Louisiana Super Plants

Nearly 1/2" wide deep orange flowers are produced on narrow elongating spikes on this full-sized Porterweed from spring to frost attracting a wide array of pollinators including bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Aerial Elixirs™ Allen's Envy Porterweed, a selection of Stachytarpheta mutabilis, is part of our new line of pollinator plants. If you are not familiar with Porterweeds, members of the genus Stachytarpheta, these are shrubby tropicals with exceptional flower power, excellent nectar production, AND these are the plants that many hummingbirds feed on in their winter resting grounds in Central and South America. We can tell you from personal experience, these tiny aerial acrobats will even try to face down a human over thier prized plants with a series of strong and forceful "Cheeps!". Expect Aerial Elixirs™ Allen's Envy Porterweed to grow to about 4-5' high and 3-4' wide by the end of the growing season. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in an average to well-drained, fertile soil with average moisture for optimum vigor and flowering. Item# 13533

The fickle flower colors range from orange, to deep watermelon nearing plum, to coral tones, to pale pink and are produced on narrow elongating spikes on this large growing Porterweed from spring to frost attracting a wide array of pollinators. Aerial Elixirs™ American Lady Porterweed is the first in this series named in honor of a butterfly which sports similar colors on its upper and lower wing surfaces.  We think this is a hybrid Stachtarpheta with obvious S. mutabilis in its parentage and potentially a tetraploid due to everything about the parent plant being larger than normal including slightly larger flowers, thicker and taller flowering spikes, thicker stems, and larger foliage. This is definitely one of the more vigorous plants in this series growing to about 5-6' high and wide by the end of the growing season and potentially larger. If you are not familiar with Porterweeds, members of the genus Stachytarpheta, these are shrubby tropicals with exceptional flower power, excellent nectar production, AND these are the plants that many hummingbirds feed on in their winter resting grounds in Central and South America. They also attract a variety of butterflies, large and small, as well as larger bees. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in an average moist, moderately fertile, average to well-drained soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Flower color seems to be most strongly affected by rain that appears to literally wash the color out and since the flowers last for about 2 days it is not uncommon to have two colors on the same spike in the same day. On cloudier days, the flowers seem to lean more into the orange tones and on sunnier days more toward watermelon and nearing plum. Item# 13538

Nearly 1/2" wide fuchsia pink flowers that can lighten to pink as they age are produced on narrow elongating spikes on this medium-sized Porterweed from spring to frost attracting a wide array of pollinators. Aerial Elixirs™ Anna's Obsession Porterweed is the first in our new pollinator plant series and is named in honor of the Anna's Hummingbird whose males sport bright magenta feathers on their head and gorget - the brightly colored portion of their throat. This is a moderately vigorous plant growing to about 3-4' high and wide by the end of the growing season. If you are not familiar with Porterweeds, members of the genus Stachytarpheta, these are shrubby tropicals with exceptional flower power, excellent nectar production, AND these are the plants that many hummingbirds feed on in their winter resting grounds in Central and South America. We can tell you from personal experience, these tiny aerial acrobats will even try to face down a human over their prized plants with a series of strong and forceful "Cheeps!". Provide a full to mostly sunny site in an average moist, moderately fertile, average to well-drained soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Item# 13399

Exceptionally dark purple flowers adorn the narrow elongating spikes from spring to fall attracting a variety of bees, butterflies, low flying hummingbirds, and pollinating moths. Aerial Elixirs™ Black-Chinned Bliss Porterweed is a dwarf and compact selection with a densely branching bushy habit growing to 2-3' high and 2' wide by the end of the growing season making it an excellent choice for sunny containers whether as a specimen or in mixed company. Unlike the common Blue or Nettleleaf Porterweed, S. cayennensis, and our selection Midnight Moon, Aerial Elixirs™ Black-Chinned Bliss tends to retain its flowers after a normal rain and often until sunrise the following day. This is also the most compact growing Porterweed in this series and could easily fit it into a formal setting with its nice even growth habit. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in an average moist, average to well-drained, fertile soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Coming in limited quantities later this summer. Item# 13532

