A little more room for pollinator plants
Taking out the stock-tank pond opened up a partly sunny spot in my shady garden. You can bet I wasn’t going to let that go to waste! Inside a new circle of diminutive ‘Micron’ hollies, which echo the form of ‘Winter Gem’ boxwoods at the entryways, I planted pollinator-friendly flowering perennials and annuals.
Two months after planting, tall verbena (Verbena bonariensis) has shot up to 5 feet and towers over native Gulf Coast penstemon (Penstemon tenuis).
The pretty lavender flowers entice bees and butterflies.
I love the new flowers and am delighted to have a pollinator pit stop. In photos, unfortunately, the tall verbena looks weedy as it soars over a central potted Agave ovatifolia. In person I find it romantic. Walking past those giraffe-like verbena, I stretch out my hand to make the airy stems bob and wave, like Ruth Wilcox strolling her garden at Howards End. (Imagining myself in a long, white dress trailing across dewy grass…)
On Sunday my first iris opened, the one I call Shoshana’s iris. I haven’t been able to get an iris to bloom in this garden in years. It’s just too shady. But when I moved a few straggly plants over to the new Circle Garden, they immediately started growing, and now this!
I’m pretty happy about it.
Shoshana looks especially lovely next to Gulf Coast penstemon.
There’s columbine too.
Along the chimney wall of the house, I’ve planted Hesperaloe parviflora ‘Desert Dusk’, a new cultivar of our native red yucca, with wine-red instead of coral flowers. It’s also a little more compact than the standard hesperaloe. And bees love it.
I watched this busy bee adding to her pollen sacs…
…fertilizing the flowers as she goes. Keep up the good work, bees!
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Digging Deeper
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delightful! (…and when may we expect our invitations to badminton or croquet on that dewy lawn? just want to be sure my crochet gloves are washed and ready in time!)
Since we’re imagining an English-style dewy lawn, let’s imagine that croquet game happening next week. Get those gloves washed and ready. 😉
That ‘Desert Dusk’ Hesperaloe is a knockout. I like the shorter forms. And pollinator-friendly, too? Win-win! I wonder if it’s available by mail order?
I see it listed online by the wholesale nursery that developed it, Mountain States Wholesale Nursery. Maybe ask your local nursery if it can be ordered? High Country Gardens carries a few varieties, but not this one. I found it locally here in Austin, but can’t remember which nursery unfortunately.
I don’t think the tall verbena looks weedy. It is just difficult to get a good picture of those skinny little stems. 🙂 I really like the way your circle garden is coming around. tee hee…
It is SO hard to photograph those airy stems. And I like your punny comment, Lisa!
Your pollinator garden is looking lovely, and I especially love that new Hesperaloe. I’ll have to keep my eyes open for that one.
I wish I could remember where I found them. I want to say it was The Natural Gardener, but it might also have been Shoal Creek Nursery or Vivero Growers — probably 2 years ago. I planted them originally in pots on the deck, but the shade sail up there shaded them enough that they hardly bloomed. Last fall I moved them, and now I have flower spikes. Yay!
Happy bees, happy garden!
Yes indeed, and a happy gardener!
It’s turned out beautifully…So glad you have a sunny spot for pollinators! I love the looks of Hesperaloe parviflora ‘Desert Dusk…
Sunny-ish, Gail. But I’ll take what I can get. 🙂
The hesperaloe desert dusk is a must have. Imagine my pleasure at learning it is introduced by Mountain states nursery. When the garden centers open again, I am hoping to locate one for my overcrowded garden.
Many thanks
My pleasure, Barbie. I’m glad it’ll be an easy one for you to find!