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Pollinator Habitat

Photo: Monarch butterflies at Mellow Marsh Farm

 Almost all native plants (including trees) support pollinators. This includes dormant plants for overwintering habitat, host plants for larva, and flowering plants to pollinate. When trying to garden for pollinators it is important to plant diverse species that bloom at different points in the season, and to leave dormant herbaceous material standing until spring. Our staff can provide site-specific plant recommendations.

Mellow Marsh Farm loves pollinators! We use no herbicides and only Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) approved insecticides. Our founding owner is an active member of the NC Invasive Plant Council.

View our full catalog here

Acer negundo (Box elder) seeds "Acer negundo Mulde 0370 Annabell Hormann korina.info x" by botanischervereinsachsen-anhalt is marked with CC BY 2.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=openverse
Box elder
Acer rubrum "Red maple"
Red maple
"Aesculus flava" by Plant Image Library is marked with CC BY-SA 2.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/?ref=openverse
Yellow buckeye
Aesculus pavia "Red buckeye" in bloom
Red buckeye
Aesculus sylvatica "Painted buckeye" in bloom
Painted buckeye
Close up of of purple, long, spikey flowers rising above bisected leaves
False indigo
Amsonia tabernaemontana in bloom
Eastern bluestar
Andropogon glomeratus 4 inch pot at Mellow Marsh
Bushy beardgrass
Aronia arbutifolia "Choke cherry/Red chokeberry" in bloom
Red chokeberry
Asclepias incarnata "Swamp milkweed' in bloom
Swamp milkweed
Asclepias tuberosa "Butterfly weed" in bloom
Butterfly weed
Baptisia albescens 4 inch pots
Spiked wild indigo
Benthamidia florida "Flowering dogwood" in bloom
Flowering dogwood
Betula nigra "River birch"
River birch
Callicarpa americana "American beautyberry"
American beautyberry
"American hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana)" by Toni Genberg is marked with CC BY-SA 2.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/?ref=openverse
American hornbeam
Green compound leaves of Carya cordiformis (Bitternut) 1-gallon pots in summer at Mellow Marsh Farm.
Bitternut hickory
"Carya glabra (pignut hickory), Cumberland, RI" by Doug_McGrady is marked with CC BY 2.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=openverse
Pignut hickory
"Carya ovata (Shagbark Hickory)" by Plant Image Library is marked with CC BY-SA 2.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/?ref=openverse
Shagbark hickory
"Mockernut Hickory bud (Carya tomentosa))" by Lisa's insects etc is marked with CC BY-SA 2.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/?ref=openverse
Mockernut hickory
Castanea pumila 1 gallon plants at Mellow Marsh
Chinquapin
Ceanothus americanus "New jersey tea" gallon
New Jersey tea
Cercis canadensis "Red bud" in bloom
Eastern redbud
Chelone glabra "White turtlehead" in bloom
White turtlehead
Clethra alnifolia "Sweet pepper bush"
Sweet pepper bush
Coleataenia rigidulum "Redtop panicgrass"
Redtop panicgrass
"Tickseed / Coreopsis lanceolata / 大金鶏菊(おおきんけいぎく)" by TANAKA Juuyoh (田中十洋) is marked with CC BY 2.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=openverse
Lance-leaf coreopsis
Echinacea purpurea "Purple coneflower" in bloom
Purple coneflower
Eryngium aquaticum blooming
Marsh rattlesnakemaster
Eubotrys racemosus "Fetterbush/Swamp dog hobble" in bloom
Swamp doghobble
Euonymus americanus "Strawberry bush"
Strawberry bush
"Eutrochium dubium (Willd. ex Poir.) E.E. Lamont" by Mark T. Strong and Carol L. Kelloff is marked with CC0 1.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/?ref=openverse
Coastal plain joe-pye weed
Eutrochium fistulosum "Trumpetweed/Joe-pye weed" in bloom
Trumpetweed/Joe-pye weed
Hibiscus coccineus "Scarlet rose mallow" in bloom
Scarlet rose mallow
Hibiscus moscheutos "Rose mallow" in bloom
Marsh hibiscus/Rose mallow
Hydrangea quercifolia, Oakleaf hydrangea
Oakleaf hydrangea
Hypericum densiflorum "Bushy St. Johnswort"
Bushy St. Johnswort
Ilex decidua "Possum haw"
Possum haw
Ilex glabra "Inkberry"
Inkberry
"Ilex opaca" by sonnia hill is marked with CC BY 2.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=openverse
American holly
Iris virginica "Southern blue flag" in bloom
Southern blue flag
Itea virginica "Virginia sweetspire"
Virginia sweetspire
Mellow Marsh Farm logo - no image available for this plant
Marsh elder
"File:Leucothoe axillaris3.jpg" by KENPEI is marked with CC BY-SA 3.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/?ref=openverse
Coastal doghobble
Liatris spicata "Blazing star" in bloom
Blazing star
