A Pollinator Friendly Shrub

Hypericum frondosum June 1, 2011

Hypericum frondosum is blooming and the bumbles couldn't be happier. They have been on a feeding frenzy since the first golden flowers opened. I'm pretty thrilled, too. I love these blooms, love the blue-green foliage and the plant's leggy presence in the woodland gardens. They warm up the shady green when the last of the spring flowers quiet.

The one H frondosum "Sunburst' I bought way back when I first stumbled upon native plants has grown into dozens. (It's quite a prolific plant!) All of them sporting golden, fuzzy pollen rich flowers like the cultivar, but, not with its compact, mounded shape. That's okay with me~I almost always prefer the straight species and the flower visitors are not complaining either.

I've moved 'Sunburst's' offspring all over the garden. They make their biggest impact in the Central Basin Woodland Garden. It's a large oblong shaped bed behind the Waiting Bench. It's planted with perennials and shrubs that might be found in the woodlands adjacent to a cedar glade. On the edge are plants that need more sun, like Juniperus virginiana 'Gray Owl', Panicums and the native ex-asters. The interior of the bed is chock full of Golden St Johnswort, Chasmanthium latifolium, shade tolerant native ex-asters, Phlox pilosa, Penstemon calycosus, Christmas Ferns and more.

Gray Owl Juniper, H frondosum, River Oats, penstemon, and S oblongifolius

A Central Basin Woodland is green a good deal of the summer and brown all winter! It took me a long time to be comfortable with that look. I love it now~especially the leggy hypericum dotted with spent seed capsules, browning grasses standing tall and seed heads swaying in the wind all winter long. Right now, it's beginning to glow as the hypericum flowers open a few at a time.

Critter heading toward that giant fuzzy pollen only producer!

Flowers of hypericum only produce pollen. Not one bit of nectar. The stamens are little pollen wands that dance in the breeze. They are perfect attractors for pollen eaters, pollen collectors and pollinators! I love to sit on the bench and watch the Bumbles move from flower to flower to flower...gathering pollen to feed their offspring. A little of the pollen of one flower sticks to them and is carried to the next flower or perhaps to the next shrub, where it cross pollinates the flowers. I think Clay and Limestone is going to have a big crop of seeds this year!

It's a great little shrub for this garden:

• The species is a loose limbed beauty with golden flowers, bluish green foliage, stunning fall color and exfoliating bark for year round good looks.
• It attracts Bumbles, Syrphid flies and Halictid bees~all seeking pollen.
  
• It's endemic to forests/woodland that are adjacent to cedar glades.
• It tolerates the extremes that this garden throws at plants~wet winters and dry summers.
• It never fails to open the first week in June~rain or shine.
• Zones 5 to 8; a Southeastern native.
• Grows quite nicely from seed.

Any ideas what creature this might be?

It's a pretty fine shrub, but, it's not perfect:

• The flowers open a few at a time.
• Some years the buds fail.
• The leggy good looks can be off putting as a foundation planting.
• It seeds madly and if you have a cultivar expect them to revert to species.
• It's short lived.

Bud failure

All in all it's a pretty fantastic shrub that feeds pollen collecting bees, makes a great statement in a garden and brings a smile to my face. I even think the failed bud is good looking!

xxoogail


PS Trust me when I say "If you want pollinators to visit your garden, you must, never, ever, ever, ever, use pesticides and, if possible, buy pesticide free plants for your garden."

This post is also part of a series on native pollinators in the garden~ Earlier posts and their links are listed below for your convenience.

Part I~Now Is The Time To Bee-gin Thinking About Bees ( here)
This Is The Place To Bee ( here)
If You Could Plant Only One Plant In Your Garden~Don't (here)
Must Bee The Season of The Witch (here)
Go Bare In Your Garden (here)
We can't All Be Pretty Pollinators (here)
Eye, Eye Skipper, Big Eyed Pollinators (here)
What's In Your Garden (here)
Carpenter Bees (here)
Got Wildflowers?(here)
It's Spring and A Gardener's Thoughts Are On Pollinators (here)
The Wildflower and The Bee (here)
A Few Good Reasons To Plant Milkweek (here)
Got Shade? You Can Have Pollinators (here)
Royalty In The Garden (here)

Other bee posts you might want to read~
Count Yourself Lucky To Have Hoverflies (here)
Bumblebee Hotel (here)
Still Taking Care Of Bzzness (here)
My Sweet Embraceable You (here)
Bee clip art (here)
This post was written by Gail Eichelberger for my blog Clay and Limestone Copyright 2011.This work protected under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc.