Butterfly Nectar Sources

The 7-9" long conical panicles are composed of numerous fragrant magenta flowers that attract pollinators of all shapes and sizes throughout summer and into fall. MONARCH® Queen of Hearts Butterfly Bush is a deciduous to semi-evergreen shrub with a densely branching compact habit that matures to about 3'H x 3-4'W. The fragrant dark reddish-pink flowers attract butterflies, bees, hummingbirds, and other garden beneficals. This Walter's Gardens introduction is part of the MONARCH® Butterfly Bush series that have been selected for rich colors, excellent flower power, and a midsize habit. Provide a well-drained soil in a full to mostly sunny site for optimum vigor and flowering. Images courtesy of Walter's Gardens, Inc., all rights reserved. Item# 12062

In spring to early summer clusters of rich rosy pink flowers are produced atop 18-24" high sturdy stems providing a feast for butterflies and hummingbirds. Morris Berd Smooth Phlox, a highly disease resistant selection of Phlox glaberrima or P. carolina depending on the source, is a clump-forming, slowly spreading rhizomatous native perennial that readily develops into a dense groundcovering mass of foliage and stems. This sunloving perennial is decidous in the colder portions of its range but may remain evergreen with purplish winter foliage in warmer winter regions. This easy to grow Phlox has proven to be highly resistant to powdery mildew and was in the top four in trials both at Mt. Cuba Center and the Chicago Botanic Gardens. Provide Morris Berd Phlox with a full to mostly sunny site in an average moist, fertile, well-drained soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Item# 12318

Brilliant, fiery orange balls of flowers are born atop sturdy, succulent gray stems and foliage throughout the year under frost free conditions. Mountain Fire Senecio is a tropical, drought tolerant, low evergreen shrub-like perennial that makes a beautiful addition to mixed cactus gardens or even as a small specimen plant. Provide full sun where possible and keep it on the dryer side of moist. A favorite nectar source of the Sulphur butterflies that enter the greenhouse! Item# 10214

Wow! Possibly THE darkest purple Salvia on the market today! Dark colored spikes of deep royal purple, sometimes with a hint of red, two-lipped tubular flowers are produced from spring to fall on a compact well-branched vigorous plant. Nachtvlinder Salvia is a perennial Salvia with excellent vigor and flower power growing to about 24" high and wide and is adorned with glossy green fragrant foliage. Nachtvlinder translates to "night butterfly" or "moth" and was discovered as a chance seedling in the gardens of Hessenhoff Nursery in the Netherlands and is reported to have withstood temperatures as low as -4^oF. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in a well-drained, average moist, fertile soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Nachtvlinder Salvia is compact enough for low-maintenance specimens or add it to the garden and landscape for a summer long show. The nectar rich flowers attract hummingbirds, bees, and the occasional butterfly. A Royal Horticulture Society 2015 Award of Garden Merit Winner. Item# 12474

Wow! Possibly THE darkest purple Salvia on the market today! Dark colored spikes of deep royal purple, sometimes with a hint of red, two-lipped tubular flowers are produced from spring to fall on a compact well-branched vigorous plant. Nachtvlinder Salvia is a perennial Salvia with excellent vigor and flower power growing to about 24" high and wide and is adorned with glossy green fragrant foliage. Nachtvlinder translates to "night butterfly" or "moth" and was discovered as a chance seedling in the gardens of Hessenhoff Nursery in the Netherlands and is reported to have withstood temperatures as low as -4oF. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in a well-drained, average moist, fertile soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Nachtvlinder Salvia is compact enough for low-maintenance specimens or add it to the garden and landscape for a summer long show. The nectar rich flowers attract hummingbirds, bees, and the occasional butterfly. A Royal Horticulture Society 2015 Award of Garden Merit Winner. Item# 12475

The silvery grass-like foliage of Narrowleaf Silk Grass could fool anyone to thinking it might actually be a grass but by late summer and fall you can be sure that this is definitely in the aster family when it puts up sturdy branching stems that are topped by loose clusters of nearly 1" wide golden yellow daisies. The flowers attract a variety of pollinators including butterflies and late season native bees storing up for winter. Narrowleaf Silk Grass, Pityopsis graminifolia, is a rhizomatous but non-aggressive, generally evergreen, native perennial found throughout the Southeastern US from near central Texas to Virginia and as far north as Kentucky and into southern Ohio. It makes a drought and deer and rabbit resistant informal ground cover or lawn replacement or allow it to naturalize along roadsides, meadows, and prairies or other naturalistic settings. Its main requirement is average or better drainage and a full sun to partly shaded site with average moisture. May reseed but generally only on exposed or disturbed soils. Item# 10686

