5.2 Perennials

PERENNIALS 43
Celastrus scandens L.
American bittersweet, false bittersweet, climbing bittersweet, bourreau des arbres,
cdlastre grimpant
per. zone 3b Jul-Sep vine-like, to 60 cm
Value for honey: bees work freely on this 72 .
Notes: yellow clusters open to disclose red berries; often used for decoration 95 ; thickets,
river banks and woods, s. Que. to s. Man., S. to s. N.E. and beyond Can. limits 23 .
Centaurea dealbata Willd.
Persian centaurea, Persian knapweed
per. -37° to -29° C Jun-Sep 60 cm
Value for honey: said to be particularly attractive to honeybees 72 ; see Centaurea.
Honey: see Centaurea.
Notes: solitary flower heads, white and rosey-white; a compact bushy plant.
Chionodoxa luciliae Boiss.
glory of the snow, gloire de neige
per. (bulb) Apr-May 7-15 cm N(P) 36
Value for pollen: a useful early source of P 35 .
Notes: needs full sun; will naturalize; among the first spring bulbs to bloom; small blue
and white bell-shaped flowers in a cluster, foliage is grass-like.
Cichorium intybus L.
common chicory, blue daisy, blue sailors, wild succory, chicoree, chicotin, barbe du
capuchin, chevaux de paysan
per. -37° to -29° C 90-180 cm
Value for honey: HP3 16 ; plants may close up in the afternoons and so yields N in the
mornings only 3'; surplus H has been obtained where this is grown on a field scale for
roots or seeds (e.g. England and Mich.) 35,72; one of the most attractive plants to bees 72 .
Honey: is yellowish-green in colour; flavour is pleasant and has a coffee-chicory
taste ? .
Notes: cultivated as a crop for roots or green fodder in some countries 35, but is a
noxious weed is some provinces of Canada'.
Cirsium Mill.
thistle, plume thistle, chardon
per. (bienn.) Jul-frost 30-150 cm
Value for honey: HP3 16 ; most of these are excellent sources of N; however, some
thistles have very long flower tubes so that the N is out of reach of the honeybee, or
rarely available 3'; C. arvense (L.) Scop., Canada thistle, is one of the best thistles for
N, but is a serious introduced pest or noxious weed in several provinces 35.72 ; C. crispus
(welted thistle) is also a weed but is eagerly visited by honeybees 3s
Value for pollen: may be eagerly collected (especially from C. arvense).
Honey: light in colour; good flavour; no pronounced aroma 16; has been compared to
basswood (Tilia) H in characteristics and quality 72 ; some state that it is the finest
available source of H 72 .
Notes: most of these are serious weeds due to their invasive nature, and are usually
unwelcome intruders in the garden. Flowers are not unattractive and are made up of
hundreds of tiny tubular florets in tight globular clusters.