Butterfly Nectar Sources

Deep reddish pink flowers stand well-above the low needle like foliage of this native perennial in early spring. Crimson Beauty Creeping Phlox makes an easy low maintenance groundcover for well-drained sunny locations. The bright flowers attract butterflies. Deer and drought resistant once well-established. Makes a beautiful spiller over rock walls and near water gardens. Item# 11425

This native perennial Hibiscus boasts large 6-8" wide typically white but occassionally pink flowers with a dark burgundy eye. The Crimson-Eyed Rosemallow, Hibiscus moscheutos, is common in moist and wet areas as the name implies but is tolerant of average moist garden soils but may require extra moisture during dry spells. This is a vigorous and hardy native perennial that can reach 5-7' high but is more commonly found at 4'. The foliage may be used as a butterfly caterpillar host by Hairstreaks, Blues, Coppers, and others. Hibiscus moscheutos is one of the main species used in breeding of the large dinner plate-sized Hardy or Perennial Hibiscus cultivars. Item# 9399

Jack in the Bush or Crucita is truly one of the very best butterfly plants! The nectar rich, light blue to purple, flat topped flower clusters make perfect landing platforms for pollinators of all shapes and sizes. Crucita can be found in flower as early as mid summer to late fall. Item# 10670.

Crushed Coral Mamou Bean produces tall spikes of dark coral pink, 2-3" tubular flowers in late spring and early summer atop sturdy stems that are held well above the foliage of this tough native perennial. The Mamou Bean is a drought tolerant and hardy shrublet that freezes back to the ground to return in spring. The flowers are followed by dark colored bean pods that split open to display their brilliant red-orange beans that can remain on the plant all winter. Excellent for Hummingbirds.  Crushed Coral Mamou Bean is an Almost Eden exclusive introduction. Item# 10751

Pure white 1" wide daisies with a nicely contrasting yellow center are produced beginning in late spring and through summer often continuing into fall atop a neat mound of deep green foliage. Daisy Mae Japanese Aster is a tidy under-used clump-forming perennial selected for its exceptionally long flowering season that is sure to add delightful color to the garden and landscape but it also makes easy and exceptionally long-flower container specimens. The flowers are sure to attract a multitude of pollinators. Provide a full to mostly sunny site with a well-drained soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Heat, sun, and humidity tolerant. Images courtesy of North Creek Nurseries, all rights reserved. Item# 12178

Dallas Red Lantana has long been popular for its profusion of flowers that open a dark orange and fade to a brilliant red. This is certainly on of the best larger growing red flowered Lantana cultivars. An excellent choice for attracting butterflies and other pollinators to your garden. Item# 9946.

The tall spikes to 3-4' high are densely covered in large lilac to purple flowers, with darker maroon spots in the throat, are borne in late spring to early summer atop the rosette large medium green textured foliage. Dalmatian Purple Foxgloves are a Fleuro Select Award winner that flowers the first year, has better branching, improved vigor, and consistent uniformity. Provide a site with good drainage in a loamy acidic soil with average moisture and moderate fertility. Foxgloves are tolerant of more sun where summer climates are cooler. In hot summer climates shade to filtered shade during the heat of the day is preferential. Images courtesy of Walter's Gardens, Inc., all rights reserved. Item# 11915

Velvety rosy pink tubular flowers emerge from softly contrasting spikes of downy white calyxes creating an overall pastel effect. Danielle's Dream Mexican Bush Sage flowers in spring and fall in climates where it does not freeze back to the ground (zones 9B,10), fall in areas where it is grown as a die-back perennial (zones 8, 9A). The velvety medium green narrow foliage adorns an upright to arching easy to grow Salvia and develops into a fairly dense mound at full size. Provide a full to mostly sunny location in well-drained soils for optimum growth and flowering. Deer and rabbit resistant and moderately drought resistant once well-established. An excellent choice for migrating Monarchs, medium to large butterflies, and of course hummingbirds! Item# 11693

An exceptionally free flowering form of our native Coral Honeysuckle producing a nearly continuous display of red tubular blooms with a yellow throat. Dan's Everblooming begins flowering in late winter and early spring and lasts through fall on established plants. This variety and may produce a few flowers throughout winter even in zone 8B. Item# 9729.

