Pollinator-Friendly Alternative to Hosta and Daylily

Pollinator-Friendly Alternatives to Hosta & Daylily

5/27/2018

It's cool if you love your hosta and daylily collection, however their value to pollinators is minimal even if they are easier than bindweed to grow (oh, bindweed, you scoundrel). Neither plant is a host for butterfly or moth larvae, so we won't be making new pollinators, and the nectar is primarily accessible and suitable to long-tongued generalist adult insects only (think bumble bees).

What could we use instead that would help more pollinators and still be simple to grow? This is assuming you don't care so much how the plant looks in comparison to a hosta or daylily (no apples to apples here), but simply how it acts and how easy it is to cultivate. So for hosta we're looking at plants that thrive in dry shade, and for daylily plants that enjoy medium to dry sun. Plus, if you use all 5 suggested plants for each replacement, you're getting a bigger bloom succession and helping far more adult pollinators.

You'll find all of the below perennials featured more in depth in our plant profiles.

HOSTA

Calico Aster (Syhphyotrichum lateriflorum)
-- dry to dappled shade
-- about 2' wide and 2-3' tall (more moisture means bigger plant)
-- early fall white flower with yellow center that turns pink (turning pink tells pollinators the flower is empty)
-- all asters are highly prized pollen and nectar sources

Zigzag Goldenod (Solidago flexicaulis)
-- dry to moist, shade to part sun (more sun, more moisture)
-- 2-3' and tall depending on moisture, slowly spreads
-- early to mid fall, richly-scented blooms
-- incredible adult pollinator diversity

Solomon's Seal (Polygonatum biflorum)
-- dry to medium soils in shade
-- 2' tall and spreading slowly
-- mid to late spring blooms prized by queen bumble bees
-- smooth foliage like hosta

solomon's seal

Early Meadow rue (Thalictrum dioicum(
-- dry to medium soils in shade
-- 2' tall by 12-18" wide
-- wiry stems with airy blooms mid spring with delicate leaves the size of dimes
-- plant in masses for best effect

Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum)
-- dry to medium soil in shade to sun (more sun, more moisture)
-- 1' tall and slowly spreading for a superb groundcover among taller plants
-- late spring blooms with some rebloom in summer
-- pollen accessible to variety of insects

DAYLILY

Wild Blue Indigo (Baptisia australis & B. minor)
-- dry to medium soils in full sun
-- 3-4' tall and 2-3' wide and 2x2' for minor (there are even more species than the above!)
-- mid spring bloom with large jet black seed pods in winter
-- host plant for sulphurs and prized by queen butterflies

Pale Purple Coneflower (Echinacea pallida)
-- dry to medium soils in full to part sun
-- 2-3' tall and 1' wide
-- early to mid summer bloom
-- a coneflower that has pollen, vs. many of the hybrids out now

Rattlesnake Master (Eryngium yuccifolium)
-- slightly moist to slightly dry soil in full to part sun
-- 3-4' tall and 1-2' wide
-- mid summer bloom
-- highly attractive to adult insects

rattlesnake master

Smooth Aster (Syphyotrichum laeve)
-- medium to dry soils in full to part sun
-- 2-3' tall and 1-2' wide
-- early to mid fall bloom
-- smooth foliage and gobs of insects

Aromatic Aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium)
-- medium to dry soils in full sun
--1-2' tall and 2-3' wide (shrub-like appearance)
-- mid to late fall bloom, tons of flowers
-- one of the last food sources for migrating and late-season insects

24 Comments

Mary Julian

5/29/2018 03:34:15 pm

My yard has one remaining hosta and it will soon be adopted by my neighbor. About five years ago I started converting our sunny, shady, wet, dry acre in Asheville, North Carolina to natives. My how they have thrived and multiplied. The riot of flowers is only exceeded by the variety of pollinators. Thank you for the suggestions confirming my native convictions.

Benjamin link

5/30/2018 02:09:48 pm

The day I tore out and threw away my hosta and butterfly bushes was a watershed; it was like being confirmed by the planet or something, even if it was all in my head. ;) Just the zigzag goldenord now in place of the hosta attracts 100x the insects.

