I share a large burning pit with my neighbor. In recent years it doesn't get used nearly as much as it used to, so it started becoming very weedy around the edges. I had the idea about 5 years ago to start tossing some native seed and seedheads along the edge to see if anything pops up and grows. Every year since then, I've tossed some extra seeds or seedheads around the edge of the pit. I figured it may fail, it may get burned, or it may even get cut down, but having natives in that location is still better than non-native weeds. If it succeeds, great! If it fails, it's no loss to me.
This past year it did really well! A lot of native species bloomed throughout the summer and provided important nectar and pollen sources for pollinators.
Here's how it looked early in the year. What you see here is a mix of weeds and natives. What started as 100% weeds is now about 60% native and 40% weeds.
Some natives appeared here on their own, too, like goldenrod.
Wild bergamot started blooming in July. It's a fantastic pollinator plant.
Soon after, daisy fleabane and purple coneflower started blooming. Daisy fleabane is another native specie that arrived here on its own.
And then in late summer, a mix of goldenrod, new england aster, and smooth oxeye all bloomed, making the pit even more colorful than my gardens! It was a pollinator paradise!
It's been a fun little side project, and I'm really surprised how well it's turning out. Again, it is a project I haven't really sunk much time or thought into since it's in a place where it could easily be destroyed, but every native plant that has the chance to bloom is important to pollinators, and for that it's already been a success. We'll see if it makes it through another summer and I'll update when that time comes.
This past year it did really well! A lot of native species bloomed throughout the summer and provided important nectar and pollen sources for pollinators.
Here's how it looked early in the year. What you see here is a mix of weeds and natives. What started as 100% weeds is now about 60% native and 40% weeds.
Some natives appeared here on their own, too, like goldenrod.
Wild bergamot started blooming in July. It's a fantastic pollinator plant.
Soon after, daisy fleabane and purple coneflower started blooming. Daisy fleabane is another native specie that arrived here on its own.
And then in late summer, a mix of goldenrod, new england aster, and smooth oxeye all bloomed, making the pit even more colorful than my gardens! It was a pollinator paradise!
It's been a fun little side project, and I'm really surprised how well it's turning out. Again, it is a project I haven't really sunk much time or thought into since it's in a place where it could easily be destroyed, but every native plant that has the chance to bloom is important to pollinators, and for that it's already been a success. We'll see if it makes it through another summer and I'll update when that time comes.
