Butterfly Nectar Sources

Large rounded clusters of lightly fragrant soft pink flowers with a white halo surrounding a contrasting dark purple eye are produced over an extended period beginning in midsummer and lasting into fall attracting a host of pollinators including butterflies, hummingbirds, and larger bees. From a distance the bicolor flowers appear to be a blush pink. GARDEN GIRLS® Fancy Girl Garden Phlox, a selection of our native Phlox paniculata, is a tall upright to spreading, clump forming perennial selected for both its brilliant color, long season of flowering, and disease resistance. Provide Garden Phlox with a full to mostly sunny site in an acidic, average moist, fertile soil with average or better drainage for optimum vigor and flowering. Images courtesy of Walter's Gardens, Inc., all rights reserved. Item# 13283

Large rounded clusters of lightly fragrant deep fuchsia flowers are produced over an extended period beginning in midsummer and lasting into fall attracting a host of pollinators including butterflies, hummingbirds, and larger bees. GARDEN GIRLS® Material Girl Garden Phlox, a selection of our native Phlox paniculata, is a tall upright to spreading, clump forming perennial selected for both its brilliant color, long season of flowering, and disease resistance. Provide Garden Phlox with a full to mostly sunny site in an acidic, average moist, fertile soil with average or better drainage for optimum vigor and flowering. Images courtesy of Walter's Gardens, Inc., all rights reserved. Item# 13280

Act I begins in mid to late spring with the plants nearly covering up in fragrant, 2" wide, starry single flowers and is followed by periodic flowering in summer with a fall finale similar to the spring show. Martha Turnbull Gardenia is a wonderfully free-flowering Gardenia that was selected by Greg Grant from seed collected from Rosedown Plantation and named in honor of the garden's owner and horticulturist Martha Turnbull. Cross-pollinated flowers will produce bright orange hips to provide winter interest. Provide this easy shrub with a full sun to partly shaded site in an average moist, richly fertile, acidic soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Item# 9867

1 of only 5 Monardas to be selected as an RHS Award of Garden Merit winner, 1 of the top 10 in Mt. Cuba Center's 2014-2016 Monarda trials, and in the top 10 in trials at the Chicago Botanic Gardens in 1998! The extra large, 3-4" wide, clusters of 2" long, deep red tubular flowers are produced over an extended period beginning in late spring to midsummer, depending on your zone. Earlier in warmer climates and later in colder climates. Gardenview Scarlet Monarda or Beebalm, a hybrid selection of native US species, it is similar in many regards to Jacob Cline, still one of the most popular red cultivars, but has improved resistance to powdery mildew and a slightly more compact habit topping out at 3' high. This is a clump-forming, slowly spreading perennial  that enjoys ample sunlight in a moist but well-drained, fertile soil. Sure to be a hummingbird magnet! Item# 12818

Garlic Chives or Chinese Chives are similar to Society Garlic in foliage and durability but with a slightly lower growth habit and producing flat-topped clusters of white blooms from summer to fall. The nectar rich flowers are seemingly constantly abuzz with mainly smaller pollinators.The mildly garlic flavored foliage and flowers are widely utilized in Asian cuisine. Multiplies readily and may also reseed under good conditions. Provide a full to mostly sunny position in average to well-drained soils. Each pot contains multiple plants. Item# 3084

The rounded flower clusters open to a bright orange-yellow and quickly deepen into rich red tones. Gem™ Compact Orange Fire Lantana was developed with container culture in mind where they will provide spring to fall color and nectar for pollinators all on a compact rounded plant growing to just 8-10"H x 10-12"W. These versatile heat and sunloving plants can also be utilized for hanging baskets as well as in the garden and landscape. Due to their slow growth rate, the Lantana in this series may not be suitable for cool summer climates. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in a fertile, average moist soil for optimum vigor and continuous flowering. Images courtesy of Danziger, all rights reserved. Item# 13121