Nearly 1/2" wide, bright pink to fuchsia flowers are produced on narrow elongating spikes on this full-sized Porterweed from spring to frost attracting a wide array of pollinators including bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Aerial Elixirs™ Broad-Tailed Buffet Porterweed, a hybrid Stachytarpheta, is one of our latest introductions and is part of our new line of pollinator plant selections. If you are not familiar with Porterweeds, members of the genus Stachytarpheta, these are shrubby tropicals with exceptional flower power, excellent nectar production, AND these are the plants that many hummingbirds feed on in their winter resting grounds in Central and South America. We can tell you from personal experience, these tiny aerial acrobats will even try to face down a human over thier prized plants with a series of strong and forceful "Cheeps!". Expect Aerial Elixirs™ Broad-Tailed Buffet Porterweed to grow to about 4-5' high and 3-4' wide by the end of the growing season. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in an average to well-drained, fertile soil with average moisture for optimum vigor and flowering. Item# 13535

The spring to frost display of 3/8" wide lilac flowers adorn the narrow elongating spikes of this Porterweed attracting a wide array of pollinators, especially our native bumbleebees. Aerial Elixirs™ Bumblicious™ Lilac Porterweed is an unusually colored selection or hybrid of the Blue Porterweed, Stachytarpheta cayennensis, and is expected to have similar habit growing to about 3' high and 2' wide by the end of the growing season. This is a well-branched plant with glossy, deep green foliage whose smaller size makes it a good candidate for containers where you can draw the pollinators in close. Aerial Elixirs™ Bumblicious™ Lilac's flower power also makes it a colorful addition to a sunny garden or landscape. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in a fertile, average moist soil with average or better drainage to keep the flowers coming all summer long! Item# 13543

Like a good glass of a nice red wine on a summer afternoon but for hummingbirds! The reddish purple to deep purple flowers are produced on narrow elongating spikes on this medium-sized Porterweed from spring to frost attracting a wide array of pollinators. Aerial Elixirs™ Calliope Cabernet Porterweed is a medium-sized plant growing to 3-4' high and 2-3' wide by the end of the growing season. If you are not familiar with Porterweeds, members of the genus Stachytarpheta, these are shrubby tropicals with exceptional flower power, excellent nectar production, AND these are the plants that many hummingbirds feed on in their winter resting grounds in Central and South America. We can tell you from personal experience, these tiny aerial acrobats will even try to face down a human over thier prized plants with a series of strong and forceful "Cheeps!". Provide a full to mostly sunny site in an average moist, average to well-drained, fertile soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Coming in limited quantities later this summer. Item# 13397

Large, deep purple, nectar rich flowers with a contrasting white eye are produced on narrow elongating spikes on this large sized Porterweed and are produced from spring to frost attracting a wide array of pollinators including bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Aerial Elixirs™ Costa Cravings Porterweed, a Stachytarpheta hybrid and Almost Eden exclusive introduction, is a an extra large and very vigorous Porterweed that you can expect to grow to about 4-6' high and 3-4' wide by the end of the growing season. Porterweeds are shrubby tropicals with exceptional flower power, excellent nectar production, AND these are the plants that many hummingbirds feed on in their winter resting grounds in Central and South America. We can tell you from personal experience, these tiny aerial acrobats will even try to face down a human over thier prized plants with a series of strong and forceful "Cheeps!". Provide a full to mostly sunny site in an average to well-drained, fertile soil with average moisture for optimum vigor and flowering. Item# 13530

