What type to plant?

[PotterWatch]

I am not much for growing flowers. I prefer veggies on the whole. However, I appreciate flowers for their ability to draw good insects to my veggies. I am looking for some good insect-luring flowers to plant in the blocks that line part of my garden. What might do well with a small space to stretch their roots in?

You can see the blocks in this picture. I have 18 of them to fill.

 

[digitS']

I have planted petunias in concrete blocks, PW.

Oh my, they were spectacular!!

I don't really know about their beneficial insect attracting qualities.

Steve

 

[hoodat]

I am not much for growing flowers. I prefer veggies on the whole. However, I appreciate flowers for their ability to draw good insects to my veggies. I am looking for some good insect-luring flowers to plant in the blocks that line part of my garden. What might do well with a small space to stretch their roots in?

You can see the blocks in this picture. I have 18 of them to fill.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h45/IanTavisMom/DSCN2871.jpg

To feed predators look mostly for plants that have small flowers without the nectar being too deep for predator wasps to reach.Yarrow is very good and grows without care other than cutting off dead flower stalks. Society garlic has nice lavender colored flowers they like and takes up little room. You can allow some of your veggies to go to seed. The flowers of most of them are liked by both bees and predator wasps. Queen Anne's lace takes up space vertically but very little space horizontally. It is pretty but considered a weed in some parts of the country. One mans weed is another mans flower. It shouldn't get out of hand where you live. sweet alyssum is excellent but easily gets out of hand if you don't watch it.

 

[thistlebloom]

You could put alyssum in the two outer holes and Mealy Cup sage, which has a blue flower spike (also goes by other common names but the botanical is salvia farinacea ). Salvia and alyssum will bloom all season and bees like them. There's also pineapple sage (salvia eleagnus ) which is red and the leaves are aromatic.

Here's a few more ideas:
bachelors buttons
creeping thyme (this one could take the heat and cramped root area)
lavender could work, but might not last more than a year or so for lack of space.
lemon balm (makes good honey they say)
sedums (come in a large variety) some are low growing, and would be perfect for the blocks, they tend to bloom in late summer/fall and bees like them a lot.

Actually I really think sedums would work really well, they would be perennial, and don't require much in the way of root space, they are tough and hardy, and you can get several different cultivars for variety.

hope that helps

 

[patandchickens]

The wild-type white yarrow would probably do fine in your cinderblocks, although it needs supervision to avoid it becoming a weed (in lawn as well as garden). Not sure the ornamental cultivars would do so well.

Thymes would do well there, and some have a reasonable flowering season.

Portulaca (annual) would do well there but I dunno how much it does in the way of attracting insects? It's purty though

Usually when I see people planting into blocks like that it's smaller-growing sedums, which do attract lots of bees late in the year but at that point you don't usually NEED bees (at least up here, no idea 'bout So Cal). Some of the smaller purple-foliaged sedums do *look nice* growing in cinderblock holes tho

I wonder if you could get a Perovskia (russian sage -- isn't really a sage) plant going in those? It would be too tall to step over, and would have to be rooting into the ground below the block, but I think it actually might work if you *do* have accessible soil below the block. It starts flowering midsummer with pretty and insect-attracting spikes of flowers til frost.

The other good insect attracting plants that come to mind all either require more moisture than your cinderblock holes would have, or get too darn big.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[vfem]

I always do french marigolds with my tomatoes & cukes, they do wonders! I also plant petunias because I saw somewhere the attract beneficial species. With such shallow areas to plant in the cinder blocks, I would definitely stick with annuals or herbs you can keep in control. Maybe Borage?

 

[PotterWatch]

Thanks so much for all the great ideas! I've a lot to learn about flowers that's for sure. I'll probably be heading to the nursery tomorrow to see what I can get.

 

[thistlebloom]

Her's a little more on sedums Potter,


Goldmoss sedum: (sedum acre) 2 -5 inches high, trailing, light green leaves, clusterd yellow flowers in spring.

sedum album: creeper, to 6inches high, medium green, sometimes red tinted leaves, with a white or pinkish bloom in summer.

sedum kamtschaticum: trailing, 4 - 12 inches high with triangular medium green leaves. Blooms in summer with a yellow flower that ages to red.

Pork and beans (sedum rubrotinctum, or guatemalense ) leaves are green with reddish tips and look like jelly beans. Reddish yellow flowers that bloom in spring.

...and lots more...

Anyway, there's tons of variety there, you may not find all or any of these at your local garden center, but any low growing one would be suitable for your blocks. They're tough, hardy, low maintenance and shallow rooted.
All of these are good in your zone, and as you can see, you could have blooms from spring to fall which your hive would enjoy.

 

[patandchickens]

Goldmoss sedum: (sedum acre) 2 -5 inches high, trailing, light green leaves, clusterd yellow flowers in spring.

Be careful with this, or any other Sedum acre cultivar -- IME they can be really invasive weeds in lawns. Leetle wee pieces break off and root, and can be nearly impossible to get rid of.

Other sedum species are not IME particularly a problem that way.

Pat

 

[thistlebloom]

Goldmoss sedum: (sedum acre) 2 -5 inches high, trailing, light green leaves, clusterd yellow flowers in spring.

Be careful with this, or any other Sedum acre cultivar -- IME they can be really invasive weeds in lawns. Leetle wee pieces break off and root, and can be nearly impossible to get rid of.

Other sedum species are not IME particularly a problem that way.

Pat

Hmmm... well, I can attest to it not being a problem in my garden. It has been in the ground for 3 years and has spread a bit, but not what I would define as invasive by any means. I was curious to see what others say, so I went to Daves Garden for a gardener review and found some very mixed opinions. Some say it's horribly invasive, others love it and have the same experience as I have.
It seems to be a difference in soil type, thin infertile soils, and ample moisture seem to be the worst as far as it becoming invasive. It doesn't compete well with other plants, and can't take foot traffic.