Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) has flower spikes that look like fuzzy upright caterpillars the color of lavender. It blooms at intervals throughout the summer. This is a member of the mint family, though seems to be easier to contain than common culinary mints. It has square stems and licorice-scented foliage — something rabbits and deer don’t love. It thrives in heat and is tolerant of drought and poor soils.
Bee Balm comes in many colors, but the shorter, pink bradburiana or Eastern version is a boon for bees because it blooms earlier in summer. It’s also a clumping species, so won’t send runners to fill a whole border the way the later-blooming scarlet ones (Monarda didyma) will. Once established, these don’t need much attention, but they’re not as drought-tolerant as other plants on this list. Give them space and morning sun because they’re also susceptible to powdery mildew. The bonus: they attract hummingbirds.
Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa) offers rounded clusters of small bright orange flowers that honeybees feast on in August. It attracts butterflies, too and is an important host plant for Monarch butterflies. There are many types of milkweed but this one is not invasive like the common variety Asclepias syriaca.
Goldenrod sends up its luscious, deep yellow, arching clusters of flowers in late summer; it is a good supplier of pollen for bees provisioning their nests and nectar for butterflies preparing for their fall migrations. It’s adapted to drought and poor soils and is deer resistant. And contrary to popular belief, it does not cause hay fever: the culprit is common ragweed, Ambrosia artemisiifolia, which often grows near goldenrod. Clumping forms, include Showy goldenrod (Solidago speciosa) and Seaside goldenrod (Solidago sempervirens).
Sweet Pepperbush (Clethra alnifolia) is a suckering shrub you’ll come across in partly shaded wetlands here. Look on the wooded edges of ponds for swaths of their white spire blooms starting in mid-July to early August. If you have the right spot, they’ll reward you with their spicy-sweet perfume. They’ll reward your neighborhood’s honeybees, too. When their nectar flows, Wellfleet beekeeper John Portnoy says his apiary becomes a “honey factory.” His sweet pepperbush honey is harvested after the bees have feasted and put up sufficient fall supplies.
