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Best flowering/pollinating bushes for my situation #751725

Asked May 24, 2021, 10:41 AM EDT

I live out in the country and have dedicated a large portion of the property to wild flowers for the pollinators. Closer to my home is a bit of lawn and next to the house, a pollinating garden with native species to Maryland. I would like to add two pollinating/flowering bushes to the back of my home. It is quite open so receives a lot of sunlight, and the soil is clay like in texture. What flowering/pollinating/native/perennial bush would you recommend? Thanks, Kate

Carroll County Maryland

Expert Response

Hello!

Thanks for your question. 

Some beneficial native shrub recommendations would be:

American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) with it's nice purple berries

Black Haw Viburnum(Viburnum prunifolium) - can get quite large for a shrub (20ft) but has attractive clusters of white flowers, berries in the summer through fall and a purple-red fall color

Other viburnum species also do well and have attractive features

Lowbush or Highbush Blueberries (Vaccinium spp) in addition to the native varieties, hardy cultivars have been bred for varied leaf colors and a wide variety of fruit sizes and quantities---many have attractive red fall coloring

There are also some herbaceous plants and grasses that can grow large and shrub-like with wonderful flower resources (the following list is may or may not be native, but are pollinator attractants)

- Russian Sage

- Liatris

- New England Aster

- Joe Pye Weed

- Goldenrod spp.

- Yucca spp.

- Little Bluestem Grass 

A wonderful resource for each soil type, moisture level, and sun exposure is the US Fish and Wildlife Document "Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat and Conservation Landscaping: Chesapeake Bay Watershed" 

https://www.fws.gov/chesapeakebay/pdf/NativePlantsforWildlifeHabitatandConservationLandscaping.pdf

An Ask Extension Expert Replied May 26, 2021, 10:07 AM EDT
Hey Sorry--- Answered it! 
Courtney Coddington
Agent Associate, Home Horticulture
Master Gardener Program Coordinator
University of Maryland Extension | Carroll County
700 Agriculture Center Dr. | Westminster, MD 21157
tel<personal data hidden> | email <personal data hidden>



On Wed, May 26, 2021 at 8:04 AM Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:
An Ask Extension Expert Replied May 26, 2021, 10:31 AM EDT

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