# Looking for mid to late summer pollen plants



## jfmcree (Mar 10, 2014)

Borage is a great nectar producer. I've bought several pounds of seeds and spread them around open spaces, large pollinator gardens and regular gardens. It is great in this kind of a use as it is an aggressive seeder. You could seed it once and potentially never get rid of it (bad news too if you don't like it). It produces until frost. I had planted some in a more traditional formal garden. It didn't look as good there, but certainly did thrive and spread to other gardens.

The downside for almost any plant in the dearth is almost all go semi-dormant. The dearth is usually caused by high heat and low moisture. I don't know of plants in my zone 6 that thrive in that environment and survive our Winter. This can be mitigated by irrigation if you have it. I've read that suburban areas can actually outproduce farms for honey because homeowners plant so many flowers and continually water them, especially through the dearth. I don't know if that is really true, but does show the importance of water if it is only a little true.

I am planting Russian Sage and Anise Hyssop this year from plugs. We also have a lot of White Dutch Clover coming back for year 2 and I am hopeful for high production from it.

Trees are likely your best long term nectar provider. They take several years to get established, but will likely outproduce smaller plants on the ground. The best approach is to have a mix instead of just several acres of the same crop or tree. You might want to do 3 acres bordered with bee trees and 1/2 acre plots of various plants to provide the mix. Some plants have great years while others produce nothing, all depending on the weather.

Jim.


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## larrypeterson (Aug 22, 2015)

Last year my wife and I planted about an acre of mixed bi=annuals and annuals, and the kind that keep coming year after year without replanting. We used a mix of wild and domestic flowers that grow at our altitude. A local seed dealer had formulated this same mix for his son who is also a beekeeper. He had us mix the seed with rice hulls to assist with planting as some of the seeds are really small. We calculated that which ever plants adapt to our field will become dominate. The mix is designed to provide "all season" nectar availability for the bees. The bees are located next to our 10 acre alpha alpha field. I am considering two options. First is to plant the entire 10 acres into flowers and the second is to cut first crop and then let it go to blossom and just graze it off after september 1st.

By way of suggestion, I would counsel you to check with your local seed dealers and see if they have any suggestions. Flower seed is a bit pricy so you might want to establish the first field and collect seeds for your future planting. I am retired from regular employment and so I have a lot more time to tinker around with flowers and other projects. I don't have a clear idea about the economic ratio between crop farming and honey pasture, however I know it is a whole lot more fun to tinker with the bees.

I wish you well, LP


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## Brad Bee (Apr 15, 2013)

Thanks for the replies. I've been reading online off and on all afternoon. I ordered several varieties of plants that all bloom mid to late summer through the fall. Prairie Moon Nursery has quite a variety of native wildflowers. I ordered 4 varieties of Aster, several varieties of native Sunflower, a native mint and a couple other flowers. I ordered 1 lb of Borage, some Milkweed and some Lavender. If I can get a good stand of plants I should have a nice little food source. Everything I ordered should get more prolific each year. I am not concerned with it being invasive or hard to control. I have access to herbicides that will keep it in check if I ever have to go that route. I hope to just let it go wild and spread as it will.


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## squarepeg (Jul 9, 2010)

brad, there's a guy not far from here that has some of the same bees that you and i have. he planted some small acreage of yellow sweet clover and buckwheat last year, and he had forage well into the dearth. i'll pm you his name and number.


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## Brad Bee (Apr 15, 2013)

:thumbsup:


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## Kofu (Jan 26, 2011)

Peter Lindtner, in his book Garden Plants for Honey Bees likes sunflowers for pollen in July-August. (Wicwas 2014.) Also borage. 

Mignonette (_Reseda odorata_), originally from Egypt via Napoleon to France, is an annual he says the bees "love very much." It's been mentioned in BeeSource and might be fun to try. (Report back, please.) And how about Golden Honey Plant, aka Wingstem? Lindtner has it as _Actinomeris alternifolia_, but more often it's listed as _Verbesina alternifolia_.

