favorite plants,trees and flowers.

[hoosierhiver]

what's everyone's favorites at the moment,i've been planting buttonbush and blackgum alot this spring.

[ChellesBees]

I have this wonderful bamboo plant I got from someone farther north, It blooms really late in the fall, and my bees loved it. As soon as I figure out just how invasive it is, I will split it and encourage it to spread in a controlled environment. I want to plant some Black Locust too, but haven't found a source for it. My other favorites are my Jack in the Pulpits and Trilliums, but the bees don't really care for them.

[Michael Bush]

There are lot's of black locust here. They are very aggressive and very hard to handle due to the thorns. I always liked them anyway except when getting stuck. They are quite poisonous and it takes weeks for a deep stick to heal.

[dragonfly]

Hoosierhiver, how many years is it before a new buttonbush plant blooms? I have some growing wild on the place, but also started some from seed this year, and was just wondering how long I'll have to wait for blooms from the new ones.

[hoosierhiver]

i've read it takes 5 years,but i've seen them bloom after 3 yrs.goldfinches and ducks like the seeds.a better way to propagate them is from cuttings or just bury part of a branch that is still attached to the main bush,water it well for a few weeks then it should be rooting out from the burried part,cut it and transplant.

[denise_ky]

I've been wanting to find some sourwood trees. I finally was able to purchase 3 of them at the Bernheim Forest & Arboretum annual plant sale today. Now to figure out where to plant them!
Denise

[dragonfly]

I discovered this week that bees in this area love Carolina Buckthorn (think that's what it's called). I have some that grows wild along the creek, and they have been in it heavily for about a week now. Seems they are ignoring about everything else, at least on my place. I have no idea if it produces much of anything for nectar, but there's something about it that the bees love.

[denise_ky]

dragonfly,
I noticed the same thing a couple of years ago. The bees love it! I have a few trees right next to the apiary. I assume I have more on the rest of my property.
Denise

[ChellesBees]

Be careful with the buckthorn, don't know how it is related to the buckthorn here in MN, (I think it's a European Buckthorn) but it has been placed on the invasive list, it started as an ornamental, but is no longer even legal to sell, it takes over everything, and crowds out natives, and spreads like crazy.

[dragonfly]

I don't think the Carolina Buckthorn is invasive, at least I've not heard that or seen evidence of it. It doesn't seem to spread that easily via seeding, and I don't think it spreads by the root system, but I could be wrong. Now, roughleaf dogweed is what I call invasive, and unfortunately, the bees don't seem to work it. It has pretty little white flower clusters that remind me of viburnum, but I've yet to see a bee on it. Well, maybe one bee.

[denise_ky]

Like dragonfly, I've not noticed any invasiveness of the Carolina buckthorn.

[mark williams]

Blue thistle,or globe thistle,grow's wild around here.the farmer that I've got a bee yard on his place plant's about 2 acre's of wild flower's every year so I guess that is why there is so much thistle there.there is a patch of it growing next to my bee's that has the hill side covered in it.I was looking at it & noticed a bee almost on every flower.I came back home & dug out my old copy's of A.B.J. & found it in the may 2002.(by the way did I tell you I was a pack rat.)It said the plant is known in the beekeepering name as Chapman's honey plant .one thing for sure my bee's love it.

[dragonfly]

What do any of you know about Simpson's honey plant, aka Scrophularia Marilandica, or Late Figwort? I read that it is a great bee plant, and I have started about thirty of them from seed this year that appear to be doing very well. Do any of you have experience with this one? I have yet to see if it can survive the Texas summers, but I think I read that it grows wild down into Oklahoma, which is not much better.

[Joel Acheson]

Is there any kind of Locust tree which is not a thorny proposition? I've heard of other kinds, but don't know what they are.

[dragonfly]

Joel, there's a variety of honey locust that is thornless, but believe it or not, I've read that it's not a good bee tree. Maybe this information was incorrect, but check on it before you plant any because they're not particularly pretty trees.

[clintonbemrose]

I have 3 Honey Locust trees with no thorns. They make very good shade but drop many seed pods in the fall and this makes quite a mess as the pods are 6 to 12 inches long and are a very dark brown color. In 20 years of beekeeping I have never seen a bee near these trees so I assume that the bees don't like the flowers on the trees in the spring. The birds do not even eat the seeds from the pods and the squirls seem to avoid the trees completly. These trees seem to have a very strong odor that repels the animals.
Clint

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Clinton Bemrose
just South of Lansing Michigan

[hoosierhiver]

you guys are right honey locust are not a nectar source,they can be a nice shade tree.black locust is what the bees like,but it's not an especially pretty tree,except when it's blooming.

[hoosierhiver]

an endangered and relatively unknown tree grows in my area,the yellow wood tree (cladistrus lutea)sp?,when it blooms which is infrequently it produces outragous big grapelike clusters of purple flowers.a beautiful native tree.

[chiefman]

In Australia the Eucalyptus tree is the best source for nectar.

Ive seen trees teeming with bees in them. ( and Koalas too http://www.beesource.com/ubb/smile.gif )

Are there many Eucalypts over there.?

[Michael Bush]

I don't think there are any eucalyptus trees here. But I could be wrong. What does eucalyptus honey taste like? If it tastes like eucalyptus, it doesn't sound that good, but then honey is sometimes suprising.

[mark williams]

I don't know of anyone that eat's eucalyptus,you try to eat sourwood & it is sour sure makes good honey.

[hoosierhiver]

there is eucalyptus in parts of california that has been introduced,it has also been introduced into alot of asia,i'm sure there are several varieties.back on the subject of locust,honey locust,(glediitsia triacanthos) is the locust that has thorns and is not a nectar source as far as i know,black locust(robinia pseudoactia) is a honey tree and doesn't have thorns.there are ornimental honey locusts that do not have thorns.both are good fire wood,and good for fence posts.

[chiefman]

Yellow Box (Eucalyptus melliodora) and Blue Gum (Eucalyptus leucoxylon ) honey is from Eucalyptus
It is widley sold in Supermartkets and tastes
like normal honey.... very nice

[chiefman]

also

Red Gum Eucalyptus camaldulensis
and
Iron Bark Eucalyptus crebra

are poplular here too http://www.beesource.com/ubb/biggrin.gif http://www.beesource.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

[dragonfly]

Update on the Simpson's Honey Plant. The bees seem to love it. It's not a particularly pretty plant, but good for addition of green to the perennial garden. I didn't think it would bloom the first year, but it did. The tiny little flowers are a rosy brown color, barely noticeable, but the bees think they are just great.

[Jorge]

Nobody has mentioned the tulip tree (also called tulip or yellow poplar, although it has nothing to do with the poplar, a willow relative, but belongs to the magnolia family).

It is a beautiful tall tree that has an almost perfectly straight trunk and huge flowers that look like a tulip or lilly, The flowers produce and collect massive amounts of nectar at the base of the petals. You can in fact turn the flower over and drink a sip of nectar ... no wonder bees like it.

Jorge

[mark williams]

Found a site www.forestfarm.com (http://www.forestfarm.com) that has all kind's of plant's. they have a listing they call Honey plants.>>>>>Mark

[hoosierhiver]

i've got a field near my house full of joe-pye weed,must be 8 ft tall.what a beautiful site,and how about how the brilliant goldenrod and the vibrant purple of the iron weed complement each other.

[usahq]

I'd really like to plant some Basswood (also called Linden) trees. But there are serveral varities and I'm not sure if they are all good honey trees. I know there was an article in the ABJ about Lindens maybe from the other year, but I don't know where I have that copy. If anybody can clue me in on the best basswood, that would be great!