Apiary garden. Shrubs for pollen and nectar.

Sterile buddleia hybrid "Miss Molly"

 I decided not to add more shrubs.  Then I needed something for my mood.  These are chosen as potential sources of nectar and pollen for honeybees and native pollinators.

The sterile buddleia hybrids are noninvasive and are available in nurseries in Portland OR and in Vancouver WA.  They replace the now illegal-Buddleia davidii varieties, which are invasive and rangy.

"Miss Molly" was bought in bloom.  I had it on my deck for a week.  The current flowers are about spent, so I planted it.  This, and the others, should bloom most of the summer and fall.  If we can believe the nursery ads.

"Miss Ruby" is the pollen parent of "Miss Molly".  Both are complex hybrids of multiple species of buddleia.  This plant was not in bud yet when I planted it last month, and is just beginning to bloom.

"Peach Cobbler" and "Blueberry Cobbler" are also sterile complex hybrids.  These plants look the same.  They were hold-overs from last year at the nursery.  I bought and planted them midwinter.  They have more than doubled in size.   Vigorous.  No flower buds yet.

Ceanothus thyrsiflorus "Victoria".  Not many honeybees on this.  The Ceanothus on the neighboring property was filled with honeybee activity, but now there aren't many.  More bumblebees and native bees.

Weigela florida "Lemon Ice"  A pale yellow weigela.  Impulse buy.  That, along with the ceanothus and Feijoa, were the result of my feeling ill.   Better now.  Fortunately there was room for all of these in the apiary yard and orchard.

Sterile buddleia hybrid "Miss Ruby"

Sterile bulldeia  hybrid "Peach Cobbler"

Ceanothus

Weigela "Lemon Ice"

Walk around the yard.

Poppies

Some of the poppy seeds I planted last fall have grown into plants and are starting to bloom.  Most are Shirley poppies.  They are randomly planted around the yard, mostly in tree circles and by fence posts.  Nice sight.

The Rose of Sharon I moved last fall and for much of the winter and spring thought I had killed, is growing nicely now.  I anticipate flowers this summer.  Charlie agrees.

Sambucus nigra "Black Lace" is a pretty large shrub or small tree.  It's an Elderberry.  This shrub counts as ornamental as well as belonging in the orchard.

One ginkgo seed has sprouted.  Of the couple dozen I planted last fall.  Did an animal eat the others? Or slow.  Or dead.

The neighbor's Ceanothus (California lilac) is in full bloom and humming with bees.  Bumblebees, tiny pollinating bees, and honeybees.  I was impressed.  So I went to Tsugawa nursery mainly in hopes of finding a Ceanothus.  Which I did, and planted reasonably near the beehive.

Rose of Sharon

Sambucus nigra Black Lace

Ginkgo biloba seedling

Ceanothus and honeybees