The finely textured blue-green  to deep green fragrant foliage of Narrow-Leaved Mountainmint is topped by large clusters of tiny light lavender to light pink tubular blooms in summer. An excellent choice for native pollinators like bees and butterflies. This tough low native seems to remain where you put it creating a clump forming perennial that is fairly tough and durable. Tolerant of wet and dry soil conditions. A good choice for a minty tea. Item# 10030.

A superb butterfly nectar plant! Masses of large pinkish-purple daisy-like blooms are often born from late spring to fall. An excellent cut flower that can last for up to a week in a vase. These seedlings originated from a vigorous native Louisiana population of this beautiful perennial. Item# 9256.

A rare and endangered perennial Hibiscus that is native to just a few counties in east Texas. 3-5" wide, creamy white Hibiscus flowers with a burgundy eye are born from mid-summer to fall. Finely textured, and deeply cut, deep green foliage adds to the charm of this Hibiscus. Seems to do equally well under moist conditions as under average garden conditions. Caterpillar host: Gray hairstreak. Item# 9400.

A butterfly and pollinator magnet and the standard in Trailing Lantanas! This low growing, groundcovering Lantana produces an endless display of deep golden yellow flowers from late spring to fall. The clusters of brilliant yellow flowers positively shine against the glossy dark green foliage. New Gold Lantana rarely fruits and its mostly sterile pollen make this long popular selection a gardener and landscapers dream with its impressive flower power and reliability! New Gold creates a low maintenance colorful groundcover or use it as a spring to fall filler, spiller, or specimen for medium to large containers. Item # 3032.

Clusters of purple frilly flowers are produced atop tall sturdy stems providing late summer and fall color as well as nectar and pollen for bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. New York Ironweed, Vernonia noveboracensis, is a vigorous growing clump forming native perennial preferring moist to wet to average moist, fertile soils where it grows 5-8' high providing a tall safe platform for pollinators. This tough and easy perennial is well suited to moist naturalistic areas like meadows and prairies where it can mix with fall flowering sunflowers and asters. Tolerant of periodic drought once well-established and can be grown in average moist garden soils. Reseeds, deadhead to prevent unwanted seedlings. Images courtesy of North Creek Nurseries, all rights reserved. Item# 12109

You can see why they named this series NIMBUS™! Dense cloud-like masses composed of hundreds of frilly lavender-pink flowers are held atop sturdy dark colored stems and the fine-textured Columbine-like bluish-green foliage beginning in mid-spring and continuing into summer. NIMBUS™ Pink Thalictrum is a clump-forming perennial that was selected for its more compact habit than the species as well as for its denser showier flower clusters. *They are tolerant of full sun in areas with cool summers but may do best with midday and afternoon shade or filtered shade in hot summer climates. We actually grow them under deciduous shade to good effect here in 8B. Meadow-Rue generally prefers a moist, well-drained, fertile soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Flowering may be limited the first season but will increase with each year as the plants become better established. Photos courtesy of Terra Nova Nurseries, Inc., www.terranovanurseries.com, all rights reserved. Item# 12871

You can see why they named this series NIMBUS™! Dense cloud-like masses composed of hundreds of frilly white flowers are held atop sturdy dark colored stems and the fine-textured Columbine-like bluish-green foliage beginning in mid-spring and continuing into summer. The flowers are followed by lavender-pink seedheads adding further interest. NIMBUS™ White Thalictrum is a clump-forming perennial that was selected for its more compact habit than the species as well as for its denser showier flower clusters. *They are tolerant of full sun in areas with cool summers but may do best with midday and afternoon shade or filtered shade in hot summer climates. We actually grow them under deciduous shade to good effect here in 8B. Meadow-Rue generally prefers a moist, well-drained, fertile soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Flowering may be limited the first season but will increase with each year as the plants become better established. Photos courtesy of Terra Nova Nurseries, Inc., www.terranovanurseries.com, all rights reserved. Item# 12870

Nodding Penstemon produces loose spikes of 1" light pink to nearly lavender tubular flowers in spring. A drought tolerant clump forming native perennial with a tidy habit that attracts Hummingbirds, butterflies, and multitude of other pollinators. Item# 9743.