Large, to 1/2" wide, deep purple, nectar rich flowers with a contrasting white eye are produced on narrow elongating spikes on this smaller growing Porterweed and are produced from spring to frost attracting a wide array of smaller pollinators, especially native bees, butterflies, pollinating moths, and potentially hummingbirds. Aerial Elixirs™ Lusty Lucifer Porterweed, either a hybrid or a dwarf selection of the Purple Porterweed, Stachytarpheta indica, is a densely branching and compact Porterweed cloaked in deep green foliage that you can expect to grow to about 2-3' high and 2' wide by the end of the growing season. Its smaller stature lends it to use in containers either as a specimen or in mixed company as well as in the garden and landscape. This plant also tends to retain its flowers after a rain and overnight, unlike the common Nettleleaf or Blue Porterweed, Stachytarpheta cayennensis. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in an average to well-drained, fertile soil with average moisture for optimum vigor and flowering. Coming in limited quantities later this summer. Item# 13534

Coming for spring of 2026! The nearly 1/2" wide, nectar rich, widely flaring, deep purple flowers with red overtones and a contrasting white eye are held on long tubes adorning the narrow elongating spikes attracting hordes of pollinators, especially larger bees, both large and small butterflies, and of course hummingbirds. Aerial Elixirs™ Rivoli's Rhapsody Porterweed, a hybrid Stachytarpheta, is medium sized plant with rich green foliage and a moderate branching habit growing to about 3-4' high and wide by the end of the growing season. Small enough to enjoy as a specimen in medium-sized containers or as a splash of summer color and continuous aerial action in a sunny garden and landscape. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in an average moist, fertile, average to well-drained soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Item# 13554

The large flowers open a deep red-orange, that may fade into a light coral pink due to rain, and are produced on narrow elongating spikes on this full-sized Porterweed from spring to frost attracting a wide array of pollinators especially hummingbirds. Aerial Elixirs™ Rowdy Rufous Porterweed, a selection or hybrid of Stachytarpheta mutabilis first noticed by our Jennifer, is one of our latest introductions and is part of our new line of pollinator plants. If you are not familiar with Porterweeds, members of the genus Stachytarpheta, these are shrubby tropicals with exceptional flower power, excellent nectar production, AND these are the plants that many hummingbirds feed on in their winter resting grounds in Central and South America. We can tell you from personal experience, these tiny aerial acrobats will even try to face down a human over thier prized plants with a series of strong and forceful "Cheeps!". Expect Rowdy Rufous Porterweed to grow to about 4-5' high and 4-5' wide by the end of the growing season. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in an average to well-drained, fertile soil with average moisture for optimum vigor and flowering. Item# 13529

Light blue to blue-purple 1/4" wide nectar-rich flowers adorn the tall narrow indeterminate flower spikes from spring to frost to year round under warm tropical conditions. Native to Florida and much of the tropical Americas, Blue Porterweed, Stachytarpheta jamaicensis, has smoother lighter green foliage and generally grows wider than tall whereas the other Blue Porterweed, Stachytarpheta cayennensis or S. urticifolia, has more rugose or quilted deeper green glossier foliage with a typically upright habit. Porterweeds are excellent pollinator plants where they attract a continuous menagerie of aerial acrobats from spring until frost. This a heat and sunloving tropical to tender perennial that can be added to gardens and landscapes or plant them in containers to draw the pollinators in for upclose viewing. Blue Porterweed is also a caterpillar host plant for the Tropical Buckeye butterfly. Item# 12046

Blue, indigo, to purple 1/4" wide flowers adorn the long spike-like flowering stems from spring to frost and are held above the rich green glossy foliage. Blue Porterweed, Stachytarpheta cayennensis, is an intermediate growing Porterweed and has a fairly dense upright to spreading habit. An excellent choice for butterfly gardens or as a container plant. Also known as Blue Snakeweed, Verbena Azul, Cayenne Snakeweed. For the Florida native Blue Porterweed see Stachytarpheta jamaicensis. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in an average moist, fertile soil. Item# 13080

1/2" wide coral pink to orange flowers adorn the long spike-like flowering stems that are held above the foliage and the plants flower from spring to first frost or year round under warm frost free conditions. The nectar laden flowers are seemingly in constant use by hummingbirds, butterflies, and larger bees from just after dawn to near dusk. Coral Porterweed, Stachytarpheta mutabilis, is a vigorous growing, heat and sunloving, herbaceous shrubby tropical growing to about 4-5' high and wide by the end of summer. Porterweeds are a mainstay of butterfly houses due to their reliable and ample nectar production and it is an important nectar source for many overwintering hummingbirds in Central and South America. This species is also known as Pink Porterweed, Orange Porterweed, Pink Snakeweed. Item# 372