Ramona Waters

6/6/2018 10:43:09 am

Great article! We are trying wild geranium in pots/planters on the front porch this year. We replaced the hosta's in the garden with natives a couple of years ago and put the hosta's in pots. However, we would like to find native replacements for ornamental plants in pots/planters, too.

Benjaminm link

6/6/2018 10:51:07 am

Planters are tricky for lots of reasons. Depending on where you are, you may need to overwinter them in a sheltered spot. You also have to choose native plants that don't have deep taproots, and often the potting soil is too rich for the plants. These are reasons I've been shy about natives in pots, though I know it can be done -- just requires more research and lots of experimentation.

Ramona Waters

6/8/2018 07:12:49 pm

Appreciate your response, excellent points about the roots. A question on the daylily. How do you get rid of them? My neighbor has some that have crossed the fence and started showing up in our flowerbeds. They seem to have runners and continue to pop up. Thanks!

Nell

6/13/2018 07:08:38 pm

Hummingbirds make use of the nectar in the blooms of both daylilies and hostas. As do bumblebees, as you noted. Suggestions of plants that provide services to other local fauna are most welcome, but would be even more so if proposed as additions and companions rather than replacements. I really don't understand the point of excluding non-invasive exotics if there are enough locally native plants to support the food web.

Penny Fuller

4/5/2020 09:25:12 pm

I suspect if you were to indulge in reading or hearing presentations by Douglas W. Tallamy you would answer that question for yourself. It's not that non-natives are evil and have no merit, it's deeper than that. I love that you care about what your plants offer more than human enjoyment!

mimi

3/1/2019 04:08:40 pm

Hi, thank you for this article. It seems though that Daylilies do have nectar, and may be good for butterflies?
I live in a very tough climate, (very short growing season, windy, rain in spring,no/very little rain in summer, and near by farmers round up etc drift stays in the clay soil. Poison Hemlock can thrive, everything else requires a lot of help, with limited water. Oh, and the mice/voles that otherwise starve in our zone 5 winters, like to girdle and/or chew the roots on things..And anything planted has to be non toxic to sheep, goats, horses and cows.
I prefer natives, but believe that anything which can provide nectar, or pollen and manage to grow is better than nothing. ( Some natives have just struggled and died. I even tried butterfly bush as a nectar source, but the poor thing while still just alive after two winters has never managed even a single flower.) So far most of my bee successes have been non natives;wild roses, ( which only have pollen) chives, anise hyssop, black locust ( that might be native?) oregano, calendula. Have planted some native buckwheats but they are small and will take years to grow. Planted a small patch of showy milkweed despite it being toxic to livestock ( think it is the least toxic variety) but voles pulled it up in late fall. I will plant it again. There are almost no butterflies here, ( lots of birds due to winter feeding during the snow) and I am trying to find nectar plants that might survive. Will try the coneflowers, ( blanket flowers limped along last year, yarrow will survive but no one seems to use it) but if there are any very high nectar bushes,native or non native that people would recommend , that would also be great
Thank you again for the article!

Benjamin Vogt

3/1/2019 04:13:39 pm

Sure, daylily has pollen and nectar, but what species are using it? What is the quality of it compared to natives? And is it a host species for native polliantor young? Same questions for butterfly bush. I don't know where you -- gardening by zone is far less realiable than ecoregion when talking native plants -- so I hesitate to offer specific plant suggestions. For those, you'd need to consult with local and regional guidebooks, as well as Xerces and Pollinators Partnership and Audubon and local University extension. Also, keep in mind that while voles do eat plant roots (darn voles!) moles only eat soil life like grubs etc. I suspect there are a lot of native plants for you left to try as you provide for wildlife.

Kyle

3/30/2019 07:17:19 am

I think you need to look more local for your natives. Try looking here: https://www.wildflower.org/plants/

TamiDee

7/29/2019 04:28:29 pm

Hello! High desert living here. also live in a harsh cold winters, dry hot short summers. I only have 90 day grow season. This is my 2nd year with 2 bee hives.
The perennials here that survive, thrive & spread (which I like) and my bee’s love are.. Arizona Sun, Cat mint, Salvia, blue flax, rabbit brush & Mullen(sp). It took me years to find which worked the best. Come spring I dig up the ones that spread where I don’t want them & transplant where I do. I do grow Lots of other plants but have found these hardy and come back every year :)

April

2/17/2022 08:13:44 am

Wow, harsh climate!