The 2021 Classic City Award winner in the UGA Trial Gardens! The rounded flower clusters open yellow, fade into peach, and then deepen into rich pink tones. Gem™ Compact Pink Opal Lantana was developed with container culture in mind where they will provide spring to fall color and nectar for pollinators all on a compact rounded plant growing to just 8-10"H x 10-12"W. These versatile heat and sunloving plants can also be utilized for hanging baskets as well as in the garden and landscape. Due to their slow growth rate, the Lantana in this series may not be suitable for cool summer climates. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in a fertile, average moist soil for optimum vigor and continuous flowering. Images courtesy of Danziger, all rights reserved. Item# 13122

The rounded flower clusters open a sunny yellow, fade into pastel peachy and apricot shades, and finally into soft rosy pink tones. Gem™ Compact Rose Quartz Lantana was developed with container culture in mind where they will provide spring to fall color and nectar for pollinators all on a compact rounded plant growing to just 8-10"H x 10-12"W. These versatile heat and sunloving plants can also be utilized for hanging baskets as well as in the garden and landscape. Due to their slow growth rate, the Lantana in this series may not be suitable for cool summer climates. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in a fertile, average moist soil for optimum vigor and continuous flowering. Images courtesy of Danziger, all rights reserved. Item# 13123

The rounded flower clusters open deep golden yellow, fade through hot fuchsia, and then deepen into magenta. Gem™ Diva Pink Lantana was developed with container culture in mind where they will provide spring to fall color and nectar for pollinators all on a compact rounded plant growing to just 8-10"H x 10-12"W. These versatile heat and sunloving plants can also be utilized for hanging baskets as well as in the garden and landscape. Due to their slow growth rate, the Lantana in this series may not be suitable for cool summer climates. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in a fertile, average moist soil for optimum vigor and continuous flowering. Images courtesy of Danziger, all rights reserved. Item# 13309

The rounded flower clusters open to a bright orange-yellow and quickly deepen into rich red tones. Gem™ Ruby Lantana was developed with container culture in mind where they will provide spring to fall color and nectar for pollinators all on a compact rounded plant growing to about 10-14" high and wide. These versatile heat and sunloving plants can also be utilized for hanging baskets as well as in the garden and landscape . Provide a full to mostly sunny site in a fertile, average moist soil for optimum vigor and continuous flowering. Images courtesy of Danziger, all rights reserved. Item# 13120

The large 1-1/2" long tubular color-changing flowers are produced in spike-like clusters from the leaf axils and start out yellow and fade through orange into red tones and are held on 3-4'H sturdy stems. The flowers are produced during the spring, where plants are not frozen to the ground, and/or in fall just in time for migrating hummingbirds. The Giant Cigar Plant, Cuphea micropetala, is a herbaceous, slowly spreading, upright to branching perennial cloaked in dark green glossy foliage. Considered by many to be the most reliably cold hardy Cuphea species surviving into zone 7B if provided a breathable winter mulch. It typically spreads stoloniferously and via rhizomes but is not considered invasive or aggressive. As with basically all Cupheas, the Giant Cigar is heat and sunloving and will benefit from average moisture, in fertile soils with average or better drainage. Where not hardy it can easily be maintained as a medium to medium-large container plant. Item# 429

Large clusters of dense frilly purple flowers are borne from mid-summer to fall on this tall vigorous native perennial. An excellent choice for the back of the border where the butterflies and bees can enjoy it. Commonly found in moist clay soils but will do fine in average garden soils. Item# 9257.

Clusters of white to lilac, up to 1" wide, star-shaped, lightly fragrant flowers are produced nearly continuously throughout the warmer months of the year. The large velvety, white to gray green, large rounded tropical foliage of the Giant Milkweed make excellent fodder for Monarch caterpillars and one leaf can provide a substantial amount of food. A large growing shrub in tropical climates where it can be trained into a tree form, grown as a shrub, or hedge. The Giant Milkweed can easily be maintained as a large container plant. Item# 11038

