Photo Of The Week: Southern Magnolia and Bees

June 9, 2024
Larry Hurley
Shrubs and Trees
0 Comments

Southern Magnolia with bees by Larry Hurley

Because I am first and foremost a perennial guy, at least when it comes to gardening, I usually think of perennials when I am thinking about “bee-pleasing” plants.

So when I passed by this Southern Magnolia that was for sale in the Behnke Nurseries woody plants sales area in August of 2015, I was amazed at the bee frenzy that was happening on all of the flowers.

I’ve always liked Southern Magnolia, for their elegant evergreen foliage, and their habit of putting out flowers (here and there) throughout the summer. I love the (to me) lemony-floral fragrance. Apparently the bees like it as well.

Something to consider for your garden, and there are dwarf cultivars for the smaller yard. Just one more plant I can’t grow up here in Wisconsin, but it gives me one more reason to visit the South.

Larry Hurley

Larry Hurley worked at Behnke Nurseries from 1984 until the business was composted in 2019, primarily with the perennial department in growing, buying and sales.

Before landing at Behnke’s, he worked as a technician in a tissue culture lab, a houseplant “expert” at a florist shop, and inventory controller at a wholesale nursery in Dallas. With this and that, ten years passed.

When his wife Carolyn accepted a position at Georgetown University, Larry was hired at Behnke’s for the perennial growing department and garden center at Behnke’s Largo location.

In 2021, Larry and Carolyn moved back to Wisconsin to be closer to family and further from traffic. After 37 years in a shaded yard in Maryland, he is happy to have a sunny lot where he can grow all sorts of new perennials, if only he can keep the rabbits at bay. He also enjoys cooking, traveling, and the snowblower.