Mimi

3/2/2019 08:08:36 pm

Hi Benjamin; thank you for your suggestions. Yes, I will keep trying, for now working on a mix of natives and durable non natives. By the way, I live in Eastern WA, short season microclimate not quite high plains desert (17 inches rain a year, most in spring).We do have some generalist caterpillar larvae plants with many leaves;apple, plum, cherry, elderberry bushes,small amount of parsley, annual brocolli, small amount of fennel,thimbleberry, serviceberry also dandelions ( for moths, I believe) but see almost no butterflies at all. A yellow butterfly does come around,but that is about it. The bees, both bumble bee and many native bees seem to be doing better now, and particularly love the clumps of chives.That is why I am now looking for nectar plants,for the butterflies, and enjoying articles like yours. The Xerces society put me off with an article advocating herbicide killing of dandelions, which would probably kill any moth larvae on them.
If the native buckwheats survive, they will be another larvae food source.( They did fine with the dry summer and twice a week watering; now to see if they can survive the cold winter ,sodden spring ground, and local farmers spray drift..Nothing grows fast here, so I am thinking about getting some already blooming, large butterfly bushes ( sterile) as it appears their nectar is very popular, and hence good quality? ( Also I believe the checkerspot will use them for larvae, though the chances of them coming here and finding it right now look pretty bleak..This is until I can find more native plants to take over the nectar supply. Am going to try the purple cone flowers as well, and prairie clover might work, hopefully.
So far, in the last ten years since we bought this, at least we got the birds back on the property, so it is all a process. By the way, I don't harm the voles, mice etc ( though after the mice girdled some five year old fruit trees, I have been a little bit more enthusiastic about the local predators) but realize that in the deep snow, they too, are just hungry.Am using plastic tree guards, and re planting some fruit trees, so will see how they survived this last winter.Given all the crocuses they ate a year or two earlier, ( only 1 survived from a bag of 50 or more) I am also thinking about planting some sacrificial crocus bulbs next year as a winter food source to keep them off everything else..Again thank you for your kind comments, and please wish me , and all the struggling wildlife in this area, luck!

Madi

2/17/2022 02:01:01 pm

https://www.wnps.org/
Washington Native Plant Society

Linda Ferich

3/30/2019 11:46:12 am

Mimi, You may find this Dr Doug Tallamy's video helpful as you plan to help wildlife in your area. He also has a website.
https://www.ecobeneficial.com/videos/interview-dr-doug-tallamy/
Thank you Benjamin. I enjoy reading your articles very much.

Martha Pampel

3/30/2019 06:16:06 pm

If anyone can tell me how to get the day lilies out of my garden (been digging them up for 16 years now) please share. I hate the things - invasive, useless, and make a huge mess when they fade.....

Tessa

5/23/2021 10:55:29 am

Hi Martha - I came across this article while trying to find advice on how to get rid of the daylilies that came with the house when we bought 6 years ago and have gotten completely out of control: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/bulbs/daylily/controlling-daylilies.htm
Ignore the systemic herbicide suggestion, of course. There is one method that says to use a very thick layer of mulch to stop them from growing. I’m thinking of trying it in one area (they are in five places in our yard <sob>) and am going to place a layer of weed barrier under the mulch - leave it for a season to see if it kills them off. So far the only thing that has outcompeted them is trumpet vine and Joe Pye weed - at least they’re native lol.

Candice

5/19/2022 10:40:31 pm

I dug up daylillies and replanted the entire bed with new plants, then I added a layer of cardboard, and then a thick layer of mulch. Only one popped back up this spring!

Tessa

5/20/2022 12:10:56 pm

Candice - Thank you for sharing your experience- so happy to hear it actually works! We haven’t gotten around to tackling the areas where they are growing yet: been dealing with English ivy, Himalayan blackberry, Japanese honeysuckle, garlic mustard, white mulberry, and other assorted non-native and highly aggressive vines and plants. We will definitely be using this method to get them under control and replace with native species soon.

