Native Plants
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Thursday - June 02, 2011
From: St. Paul, MN
Region: Midwest
Topic: Shade Tolerant
Title: Bee-attracting vine for shade from St. Paul MN
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
I need a vine for shade that attracts bees. I am in Minnesota, zone 4a. ThanksANSWER:
We first went to our Native Plant Database and searched on Minnesota and "vine" under General Appearance. This yielded 48 possibilities, which seemed a lot to search individually, so we tried Recommended Species, which gave us exactly 2 vines recommended for Minnesota:
Celastrus scandens (American bittersweet) which had this information (follow the plant link to read our entire webpage)
"Warning: POISONOUS PARTS: All parts, seeds. Low toxicity if eaten. Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, loss of conciousness. (Poisonous Plants of N.C.)
Attracts: Birds"
Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper),
"Warning: POISONOUS PARTS: Berries. Highly Toxic, May be Fatal if Eaten! Symptoms include nausea, abdominal pain, bloody vomiting and diarrhea, dilated pupils, headache, sweating, weak pulse, drowsiness, twitching of face. Toxic Principle: Oxalic acid and possibly others. (Poisonous Plants of N.C.) Also, the plants tissues contain raphides, which can irritate the skin of some people. It is far less likely to irritate, and less irritating than, Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron radicans), though, which it somewhat resembles and with which it is often confused.
Attracts: Birds"
So, that's ought for two. We'll go back and see what we can find out in the other 46 vines from Minnesota. We narrowed the search down this time by indicating the need for shade in our search. This yielded exactly one vine that fit your specification:
Clematis virginiana (Devil's darning needles) - attracts hummingbirds and bees
We went on another tangent, searching the Internet on "bee plants for Minnesota."
Supporting Pollinators: Bee-Friendly Plants - Minnesota
Why Be Wild Bee Friendly? Minnesota Department of Conservation
None of these websites mentioned vines. If you are more interested in vines than bees, you can probably find a number of vines that would work in your chosen area. If you are more interested in bees than in vines for shade, then all of these articles have good information on regular herbaceous blooming plants that attract bees. They are not necessarily plants native to Minnesota, so they are out of our realm of expertise.
Also, consider reading the book Bringing Nature Home by Douglas W. Tallamy. See Bibliography below.
More Shade Tolerant Questions
Ground cover under live oaks
June 18, 2012 - I have some areas under Live Oak trees (maybe 200 sq. ft.)that remain bare, in spite of trying Habiturf. Soil is dry, poor and shallow. Can you suggest a living ground cover that would not require m...
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Small evergreen shrubs for part shade in Texas
January 31, 2015 - Mr. Smarty Pants,
I'm, for some reason, at odds with myself about a shrub decision. I have need about 8 ft of hedge-like evergreen shrub(s) that I can maintain around 4ft to go under a window. It...
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Evergreen Deck Plant for Oregon
May 29, 2011 - Need evergreen shrub to grow in shade in container 5ft tall for deck.
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Ground cover for shaded sandy soil in Long Island, NY
May 12, 2009 - I live on the north fork of Long Island (Zone 7) I would like to find a grass or low ground cover that will grow in shaded sandy soil. The yard has quite a few trees. It also has to stand up to modera...
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Hibiscus to grow in partial shade in North Carolina
September 25, 2009 - What variety of hibiscus can I plant in Lexington, NC? Are there any variaties that tolerate partial shade?
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