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Promethea Native Plant Nursery, Roanoke, VA (2026)

01/04/2023

We hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year! We have been celebrating the warmer weather by potting up lots of new plants in preparation for spring.

The most numerous species we potted up yesterday were American Hazelnut (Corylus americana) and Pennsylvania Sedge (Carex pensylvanica).

We also potted up some other shade-loving natives like Jack-in-the-Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum), Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense), Allegheny Pachysandra (Pachysandra procumbens), Little Brown Jug (Hexastylis arifolia), and Dwarf Crested Iris (Iris cristata).

Even in the winter months, there's still a lot to keep us occupied until spring!

09/19/2022

When most people think of bees, they tend to think of the bigger, more iconic types like the bumblebees, the honeybee, or perhaps carpenter bees. But the vast majority of bee species are quite small and might not be immediately recognizable as bees at all!

Most of these bees are solitary, meaning they don't build hives or create social hierarchies. The vast majority of them nest in the ground, although some also nest in dormant plant stems or dead wood. And unlike the larger bee species who are generalist feeders, a good number of these solitary bee species rely on the pollen of a single plant genus or family to feed their young.

In this photo, the two bees on the left are in the genus Ceratina (also called small carpenter bees) and the one on the right is in the genus Hylaeus (also called masked bees).

These little guys can be tricky to photograph because they are so small and move about quickly while foraging, but if you take a moment to sit and observe the Goldenrods or Asters blooming at this time of year, you're sure to find some solitary bees buzzing about. The genus Solidago (Goldenrods) actually hosts the largest number of specialist bee species in the Eastern US at 39 species. Symphyotrichum (New World Asters) is not far behind, hosting 32 specialist bee species. It's all the more reason to add some of these late-blooming natives to your yard if you haven't already! 😊

09/16/2022

It's Goldenrod season, which means now is a great time to sit down near a patch of Goldenrod with a camera in hand and see how many different insects you can find.

Goldenrod is extremely popular with pollinators and caterpillars alike, and is one of the most ecologically important genera of herbaceous plants in North America. Contrary to common belief, Goldenrod is not responsible for pollen allergies around this time of year. Its pollen is sticky and heavy, as it is insect pollinated, and won't become airborne. The much more discrete, greenish flowers of Ragweed are actually to blame.

Here is one of my favorite insects: a Double-banded Scoliid Wasp (Scolia bicincta), feeding on Bluestemmed Goldenrod (Solidago caesia).

Scoliid wasps look rather intimidating at first glance, but they're a gardener's friend since they eat common garden pests like Japanese Beetles and June Beetles. As solitary wasps, they are not aggressive, don't form communal nests, and will only sting if handled roughly. In fact, the males are incapable of stinging altogether. The female uses her stinger to paralyze beetle grubs and stores them underground, where she will lay one egg per burrow. Adult wasps feed on nectar, and are effective pollinators due to their hairy bodies and lack of pollen consumption.

As Goldenrod season continues on, I'll be sharing more photos and info about the many pollinators that visit these flowers!

09/02/2022

Now here is one of the plants I'm most excited about growing! These are Smooth Purple Coneflowers (Echinacea laevigata) which I grew from seed this year.

E. laevigata is a very special plant because it is the only Echinacea that is truly native to the state of Virginia. The most commonly grown Echinacea, Purple Coneflower (E. purpurea) is native to several neighboring states such as NC, KY, and TN, but is not naturally found in VA. Echinacea are beautiful, hardy plants popular with pollinators and birds, and is perhaps one of our most iconic US native genera. So it is no surprise that they are a common addition to native plant gardens.

Additionally, Smooth Purple Coneflower is a rather rare plant. It was listed as federally endangered in 1992, but thankfully it has recovered enough to be taken off the endangered species list earlier this year! It is still considered a threatened species however, and remains quite difficult to find in the horticultural trade.

These seedlings will not be available for sale next year, as I intend to keep my 11 plants as stock plants so they can continue to set seed to produce even more plants for the future. That way, I'll be able to share the love with a much larger number of gardeners for years to come.

08/26/2022

Welcome to Promethea Native Plant Nursery! We are a small, family-run nursery specializing in native plants in Roanoke, VA.

We are closed until spring 2023, but you can check out our current inventory by viewing this Google spreadsheet, which will be regularly updated: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1fRSAcOoPTsldHFmPIIhX7_f0i637LbENstt1GFnvcyE/edit?usp=sharing

Because we are a backyard nursery in a suburban neighborhood, we unfortunately cannot host visitors at this time. When we open in 2023, plants will be available for purchase online with curbside pick-up or via a local farmers' market (details TBA).

Our website is still under construction but will be linked here once it's published later this year.

We look forward to sharing our love of native plants and gardening for wildlife with you!

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