19 of the Best Sunflowers for Pollinators
18.06.2024 - 09:45 / balconygardenweb.com / Editorial Team
If sunlight is playing hard to get, it’s time to usher in these lush shade-loving climbers into the spotlight! Morph those shady spots and dingy corners of your garden into green havens with these low-light outdoor vines that shine where the sun won’t!
This perennial vine is very shade-tolerant and grows well in little daylight. However, its chocolate-scented purplish brown blooms and sausage-shaped fruits need at least partial sunlight exposure to come to fruition. Chocolate Vine is deciduous in colder regions and semi-evergreen in warmer climates.
Botanical Name: Tropaeolum peregrinum
USDA Zone: 9-11
Reaching lengths of up to 8-12 feet, its attractive blue-green, deeply lobed leaves are a gorgeous addition to any garden. From early summer through fall, it produces an endless stream of delicately fringed bright yellow flowers.
This annual vine thrives in part sun and part shade, so choose a spot that isn’t as dark as night all throughout for beautiful flowers.
Botanical Name: Clematis virginiana
USDA Zone: 3-9
One of the few vines that blooms in shade, this North American native produces clusters of showy, fragrant, white flowers in autumn. It thrives in deep shade to part sun and can take on the shape of any support structure with ease. Plus, they attract many pollinators.
Botanical Name: Aristolochia macrophylla
USDA Zone: 4-11
This deciduous vine is often grown to provide privacy for a patio, arbor, or porch where the sun doesn’t shine. It grows best in full to part shade, but ensure that you provide well-drained soil. Dutchman’s Pipe is a great low-light outdoor vine option because it spreads fast and is low-maintenance; you can also grow it in a large pot.
Botanical Name: Hydrangea petiolaris
USDA Zone: 4-8
Climbing
19 of the Best Sunflowers for Pollinators
Companion planting is the centuries-old practice of pairing plants in the garden that benefit one another. Our gardens function as interconnected communities, with different plants providing unique services. Some plants attract beneficial insects, others ward off pests, while some enhance soil health. Anyone who’s grown tomatoes knows they are heavy feeders, and often plagued by foliar diseases and a diversity of insect pests. They certainly stand to benefit from tomato companion plants that promote healthier plants and increased yields.
The term ‘low-maintenance gardening’ has been kicking about since the 1970s. But people’s perception of what that means varies wildly. To some it’s concrete slabs and gravel with not a green leaf in sight. To others it’s lawn and shrubs or geotextile cloaked with gravel and topped with pots. In essence it’s about having an outdoor space that requires minimal input while looking consistently smart. But the question really is: is there such a thing as a low-maintenance garden that is also attractive?
Image: Hampton Court Flower Festival. Credit: RHS
Growing vines is a fun way to add foliage and colorful flowers to archways, fences, posts, and trellises in your yard. Vines add depth, dimension, and texture to a landscape and create a visually appealing space. Choosing fast-growing vines means enjoying the beauty of the season quickly and often longer, whether it's the pretty leaves, blooms, or both. Plus, many vines attract important pollinators, such as butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds. Garden experts recommend their favorite vines to grow that will quickly transform your garden.
You can easily grow this plant with seeds.
Homeowners and renters alike have flipped the switch on how their lighting should feel. Bright and sterile overhead lighting is getting replaced with small and moody ambient lighting as more and more people ditch the big light for more custom options. You’re probably already familiar with the concept of mood lighting, but there are more benefits to leaving your big light behind than just for the sake of ambiance. Try a combination of our creative ideas for unique ways to light up your space without the typical overhead light to discover them for yourself.
This year Chelsea Flower Show was full of interesting trees and shrubs with lots of dreamy woodland-edge planting in dappled light underneath leafy canopies. Native trees such as hawthorns, hazels and silver birch were the favoured choices in many of the show gardens, with a mixture of native and non-native ornamental plants selected for resilience and sustainability. In Ula Maria’s Forest Bathing Garden, white foxgloves, cow parsley and other umbellifers like Baltic parsley (Cenolophium denudatum) and valerian (Valeriana officinalis) were mixed with the simple shade-loving grass Melica altissima ‘Alba’ while Tom Stuart-Smith showcased intricate tapestries of interesting foliage in different shapes and textures. In other gardens, orange was a popular colour in many shades, from deep rusty orange irises to pale orange geums, especially in Ann Marie-Powell’s exuberant Octavia Hill Garden. As always, the Grand Pavilion is the ideal place to discover new and interesting plants showcased by some of the country’s leading nurseries.
19 of the Best Prickly Pear (Opuntia) Varieties
Growing sweet potatoes in sacks and bags is a super easy and successful way to bring homegrown goodness to your table. From saving space to getting bigger tubers, this method is about to become your new favorite gardening trick. Let’s dig in!
Once the temperature rises, and that unwavering urge to spend even more time outside kicks in, the great outdoors becomes the best room of the house. (For a few glorious months, Mother Nature replaces our living room… dining room… and, yes, even our kitchen!) However, just like in your home’s interiors, an outdoor space hinges on selecting the right furniture.
Oliver Furth, A-List interior designer, AD100 winner, and author of Op! Optimistic Interiors, is no stranger to bold shapes and bright colors. Having designed countless homes with the main objective of stimulating the senses and bringing joy, he has a unique styling eye for combining objects with playful design. From handmade ombre rugs that feel like pillows for your feet, to playful planters that will make your favorite centerpiece plants pop, and even candy-colored dining chairs and mod outdoor lighting options that will be a conversation starter on their own. Read on for Oliver and our garden editor’s fabulous favorites, each sure to inspire a pop of personality when styling your outdoor oasis for summer entertaining.