Who knew you could get such a rich dark purple from Salvia greggii?! Loads of royal purple, 2-lipped tubular flowers are born in from spring to fall on this low mounding, durable perennial. Great for Hummingbirds and Butterflies! Drought tolerant, deer resistant, and low maintenance. Create a mass of purple flowers in the garden or use it in containers, either way expect to be wowed by Nuevo Leon Autumn Sage! Item#10273.

Masses of 1" wide yellow-eyed bluish purple daisies absolutely cover this plant for weeks in late summer and fall. October Skies Aromatic Aster, a selection of Symphyotrichum oblongifolium, is a low mounding perennial that develops into a compact shrub-like plant by flowering time. Excellent fall color for the garden as well as drought tolerance and pest and disease resistance make this an excellent addition to the perennial or wildflower border and landscape. Prefers good to excellent drainage and a full to mostly sunny site. Caterpillar host: Field Crescent, Pearl Crescent, Texan Crescent, Roadside Checkerspot, Hoffman's Checkerspot, and American Lady. Item# 9913

The exceptionally dark purple to near black foliage provides the perfect foil for the numerous 2-3' high spikes of light lavender tubular flowers that appear white against their backdrop. Onyx and Pearls Penstemon or Beardtongue begins flowering in late spring to early summer providing weeks of color and a feast of nectar for hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees. Even when not in flower the cloak of dark foliage provides a wonderful contrast for its neighbors. This easy to grow, clump-forming perennial is a selection of our native Foxglove Beardtongue, Penstemon digitalis, and will perform best in a moist to average moist, well-drained soil and a full to mostly sunny site will provide the darkest foliage color. Images courtesy of Walter's Gardens, Inc., all rights reserved. Item# 12308

Add a little tropical punch to your summer! Brilliant orange, 5-6" wide, full rounded flowers centered by a narrow pink halo that surrounds the deep magenta eye and is centered by a contrasting red tipped staminal column adorned with bright yellow stamens. Orange Lagos Tropical Hibiscus is a deservedly popular Hibiscus rosa-sinensis cultivar that begins flowering even at a very young age and over a long period throughout the warmer months to potentially year-round under warm tropical conditions. This is a naturally evergreen, heat and sunloving tropical shrub that develops into a well-branched, small to medium-sized plant which is perfectly suited to container culture and also makes an excellent garden and landscape shrub in areas with mild winter climates. Provide a full to partly sunny location in an average moist, rich fertile soil for optimum vigor and ocntinuous flowering. Caterpillar host: Gray hairstreak. Item# 12644

Tall dense spikes of golden-orange nectar rich flowers are produced throughout the year in mild winter climates atop an upright growing shrub with dense velvety gray foliage. Orange Sceptre Butterfly Bush is a hybrid Buddleja that remains evergreen in mild winter climates like zone 9 and warmer. The flowers attract larger bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. Provide a full to mostly sunny location in an average moist well-drained soil for optimum health and flowering. Developed by Jon Lindstrom at the University of Arkansas by crossing Buddleja stachyoides x B. tubiflora. Item# 11664

A 2020 Missouri Botanic Gardens Plant of Merit selection! 3-5" wide light pale pink to purplish pink coneflowers with drooping petals are held well above the rosette of narrow foliage on sturdy stems. Flowering normally occurs in late spring and summer and the nectar rich disk flowers attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. The Pale Purple Coneflower, Echinacea pallida, closely resembles the Sanguin Purple Coneflower, E. sanguinea, and like its cousin it is a taprooted, clump-forming perennial found mainly in the central US in meadows, glades, and other open areas. Its clump forming habit lends it to use in the garden and landscape as well as in naturalistic settings. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in a well-drained soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Item# 12392

The rounded flower clusters open a deep orange-yellow, deepen through orange tones, and mature to deep fuchsia attracting a variety of bees, butterflies, and other garden beneficials throughout the growing season. Passion Fruit Lantana is a trailing selection perfectly suited to hanging basket and container culture whether as specimens or in mixed company and will also make a statement in the garden and landscape as a groundcover or enmasse. These heat and sunloving plants are sure to provide continuous color from spring to frost. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in a fertile, average moist soil for optimum vigor and continuous flowering. Images courtesy of Ball Horticulture, Inc., all rights reserved. Item# 13310