Bee Plants

Dense bottlebrush-like flowers composed of fragrant frilly white to cream colored flowers are produced atop the tips of the bare stems in late winter or early spring. Redneck Nation Fothergilla or Witch Alder is a moderately dense growing small to medium sized deciduous suckering native shrub with showy gray-green and bronze new growth that matures to blue-green in summer and produces fall color in shades of red, orange, and yellow. This species is new to science as of 2020! The the cultivar name is in honor of its original discovery by botanist and naturalist Fred Nation in Baldwin County, Alabama and the species name honors Dr. Ron Miller. Provide an average moist, well-drained, acidic soil in full to partly sunny location for optimum vigor and flowering. Redneck Nation Fothergilla can be used as a low growing and low maintenance informal hedge or as a specimen plant in the garden and landscape as well as in naturalistic settings. Flowers will be similar to those shown although this is an image of Mt. Airy Fothergilla. Item# 12165

The large to very large, loose anemone to peony form, bright red flowers typically showing contrasting gold stamens atop white filaments and are produced over an extended period beginning early in the season and continuing through late, November to April. Reg Ragland Supreme Camellia is a large flowered Japonica with a moderate rate of growth and densely branching, compact habit developing into a large, evergreen shrub cloaked in deep green, glossy foliage. Provide Camellias with a fertile soil rich in organic matter, with average moisture, and an organic mulch. Item# 13253

A continuous summer long display of short deep blue tubular flowers emerge from dark calyxes on dense tall dark spikes. A seedling of Mystic Spires Salvia, Rockin'® Playin' the Blues® Salvia is similar to the ever popular Indigo Spires Salvia with the same reliable flower power and slightly lighter blue flowers on a somewhat more compact upright growing plant. The nectar rich flowers are especially attractive to larger bees as well as butterflies and hummingbirds. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in an average moist, well-drained fertile soil. Images courtesy of Ball Horticulture, all rights reserved. Item# 11983

Yes it fruits but it's fine textured evergreen foliage is fantastic! The bright pink new growth of spring matures to a dusty blue-green with hints of pink in summer, followed by deep purplish-blue in fall which deepens through winter. Clusters of 3/8" edible blue fruit that ripen in May-June, follow the light pink bell-shaped flowers of early spring. Rosa's Blush is grown mainly for its compact habit and beautifully colored, fine textured, ever-changing foliage as the berries ripen a few at the time over a long period. Pick the blue-black fruit once fully soft for the best flavor and like most blueberries a cross pollinator is required for the best fruit set. Item# 9206.

Clusters of bright golden yellow upward facing daisies are produced atop sturdy stems emerging from the rosettes of rounded low growing deep green foliage in early(8B) to late spring or early summer(3) depending on your cold hardiness zone. Roundleaf Golden Groundsel, Packera obovata, is very similar to the cutleaf Golden Groundsel, Packera aurea, but is more tolerant of full sun as well as light shade and drier growing conditions. This stoloniferous native perennial develops into an evergreen to semi-evergreen mat of low rich green foliage and its flowers attract many early season pollinators, especially bees. Use Roundleaf Golden Groundsel as a groundcover in informal and naturalistic garden settings as well as in roadside plantings, meadows, and prairies. It is native to much of the central and eastern US.   Item# 12249

The dark colored nearly black spikes and calyxes provide a dark contrast to the brilliant glowing red two-lipped tubular flowers that are sure to draw hummingbirds for miles from spring to fall! Royal Bumble Salvia, a selection or hybrid of the native Littleleaf Sage, S. microphylla, is a 2015 Royal Horticulture Society Award of Garden Merit winner with excellent vigor and amazing flower power all on a compact well-branched plant. Considered by some to be the best red Salvia x jamensis/S. microphylla hybrid on the planet! Provide a full to mostly sunny site in a fertile well-draining soil for optimum vigor and flower power. In areas that experience hard freezes plant this Salvia out between early spring to midsummer to ensure winter survival. Item# 12476

