handle times of drought and it spreads quickly to fill in any space. In full sun it produces an abundant number of blooms. It partial shade, it still thrives.
When thinking about my favorite native pollinator plant, I will admit it changes year to year. Right now, summersweet (Clethra alnifolia) is my pick. The blooms of this lovely shrub have a pleasant fragrance and the spiked inflorescence adds a nice dimension to the garden. It is a perennial shrub that typically grows to 3-6 feet. As a bonus, its peak bloom time is during the Great Southeast Pollinator Census!
Consider joining our challenge using the cold winter weeks as time for native plant research and planning. Contact your local Extension office for native plant recommendations for your area. In Georgia, we have the Georgia Native Plant Society that also has wonderful native plant recommendations that are good for the entire southeast. You might consider a new native milkweed for your garden. Of course, a native blooming during the Census gets you bonus points!
Join us on our social media pages, Southeast Pollinator Census Facebook page and @SoutheastPollinators Instagram, where we will be exploring pollinator gardens during the first of 2024.
Happy New Year and may 2024 bring even more pollinators to your garden,
Becky
Becky Griffin
Project Coordinator
beckygri@uga.edu
