I've mentioned "the dearth of summer" before. It is the time of year that happens after a major honey flow. That time in North Carolina is around June & July (sometimes August). It just means that nothing much is blooming for the bees and other pollinators. My bees really do not experience a severe dearth because of what I have planted for them.
Many people think they need to wait for Spring to plant. Maybe because the winters are spent inside and we are then motivated to "get outside", but the best time to plant is actually in the Fall.
My blooms in the summer dearth are planned far ahead. Being a gardener, I know that something planted in the dead of summer will probably not survive, especially if it is brutally hot like many summers we get here. The real time to plant those flowers for the summer dearth is the previous fall.
We do have some more hot weather coming our way in August, but the dearth is beginning to subside. The appearance of Golden Rod in the ditches and a week of rainy weather, lets me know that fall is just around the corner. Fall is the best time to plant (a perennial) due to the cooler temps that give the plant time to grow roots before winter. The winters in North Carolina are pretty mild most years and the plant will die back and look dead, but the root will continue to grow underground. It will be fed by the winter rains and be ready to sprout back out of the ground in the spring.
Many people think they need to wait for Spring to plant. Maybe because the winters are spent inside and we are then motivated to "get outside", but the best time to plant is actually in the Fall.
My blooms in the summer dearth are planned far ahead. Being a gardener, I know that something planted in the dead of summer will probably not survive, especially if it is brutally hot like many summers we get here. The real time to plant those flowers for the summer dearth is the previous fall.
We do have some more hot weather coming our way in August, but the dearth is beginning to subside. The appearance of Golden Rod in the ditches and a week of rainy weather, lets me know that fall is just around the corner. Fall is the best time to plant (a perennial) due to the cooler temps that give the plant time to grow roots before winter. The winters in North Carolina are pretty mild most years and the plant will die back and look dead, but the root will continue to grow underground. It will be fed by the winter rains and be ready to sprout back out of the ground in the spring.
Golden Rod - Fireworks & Cone Flower Seed heads
If you have annuals, many of them will drop seeds in the fall and winter to re-sprout and grow new plants in the spring. So leave those seed heads on the flowers. It will grow your next crop and also feed the birds though the winter. The old dead plants can be cut down in later winter. I usually take any seed heads that are still left on the plants and scatter them back out over the area. Seedlings can always be thinned out in the spring. Or maybe you want to grow the same flower in a different spot. Those seeds can be scattered anywhere that you want them to grow.
Many Local Garden Centers will have a Good Selection of Perennials
When shopping for plants, search for a locally grown operation. The plants from many of the big box stores are shipped in from "who knows where"!! They are not local to your area and may not survive. Also, many of the growers for box stores use pesticides that are systemically grown into the plant. So you would be bringing home a plant that might kill your pollinators. It has been reported that much of the "Milkweed" sold in box stores, a plant that is so necessary for the survival of the Monarch Butterfly, has been poisoned with pesticides!
Know your grower!! Ask questions before you buy a plant. If they cannot give you answers, they did not grow it and you should not buy it!!
Here are some Perennials that can be planted in the fall and will feed your pollinators next spring and summer!!
Many Local Garden Centers will have a Good Selection of Perennials
When shopping for plants, search for a locally grown operation. The plants from many of the big box stores are shipped in from "who knows where"!! They are not local to your area and may not survive. Also, many of the growers for box stores use pesticides that are systemically grown into the plant. So you would be bringing home a plant that might kill your pollinators. It has been reported that much of the "Milkweed" sold in box stores, a plant that is so necessary for the survival of the Monarch Butterfly, has been poisoned with pesticides!
Know your grower!! Ask questions before you buy a plant. If they cannot give you answers, they did not grow it and you should not buy it!!
Here are some Perennials that can be planted in the fall and will feed your pollinators next spring and summer!!
 Bee Balm - Pink |  Bee Balm - Scarlet |
Cat MInt
Butterfly Weed
 Echinacea - Cone Flower |  Liatris - Blazing Star |
Asclepias - Milkweed
Another way to acquire some of these wonderful pollinator plants is from a gardener that is growing them. Perennials reproduce quite nicely after 2-3 years in the ground and a gardener might be willing to share some with you. That way you know that the plants are clean and free from pesticides.
Seeds from annuals can also be shared. I am always happy to share my seeds with another gardener! Especially if they are wanting to feed the pollinators in their area.
Seeds from annuals can also be shared. I am always happy to share my seeds with another gardener! Especially if they are wanting to feed the pollinators in their area.
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