Donna Davis

3/31/2019 09:54:18 pm

Pollinator gardeners here in the upper midwest are finding very useful guidance in a book called “The Midwestern Native Garden: native alternatives for non-native plants” by Charlotte Adelman and Bernard L. Schwartz. Since some of the successful native plants mentioned in Eastern WA are the same as ours, this book might work for you.

Mimi

1/23/2020 10:39:29 am

Thank you Kyle, TamiDee, Benjamin,Donna, Linda, for your comments/advice.. Linda, mullen grows really well here too,and can survive pesticide drift that killed off almost everything else one year. Snowberry does great too.But though native, it doesn't seem to hugely attract pollinators. I have discovered that part of the issue is also the soil is very alkaline. Donna; some of the midwest type plants do seem like they will work; the guides for Washington state often focus on the Seattle side with a very different climate and rainfall, rather than our semi desert.
For those interested in semi desert, drought tolerant high alkaline clay loam gardening, for pollinators; here are some plants that will live, some with different water requirements; natives; snow buckwheat , yarrow, hot rock penstemon and penstemon fruiticosa ( the only penstemons so far that will make it) the drought tolerant form of oregon grape, elderberries, service berries, rabbitbush ( though it is rumoured to prevent other plants from growing in the same soil), thimbleberries, a type of ?native rose
Sweet fernbush, though it is showing some signs of chloriosis,( yellowing leaves) which is a sign it doesn't love alkaline too much..
Some non natives, dandelions, ( bless them!) perennial bachelors button thrives,lilac, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, a whole lot of herbs;lavender, fennel, comfrey, thyme, oregano, lovage ( also a huge small pollinator favorite when it briefly flowers).tree wise, aspens, black locusts, linden trees, plum trees, service berries ( slow growing but they do keep living) Garlic and onions do great; so have been doing research,and have made new plantings of several native onion varieties,new jersey tea, prairie clovers etc, as well as a hackberry tree. More buckwheats and rabbitbush are also on the plan for spring. I don't know the outcome of the new plantings yet, and most of the natives are too young to tell how much the local pollinators will actually like them. I did read that alkaline soil effects nectar content in plants; for example it increases the content in bachelors buttons which makes sense, given it is a huge favorite. The yarrow, while attracting a small number of tiny pollinators has not been either the pollinator or butterfly magnet I expected. It's the white native growing one,not a cultivar, but am wondering if maybe it produces less nectar in alkaline clay, given that some others report it to be very popular.
Was very thrilled to find that when the painted lady butterflies came through our part of Washington, my garden was a huge favorite, dandelions, bachelors buttons,chives, lilac were all covered with butterflies. None of the natives were in bloom, except the yarrow just starting to come in, but it was basically ignored.Unfortunately even though yarrow is supposed to be a host plant, there were no caterpillars left afterwards. Am still working on finding other potential host plants, and would love to find a drought tolerant milkweed that likes alkaline clay...
Thanks again to all, and happy gardening

Mary

4/9/2020 01:31:16 pm

Hi Mimi. I'm in Edmonton Alberta. Although not high desert, short, dry growing season as well. Here our native milkweed is called low milkweed (asclepias ovalifolia). Maybe something to try?

Luana Boulanger

4/4/2020 11:51:07 am

Many thanks for this. I have soe of them; I'll check the hardiness zones for the others, for 1 1/2 hrs north of Montreal. I'm glad I found this site since I guess you are no longer on Houzz. Keep safe.

Benjamin

4/4/2020 11:54:33 am

Yeah, I stopped writing for Houzz full time a few years back. You may want to stop gardening by hardiness zone, though: http://www.monarchgard.com/thedeepmiddle/stop-gardening-by-hardiness-zone

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Pollinator-Friendly Alternatives to Hosta & Daylily

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The Deep Middle

Pollinator-Friendly Alternatives to Hosta & Daylily

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Archives

Original Archives1,257 posts fromJuly 2007 - May 2017

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Original Archives

1,257 posts from

July 2007 - May 2017