What is a good tree to attract pollinators in late summer?

Question

I am looking for a good August blooming tree that is bee frequently. Searching the internet I seem to just get a different mix of the same results of my searches. When I search For August blooming trees, that gets interpreted as summer blooming and the all the trees listed end up being listed as June blooming. I don’t want an early summer bloom, I want a late summer bloom, honestly covering mid July through August which is when bees have the least forage available during the beekeeping calendar.

If someone could help, that would be fantastic.

I am in connecticut, theoretically in zone 7, but I have a habit of treating my area as one zone colder so I don’t choose plants on the edge of winter tolerance.

Answer 1

Depends what your definition of 'tree' is really - if you were looking for a 50 foot plus tree, this won't fit the bill, but the obvious candidate is Hibiscus syriacus, which is hardy in your zone (even if you count it as 6). It is popular with many types of bee and other pollinating insects, blooms late summer, usually end of July through August or into September, is a deciduous medium/large shrub and reaches a height of 9m, often with a tree like form in maturity. There are several named varieties with different colour flowers - 'Woodbridge' has deep pink flowers, 'Oiseau blue' has blue flowers, but there are other colours. They need moist but well drained soil conditions, preferably in full sun; applications of well rotted or composted manure once a year are helpful. https://pfaf.org/user/plant.aspx?latinname=Hibiscus+syriacus

If you don't mind a much smaller deciduous shrub then Caryopteris clandonensis is another late summer flowering plant which is very popular with bees. Its also hardy in your area, but if the topgrowth is not killed back by winter, best to hard prune it in early spring https://www.thespruce.com/what-is-blue-mist-shrub-1402271

Answer 2

Here are two US natives, both hardy in your zone:

• Franklinia alatamaha (blooms July/August, may be hard to cultivate in your area, though). Zones 5/6-10

• Stewartia ovata (blooms in July in its native range, and more of a tall shrub or very small tree. Can also present cultivation challanges. Zones 5-9)

There are other stewartias, but they all usually bloom in July rather than August.

Both of the trees I referenced have showy white flowers and should be great for pollinators.

You might also want to consider shrubs like Clethra and Itea, both of which bloom in July/August (Itea blooms later than Clethra). Clethra is definitely a bee magnet.

Answer 3

Buddleia davidii, it's not a tree, but many varieties will get big as small trees. Some varieties will get 10' tall. The bees go wild over them. They bloom for months, but even better when dead headed. This particular species in invasive in some regions. I know it has been outlawed in Oregon. There are hybrids, but most of them are a little shorter. You can prune it to look like a treeish.