If you have a place for vines, Lindtner thinks Boston Ivy (_Parthenocissus tricuspidata_) is great in late summer for both pollen and nectar.

For shrubs and trees, of course, the Bee Bee Tree, also Golden Rain, Crape Myrtle, and Japanese Pagoda. I don't know when it blooms in Alabama, but in September up north there's Seven Son Flower (_Heptacodium miconiodes_). Lindtner also really likes the Franklinia tree, originally from Georgia but it went extinct there probably in the 1800s and now is available via horticultural channels.


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## roberto487 (Sep 22, 2012)

Try montauk daisies. Home depot usually have them on sale at the end of Fall. They are very hardy.


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## UTvolshype (Nov 26, 2012)

Sumac species and sourwood trees are another option. Fragrant sumac (R. aromatica), Smooth sumac (Rhus glabra) and staghorn sumac (R. typhina); would give you an additional two to three weeks. Find some wild plants and harvest the seeds and spread around on raw disturbed land. That would get you to mid-July in wet years.


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## DPBsbees (Apr 14, 2011)

Heptacodium miconiodes is one of my favorites. My bees just love it and it flowers late in the season when very few other thing are. The bark has great winter interest as well. My bees ignore my Crape Myrtle varieties. I'm in the same area as Kofu so it may be different for you.


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## Kofu (Jan 26, 2011)

UTvolshype said:


> Sumac species ... are another option. Fragrant sumac (R. aromatica), Smooth sumac (Rhus glabra) and staghorn sumac (R. typhina); would give you an additional two to three weeks. Find some wild plants and harvest the seeds and spread around on raw disturbed land. That would get you to mid-July in wet years.


I got interested in this topic and discovered that bloom time for sumacs sort of jump around. Plus there's a lot of variance in when people _say_ they bloom. I have a fourth one on my list, Shining sumac (_Rhus copallinum_), which may be one of the best considering when it (supposedly) blooms. My info is mostly from books and on the web, and I'm posting it for the sake of discussion.

This is what I have for bloom times (and height). It may vary by region, but maybe they'd still be in this sequence?


Fragrant Sumac (_Rhus aromatica_) β April-May, 2-5'
Staghorn Sumac (_Rhus typhina_) β May-June, 15-25'
Red Sumac (_Rhus glabra_) β June-July, 10-15'
Shining Sumac (_Rhus copallinum_) β July-August, 20-30'
And then there's Chinese sumac (_Rhus chinensis_) which supposedly blooms for 2-3 weeks in September.

(I didn't list any of these earlier because, according to Lindtner, they mostly provide nectar and not so much pollen.)


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## Brad Bee (Apr 15, 2013)

Sourwood seems to be hit or miss. We have some, although a very small amount of it and I've only seen bees use it one year. There is some Sumac around but it's sparse. The varieties we have around here bloom around mid June. Just as the privet is drying up. Thanks for all the replies.


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## Loco (May 14, 2015)

Borage 19.99 a pound at: http://www.outsidepride.com/


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## tech.35058 (Jul 29, 2013)

Last year I planted "mancan" buckwheat. I did not plant until late July, had blooms in 3 weeks or less
I planted in strips & rotated , mowing /tilling them as the blooms withered.
Buckwheat grows thick enough to shade out persistent weeds like johnson grass & thistle.
Allegedly, the buckwheat honey is less desirable.
I saved seed, plan to plant earlier this year, unless I find some thing better soon.
Some one suggested "black crowder peas", which I plan to try.


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## GSF (Jul 21, 2013)

Hey Brad, I'm in the nw corner of Elmore county. I've tried to get the bee bee tree to live the last couple of years. It'll do good when I set it out. Over the winter it'll turn black from the ground up and die. I talked to the folks who sold it to me. I was informed that something went through their nursery and everyone they sold died. They replaced the two then they did the same thing.

