Don’t Pull This Weed! This Flower is One of the Only Food Sources for Bees in Winter

Some plants get a bad rap, and groundsel (Senecio vulgaris) is one of them. If you doubt that, look it up online and you’ll see a list of articles telling you how to get rid of it. It often gets called a weed, to say nothing of the nickname ragwort. But before you reach to pull groundsel out, please read this. Common groundsel may be a bit of a nuisance in the garden, but this winter-flowering plant is a critical source of early-season pollen for bees and other insect pollinators.

The groundsel plant should have a place in every pollinator garden. You’ve heard the saying that one man’s trash can be another’s treasure? That’s how it is for this unassuming little plant. Incredible as it may sound, for some visitors to your garden, the groundsel weed is highly prized.

Groundsel, part of the senecio family, is an upright plant, usually 1-2 feet (30-60cm) tall. Its leaves are lobed, dark green on top and greenish-purple underneath, and the leaf stems are purple, too. Groundsel flowers appear quickly after the seedlings. The blooms are yellow, not unlike daisies. And it’s these flowers that hold the secrets to a genuine lifeline for bees and other beneficial insects over winter. Here’s how…

Common Groundsel: Friend or Foe

Groundsel has many of the qualities of a typical common garden weed which make it look like a foe. It is oh-so-tolerant, living happily in dry sites and moist ones, and producing vast quantities of seeds which germinate in spring and fall, resulting in multiple generations each year. This broadleaf herb can kill humans and livestock if they eat it, and it has developed a resistance to certain herbicides.

So it may be tempting to include it in your weed controls for winter. But groundsel is also a pretty plant that is easy to like. This annual is in the daisy family, and offers large, lobed leaves and bright yellow flowers that turn into white seed heads. It is a lovely plant for anyone who cares about sustaining a vibrant, diverse ecosystem, particularly if you care about wildlife. You can buy Golden Groundsel Seeds from Prairie Nursery to help attract bees like carpenter bees, cuckoo bees, and halictid bees.

Its flowers also attract butterflies with their rich nectar. And groundsel blossoms provide food for diverse insects that may themselves serve as dinner for birds and small mammals, contributing to a thriving ecosystem. As well as being a source of early pollen for bees and hoverflies, the groundsel bush provides food for caterpillars like the cinnabar moth. Its seeds feed seed-loving birds like finches and sparrows.

It can also improve soil condition and structure. Groundsel’s extensive root system prevents erosion and stabilizes soil. So, far from removing this plant, which would be a weeding mistake, it is advisable to keep some in your yard to help your garden and its local wildlife.

Winter Food for Bees

Bees don’t object to groundsel’s weed status, since the plants provide reliable emergency bee food for winter. This is especially important since few garden plants flower in winter. Groundsel does it so well, and so quickly. Other sources of early pollen (for protein) and nectar plants (for energy) are not in plentiful supply at this quiet time of year. So honey bees, bumbles, hoverflies and other visiting insects in winter really appreciate the groundsel’s welcome flashes of tiny golden blooms.

One single groundsel plant can produce a million seeds, and these seeds germinate fast! The seeds sprout almost immediately when they contact the soil, as long as light and moisture are present. And they get around. The seeds are light enough to spread far and wide by wind, water, mulch, and even attaching to clothing.

Once groundsel seedlings emerge, flowers develop within 6 weeks. Given the number of seeds and spring and fall germination, groundsel can bloom all year long in mild-winter areas. In colder regions, it flowers from spring through fall. A single plant can flower and set seed for months before dying. But in winter, these late flowering plants are highly desirable. Overwintering bumble queens, for instance, use the pollen to build up fat reserves.

Best Ways to Grow Groundsel

Groundsel is easy-peasy to grow. It can grow almost without sunshine (it is said to thrive in 93 percent shade). It accepts poor soil (even sand) just as happily as nutrient-rich soil, and it can also survive drought, making it an excellent all-round low-maintenance annual plants in any garden. It is highly adaptable to a range of growing conditions, although it is particularly fond of moist, well draining soil. However, it is toxic to dogs and cats, so bear this in mind when planting.

This plant also spreads quickly and can prove invasive over several years, so you may prefer to keep it contained in a pot or planter. In short, groundsel is a great addition to your garden. If you have it growing in your yard, leave it alone. If you don’t, try planting it. Your neighborhood bees will thank you for it. You can grow it happily in partnership with other pollinator-friendly plants like lupine and bee balm. You can buy Heirloom Wild Bergamot Bee Balm Seeds from Amazon.

Other Ways to Help Bees in Winter

As well as growing flowering groundsel in your garden to support bees and other beneficial insects over the winter months, there are a few other ways to maintain an even keel. The following can all help overwintering bees and they don’t require excessive work:

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