Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Trees and shrubs for pollinators
I talk a lot about pollinators, often mentioning perennials and annuals. Last week I talked about planting extra herbs for pollinators.
Today, I discovered a great new resource from the University of Minnesota Extension regarding planting trees and shrubs for pollinators! Here is a link to the full article. Depending on what you plant, they provide a habitat, food and pollen.
Roses come to mind. One in particular is called ‘Purple Pavement (Rosa ‘Rotesmeer’)”: It has purplish-red, fragrant semi-double repeated blooms and produces dark red hips. The links I insert give you more information about the plants, this is not necessarily an endorsement of the company itself.
This rose blooms from May to September and is extremely fragrant. Growing 4 to 6 ft tall and wide, it’s hardy to zone 2.
‘Sensation’ lilac is a very unique French hybrid with single purple florets that have distinctive pure white borders. It is a mutation of ‘Hugo de Vries’ and recommended by the U of MN.
Growing 10 ft by 12 ft., it’s a very unique version of lilac and smells wonderful. Hardy to zone 3a.
If you want fruiting shrubs, a ‘Regent’ Serviceberry is a great option. Fragrant white flowers emerge in early spring. Sweet, edible purple-black fruit. Shrub form of the native serviceberry. Bred for fruit production. A good alternative to the tree form.
Growing 6 ft by 6 ft. it’s hardy to zone 2a. In spring it has blue berries that can be eaten and in fall the leaves turn yellow.
Apple, crabapple and pear trees all produce lovely and fragrant blooms that attract many different pollinators. Most varieties rely on bees for pollination and to produce fruit. The U of MN suggests ‘Red Splendor’ and ‘Sugar Tyme’ for crabapple.
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‘Red Splendor’ grows 20 ft by 20 ft and is hardy to zone 3a.
‘Sugar Tyme’ grows 15 ft. by 20 ft. and is hardy to zone 4.
‘Zestar’ for apple trees and ‘Summercrisp’ for a pear tree. Note you need a different type of pear tree for pollination. And don’t forget Honeysuckle vine!
The ‘Zestar’ dwarf apple tree grows to 12 – 15 ft tall and wide. It is hardy to zone 4a.
‘Summercrisp’ grows 15 ft. by 10 ft. and is hardy to zone 3a