Best Flowers To Plant In North Carolina To Attract Pollinators
BERLIN, GERMANY - MAY 17: A bee scrambles across a flower on May 17, 2019 in Berlin, Germany. May 20 is World Bee Day, which is drawing more attention this year in comparison to previous years due to the strong and ongoing decline of bee populations in industrialized nations across the globe.
Planting flowers to attract pollinators might be one of the best things you can do for the environment. In North Carolina, there are a lot of different native flowers that can be planted to help out our local pollinators according to the North Carolina Wildlife Foundation. These are the best flowers to plant in North Carolina to attract pollinators.
American Boneset
The American boneset is a herbaceous perennial that reaches a height of four to six feet tall. It thrives in both full sun and partial shade and does well in many different soil types. It has many clusters of tiny white flowers that bloom in late summer and into fall. These flowers are amazing for attracting all kinds of pollinators and the seeds may even attract songbirds.
Resindot Sunflower
Resindot Sunflowers can be grown in all three regions of North Carolina. They are a tall flower that can grow six to ten feet. They require full sun or partial shade to reach their full potential and do well in most soil types. The blooms on this plant are around 6 inches and come in yellow or gold. These flowers can spread rapidly, so if you want to control their spread it’s best to remove the seed heads.
Blanket Flower
These flowers have a long bloom period that begins in late May and carries on until frost. Their blooms come in beautiful yellow, orange, and red ombré colors. This flower does well in sandy soil and salty conditions which makes it an amazing choice for gardens. It’s also a great choice for any other tricky locations like rock, meadow, or cottage gardens due to its high adaptability and its long blooming period. Blanket flowers attract both bees and butterflies and once the seeds form they can either be dispersed into the garden for next year or be left and eaten by wildlife
For a lot more incredible flower choices, you can check the North Carolina Wildlife Foundations website.
These are the Keystone Native Plants for North Carolina
New research shows an increase of 1 in 3 people now purchasing native plants and gardening for wildlife. Why are natives so important?
Native plants are the core of the wildlife habitat garden. Even small-scale native plant gardens that incorporate blooming plants for multiple seasons are proven to increase pollinator abundance and diversity. Within days or even moments after native plants are introduced to a space, wildlife can appear. Research shows wildlife habitat gardens support 50% more wildlife than surrounding conventional landscapes.
Not only do natives support more local wildlife, but they are more suited to withstand the climate in North Carolina. For example, trees native to storm-prone regions are more likely to withstand high winds. North Carolina’s state bird, the cardinal -30% of its diet relies on insects these many native plants provide.
Why should they replace such trees and shrubs?
Plants such as ornamental pear, taxus, barberry, as considered exotic plants that evolved in other parts of the world or were cultivated by humans into forms that don’t exist in nature do not support wildlife as well as native plants. Occasionally, they can even escape into the wild and become invasives that destroy natural habitats. Not only do they destroy and crowd out native plants, but they don’t support local wildlife.
Learning More
Replacing invasives with native plants reverses the dominance of non-beneficial plants in the landscape, a key contributor to habitat loss that has hurt many wildlife species. By doing so, you’ll cut down on the amount of water, pesticides, and fertilizers you use. Native plants are low-maintenance. They help the environment the most when planted in places that match their growing requirements. They will thrive in the soils, moisture, and weather of your region. That means less supplemental watering, which can be wasteful, and pest problems that require toxic chemicals. Native plants also assist in managing rainwater runoff and maintaining healthy soil as their root systems are deep and keep soil from being compacted. They also minimize further negative impacts on wildlife and pollution of local water resources.
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