Dense whorls of nectar rich, purple to dark blue-purple, tubular flowers seemingly cover up the upper most portions of the plant for weeks beginning in mid to late summer and continuing into fall. Dark Knight Bluebeard, a.k.a. Black Knight, is a vigorous and easy sunloving free-flowering clump forming shrub-like perennial that quickly develops into a dense mound of fragrant and deer resistant gray-green foliage. In zones 5-6 it tends to act more like a clump forming die-back perennial and becomes more shrub-like where winters are milder although it benefits from hard late winter or early spring pruning since it flowers on new growth. Somewhat drought resistant once well-established and prefers a sunny site in a well-drained soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Item# 12117

The huge 8-9" wide ruffled white flowers sporting darker pink veining with a dark burgundy eye shine like spotlights against the foil of dark burgundy to near black foliage and are produced throughout summer. A top performing selection, Dark Mystery Hardy Hibiscus is a vigorous and reliable clump forming perennial Hibiscus with a good branching habit. It is sure to be a star in almost any garden or landscape! Like most other Walter's Gardens introductions, Dark Mystery is an indeterminate plant producing flowers from the top to the bottom of the plants creating a knockout display in the garden and landscape. Provide a full to mostly sunny location in moist to average moist to wet, moderately fertile soils. Images courtesy of Walter's Gardens, Inc., all rights reserved. Item# 12060

Deep wine-red foliage provides a wonderful foil for the tall sturdy spikes of light pink tubular flowers in late spring and early summer attracting bees, hummingbirds, and the occassional butterfly. Dark Towers Penstemon, an offspring of Penstemon digitalis, was developed by Dale Lindgren at the University of Nebraska from his original selection of Husker Red. Dark Towers has darker foliage that keeps its color better through summer and it has pink flowers versus white on Husker Red. Provide this easy to grow clump forming perennial, a nativar (a cultivar from native species), with a moist to average moist, well-drained, fertile soil in a full to mostly sunny location for optimum vigor, flowering, and for the deepest foliage colors. Pair Dark Towers Penstemon with chartreuse foliaged plants for a wonderful contrast. Images courtesy of Ball Horticulture, Inc., all rights reserved. Item# 12469

Large, rounded clusters composed of nearly 1" wide, fragrant, pure white flowers sit atop sturdy stems in summer and are sure to attract butterflies, hummingbirds and other pollinators. David's Garden Phlox has exceptional disease resistance and was selected as the 2002 Perennial Plant of the Year. Garden Phlox is also known as Summer Border Phlox or Fall Phlox, it is a hardy clump forming, upright growing herbaceous perennial found throughout much of the eastern and central US. Item# 10830.

The new, two-lipped tubular flowers are day glow pink and age to lavender-pink with a contrasting bright fuchsia throat and pollinator landing strip, a.k.a bee guide, and are produced from spring to fall attracting hummingbirds, larger bees, and occassional butterflies. Day Glow Salvia is an Autumn Sage by Littleleaf Sage hybrid, a.k.a Salvia x jamensis or James Sage, with a long flowering, sturdy disposition and a naturally upright to rounded habit. This 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. Perfectly suited for use as a low-maintenance container specimen or add it to a sunny garden or landscape for traffic stopping, summer-long color. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in well-drained, average moist, fertile soils for maximum flower power. Item# 12550

