Bee Plants

New in 2022 and a breakthrough color! Dense spikes of dark wine purple pea-like flowers that are accented by a contrasting primrose yellow keel are held above the mound of deep green foliage. Flowers are produced in late spring to early summer and attract mainly bees. Burgundy Blast Baptisia or False Indigo, a hybrid cultivar of US native species (a.k.a. nativar), with good vigor and deep green foliage growing to about 3' x 3'. 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 Baptisias with a full to mostly sunny site in a soil with average or better drainage and moderate fertility. Images courtesy of Walter's Gardens, Inc., all rights reserved. Item# 12893

The tall spikes of deep golden yellow 1"+ wide flowers emerge from dark, near black buds and calyxes atop the tropical looking, up to 18" long, pinnately compound foliage composed of fragrant, deep olive green, rounded leaflets. The flowers may be produced throughout the warmer months of the year attracting bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. Buttered Popcorn Cassia, Senna didymobotrya, is a heat and sunloving, loosely branching, tropical shrub typically growing to 6-8' high, potentially larger in warmer climates with longer growing seasons and generally shorter, 4-6'H, in cooler summer climates. Gently rub the rounded slightly fuzzy leaflets and they will emit a fragrance similar to buttered popcorn to peanut butter depending on your nose which is certainly a good conversation starter especially for the younger generations. The Buttered Popcorn Cassia adds a splash of summerlong color and a tropical feel to any sunny setting. Provide a well-drained, fertile soil, in full to mostly sunny conditions for optimum vigor and flowering. Caterpillar host: Ceraunus Blue, Barred Yellow, Mexican Yellow, Sleepy Orange, and Cloudless Sulphur. Item# 9018

Ray petals in shades of bright yellow leaning into orange hues surround the dark cones tipped in golden yellow composing the 3-4" wide flowers that are perched atop 18" high stems and are produced over an extended period in summer. Butterfly™ Golden Skipper Coneflower is a hybrid Coneflower selected for its exceptionally long flowering season that lasts from mid to late spring into fall, briliant color, large flowers, excellent branching habit meaning more flowers, good resistance to leaf spot diseases, as well as its perennial reliability as a garden plant. Coneflowers are clump forming perennials whose often fragrant flowers are adored by butterflies, bees, and other pollinators that can be enjoyed as part of the sunny garden garden and landscape as well as container specimens. Leave seedheads for fall and winter songbirds to enjoy. Removal of spent flowers may help to prolong the flowering season. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in an average moist, well-drained, fertile soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Photos courtesy of AB-Cultivars, all rights reserved. Item# 13050

Clusters of starry light blue flowers are produced in late spring to early summer atop the fine-textured foliage that transforms to a rich butterscotch yellow adorning contrasting red stems in fall. Butterscotch® Arkansas Bluestar, a hybrid of or selection of Amsonia hubrichtii, boasts richer fall color, flower petals that extend outward, instead of recurving backwards, makng the flowers seem larger, and has good disease resistance. This is a clump-forming, long-lived, herbaceous native perennial with an almost formal habit at maturity reaching about 3'H x 4'W. It can be utilized as an informal hedge or backdrop and will look great paired with native grasses in fall. Butterscotch Amsonia is easy, sunloving, heat tolerant, and deer and rabbit resistant. Images courtesy of Emerald Coast Growers, all rights reserved. Item# 12890

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Lightly honey scented, white to cream, tight ball-like flower clusters are produced on new growth in late spring and summer and attract an array of butterflies, bees, and other garden beneficials. The Buttonbush is a vigorous, medium-sized to large growing, deciduous shrub that does best in consistently moist soils with most of a day of sunlight. A moderate to severe annual pruning of established plants in late winter helps to promote fuller plants and the most flowers. Item# 9247.

Masses of 2" wide upward facing intensely fragrant flowers are composed of two neat rows of white petals that surround the golden anthers are produced in late spring or early summer. Buttons Gardenia develops into a densely branched small rounded evergreen shrub growing to about 1-1/2' high and wide. You can use this "cute as a button" Gardenia in a sunny garden or landscape but it is also small enough to be grown as a container plant. Gardenias will do best in a well-draining, moderately fertile to rich, acidic soil in a full to mostly sunny site. Images courtesy of Star Roses and Plants, Inc., all rights reserved. Item# 11948

Intense raspberry pink, nectar rich, fragrant flowers are produced in dense spikes held at the ends of the arching branches and contrast nicely with the gray-green foliage on compact plants. Buzz™ Hot Raspberry Butterfly Bush or Buddleia was selected for its slightly smaller densely branching compact stature as well as its exceptional flower power. The Buzz series of Butterfly Bushes are small enough to be enjoyed as fragrant patio container plants where they can draw pollinators in close as well as in the garden and landscape. Provide a full to mostly sunny location in a well-drained average moist soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Images courtesy of Ball Horticulture, all rights reserved. Item# 12113

