Once again I am preaching about leaving weeds growing in the yard and garden. I’ve found that flowering “weeds” feed the bees best. I’ve tried to buy plants at the local nursery to feed beneficial insects. Some die, and they need attention to flourish. Deadheading, watering, weeding, and pruning are not needed for “weeds”, unless you want to keep them under control.
The most beneficial plants for pollinators are the weeds. They are lurking along the pathways, and sprout up willy nilly in the grassy areas. This is where I find the bees. Before the lot next door was cleared, it contained lots of wildflowers. The seeds would drift into my garden. I’ve decided to let some grow.
Lilac Tasselflower
The Lilac Tasselflower has a cool name. The small plant reminds me of a very tiny thistle without the thorns. The flowers turn into fluffy dandelion-looking heads. And the bees are on those flowers all the time. Thanks to those fly-away seeds, this plant grows everywhere. It doesn’t bother me at all so I let it grow.
More weed flowers found in the Fall yard – not sure of the names but the red one is a red tasselflower, I think.
White Flowering Weed – Spanish Needles, or Beggarticks aka Biden’s Alba
The Beggartick is prevalent and spreads readily – therefore it can be annoying. The plant grows tall and has many tiny white flowers that attract beneficial bees and butterflies. BUT… it has loads of sticky seeds that attach to clothing and sometimes animal fur. Those seeds create lots of new baby plants, which makes it difficult to keep this plant under control.
Now that I can recognize it, I will pull up the little plants before they get big and annoying. However, I do allow some to grow. Even the larger plants are easy to pull up. They grow year round.
Flowering Weeds in the Summer Yard
All summer long insects are all over the tiny white flowers on the creeping groundcover called Tropical Mexican Clover (center image below). This one dies back in cool months.
The Beautyberry bush is also a Florida native that may spring up in your yard if another is close by. I had bees at those flowers the entire time they bloomed. This bush grows fast and has long stems filled with flowers and then purple berries.
Keep it Simple and Native
If money is tight, there is no need to buy all kinds of plants for the beneficials. It’s okay to do that, but those plants usually require attention to grow well. I’ll just say, that if you let things grow on their own, the bees will be happy. I’ve seen the purple spiderwort for sale at local stores! It grows randomly in the yard and springs up everywhere.
Maybe as a homeowner, you might find a small area of the yard and let the weeds live.
I’m also in the (long) process of trying to fill my yard with native milkweed. The two-day freeze last winter set me back a bit, but I have new plants growing.
I know that I am asking a lot here. Many Florida homeowners have their yards sprayed with (weed and feed) fertilizer and bug killers to keep the lawn looking perfect. Lawn spraying trucks are in my neighborhood all the time.
I understand having short grass because we do have a lot of creatures that would like to hide in it. Snakes would probably love to live in an untamed yard that resembles a field – although I rarely see snakes these days.
The poisons people put all over their grass is not something I can understand. With all the over-crowding and loss of habitat, Floridians especially, should consider being more nature friendly.
A little quiz: Which landscape do you prefer and which House Would You Live In?
Read on about helping beneficials
Thank you for sharing!
