Native Plants

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

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Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

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Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

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Friday - November 27, 2015

From: Edison, NJ
Region: Mid-Atlantic
Topic: Pollinators, Grasses or Grass-like, Herbs/Forbs, Wildflowers
Title: What is blooming in NJ in Late November?
Answered by: Anne Van Nest

QUESTION:

I am a beekeeper in Edison, NJ. My bees are still bringing pollen even this late in the season (Thanksgiving). What plants or trees are still blooming? The color of the pollen is a pale yellow.

ANSWER:

There are quite a few New Jersey native plants in the Native Plant Database that might be potential pollen plants for your foraging bees. A search of New Jersey plants that bloom in November and December will produce about 100 plants. If there hasn't been an early frost in your area, there will be lots of late blooming perennial blooms for bees to visit. Some of these are pictured below.

For additional information about increasing native bee pollination in New Jersey, Bryn Mawr College and Rutgers University have produced an online article "Native Bee Benefits" that discusses plants, bee species and more.