Pale sky blue falls and standards with darker blue veining and narrow yellow signals and are centered by complimentary white style arms. Bywater Louisiana Iris, named for the body of water, is midseason flowering, April, and is a smaller growing cultivar reaching 24-28" high. Louisiana Irises are easy and adaptable, rhizomatous perennials with fans of deep green sword-like foliage and seem as at home in standing water as they do in average moist garden soils. Remember that these plants do most of their growing in fall and winter and so this is when they should be fed and fall is also a great time to divide plants if desired. Provide a full to mostly sunny site for optimum vigor and flowering. Item# 13342

Large, 2" wide, coral to peachy pink, Camellia-like blossoms adorn this Quince in late winter and early spring. Cameo Flowering Quince, a selection of Chaenomeles x speciosa, is a tough and easy deciduous shrub with good drought tolerance and excellent resistance to leaf spot diseases that can defoliate some cultivars early in the growing season. Cut stems of Flowering Quince, with well developed flower buds that are showing color, can be cut and brought indoors as cut flowers. Prune after flowering as Quince flower on old wood or last season's growth. Provide the Cameo Flowering Quince with a full to mostly sunny site in a fertile, average to well-drained soil. Dr. Michael Dirr in Dirr's Encyclopedia of Trees and Shrubs mentions its disease resistance and states that it is "One of my favorite quinces and a long prized specimen in the Dirr garden." Item# 12773

Medium to large, deep red, semi-double to loose peony form flowers with a boss of contrasting gold tipped stamens are produced in mid to late season, January to April, attracting bees and other pollinators. Candy Apple Camellia, a large flowered Japonica Camellia developed by Nuccio's Nurseries, has a moderate rate of growth and develops into a large, upright to rounded, evergreen shrub. 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# 13212

Clusters of light pink, nicely fragrant, somewhat funnel-shaped to tubular flowers are held against a foil of coppery pink, long-lasting bracts and bright golden yellow foliage beginning in late spring to early summer and continuing into fall. Canyon Creek Glossy Abelia, an open pollinated seedling of Abelia chinense that was selected through Dr. Michael Dirr's breeding program at UGA, is a vigorous growing cultivar with some of the best yellow foliage of any shrub on the market today. The glossy, medium to fine-textured foliage starts out a contrasting coppery red and matures to bright sunny to golden yellow and finally to green in summer providing interest throughout the year and will have the best color where it receives at least a half a day or more of direct sunlight in a moderately fertile to rich soil. Utilize this tough and easy, evergreen to semi-evergreen medium to large shrub in the garden or landscape as a specimen plant or formal to informal hedge. The fragrance of the flowers in a bouquet can be enough to fill a room. Highly recommended. Item# 3073

Masses of bright yellow, 1" long trumpets herald the coming of spring and have a strong Jasmine-like fragrance that is produced in early evening and at night suggesting that they are pollinated by hummingbird or sphinx moths as well as by native bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. *It is not a suitable nectar plant for honeybees. Carolina Yellow Jessamine, Gelsemium sempervirens, is a native, twining, evergreen to semi-evergreen vine with glossy, dark green, narrow foliage that can climb up to 20' high but is just as happy on a 6' fence or other sturdy support. It is native to the southeastern US from eastern Texas, all along the Gulf Coast, north to Virginia, as well as in the southern half of Arkansas and about 3 counties in southcentral Tennessee. Provide Carolina Jasmine with a full sun to mostly sunny site in an average to well-drained, fertile soil for optimum growth and to maximize flowering. Although, it is shade tolerant it doesn't flower as profusely. Tough and easy as well as drought, deer, and rabbit resistant. Its fragrance is enough to stop you in your tracks on an evening stroll! Item# 1208

Dense 20-28" high spikes of large, deep cherry red, almost foxglove-like flowers with a striped white throat are produced beginning in late spring and can continue into fall if periodically deadheaded. The flowers attract bees, hummingbirds, and even butterflies. CHA CHA™ Cherry Penstemon, a complex hybrid of native Penstemon species, is a clump forming perennial with glossy deep green narrow foliage selected for its denser flower spikes and more compact habit that lends it to use as a low maintenance container plant as well as in the garden and landscape. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in an average moist, well-drained, fertile soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Photos courtesy of Terra Nova Nurseries, Inc., www.terranovanurseries.com, all rights reserved. Item# 12860

