Fall in Love with Native Plants

Episode Introduction

In today's episode, Fall in Love with Native Plants, we go over why not to neglect the three season garden and the many native perennials and grasses you can incorporate for fall interest.

We've dug into our archives and given new life to an old episode. Come for a refresh on some great native fall-blooming plants in case you need some ideas for some last-ditch fall projects.

Host Stephanie Barelman

Stephanie Barelman is the founder of the Bellevue Native Plant Society, a midwest motivational speaker surrounding the native plants dialog, and host of the Plant Native Nebraska Podcast.

Episode Sponsors

Today's episode is sponsored by:

Lauritzen Gardens

laurtizengardens.org

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Episode Content

I've gleaned a lot of today's fun insect info from Heather Holm's book Pollinators of Native Plants: https://amzn.to/3ZyEK85

Go find her podcast episode from last October for more seasonally-relevant info!

Fall Plant Families

• Asters 

New England aster

• Come one come all bees, butterflies, and moths!
• Host plant for pearl crescent butterfly
• Caters to specialist Andrea mining bee
• Nectar source for small carpenter bees, leaf cutter bees, bumblebees, green sweat bees
• Nectar source for arcigera flower moth
• Nectar source for buckeye and crescent butterflies 
• Nectar and pollen for syrphid flies, soldier beetles
• Beautiful color, nice tall aster for a moist area of your garden

Also:

heath aster

Looks like a snowy blanket in bloom ('snow flurry') or if using the straight native species, like snow covered branches reaching up

Growth habit from 1 foot to 3 feet, two completely different habits depending on if you use 'snow flurry cultivar' or the straight native species

Other utility: long lived aster, suited for dry, tough areas

silky aster

Looks very delicate, grows around things, very wispy and ethereal 

Growth habit up to 1 foot and a half 

heartleaf aster

Looks heart shaped leaves periwinkle flowers

Growth habit up to 3 feet, likes to show up everywhere and you will let it

smooth blue aster

Looks bluish purple with blue green leaves 

Growth habit shrubby but open 

Late season nectar forage YES!

Host plant status crescent butterflies 

sky blue aster

Looks another pale purple aster, very similar to smooth aster

Growth habit up to 3 feet 

aromatic aster

True to its name another pale purple aster up to 2 feet, popular one the rabbits don’t seem to eat. 

• bonesets

tall boneset

Looks tall with tight clustered fireworks of white, stout, doesn’t need much support, dense 

Growth habit up to 5 feet 

• sunflowers

Maximilian sunflower

• Larval host for the silvery checkerspot butterfly
• Late seasonal forage Nectar source for monarchs
• Nectar for bumblebees, sweat bees, and long horned bees
• Bee paradise 
• Whip out your whiskey barrels people!

Also:

sawtooth sunflower

Looks tall majestic yellow sunflowers with large green leaves

Growth habit colony forming up to about 6 feet

We saw a great example of this at Little Salt Fork Marsh Preserve near Lincoln in Raymond, NE. Indian grass, little bluestem, and sawtooth sunflower: heaven.

western sunflower

Looks similar to false sunflower, delicate yellow daisy shaped blooms

Growth habit up to 3 feet

Blooms from July to September 

Jerusalem artichoke

Native sunflower with edible tubers, aggressive but we talk about its usefulness and how to grow it in our native edible plant series, specifically our episode on vegetables, greens, and alliums

• Petunias

wild petunia

• Larval host plant for common buckeye butterfly
• Pollen for green sweat bee, syrphid flies 
• Nectar and pollen for leaf cutter bees
• Nectar sweat bees and small carpenter bees 
• This one is very delicate and blooms off and on in my front garden, works perfect as an understory plant underneath all your taller garden plants
• Ironweed

common ironweed

• Larval host plant for parthenice tiger moth
• Caters to specialist long horned bees (melissodes denticulate and melissodes vernoniae)
• Nectar for green sweat bees, bumble bees, leaf cutter bees
• Nectar for syrphid flies and soldier beetles
• Nectar for pecks skipper and eastern tiger swallowtail 
• Beautiful vibrant purple blooms great for a moister area of the garden like the bottom of a hill or other depression
• Goldenrods

stiff goldenrod

• buffet for our diverse insect friends 
• Larval host plant for the dart moth
• Plant that caters to the specialist insect Andrena mining bees
• Nectar for long horned bees, sweat bees, bumblebees, leaf cutter bees, carpenter bees
• Nectar for paper wasp, golden digger wasp
• Nectar for monarchs 
• Nectar and pollen for syrphid flies
• Pollen for locust borer beetle

zig zag goldenrod

• Feed your hordes of varied bugs
• Larval host for brown hooded owlet moth and twirler moth, yes there is a moth called a twirler moth and I want it to be my friend
• Caters to specialist Andrena mining bees
• Nectar for sweat bees, yellow faced bees, green sweat bees, bumblebees 
• Nectar for carrot wasps, mason wasps, paper wasps 
• Nectar and pollen for syrphid flies
• Pollen for Andrena mining bees
• Great goldenrod for dappled light areas, will tolerate light shade

Also:

canada goldenrod

Looks like goldenrod!

Growth habit stout goldenrod, aggressive spreader perfect for wild spaces or in an area you can let it grow into a nice patch

Late season nectar forage YES!

Can be a good rain garden addition, especially with obedient plant and swamp milkweed

Missouri goldenrod

Looks like goldenrod!

Growth habit 3 feet or so, a little floppy

Early blooming!

showy goldenrod

Looks a nice gorgeous specimen true to its name, not too bad on flopping

Growth habit up to 5 feet

Late season nectar forage YES!

Also: look into goldenrod if you're interested in native plant dyes

Disclaimer: I've introduced you to a rabbit hole...

• Sneezeweeds

Helenium autumnale

cheerful yellow flowers

looks great in a rain garden

• Milkweeds

butterfly milkweed

• Diverse pollinator parfait
• That rare bright orange that looks amazing next to our purple, yellow,  and light pink flowers 
• Host plant for monarch, queen butterfly, and the milkweed tussock moth
• Provides nectar for great spangled fritillary, sulphur butterflies 
• Nectar for paper wasps 
• Nectar for ants and soldier beetles, so set your picnic up right next to some blooming butterfly weed and they’ll leave your sandwiches alone
• Nectar for leaf cutter bees, carpenter bees, and sweat bees 

Also:

whorled milkweed

Looks delicate white orchid shaped flowers, leaves turn yellow in fall

Growth habit an opportunist, will cheerfully spread itself around your other plants but only grows to about a foot tall

Other utility