This is my 2nd or 3rd year with seven sons. Great timing on the blooms, it's an after the flow bloomer. A friend of mine has the Chinese umbrella trees and says he has tons of bees on it every year. I'll check it out and get back with you. I had good luck with the buckwheat. Time your dearth and count back 3 or 4 weeks to plant.


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## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

Have you ever try the yellow and white clovers?
How about the sainfoin and Nygers?
Plant some perennials so you don't have to replant every year.
I think the goldenrod is o.k. too for the Autumn flow. Do you have some there?


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## tech.35058 (Jul 29, 2013)

Another bush suggestion would be chaste tree. Bro in law lives in Huntsville, says the bees love it, should be in bloom soon. My lost buck wheat seeds are coming up pretty thick in the veggy garden.

http://thedailysouth.southernliving.com/2009/06/19/chaste-tree-is-pure-delight/


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## pinkpantherbeekeeper (Feb 10, 2016)

https://uswildflowers.com/wfquery.php?State=AL

Looks like a very helpful link to give you some more ideas on native plants.

Typically sages are a great plant. You can find a species that will survive just about anywhere and are very drought / heat tolerant. Usually they grow into nice clusters of plants depending which ones you get.


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## Estell Tabor (Aug 5, 2014)

Aralia Spinosa(Devils walking stick)


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## Dave1958 (Mar 25, 2013)

tech.35058 said:


> Last year I planted "mancan" buckwheat. I did not plant until late July, had blooms in 3 weeks or less
> I planted in strips & rotated , mowing /tilling them as the blooms withered.
> Buckwheat grows thick enough to shade out persistent weeds like johnson grass & thistle.
> Allegedly, the buckwheat honey is less desirable.
> ...


It's my understanding buckwheat requires dark to germinate. I've mowed and also disced it in, but never got a second regrowth


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## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

It is not true. Buckwheat does well with a partially exposed seed in the soil.
A 1/4" under the soil they will sprout and grow when you water them well. Then you
have the buckwheat sprouts too. That does not require a dark spot only overnight water
change in a jar will cause them to sprout. When they are almost sprouting I plant them in
the well prepared plots. We plant our seeds according to the size of them. Disc them too deep then
they cannot sprout.


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## mlanden (Jun 19, 2016)

Howdy, Brad; in eastern NC, I've discovered that Asian persimmons are a super pollen/nectar source for bees (I wasn't sure it would be since it's an Asian tree -- easy to find in nurseries, though). Mine bloomed mostly in May. The fruit's pretty terrific too -- became my favorite once I tried one (about 8 years ago). Too expensive in stores, so .... I bought 3 trees, and never looked back. With all of your land, siting 8-10 of these would be a breeze. The trees themselves only get about as large as a crepe myrtle.


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## Titus_TN (Jun 13, 2016)

You're in north Alabama. You've got options. 

Go over to Amazon and get yourself the Southern Living Garden Book. It's a comprehensive guide to just about anything that does or can grow in the South, and you can cross-reference by region. If you want to do the same sort of thing online, they have an online tool where you plug in your zip code and get a list of recommendations, although I find it a bit clunky. Note that it says at least part of your area is 8A: there's something about the river there that creates a warmer pocket.

Sage will grow well down here, but I doubt it's what you're looking for: mine bloomed and was done several weeks ago. Perhaps there are late-blooming varieties that will bloom for you in mid-summer.

Crepe myrtle is a good option: they grow fast, flower abundantly and continuously through mid summer, and require no attention unless you want to shape them. It's just opening here, which means it should be in the early stages of full bloom there, no?

Another possibility is monarda (or "bee balm"). It's also a perennial. Mine is blooming like gangbusters at the moment (although it may be too close to my hives; it's mostly attracting bumble and carpenter bees).

Day lilies and repeat-blooming hydrangea are active in mid-summer.

Rain lilies look like a promising option.

When does mimosa bloom there? They're in full force here at the moment. Watch out, though: the thing is a weed and will get into places it is not welcome.


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## Titus_TN (Jun 13, 2016)

Other ideas:

Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus)
Spider lilies -- very prolific self-seeders, these will spread easily.


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