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Gardening for Pollinators and Wildlife – May 10, 2022

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Several of the lance leaf coreopsis are about to bust into flower.

Shannon’s Note

Records from the National Weather Service indicate there is less than a 10% chance of a late spring frost after May 4 around Bowling Green, KY. Even without looking at the meteorological data, I could tell you just by looking at the plants and listening to the birds that the weather has finally stabilized. Everything is bright green and the number of birds I hear singing during the dawn chorus every morning continues to grow. I even heard my first chuck-will’s-widow of the season last night.

Oh, and I’ve started posting native plant spotlights 3 times per week on the Busy Bee Nursery and Consulting Facebook page. If you’re on Facebook, please like and follow our Facebook page to see the native plant spotlights. Also, please let your friends know about Busy Bee Nursery and Consulting. Thanks.

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I have several purple coneflowers like this. These will definitely bloom this year.

Nursery Updates

Wow! What a difference a couple of weeks make! Several species of plants have nearly doubled in size over the last few weeks. In the case of the jewelweed, I’d say they have quadrupled in size. The coreopsis are about to start blooming and I have multiple purple coneflowers which will definitely bloom later this year.

We can’t wait for our first open house of the season, which will be on Saturday, May 21. For the open house, we’ll have 4 new species available – sweet goldenrod / anise-scented goldenrod, white prairie clover, little bluestem, and obedient plant. This will be our first time ever offering the little bluestem and obedient plant.

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I can’t believe how much the yellow giant hyssop has grown over the last couple of weeks. Even though all of the yellow giant hyssop are this year’s seedlings, it wouldn’t surprise me if many of them bloomed this year.

Open House

Mark your calendars for May 21, 2022 from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. That’s when we will be hosting our first open house of the season.

Since we have limited parking space, we are making this a “by appointment” event. Each appointment will be for a 30-minute slot which will also give you lots of one-on-one time to ask any questions you may have about the plants or which ones may work best in your garden. I will send you our address after you schedule your appointment.

I will be able to take cash, check, card, or Paypal at the open house. We will also accept pre-orders for the open house if you want to make sure we don’t sell out of something before your appointment.

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Available Items:

Books, Gift Certificates, and Honey

Attracting Pollinators and Wildlife to Your Yard: 15 Free and Easy Ways ($11)
Planting for Honey Bees in the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys ($32)
Honey from my bees in Barren County ($15)
Gift Certificates – good for any of my products or services
(you choose the amount)

Native Wildflowers for Pollinators and Wildlife (Click on a thumbnail for detailed information about that plant.)

Aster, Short’s
Size(s): 1 qt ($7)
Foxglove Beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis)
Beardtongue, Foxglove
Size(s): 1 qt ($7)
Blazing Star (Liatris squarrosa)
Blazing Star
Size(s): 1 qt ($7)
Royal Catchfly (Silene regia)
Catchfly, Royal
Size(s): 1 qt ($7)
Grey-headed Coneflower (Ratibida pinnata)
Coneflower, Grey-headed
Size(s): 1 qt ($7)
Pale-purple Coneflower (Echinacea pallida)
Coneflower, Pale-purple
Size(s): 1 qt ($7)
Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
Coneflower, Purple
Size(s): 1 qt ($7), 1 gal ($13)
Lance-leaf Coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata)
Coreopsis, Lance-leaf
Size(s): 1 qt ($7), 1 gal ($13)
Culver's Root (Veronicastrum virginicum)
Culver’s Root
Size(s): 1 gal ($13)
Cup Plant (Silphium perfoliatum)
Cup Plant
Size(s): 1 qt $7, 1 gal ($13)
Sweet / Anise-scented Goldenrod (Solidago odora)
Goldenrod, Sweet
Size(s): 1 qt ($7)
Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum)
Hyssop, Anise
Size(s): 1 qt ($7), 1 gal ($13)
Yellow Giant Hyssop (Agastache nepetoides)
Hyssop, Giant Yellow
Size(s): 1 qt ($7), 3 qt ($11)
Wild Blue Indigo (Baptisia australis)
Indigo, Wild Blue
Size(s): 1 qt ($7), 3 qt ($11)
Orange jewelweed / Orange touch-me-not (Impatiens capensis)
Jewelweed, Orange
Size(s): 1 qt ($7)
Hollow Joe-pye weed (Eutrochium fistulosum)
Joe-pye Weed, Hollow
Size(s): 1 gal ($13)
Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa)
Milkweed, Butterfly
Size(s): 1 qt ($7)
Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)
Milkweed, Common
Size(s): 1 qt ($7)
Hairy Mountain Mint (Pycanthemum pilosum)
Mountain mint, Hairy
Size(s): 1 qt ($7)
Slender Mountain Mint (Pycanthemum tenuifolium)
Mountain mint, Slender
Size(s): 1 qt ($7)
Obedient plant (Physostegia virginiana)
Obedient plant
Size(s): 1 qt ($7)
White Prairie Clover (Dalea candida)
Prairie clover, White
Size(s): 3 qt ($11)
Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis)
Primrose, Evening
Size(s): 1 qt ($7)
Rattlesnake Master (Eryngium yuccifolium)
Rattlesnake master
Size(s): 1 gal ($13)
Rosemallow (Hibiscus moscheutos)
Rosemallow
Size(s): 1 qt ($7)
Purple-headed Sneezeweed (Helenium fexuosum)
Sneezeweed, Purple-headed
Size(s): 1 qt ($7), 3 qt ($11)
Maximilian Sunflower (Helianthus maximiliani)
Sunflower, Maximillian
Size(s): 1 qt ($7)
Rough Sunflower (Helianthus hirsutus)
Sunflower, Rough
Size(s): 1 qt ($7)
Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
Susan, Black-eyed
Size(s): 1 qt ($7)
Brown-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia triloba)
Susan, Brown-eyed
Size(s): 1 qt ($7)

Native Grasses for Pollinators and Wildlife (Click on a thumbnail for detailed information about that plant.)

Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)
Bluestem, Little
Size(s): 1 qt ($7)

Native Shrubs and Trees for Pollinators and Wildlife (Click on a thumbnail for detailed information about that plant.)

Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)
Buttonbush
Size(s): 3 gal ($35)
Allegheny Chinquapin / Dwarf Chestnut (Castanea pumila)
Chinquapin, Allegheny
Size(s): 1 gal ($13)
American Hazelnut (Corylus americana)
Hazelnut, American
Size(s): 3 gal ($35)
Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius)
Ninebark
Size(s): 3 gal ($35)

Spicebush (Lindera benzoin)
Spicebush
Size(s): 3 gal ($35)

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Schedule Your Appointment:

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May Tasks When Gardening for Pollinators and Wildlife

  • All container grown native plants can go in the ground now.
  • If you haven’t cut back the flower stalks and other vegetation in your gardens, then it is now safe to do so.
    • Leave approximately 1-2 feet standing for the stem-nesting bees to use.
  • If you are having trouble with carpenter bees, then paint or stain any exposed wood then place a piece of plain, untreated pine lumber nearby.
    • The bees will choose the soft, untreated lumber over the freshly painted or stained wood.
  • If you are planning to use solarization to kill existing vegetation in order to put in a new garden spot, then now is the time to start the process.
  • It’s always a good time to kill invasive species.
    • Stilt grass (Microstegium sp.) can be easily pulled in garden beds.
    • If you are using herbicides, be sure to read and follow the label.

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Backyard Ecology Resources

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Busy Bee Nursery and Consulting

Helping you create the pollinator and wildlife habitat of your dreams, so you can enjoy your land and care for the plants and animals that also call your property home.

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