The dense 18" high flowers spikes are composed deep violet-purple pea-shaped flowers are held well above an among the blue-green foliage on this vigorous Baptisia hybrid. Royal Purple Prairieblues™ Baptisia or False Indigo, is a complex hybrid developed by Dr. Jim Ault of the Chicago Botanic Gardens and Chicagoland Grows that exhibits a strong resemblence to the Wild Blue Indigo, Baptisia australis, including sharing this parent's vigor on this clump-forming herbaceous perennial. The Prairieblues™ Baptisias were selected not only for their unique colors but also for their extra large flower spikes, durability, and vigor. These are easy and low-maintenance, deer resistant, long-lived, taprooted perennials that produce more and more flowering spikes with each passing year with some plants producing over a 100 spikes on mature plants. Considered a must for the cutflower garden as the spikes have an excellent vase life. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in a soil with average or better drainage and moderate fertility. Images courtesy of Chicagoland Grows®, all rights reserved.  Item# 12463

An old favorite and an excellent performer Royal Red Butterfly Bush produces a continuous wave of rich reddish-purple spikes of flowers that are adored by butterflies, bees, and other beneficials. The flowers are richly fragrant with an aroma reminiscent of honey. Royal Red is vigorous and fast growing quickly developing into a medium-sized deciduous shrub that flowers from late spring until frost. Item#  630.

The large deep purplish red petals of Ruby Glow Passionflower are topped with a halo of deep bluish purple filaments. A heady sweet fragrance fills the air when this beautiful passionvine is in flower and it may produce very large, up to 3"W x 5"L, yellow tropical fruit if the flowers are cross pollinated by another species, cultivar, or seedling passionflower. Ruby Glow is a vigorous growing, heat loving tropical vine that can reach 20'H under good conditions. Caterpillar host: Gulf Fritillary, Julia Butterfly, Variegated Fritillary, and Zebra Longwing. Item# 631.

The nearly 1/2" wide ruby red flowers adorn the narrow elongating spikes of this large growing Porterweed from spring to frost. We are excited to be able to finally offer this true red flowering form of the ever popular Coral Porterweed! Ruby Throat Red Porterweed is a vigorous large type Porterweed that can easily exceed 3' high. The Ruby Throated Hummingbirds along with a host of butterflies are sure to search this beauty out and enjoy its rich near continuous supply of nectar. These are heat and sun loving tropical plants that have excellent flower power and will show off in a non-stop fashion throughout the growing season! Item# 12377

A rare Rudbeckia that is native only to the Pineywoods of west central Louisiana and east Texas. The bright golden yellow 4-5" daisies are born on tall sturdy stems that are held above the rich green rounded foliage. The Sabine Coneflower is native to consistently moist to bog-like conditions and will probably fare best in a moist to average garden soil. Item# 9402.

Spikes of deep red upward facing funnel-shaped flowers are produced non-stop from mid to late spring to fall atop the rich glossy deep green foliage attracting hummingbirds, occasional butterflies, and long-tongued bees. San Antonio Red Hummingbird Bush, a selection of Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii, is a small decidous native shrub from South Texas with excellent flower power. This easy and reliable heirloom has an upright to spreading busny habit rarely exceeding 3-4' in height (3'x3' is fairly typical in our zone 8B gardens) and it revels in the heat and sun of summer and is undaunted by the high humidity and high rainfall of the southeastern US. In the northernmost portion of its hardiness range, zones 7A-8A, the Hummingbird Bush may freeze back to near groundlevel in the hardest winters but readily returns to flowering by mid to late spring. Provide a full sun to mostly sunny site in a well-drained, fertile, average moist soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Small and tough enough for container culture but it also makes a low-maintenance addition the garden and landscape. Caterpillar host: Crimson Patch Item# 10034

From dark colored spikes and calyxes emerge vivid hot fuchsia colored two-lipped tubular flowers that are produced throughout the growing season on a mound forming, heat and sunloving perennial. San Carlos Festival Littleleaf Sage, a Yucca Do selection of Salvia microphylla from the mountains of Tamaulipas, Mexico, has proven to be a top garden performer with excellent season long flower power and reliable cold hardiness. The brightly colored, nectar rich flowers are sure to draw hummingbirds as well as bees and the occassional butterfly. Provide this tough perennial Salvia with a well-drained, fertile soil with average moisture, although, fully established plants are somewhat drought resistant the plants will flower best where they have at least some moisture available during the growing season. In areas that experience hard freezes plant this Salvia out between early spring to midsummer to ensure winter survival. Item# 12477

3-4" wide light pink to purplish pink coneflowers with drooping narrow petals are held high above the foliage on sturdy 18-24" high stems. Flowers begin in May and may continue through August and they attract bees, butterflies, and other garden beneficials. The Sanguin Purple Coneflower is a taprooted, clump-forming native with an easy to get-along-with and tough nature. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in a well-drained, average moist soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Item# 9304