1/4" deep red flowers adorn the tall, wispy, elongating flower spikes from spring to frost attracting a variety of butterflies, hummingbirds, and larger bees. The Dwarf Red Porterweed, Stachytarpheta microphylla, is the most compact species of Porterweed that we grow and can potentially reach 3' high and 2' wide by the end of the growing season. The well-branched plants are adorned in smooth, medium green to nearing gray-green, rounded foliage. Its smaller stature lends it to use as a container plant to bring the pollinators in close or add them to the garden and landscape for low maintenance, summer long color. These are heat and sunloving tropicals and the hotter and sunnier it is the happier they seem to be, but can still grow and flower well in a partly shaded site. Provide a well-draining, fertile, average moist soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Item# 407

In a nod to the fierceness of hummingbirds protecting their nectar sources we bring you our latest hybrid Porterweed introduction Fiercely Fuchsia! Nearly 1/2" wide bright *fuchsia flowers are produced on narrow elongating spikes on this medium-sized Porterweed from spring to frost attracting a wide array of pollinators. Porterweeds, members of the genus Stacytarpheta, are shrubby tropicals with exceptional flower power and excellent nectar production and these are the plants that many hummingbirds feed on in their winter resting grounds in Central and South America. We can tell you from personal experience, these tiny aerial acrobats will even try to face down a human over their prized plants with a series of strong and forceful "Cheeps!". Expect Fiercely Fuchsia Porterweed to grow to about 3-4' high and 2-3' wide by the end of the growing season. Item# 13261

An exceptionally cold hardy Gardenia, Frostproof puts on a show of wonderfully fragrant, 2" wide, white flowers in late spring with some flowers throughout summer on well-established plants. Frostproof was selected as a Louisiana Super Plant for 2011 for it's adaptability and reliability! An excellent evergreen shrub with a medium texture and rich green narrow foliage perfect for the landscape. Item# 10152.

Nectar-rich, light purple flowers are produced continuously from spring to fall on tall spikes that butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds cannot seem to resist! Lavender Porterweed is a medium to large growing exceptionally full and vigorous Porterweed was once considered to be a purple form of the highly popular Coral Porterweed although we have learned that this is a sterile or nearly sterile hybrid cultivar. Porterweeds are excellent nectar producers outperforming nearly all other butterfly plants in the garden. Item# 483

The nearly 1/2" wide, deep purple flowers with starkly contrasting white eyes are produced along the wispy elongating flower spikes from spring to frost attracting a variety of pollinators including bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Midnight Moon Improved Porterweed, a hybrid that includes Stachytarpheta cayennensis in its lineage, is a compact growing, well-branched, naturally evergreen tropical growing to about 2-3' high and 1-2' wide. This improved version sports larger, even deeper purple flowers with a similar growth habit to its predecessor. This Porterweed is small and compact enough for container culture as a specimen or in mixed company or utilize it as a summer long pollinator magnet for the garden and landscape. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in an average moist, fertile, average to well-drained soil for optimum vigor and maximum flowering. Item# 12081

The nearly 1/2" wide ruby red flowers adorn the narrow elongating spikes of this large growing Porterweed from spring to frost attracting a non-stop procession of pollinators, especially hummingbirds, butterflies, and pollinating moths. Nectarwand Red Porterweed, a Heidi Sheesley and Treesearch Farms introduction and that we erroneously originally offered as Ruby Throat Red, is a vigorous growing Porterweed easily growing to 4-5' high and wide by the end of the growing season. Porterweeds are heat and sun loving, shrub-like, tropical plants that have excellent flower power and will show off in a non-stop fashion throughout the growing season! Provide a full to mostly sunny site in an average moist, average to well-drained soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Easily one of the best for pollinators and definitely the best red available! Item# 12377