My "new" plantings for 2021.
I always find it interesting to see what people are planting and why they're doing so. If you're so inclined, below are my new plant goals for 2021 (except for the purely human food growing). Some of the plants below were previously attempted from seed and I was unsuccessful. If at first you don't succeed...
Agastache foeniculum (anise hyssop) - long-flowering resource for bees, butterflies, & hummingbirds
Agastache nepetoides (yellow giant hyssop) - as above
Agastache scrophulariifolia (purple giant hyssop) - as above
Antennaria neglecta (prairie pussytoes) - for Vanessa virginiensis (American painted lady) as well as several bee and fly pollinator species
Chamaecrista fasciculata (partridge pea) a.k.a. Cassia brachiata - for Abaeis nicippe (sleepy orange), Phoebis sennae (cloudless sulphur), Pyrisitia lisa (little yellow), and a pile of bee species. I'm also hoping maybe Hemiargus ceraunus (ceraunus blue) & Phoebis philea (orange-barred sulphur) wander on up! ;)
Primula meadia (midland shooting star) a.k.a. Dodecatheon meadia - as a pollen source for several native bee species.
Lobelia cardinalis (cardinal flower) - nectar source for hummingbirds and butterflies.
Monarda citriodora (lemon mint) - nectar source for bees, butterflies, & hummingbirds
Ratibida columnifera (upright prairie coneflower, long-headed coneflower, Mexican hat, ) - great nectar & pollen source
Ruta graveolens (rue) - for Papilio cresphontes (giant swallowtails) primarily and also another plant for Papilio polyxenes asterius (black swallowtail). I got the seeds last year and never planted it.
Zizia aptera (heart-leaf golden alexanders) - as another foodplant for Papilio polyxenes asterius (black swallowtail), Papaipema rigida (rigid sunflower borer), as well as for Andrena ziziae (golden alexanders mining bee), other short-tongued bees, and a host of other pollinators
Zizia aurea (golden alexanders) - as above
I'll be trying Lindera benzoin (spicebush) in containers starting this year. It's mainly for Papilio troilus (spicebush swallowtails) but I also like the shrub and use it in teas from time to time. The question mark for me is whether they can live in containers getting hot and blazing sun in summer, and being frozen in winter. I'm more worried about the former.
I planted Cynara cardunculus (cardoon) mainly for Vanessa cardui (painted Lady) last year. I never saw any larvae. But I'm also growing it to use as food. We'll see if it survived the winter in containers outside. If not, I have seeds leftover. I'm hoping this will be my double-duty thistle.
Urtica dioica (stinging nettle, common nettle) - for Polygonia comma (Eastern comma) & Vanessa atalanta (red admiral) as well as for food.
I'll be planting Ribes spp. (gooseberries) in hopes of getting Polygonia progne (gray comma) in addition to the thorns helping with some crowd control at the front sidewalk. ;)
