Biennial Beeblossom



Biennial Beeblossom in mid-September

 As the name implies Biennial Beeblossom, Gaura biennis, is a true biennial, it establishes a basal rosette the first season and the sends up the flower stalk the second. This stalk can reach 6 feet or more, with clusters of small white flowers borne on the ends of wand-like stems. Flowers in the cluster open 2 or 3 at a time and turn pink with age. As with other members of the Onagraceae, or Evening Primrose family, these flowers open in the evening and close up the following day. The blooming period is from July into October. After the first flush, plants can be cut back severely; they will produce a second flush of blooms. I have also cut the plant back by up to ½ in mid-June to give a plant only slightly shorter with many more flowering stems. I have transplanted second-year plants without loss of vigor. I even had a root-bound plant in a 4” pot grow to 3 feet tall and bloom successfully.



Basel rosette of Gaura biennis form in the first season





Fresh flowers open at 9:30 PM



A bumblebee making a landing on a Beeblossom flower.

The flowers of G. biennis are pollinated primarily by long-tongued bees, especially bumblebees. When bees visit the flowers they grab on to the long stamen and crawl to the corolla to get the nectar. In the process their abdomen rubs against the anthers and stigma of the flower thus transferring pollen. Several moths also visit this plant. Two interesting pink colored species are the Primrose Moth, Schinia florida, found in the eastern US and the Clouded Crimson, Shinia gaurea, found in the western half of the US. The first 2 years I grew this plant I did not see too much insect activity, but this year there were a lot of bumblebees visiting the plant at sunrise, while the flowers are still relatively fresh (but alas, no pink moths that I have seen).




The original native range for Gaura biennis in the United States is from the Southeast to Midwest and Pennsylvania. Populations have been found further east and west the northern states including Massachusetts. The native habitat includes open and disturbed places, open woods and stream banks. It can tolerate a range of soil moisture from moist to dry and exposures from full to partial sun. Best growth occurs when there is good sun, and not too much water or fertilization provided (it can flop over when it grows too tall).



Even after cutting back in June,
this plant is approaching 7 feet.


This plant can be rather lanky. Its tall habit with long stalked flowers may make it a good candidate for creating a screen or a back-of-the-border plant. I can see combining this plant with the American Bellflower, Campanulastrum americanum, which blooms from the end of June to the beginning of August. As the bellflower dies out the Beeblossom would take over blooming for another 6 weeks or so.

Seeds are available from several sources, mostly based in the mid-west, including Prairie Moon Nursery and Ever Wilde Farms. For seed started indoors, a 60 day period of moist stratification is recommended.  In my hands this gave reasonable, though not exceptional results. My first generation of plants have reseeded themselves with moderate vigor so that I have had several plants growing consistently since 2008.

Lindheimer's Beeblossom,
Gaura lindheimeri.

The commercially more popular form of Gaura is Lindheimer’s Beeblossum, Gaura lindheimeri, which is a short-lived perennial. I also have this plant in my garden, but it does not seem to be as popular with the pollinators as the Biennial Beeblossom. The popularity of of this plant is that, as a perennial, it has a more consistent presence in the garden, a long period of bloom and at 2-3 feet it is of a more manageable size.

American Bellflower Update

American Bellflower, in bloom from
late June through August

Over a year ago I posted some information on the American Bellflower, Campanulastrum americanum.  This plant, or it's progeny anyway (it's a biennial) have been growing in my yard since 2008.  It spends its first year as a rather innocuous rosette of leaves, but in its second year it shoots up to form a flower stalk between 2 and 6 feet in height, depending on location.  This spring I had an over abundance of second year plants within about 5 feet of the 2009 plants that I let go to seed. This spread is consistent with the smooth round seed just falling to the ground from the tall flower stalks.  Not wanting to throw any of these seedlings out, I redistributed them to a variety of areas in my yard that are normally difficult for growing flowering plants. 

A spontaneous composition on
the edge of the driveway with
Spiarea latifolia, the blue
Campanulastrum and
Rudbecia hirta.

