The Garden Buzz

Pollinator Friendly Plants: Siberian Squill (Scilla)

 

 

Siberian Squill (Scilla)

 People have mixed feeling about this little blue flower. Lots of people love to see its cheerful blooms rise above the snow this time of year, especially those who share the same weather with its Siberian origins.  Popping up in lawns where they readily naturalize; they're a sure sign of spring. Other folks fear its invasive quality after seeing it form thick colonies in local woodlands. In town it serves as an early source of much needed nectar for early emerging native bees.

 

 Type: Bulb

Habitat Function: Nectar plant for native bees 

Attracts: Bees

Landscape Use: Mass plantings, naturalizing, spring bulb displays

Hardiness: Zones 2-8

Color: Deep blue

Native: To Russia

Light: Full sun for best bloom, tolerates partial shade

Soil: Prefers somewhat acidic, loamy soil

Water: Average

Size: 3-6 inches tall

Did You Know? You can tell when bees forage on scilla by the steely blue pollen they carry on their bodies.

Pollinator Friendly Plants: Witch Hazel (Hamamelis)

 

Witch Hazel (Hamamelis)

For many gardeners not much goes on in February. That's where this botanical outlier comes in. Blooming way before other plants in mid-late winter (or for some areas the last thing to bloom in fall) the curious yellow (copper or red) flowers are a welcome sight. Looking like twisty yellow ribbons or shoestring fries depending upon your perspective, the fragrant flowers will brighten your day when it's needed most. Better yet it's perused by bees seeking food in the earliest (or latest) days of the season.

 

Among the first (or last) flowers to bloom

 

Type: Deciduous shrub

Habitat Function: Nectar plant for bees and other pollinators, larval host plant for Spring Azure butterfly 

Attracts: Bees, butterflies, beneficial insects

Landscape Use: Specimen, woodland garden, shrub border or hedge, rain garden

Hardiness: Zones 4-8 for species, 5-8 for for hybrids

Color: Yellow, copper, red depending upon species or cultivar

Native: To North America, Asia

Light: Full sun for best bloom, tolerates partial shade

Soil: Prefers somewhat acidic, loamy soil

Water: Keep moist, mulch in hotter climates

Size: Matures to 15 feet tall and wide

Species: Common Witch Hazel H. virginiana, Ozark Witch Hazel H. vernalis

Cultivars: H x intermedia:

'Pallida', pale yellow, 'Diane', coppery red, 'Jelena' , coppery orange, 'Arnold Promise', light yellow, 'Barmstedt Gold', dark yellow

 Did You Know? The branches were used for divining rods for water witching. The bark is used to make an astringent used for both medicinal and cosmetic purposes.