Dense 20-28" high spikes of large, traffic-stopping dayglow pink, almost foxglove-like flowers with a striped white throat are produced beginning in late spring and can continue into fall if periodically deadheaded. The flowers attract bees, hummingbirds, and even butterflies. CHA CHA™ Hot Pink Penstemon, a complex hybrid of native Penstemon species, is a clump forming perennial with glossy deep green narrow foliage selected for its denser flower spikes and more compact habit that lends it to use as a low maintenance container plant as well as in the garden and landscape. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in an average moist, well-drained, fertile soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Photos courtesy of Terra Nova Nurseries, Inc., www.terranovanurseries.com, all rights reserved. Item# 12859

Dense 18-24" high spikes of large wine-purple, almost foxglove-like flowers with a striped white throat are produced beginning in late spring and can continue into fall if periodically deadheaded. The flowers attract bees, hummingbirds, and even butterflies. CHA CHA™ Purple Penstemon, a complex hybrid of native Penstemon species, is a clump forming perennial with glossy deep green narrow foliage selected for its denser flower spikes and more compact habit that lends it to use as a low maintenance container plant as well as in the garden and landscape. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in an average moist, well-drained, fertile soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Photos courtesy of Terra Nova Nurseries, Inc., www.terranovanurseries.com, all rights reserved. Item# 12857

Although this vine produces the typical pale pink trumpets with darker pink throats that are common to this species, flowering is just a bonus as the beautifully variegated foliage steals the show! The dark green glossy foliage is heavily edged, splashed, and flecked with soft yellow on new growth that ages to a creamy white at maturity. Charisma Variegated Pink Bower Vine is a naturally evergreen, twining, tropical vine that makes a fantastic statement on a trellis or other support and unlike some variegated plants it can handle full hot summer sun without burning. Where not hardy it can be easily maintained on a small 3' high or larger trellis but it is vigorous enough to cover a 12-15'H arbor or can spread to 30' across on a 6'H fence. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in an average to well-drained, fertile soil. Item# 12372

Large 3" wide dark reddish-purple trumpet shaped flowers are borne throughout summer to year-round under warm tropical conditions adorn the vine-like stems of this tropical. Cherries Jubilee Allamanda, a selection of Allamanda blanchetii, is a naturally evergreen, scandent (a.k.a. vine-like) large arching to shrub to vine-like shrub that revels in the heat and sun of summer. The flowers may be visited by butterflies, bees, and other pollinators. It can be trained as an espalier, trellis, or even as a tree form and can be allowed to trail along fences and up arbors in freeze free climates. Cool winter temperatures and frosts may cause some leaf drop. Provide Cherries Jubiliee Alllamanda with a full to partly sunny site in an average moist but never soggy wet, well-drained, fertile soil for optimum vigor and continuous flowering. Where not hardy it is easily overwintered in a warm sunny window.  Item# 356

As sexy as Hot Lips but in an all new shade! The spikes of two-lipped tubular bright white flowers are tipped with a broad band of deep cherry red at the tips of the petals creating a stunning contrast. Flowers may be solid cherry red when the weather is cool and dreary but quickly revert to their two-toned splendor with a little sunshine. Cherry Lips Salvia begins flowering in late spring or early summer and continues into fall, all the while attracting bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. A hybrid of the two native species S. greggii and S. microphylla, a.k.a S. x jamensis, this sunloving Sage develops into a naturally rounded, shrub-like perennial that may remain evergreen in mild winter climates, like zones 9B-10, but acts like a die-back perennial where temperatures fall much below about 30^oF. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in well-drained, average moist, fertile soils for maximum flower power. Item# 12471

Spikes of deep red, 1" long tubular flowers are produced throughout the growing season on this low growing, semi-spreading Salvia greggii hybrid making it an excellent addition near the front of the garden or landscape. Cherry Queen begins flowering earlier and over a longer period than its parents Salvia greggii and Salvia blepharophylla. Add Cherry Queen Salvia to the garden or enjoy it as a low maintenance container plant in any sunny location. Good drainage and ample sunlight are key and the hummingbirds will surely thank you. Item# 11401

Up to 3/4" diameter, lightly fragrant, dense Sputnik-like flower clusters are composed of numerous small creamy white to light pink, funnel-shaped flowers that are tipped in purple often giving the flowers a lavender cast and the long white styles and creamy white stigmas provide the spikey look. The nectar rich flowers are produced throughout the warmer months of the year, late spring and often into fall, attracting an array of pollinators. The Chinese Buttonbush or Glossy Adina, Adina rubella, is a deciduous, medium to large, fine textured shrub with a naturally rounded to arching habit and a moderate rate of growth. The very dark green foliage has a mirror like glossiness and creates a contrasting foil for the flowers. Like our native Buttonbush, this plant is naturally found growing along wet areas but has no problems adapting to average moist, fertile garden soils in full sun to light shade. Item# 10035