Tall, native perennials support pollinator areas

The first stop on this month’s tour of the Yazoo National Wildlife Refuge Butterfly Garden in Washington County takes a look at two impressive native perennials.

The common boneset and joe-pye weed bring dramatic height, beautiful blooms and incredible pollinator activity to the garden. These are not traditional plants that come to mind when planning what to put in a pollinator garden, so I want to tell you why they work.

Gardeners often picture colorful flowers growing close to the ground when thinking about pollinator plants, but some of the most valuable plants are the ones that reach toward the sky. Tall plants provide vertical interest to the garden while becoming magnets for pollinators.

Take common boneset for example.

This plant grows 4 to 6 feet tall and makes a bold statement in the garden. Its upright stems are topped with broad, flat clusters of tiny white flowers that look like clouds floating above the foliage.

A close look at these flower clusters reveal they are actually hundreds of individual blooms packed closely together. The clusters create a natural landing pad that attracts butterflies, native bees, wasps and beneficial flies, and each tiny flower provides nectar.

That constant activity is one of the things I enjoy most about native plants. A single plant can be a miniature ecosystem, providing food for a wide variety of insects.

Common boneset thrives in full sun to partial shade and prefers moist soil. Give it room to grow, because with its height, it can become an important part of the garden’s middle and upper layers.

If you think common boneset is large, let me introduce you to one of the true giants of the native flower garden, the joe-pye weed.

Joe-pye weed is a spectacular perennial that can easily reach 6 to 8 feet tall, creating an impressive vertical accent in the landscape. Its large, lance-shaped leaves grow in whorls around the stems, giving the plant a bold, architectural appearance even before it begins to flower.

By late summer, the sturdy stems are topped with enormous, dome-shaped clusters of dusty pink to soft mauve flowers. From a distance, these blooms look like large, fluffy bouquets.

Up close, you’ll see that each flower cluster is made up of hundreds of tiny individual blossoms. Together, they create an abundant source of nectar that can turn this towering perennial into one of the busiest destinations for pollinators in the garden.

Joe-pye weed needs plenty of room to reach its full potential. Give it sunshine, moist soil and space to spread, and it will reward you with both dramatic beauty and an abundance of pollinator activity. Despite its impressive size, joe-pye weed usually stands strong without staking when grown in full sun.

One of the lessons I take away from the Yazoo National Wildlife Refuge Butterfly Garden is that a successful pollinator garden does not have to be low and compact. By adding native plants such as common boneset and joe-pye weed, you can create height and structure while providing valuable resources for pollinators.