A profusion of golden orange-yellow dark eyed daisies are produced in mid to late summer and into fall atop tall sturdy stems and attract a myriad of smaller pollinators and garden beneficials. Deam's Black-Eyed Susan, Rudbeckia fulgida var. deamii, is different from Goldstrum by having a clump forming habit, slightly larger flowers, and overall taller plants with better resistance to powdery mildew. Its reliability has garnered this US native perennial the coveted RHS Award of Garden Merit. Provide Deam's Black-Eyed Susan with a full to mostly sunny site in average to well-drained soils. Songbirds enjoy the ripe seed heads and it may reseed under good conditions on exposed soils making it a good addition to cottage gardens, meadows, prairies, and other naturalistic and informal settings. Images courtesy of North Creek Nurseries, all rights reserved. Item# 12115

Clusters of red, 3/4-1" long, flaring tubular flowers with yellow throats encircle the softly textured fountaining green stems from summer to fall on this heat and sun-loving drought resistant perennial. Desert Fire Firecracker Fern is a herbacious tropical perennial with low-growing to fountaining green stems whose flowers attract hummingbirds and larger butterflies. This Mexican native is considered to be cold hardy into the warmer portions of zone 9 and it makes this an excellent choice for sun-baked xeric landscapes, well-draining garden soils, as well as a container specimen where not reliably hardy. Item# 9566

Tall spikes adorned with whorls of 3/8" purple flowers edged in light lavender are produced throughout the growing season and the nectar rich flowers attract butterflies, bees, hummingbirds, and even hummingbird moths. From the breeding work of the Durham twins of east Texas, Darrell and Jerrell, comes this unusual picoteed color form of Porterweed. These are vigorous well-branched herbaceous to shrub-like tropical perennials that revel in the heat and sun of summer providing a continuous display of flowers and pollinators until the first frost. The flower power of Porterweeds makes them worthy of being grown as annuals where not hardy or they can be overwintered as container plants in a warm sunny location indoors. Provide a full to mostly sunny location with average or better drainage and moderate fertility for optimum vigor and flowering. Item# 11967

Tall spikes adorned with whorls of 3/8" purple flowers edged in white to light lavender are produced throughout the growing season and the nectar rich flowers attract butterflies, bees, hummingbirds, and even hummingbird moths. From the breeding work of the Durham twins of east Texas, Darrell and Jerrell, comes this unusual picoteed color form of Porterweed. These are vigorous well-branched herbaceous to shrub-like tropical perennials that revel in the heat and sun of summer providing a continuous display of flowers and pollinators until the first frost. The flower power of Porterweeds makes them worthy of being grown as annuals where not hardy or they can be overwintered as container plants in a warm sunny location indoors. Provide a full to mostly sunny location with average or better drainage and moderate fertility for optimum vigor and flowering. Item# 11931

Clusters of fiery-orange tubular blooms are seemingly born throughout the year atop this miniature growing plant and attract hummingbirds as well as larger butterflies. The compact form of the Dwarf Mexican Firebush lend it to smaller spaces and for use in containers. Surprisingly it appears to be just as hardy as the larger form and can be grown as a die-back perennial well into zone 8. Provide a full to mostly sunny position for the best results. Item# 403

1-1/2" bright orange-yellow daisies top this diminutive and durable dwarf Coreopsis in late spring and early summer. Deadhead to extend flowering into fall. An evergreen perennial that slowly develops into a 6" high slowly spreading stoloniferous groundcover. Item# 9851.

1/4" soft red blooms adorn the long spike-like bloom stems from spring to frost. Another of the smaller varieties creating a dense bush with loads of nectar rich flowers for the butterflies and hummingbirds. Dwarf Red Porterweed is the smallest and most compact Porterweed that we offer and it lends itself to use near the front of the border, in butterfly and hummingbirds gardens, as well as in containers. Item# 407.

A must have perennial! Early Bird Gold Rudbeckia produces wave after wave of bright golden yellow, 3-4" daisies from late spring to fall on a nicely branching plant. This exciting new day-length neutral and thusly free flowering Black-Eyed Susan was discovered at Dupont Nursery near Plaquemine, Louisiana and is sure to bring in the butterflies and pollinators as well as providing color all summer. Drought tolerant, deer resistant, and reliable. Item# 9853.