It’s never too early or too late to celebrate National Pollinator Week! Join Extension Master Gardener Elaine Mills to learn about our native pollinators, their needs and preferences, and which plant species will offer the best sources of nourishment for their full life cycles. She introduces over 30 understory trees and shrubs native to the Mid-Atlantic and the Southeast, describes their characteristics, growth requirements, and landscape uses to add beauty to your garden.
#PollinatorWeek
Zoom session, June 9, 2023
Video of Presentation
Additional Resources
- Native Trees & Shrubs for Pollinators Handout – pdf
- PowerPoint Slides – pdf
- Addendum with answers to questions brought up at the class – pdf
Shrubs Native to the Mid-Atlantic
(in bloom sequence)
- Spicebush (Lindera benzoin)
- Black Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa)
- Pinxterbloom Azalea (Rhododendron periclymenoides)
- Black Haw (Viburnum prunifolium)
- Arrowwood (Viburnum dentatum)
- Common Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis)
- New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus americanus)
- Strawberry-bush (Euonymus americanus)
- Wild Hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens)
- Inkberry (Ilex glabra)
- Virginia Sweetspire (Itea virginica)
- Possum-haw (Viburnum nudum)
- Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia)
- Common Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius)
- Great Rhododendron (Rhododendron maximum)
- Buttonbush (Cephalanthus americanus)
- Winterberry (Ilex verticillata)
- American Beauty-berry (Callicarpa americana)
- Sweet Pepperbush (Clethra alnifolia)
- Witch Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana)
Shrubs Native Outside Northern Virginia
- Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum)
- Steeplebush (Spiraea tomentosa)
- Coastal Doghobble (Leucothoe axillaris)
- Pussy Willow (Salix discolor)
- Sweet-shrub (Calycanthus floridus)
- Dwarf Fothergilla (Fothergilla gardenii)
- Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia)
Trees Native to the Mid-Atlantic
(in bloom sequence)
Resources
MGNV recorded classes on other woody plants:
- “Keystone Species of Native Plants” (Section on top woody plants begins at 0:07:08)
- “Native Vines for the Home Garden” (Description of plants begins at 0:16:59)
Additional MGNV recorded classes on pollinators:
- “Partnering with Pollinators” (Emphasis on herbaceous plants & best practices)
- “Small Space Gardening for Pollinators” (Plants for small gardens & containers)
- “Welcoming Butterflies to Your Garden” (Plants & best practices)
Other MGNV resources:
- Best Bets for Pollinators (Fact Sheet)
- Blog Posts on Pollinators
- For the Birds, Butterflies & Hummingbirds: Creating Inviting Habitats
Books & Online Charts on Pollinators by Heather Holm:
- Bees: An Identification and Native Plants Forage Guide
- Pollinators of Native Plants
- Wasps: Their Biology, Diversity, and Role as Beneficial Insects and Pollinators of Native Plants
- Mid-Atlantic Planting and Wasp Observation Guide pdf chart
- Native Trees & Shrubs for Pollinators pdf chart
More resources on bees:
- Bee Basics: An Introduction to Our Native Bees
- Pollen Specialist Bees of the Eastern United States (List of bees & plants)
- U. S. Geological Survey Bee Inventory (Incredible macro photos)
Where to Buy Native Trees and Shrubs for Pollinators
Plant NOVA Natives
- Native-only sellers
https://www.plantnovanatives.org/native-only-sellers - Periodic Native Plant Sales in Northern Virginia
https://www.plantnovanatives.org/local-native-plant-sales
Virginia Native Plant Society
- Native Plant Nurseries
https://vnps.org/native-plant-nursery-list/
Maryland Native Plant Society
- Native Plant Nurseries
https://mdflora.org/nurseries.html
Illustrated Glossary
- anther – [ AN-ther ] noun: part of the stamen that contains the pollen
- cultivar – [ KUHL-tuh-vahr ] noun: a plant originating and persisting under cultivation New in 2023!
- dichogamy – [ dahy-KOG–uh-mee ] noun: relating to a flower in which the time gap between the release of pollen by the stamens and the receptivity to pollen of the stigma is such as to prevent self-pollination; the maturation of male and female reproductive organs of a flower at different times New in 2023!
- nativar – [ NEY-tuh-vahr ] noun: cultivar of a native plant species New in 2023!
- signal – [ SIG-nl ] noun: an area of contrasting color, usually yellow, on the fall of an iris in the place of a beard
- stamen – [ STEY-muhn ] noun, plural stamens, stamina: male reproductive organ of a seed plant, typically consisting of a stalk (filament) bearing a pollen producing anther at its tip; the angiosperm microsporophyll