Episode description

Late summer is often thought of as a challenging time for gardening. It’s hot, it’s humid, we may or may not be getting regular rainfall, and there are often lots of other summertime activities competing for our attention. But if our goal is to plant for pollinators and wildlife, then it is important to make sure we have plenty of plants blooming at this time of year too.

In this episode of the Backyard Ecology podcast, I share some of the native plants that I love and why I love them so you can decide if they are right for you. All of these plants bloom in the July / August time frame, attract lots of pollinators, and have a large native range that includes Kentucky. You’ll have to look up the plant to see if it is native to where you live.

I’m not saying these are the “best native plants to plant,” because there is no way for me to know if these are the best plants for you without talking to you and learning more about your property and goals. These are simply some of the native plants I love and are in no particular order because my “favorite” has a tendency to change based on which one I’m looking at and what pollinators I’m thinking about.

To make it easier for you to refer back to particular parts of the podcast, here are the plants and the time I start talking about each:

• Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea): 3:22
• Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta): 5:43
• Mountain mints (Pycnanthemum sp.): 9:22
• Goldenrods (Solidago sp.): 12:51
• Cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum): 17:22

• Relevant Backyard Ecology blog articles about the plants I talk about:
  • Purple Coneflower: https://www.backyardecology.net/purple-coneflower/
  • Black-eyed Susan: A favorite nectar source for butterflies: https://www.backyardecology.net/black-eyed-susan-a-favorite-nectar-source-for-butterflies/
  • Slender Mountain Mint: https://www.backyardecology.net/slender-mountain-mint/
  • Sweet Goldenrod: https://www.backyardecology.net/sweet-goldenrod/
  • Goldenrods: https://www.backyardecology.net/goldenrods/
  • Cup plant: https://www.backyardecology.net/cup-plant/
• Wasps: Victims of an Often Undeserved Reputation: https://www.backyardecology.net/wasps-victims-of-an-often-undeserved-reputation/
• Busy Bee Nursery and Consulting: https://busybeenurseryandconsulting.com/
• Backyard Ecology Website: https://backyardecology.net
• Backyard Ecology YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/backyardecology
• Backyard Ecology Blog: https://www.backyardecology.net/blog/
• Backyard Ecology Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/backyardecology
• Subscribe to Backyard Ecology emails: https://www.backyardecology.net/subscribe/

• Eastern tiger swallowtails on cup plant flowers
• Photo credit: Shannon Trimboli, all rights reserved