The Campanulstrum growing in
dry shade under a Crabapplealong a foundation.

Along the North side, here the Hostas
hide the legginess of the Bellflower



Growing in rocky soil from under the
deck - plants forming a screen.



It seems that the plant looks better in some of the more challenging locations, where its vigor is moderated.  In rich soil with lots of sun it can become a floppy 6 foot monster.  Some places where it is doing nicely are : cracks in the driveway, a sterile rocky area under a deck, north side of the house, under a Norway Maple and in the deep shade of a Crab Apple along a dry foundation.  I think this latter location shows the American Bellflower at its best.

As far as pollinators, it seems that there is one particular bee, probably a type of Mason or Miner Bee (can anyone ID this for me?), that really loves this plant.  The first couple of years I didn't see much action with bees, but this year the bee activity has taken off!  A few larger bumblebees drop in, but they prefer the Meadowsweet (Spiarea latifolia var. alba) for the most part.

The meadowsweet is preferred by the bumblebees

I have been a little concerned with how vigorously this plant reproduces, however it is fairly easy to pull up so it can be controlled in the garden fairly easily.  It is not as aggressive a reseeder as my Bearded Beggarticks (Bidens aristosa), which I am glad to say is easily edited out by selective pulling.  The question of persistance of the seed remains.  How many years will it lie dormant in the soil? 

Also, since this bellflower is not a Massachusetts native, I wouldn't recommend its use near wild areas in this state.  But I do think it works well as a North American native that is well adapted to the conditions of the modern residential landscape, particularly under trees and along shady foundations.

American Bellflower

All around my yard I have mini-invasions of the attractive-yet-aggressive perennial Creeping Bellflower, Campanula rapunculoides, with is tall raceme thick with 1” purple bells. This European import is prevalent in disturbed areas, but according to Forest Service, it is not believed to be a threat to undisturbed natural habitats. When I learned about a native bellflower that also produced tall flower spike I got excited and got hold of some seed. American Bellflower, Campanulastrum americanum, is a biennial, spends its first year as a rosette of foliage and then launches its flower spike, up to 5 feet, in the second year. Despite the similarity in the name, the American (or Tall) Bellflower is a very different plant from its creeping cousin. Its flowers are like sky blue stars rather than bells and very tall flower spike is rather leafy and not as densely populated by blooms. Also, American Bellflower reproduces by seed only and does not form underground runners.

The native range for Campanulastrum americanum is from Ontario to Minnesota and south to Florida. As such, there are not any native populations in Massachusetts. Its native habitat is in moist borders and open woods. While it may grow in full sun, it prefers cool conditions.

I put in seedlings in all parts of my yard ranging from dry shade to full sun in well drained soil, to see just how they do. These plants survived in all locations. In areas with fertile soil and lots of sun, the flower spike reached nearly 6 feet. In the dry shade it topped out at about 2 feet and did not bloom as intensely. It even survived under a Norway Maple. It does reseed itself quite well, where the seed can find good soil. I have way too many seedlings this year, but they are not so prevalent as I get with the Swamp Marigold, Bidens aristosa, growing in the same area.  By recognizing the rosette with its 1/2-1" heart-shaped leaves, you can mange the population by transplanting or removing excess plants.

The flowering period is from July to October. The first flush is strong then blooming continues slowly throughout the summer. While not as full as the first flush, these plants will produce fresh blooms later in the fall. I tried cutting some flower stalks back to generate new spikes at mid-season, but this was not too effective. Maybe this year I’ll try that earlier. Seed that is produced early in the season may ripen quickly and germinate to produce a rosette that year, essentially functioning as a winter annual.

Also of interest, C. americanum is on a list for plants suitable for use under walnut trees, having both resistance to the juglone and a tolerance for shade. Hummingbirds are reported to visit this plant and it has been used to treat coughs and respiratory ailments by the Iroquois and Meskwaki Indians.

