I have written several posts about the pollinators I plant in my gardens. Generally speaking, I focus on planting perennial pollinators. But I also add several annual pollinators. For instance, I plant Heavenly Blue Morning Glory Vines EVERY year, and the morning glories I plant are annuals.

What Is A Garden Annual?

An annual is a plant that grows and blooms effectively for only one gardening season.

Although the Heavenly Blue Morning Glories I plant are annuals, I plant them every year because they remind me of home,

I also plant them to provide food for my late-garden feeders:

My Garden is Just a Little Piece of Ground Now But It Has a Big-Girl Job To Do:

• My Garden Is My Sanctuary
• My Garden Is My Beauty Spot
• My Garden Is My Way of Giving Back to Nature
• My Garden is a Habitat for the Wildlife around Me

Because I take the job of supporting my wildlife seriouslly I usually plant native perennials.

What Is a Perennial?

A perennial is a plant that, in most garden zones, rests in the winter and returns every spring.

What Is a Native Perennial?

A Native Perennial is a Plant that has been growing in a specific area for many years–perhaps forever.

The plants that are native to Hawaii are not the same plants as those that are native to Mississippi. Likewise, Hawaii and Mississippi have different types of native wildlife. An important part of a pollinator garden is that of planting flowers that feed the insects and protect the wildlife in your specific area.

How to Create A Pollinator Garden in Mississippi: A Plant List

I live in Mississippi, which is the state just north of Louisiana–just up the Mississippi River a few miles. At the recommendation of a Mississippi gardener, I plan to try planting the following seed mix this year:

Flowering Plants

Asclepias tuberosa
Butterfly weed
Image Credit: Proven Winners

Baptisia alba
White Baptisia
Image Credit: American Meadows

 

Grasses

Argostis hyemalis
Winter bentgrass
Image Credit: Lady Bird Johnson Wildlife Center

Andropogon ternarius
Split Beard Bluestem
Image Credit: Hamilton Native Outpost

Arnoglossum ovatum
Indian plantain
Image Credit: Wikipedia

“the ovateleaf cacalia,^[2] is a species of plant in the sunflower family.^[3] It is native to the southeastern and south-central United States from southern North Carolina to Florida and eastern Texas.^[4]

“Arnoglossum ovatum is a large plant growing up to 300 cm (120 inches or 10 feet) tall. Flower heads are small but numerous, usually white or pale green, occasionally slightly purplish. The species grows in sandy woods, savannahs, and roadsides.” Wikipedia

 

Species include:

Asters, Baptisias, Coreopsis, Gaillardia, Pycnanthemums, Rudbeckias, Solidagos and cosmos, rye, and timothy hay as nurse species.

Total native species – 25:

Agalanis sp., Baptisia sphaerocarpa, Baptisia alba, Boltonia asteroides, Bouteloua curtipendula, Coreopsis lanceolata, Coreopsis tinctoria, Chamacrista fasciculata, Desmodium illinoisensis, Echinacea purpurea, Elymnus virginicus, Eupatorium hyssopifolium, Gaillardia pulchella, Helianthus annus, Hyptis alata, Monarda citridora, Pycnanthemum tenuifolium, Rudbeckia hirta, Salvia coccinea, Schizachyrium scoparium, Solidago sempervirens, Symphyotichum praealtum, Verbesina virginica.