Native Pollinator Garden

SCBs Native Pollinator Garden

Through a lot of hard work during the spring and summer of 2017, SCB is proud to introduce Queen’s first-ever Native Pollinator Garden in front of the Biosciences Complex!

This Garden is maintained by SCB members and the Garden Outreach Committee.

Native Species Garden Information

All species listed below are local wildflower species native to the Kingston region.

Check out our Resources page to get more information on alternatives to traditional (but sometimes invasive) garden flowers.

View the Plots

Herbaceous Species

  • Canadian Anemone (Anemone canadensis)

  • Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)

  • Big Blue Stem (Andropogon gerardii)

  • Starry False Solomon’s Seal (Maianthemum stellatum)

  • Silverweed (Potentilla anserina)

  • Rough Cinquefoil (Potentilaa norvegica)

  • Showy Tick Trefoil (Desmodium canadense)

  • Common Blue Violet (Viola odorata)

  • Fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium)

  • Common Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis)

  • Sundrops (Oenothera perennis)

  • Common Milkweed (Asclepia syriaca)

    Host plant to monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus)

  • Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepia turberosa)

    Host plant to monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus)

  • Blue Vervian (Verbena hastata)

  • Hoary Vervain (Verbana stricta)

  • Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)

  • Slender Mountain Mint (Pyccanthemum tenuifolium)

  • Canadian Anemone (Anemone canadensis)

  • Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)

  • Big Blue Stem (Andropogon gerardii)

  • Starry False Solomon’s Seal (Maianthemum stellatum)

  • Silverweed (Potentilla anserina)

  • Rough Cinquefoil (Potentilaa norvegica)

  • Showy Tick Trefoil (Desmodium canadense)

  • Common Blue Violet (Viola odorata)

  • Fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium)

  • Common Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis)

  • Sundrops (Oenothera perennis)

  • Common Milkweed (Asclepia syriaca)

    Host plant to monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus)

  • Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepia turberosa)

    Host plant to monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus)

  • Blue Vervian (Verbena hastata)

  • Hoary Vervain (Verbana stricta)

  • Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)

  • Slender Mountain Mint (Pyccanthemum tenuifolium)

  • Penstemon (Penstemon gracilis)

  • Foxglove Penstemon (Penstemon digitalis)

  • Pussytoes (Antennaria neglecta)

  • Heath Aster (Aster ericoides)

  • New England Aster (Aster novae-angliae)

  • Joe Pye Weed (Eupatoriuum maculatum)

  • Woodland Sunflower (Helianthus divaricatus)

  • Ox-eye (Heliopsis helianthoides)

  • Blazing Star (Liatris spicata)

  • Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)

  • Goldenrod (Soliago canadensis)

  • Wild Lupine (Lupinus perennis)

  • Prairie Smoke (Geum triflorum)

  • Blue Flag Iris (Iris versicolor)

  • Canadian Anemone (Anemone canadensis)

  • Scarlet BeeBalm (Monarda didyma)

  • Pearly Everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea)

    Host plant to American lady butterflies (Vanessa cardui)

  • Penstemon (Penstemon gracilis)

  • Foxglove Penstemon (Penstemon digitalis)

  • Pussytoes (Antennaria neglecta)

  • Heath Aster (Aster ericoides)

  • New England Aster (Aster novae-angliae)

  • Joe Pye Weed (Eupatoriuum maculatum)

  • Woodland Sunflower (Helianthus divaricatus)

  • Ox-eye (Heliopsis helianthoides)

  • Blazing Star (Liatris spicata)

  • Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)

  • Goldenrod (Soliago canadensis)

  • Wild Lupine (Lupinus perennis)

  • Prairie Smoke (Geum triflorum)

  • Blue Flag Iris (Iris versicolor)

  • Canadian Anemone (Anemone canadensis)

  • Scarlet BeeBalm (Monarda didyma)

  • Pearly Everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea)

    Host plant to American lady butterflies (Vanessa cardui)

  • Pale Purple Coneflower (Echinacea pallida)

  • Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum)

  • Harebells (Campanula rotundifolia)