Seed for C. americanum is becoming more available. I was able to get seed from both Prairie Moon Nursery and the New England Wildflower Society (NEWFS). In discussing native plants with Scott LaFleur of NEWFS, he felt that despite its vigorous nature in size and reseeding, this plant could do really well in the garden. From my experience I see that it may find its garden home in the back of a shady border or in a cottage garden, where it leafiness will blend in with the other masses of plants.  Since this plant is not native to the New England States, I would not recommend its use up here in areas near to natural areas where its seed may escape.

Adlumia fungosa!!!

Adlumia fungosa, if pronounced ad-LOO’mee-uh” fun”-GOE’suh, may sound like an incantation from the Harry Potter series. Instead, it is fast growing biennial vine native to the Northeastern United States. It is also known by many common names, such as Climbing Fumitory, Allegheny Vine and Mountain Fringe Vine. The genus Adlumia is named for John Adlum a 19th century American Horticulturalist and fungosa means spongy in Latin, may refer to the consistency of the faded bloom which persists long after its peak. 

The flowers form clusters of white to pale pink bells from June to September, similar to those of its cousin, bleeding heart (Dicentra). As the flowers age, they take on an antique sepia shade. The seed ripens throughout the season, with September being the best time to harvest the small, shiny black seeds. Jane Loudon recommended this plant for the English flower garden in her ‘Ladies Companion’ (1865). I was fortunate to get both some second year plants from the New England Wildflower Society this last year, as well as seed from Summer Hill Seeds. This should help me to develop a continuous supply of first and second year plants and I am looking forward their continuing presence in my garden.

Its fern-like gray-green foliage is typical of other members of the Fumariaceae, like the Dicentra and Corydalis.  In early spring it is difficult to distinguish this vine from Wild Bleeding Heart and Squirrel Corn (D. eximia and D. canadensis).  The vine forms a rosette, growing to about 8” the first year and in the second year takes off to form an 8-10’ clamoring vine.  Its structure is rather delicate and it requires the support of strings or a trellis, on which the thin leaf stems intertwine, to grow vertically. The plants prefer partial shade in average, well drained soil. Too much sun will damage this vine. The first time I tried this plant in my garden, one poorly supported plant was irreparably twisted and killed by a strong wind.
The reported native habitats are moist coves, rocky woods, ledges, alluvial slopes, and thickets with a range from Virginia, north to Quebec and Manitoba. In Massachusetts it is listed as a threatened species where it is native to the western half of the state (west from Worcester County).

Recently, fellow plant blogger Alice Joyce wrote a article featuring this vine in the March/April 2010 edition of American Gardener (on-line access for AHS members only). Also, more information and some fine photos can be found in a post from Kathy Purdy in Cold Climate Gardening (August 2009).

Introduction to the use of North American native annuals and biennials

While there is a growing interest in native trees, shrubs and herbaceous perennials there are very few native annuals promoted for landscape use in native landscape designs. This focus is due in large part this is because the longer-lived species can be counted on year after year to uphold the integrity of the design. When included in a design, conventional annuals are often used as temporary accent pieces, just to add interest or fill a gap in the permanent landscape. In general, many of the annuals used in designed landscapes and home gardening are of exotic origin and have been further improved horticulturally for maximum visual affect. These plants and methods are not bad or evil; they are just a few steps away from what would be considered natural to a given area. While beautiful, these plants lack local character, certainly on a regional, if not continental scale. To the extent that they are different from the local flora, they may have lost some of their ecological value as food and shelter for wildlife in the area. In contrast, native annuals may function more as perennials. Those that are adapted to the local environment are able to reseed and return year after year. For some people, this may be a problem since the plants will move around, disrupting the design. Others would consider this as a natural phenomenon and appreciate how plants are able to find their proper niche. The ideal native annual could be considered as a plant that develops quickly with more flowers, a longer flowering cycle than perennials, and that reseeds but is not invasive. This blog will discuss many species of North American native annual and biennial plants and explore how they might be used in a residential landscape.