An RHS Award of Garden Merit winner! Medium to large, lightly fragrant, loose peony form to semi-double, medium silvery-pink flowers with a boss of yellow stamens are produced in early to midseason, November to February. The pollen laden and fragrant flowers are likely to attract bees and other pollinators on warmer days. Scentsation Camellia is a large type Japonica with a moderate to vigorous, densely branching, upright to rounded habit. One of the earlier Japonicas that were bred for fragrance, it was developed and introduced by Nuccio's Nurseries in the late 1960's. Provide Camellias with a fertile soil rich in organic matter, with average moisture, and an organic mulch. Images courtesy of Cam Too Camellia Nursery, all rights reserved. Item# 13242

Dense spikes of golden yellow flowers cover the upper 2/3's of this plant for an extended period beginning in mid to late summer and continuing into fall. Seaside Goldenrod is a clump forming native perennial common in coastal areas whose nectar rich flowers provide a much needed food source to fall migrating Monarch butterflies along with other butterflies, bees, and many garden beneficials. Deep green smooth foliage adorns the stems. This is a salt tolerant species that is more compact in poor and salt laden soils but in rich garden soil it is known to reach 6-8' high. Pinching out the growing tips in late spring will help to create a fuller more compact plant. Provide a full to mostly sunny location but it is otherwise adaptable to a wide variety of soil types from wet clay to sand. Item# 11627

An easy groundcovering perennial, Selfheal produces dense spikes of contrasting coppery tinged green bracts from which row after row of white tubular flowers with a purple 'hood' emerge. It begins flowering in early to mid spring lasting for several weeks providing nectar to bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. This member of the mint family is easy to establish and requires little care once established in the garden. Use Selfheal as a groundcover, on roadsides, as a component of the meadow, prairie and other naturalistic settings. Selfheal can be used to good effect spilling over walls or even in containers if you feel you need to contain it. Deer, rabbit, and pest resistant. Mainly a winter and spring growing perennial that moves into dormancy after seeds set in summer. Item# 11176

Large deep red bottlebrush-like flowers are produced at the ends of the arching stems in spring and sporadically through summer on large established plants. Semmes' Hardy Bottlebrush was selected as much for its cold hardiness (large well-established plants have increased cold hardiness over young tender plants) as for its habit and flowering potential. Bronze tinged new growth follows the flush of spring flowers that are sure to attract hummingbirds, butterflies, bees and other garden beneficials. Semmes' Hardy Bottlebrush has a naturally compact and rounded 4-5' x 4-5' habit with somewhat arching evergreen branches. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in a well-drained soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Item# 11886

Large, 4-5" wide, fragrant, semi-double flowers of the purist white with wavy petals and a contrasting boss of golden yellow stamens shine like spotlights against the foil of deep green glossy foliage. Flowering begins early in the season in October continuing into December, with a few flowers into early January. Setsugekka Sasanqua Camellia has a vigorous moderately upright habit that rounds out with at maturity. This dense foliage of this large evergreen shrub lend it to use as a specimen, screen, hedge, or even a small evergreen tree form. The Sasanqua Camellias are tolerant of full sun to part sun conditions. Provide an average moist, average to well drained, moderately fertile, acidic soil rich in organic matter and an organic mulch for optimum vigor and flowering. Item# 10183

In spring, tiny greenish-white flowers are produced in the leaf axils attracting a variety of bees and those that are pollinated will produce large 3/8" diameter shiny black berries. Beyond its value to wildlife, the Shamrock Dwarf Inkberry Holly, a selection of Ilex glabra, was selected for its compact 3-4' size, its adaptability to a variety of soil and sun conditions, and for the fact that it suckers less than the species. Its main requirement is acidic soils ranging from average moist to wet. Inkberry Holly is native to all states along the eastern seaboard and the Gulf Coast. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in a moist soil for optimum vigor and the densest growth habit. Caterpillar host: Holly Blue. Item# 13287

Vibrant yellow and red flowers are borne from Spring to frost on an upright to spreading perennial. Raise Monarch Butterflies in your own backyard! The Monarchs migrate through our area just as the Asclepias begin to awaken in spring, just in time for the females to lay their eggs on the new growth. Caterpillar host: Queen and Monarch. Item # 3078.