"Raindrops on spicebush (Lindera benzoin) leaves. The water beads up like the lotus effect (like on lady's mantle)" by karen_hine is marked with CC PDM 1.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/?ref=openverse
Spice bush
Lobelia cardinalis "Cardinal flower" in bloom
Cardinal flower
Lobelia elongata "Blue lobelia" in bloom
Blue lobelia
Lyonia lucida "Fetterbush" in bloom
Fetterbush
Magnolia virginiana "Sweetbay magnolia"
Sweetbay magnolia
"Apple Tree" by treegrow is marked with CC BY 2.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=openverse
Southern crab apple
Seeds
MMF seed mixes
Seeds
MMF seed mixes
Seeds
MMF seed mixes
Seeds
MMF seed mixes
Seeds
MMF seed mixes
Seeds
MMF seed mixes
Seeds
MMF seed mixes
Monarda fistulosa "Wild bergamot" in bloom
Wild bergamot
Morus rubra 1-gallon pots at Mellow Marsh
Red mulberry
Nelumbo lutea "American lotus" bloom
American lotus
Nuphar advena "Spatterdock" in bloom
Spatterdock
Nymphaea odorata "American white waterlily" in bloom
American white waterlily
Nyssa aquatica1-gallon pots at Mellow Marsh
Water tupelo
Nyssa biflora 15-gallon leaves at Mellow Marsh with beautiful fall color
Swamp tupelo
Packera aurea "Golden groundsel" in bloom
Golden groundsel
Panicum virgatum "Switchgrass"
Switchgrass
Side view of pink-purple Penstemon smallii flower showing shape and bristles
Small's beardtongue
"Red Bay" by mmmavocado is marked with CC BY 2.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=openverse
Swamp bay, Red bay
Pontederia cordata "Pickerel weed" in bloom
Pickerel weed
Prunus angustifolia (Chickasaw plum) flowers in early spring
Chickasaw plum
"Prunus serotina" by anro0002 is marked with CC BY-SA 2.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/?ref=openverse
Black cherry
Quercus alba "White oak" red, purple, and green fall leaves on Mellow Marsh tublings
White oak
"Quercus bicolor - Swamp White Oak" by Virens (Latin for greening) is marked with CC BY 2.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=openverse
Swamp white oak
Quercus coccinea "Scarlet oak" leaves on Mellow Marsh 1-gallons
Scarlet oak
"Quercus falcata" by Bruce Kirchoff is marked with CC BY 2.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=openverse
Southern red oak
"Quercus lyrata" by Bruce Kirchoff is marked with CC BY 2.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=openverse
Overcup oak
"Quercus michauxii" by Bruce Kirchoff is marked with CC BY 2.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=openverse
Swamp chestnut oak
Quercus nigra "Water oak" acorns
Water oak
"Quercus pagoda" by Bruce Kirchoff is marked with CC BY 2.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=openverse
Cherrybark oak
Orange/red fall colour of Quercus phellos "Willow oak" leaves at Mellow Marsh
Willow oak
Vibrant red Quercus ruba "Red oak" leaves at Mellow Marsh
Northern red oak
new green leaves of Quercus shumardii "Shumard's oak" 1-gallon pots at Mellow Marsh
Shumard's oak
Rhododendron arborescens "Smooth azalea" in bloom
Smooth/Sweet azalea
Rhynchospora colorata "White topped sedge" in bloom
White topped sedge
Rosa palustris "Swamp rose"
Swamp rose
Rudbeckia fulgida "Orange coneflower" in bloom
Orange coneflower
Sabatia kennedyana "Plymouth rose" in bloom
Plymouth rose-gentian
"Black Willow - Salix nigra, Manassas Battlefield Park, Manassas, Virginia" by Judy Gallagher is marked with CC BY 2.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=openverse
Black willow
Silky willow
Saururus cernuus "Lizard's tail"
Lizard's tail
Schoenoplectus pungens "Common three square"
Common three square
"Solidago juncea - Early Goldenrod (?)" by FritzFlohrReynolds is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/?ref=openverse.
Early goldenrod
Solidago rugosa, Wrinkleleaf goldenrod
Wrinkleleaf goldenrod
Solidago sempervirens "Seaside goldenrod"
Seaside goldenrod
Sparganium americanum
American bur reed
Stokesia laevis "Stokes aster" in bloom
Stokes aster
Styrax americanus flower
American snowbell
Swida amomum (Silky dogwood) blooming white with a bee on the flowers
Silky dogwood
"Swamp Dogwood" by treegrow is marked with CC BY 2.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=openverse
Swamp dogwood
"Purple-topped Grass - Tridens flavus, Occoquan Regional Park, Lorton, Virginia" by Judy Gallagher is marked with CC BY 2.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=openverse
Purpletop tridens
"Eastern Gamagrass - Tripsacum dactyloides, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Woodbridge, Virginia" by Judy Gallagher is marked with CC BY 2.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=openverse
Eastern gamagrass
White bell-shaped flowers on green leaves
Highbush blueberry
Verbena hastata "Blue vervain" in bloom
Blue vervain
Viburnum nudum "Possum haw viburnum"
Possum haw viburnum