  • Green Milkweed (Asclepias viridis)

  • Whorled Milkweed (Asclepias verticillata)

  • Cinnamon Willowherb (Epilobium coloratumi)

  • Annual Fleabane (Erigeron annuus)

  • Canadian Anemone (Anemone canadensis)

  • Canada Fleabane (Conyza canadensis)

  • Showy Fleabane (Erigeron speciocus)

  • Woodland Strawberry (Fragaria vesca)

  • Heath Aster (Symphyotrichum ericoides)

  • Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum)

  • Culver’s Root (Veronicastrum virginicum)

  • Coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata)

  • Common Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

  • Common Heal-All (Prunella vulgaris)

  • Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum)

  • Thyme-leaved speedwell (Veronica serpyllifolia)

  • Pale Purple Coneflower (Echinacea pallida)

  • Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum)

  • Harebells (Campanula rotundifolia)

  • Green Milkweed (Asclepias viridis)

  • Whorled Milkweed (Asclepias verticillata)

  • Cinnamon Willowherb (Epilobium coloratumi)

  • Annual Fleabane (Erigeron annuus)

  • Canadian Anemone (Anemone canadensis)

  • Canada Fleabane (Conyza canadensis)

  • Showy Fleabane (Erigeron speciocus)

  • Woodland Strawberry (Fragaria vesca)

  • Heath Aster (Symphyotrichum ericoides)

  • Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum)

  • Culver’s Root (Veronicastrum virginicum)

  • Coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata)

  • Common Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

  • Common Heal-All (Prunella vulgaris)

  • Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum)

  • Thyme-leaved speedwell (Veronica serpyllifolia)

Woody Species

  • Black Cherry (Prunus serotina)

  • Smooth Rose (Rosa blanda)

  • Saskatoon Serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia)

  • White ash (Fraxinus americana)

  • Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida)

  • Fragrant Sumac (Rhus aromatica)

  • Black Raspberry (Rubus occidentalis)

  • Black Cherry (Prunus serotina)

  • Smooth Rose (Rosa blanda)

  • Saskatoon Serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia)

  • White ash (Fraxinus americana)

  • Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida)

  • Fragrant Sumac (Rhus aromatica)

  • Black Raspberry (Rubus occidentalis)

  • Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius)

  • Tulip Tree (Liriodendron tulipifera)

  • Catalpa (Catalpa)

  • WIld Crabapple (Malus coronaria)

  • Gray Dogwood (Cornus racemosa)

  • Chinquapin Oak (Quercus muehlenbergii)

  • White Birch (Betula papyrifera)

  • Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius)

  • Tulip Tree (Liriodendron tulipifera)

  • Catalpa (Catalpa)

  • WIld Crabapple (Malus coronaria)

  • Gray Dogwood (Cornus racemosa)

  • Chinquapin Oak (Quercus muehlenbergii)

  • White Birch (Betula papyrifera)

A great resource for Ontario weeds is the Weed identification guide for Ontario crops. This guide also states what each of the plants are commonly mistaken for and what the differences are for better and easier identification.

Using native plants in our gardens is a great way to increase biodiversity and preserve some of our natural heritage. If you have any questions about other sources of native plants or how to do more in your garden feel free to send us an e-mail at scb@queensu.ca and we’ll do our best to help you out!

How to Prepare Your Seeds

The most important thing to keep in mind for successful propagation is that you need to mimic the natural processes that cause seeds to germinate in the wild as closely as possible. Plants produce their seeds after flowering and then go through a long period of dormancy over the winter months. In order to get seeds to germinate you have to reproduce this long cold period of dormancy and this process is called stratification.

Plant seeds in potting mixture in the fall and leave them outside for the winter. If this isn’t an option, you can place seeds in damp potting soil in January and leave them in your fridge for a couple of months. This should ready the seeds for germination and you can start them growing outside once the weather warms up.

We recommend letting nature do the work since it will take up less room in your fridge and it’s less to think about. So, plant the seeds as a fun holiday activity and get ready for some beautiful native flowers the following spring and summer!

Interactive Garden Map

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View the Interactive Garden Map Here