A nearly continuous display of dark-eyed 3-4" wide dark golden yellow daisies are held above the rosettes of deep green foliage throughout summer attracting bees and a variety of other garden beneficials. Glitters Like Gold Black-Eyed Susan is a hybrid Rudbeckia boasting improved vigor, longer flowering, and resistance to leaf spot as compared to the longtime favorite Goldstrum. This easy sunloving clump-forming perennial grows to 30-36"H x 18"W and the ripened seedheads provide fodder for songbirds in fall and winter. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in average to well-drained soils with average moisture and fertility. Item# 12284

The clusters of purple to purplish-pink 3" wide trumpet shaped flowers with a nicely contrasting white ring surrounding the yellow throats that are lined with fine magenta lines that guide large bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds to the nectar and pollen reward inside. The Glowvine, Bignonia magnifica, is a highly desireable, exceptionally free flowering, naturally evergreen tropical vine with unusual pairs of oval leaflets that are centered by its grasping tendrils. Once mature, these easy to grow vigorous vines can flower continuously throughout the year under warm tropical conditions. The Glowvine (a.k.a. Glow Vine) can be trained as a shrub and overwintered indoors with regular pruning or allow it to cover fences, trellises, and arbors in tropical regions. Item# 12033

You can grow this award winning Bluebeard for its foliage alone! The new bright yellow spring foliage retains its color throughout the growing season even in the hot and humid south. In late summer and fall, dense whorled clusters of deep violet-blue, nectar rich, tubular flowers are held above and among the wonderfully contrasting foliage. Gold Crest Bluebeard, a Caryopteris hybrid, was selected for its heat tolerant brilliant foliage, for its dense compact habit, and its pollinator attracting flowers. In zone 6 Bluebeard tends to act more like a clump forming die-back perennial and becomes more shrub-like where winters are milder, although, it benefits from a 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. Won Best Pollinator Friendly Perennial for the Southeast in 2019 at the UGA Trial Gardens and was rated above a 4.5 out 5 at both Penn State(2021) and Mississippi State(2020) trial gardens as 2nd year perennials! Images courtesy of Ball Horticulture, Inc., all rights reserved. Item# 12506

Golden Alexanders ( zizea aurea) produces flat topped clusters of tiny yellow flowers atop tall 2-3' high stems in spring atop the rosette of glossy lobed foliage. This is a member of the carrot family, Apiaceae previously Umbelliferaceae, and is a host of the Black Swallowtail butterfly caterpillar. A native clump forming perennial, Golden Alexanders, Zizia aurea, is found throughout the central and eastern US. It is commonly found in moist woodlands, roadsides, meadows, and prairies. The flowers attract a variety of smaller pollinators including bees and butterflies. The ripened seed heads are utilized by songbirds. Item# 11774

3" wide golden yellow trumpet shaped flowers are held against a foil of glossy, deep green foliage are produced from spring to fall to potentially year-round on mature plants attracting butterflies, bees, and other pollinators. The Golden Butterfly Allamanda, a selection of Allamanda cathartica, is a compact form of this naturally evergreen, tropical, scandent shrub growing to 2-3' high and wide making it the perfect choice for a tropical specimen container plant and can also be enjoyed in hanging baskets and sunny window boxes. The key to success with Allandas is an average moist, fertile, well-draining soil, that should be allowed to become semi-dry between waterings, and a warm to hot, full sun to part sun site. Item# 12782

Large clusters of brilliant golden yellow 3" long trumpet shaped flowers are produced most heavily in early to midspring and may be produced sporadically during the growing season. The nectar rich flowers are produced during its short deciduous period to better show them off while attracting a variety of pollinators including hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees. The Golden Trumpet Tree, previously Tabebuia chrysotricha and now classified as Handroanthus chrysotrichus, is a highly sought after, relatively fast growing, small to medium sized, short term deciduous, tropical tree that develops a naturally rounded crown at maturity growing to about 25-35'H and nearly as wide. This is a good choice as a street tree, small lawn tree, or for lightly shading a pool or patio. Pollinated flowers produce long, curving brown fuzzy seed pods. The Tabebuia prefers a well-drained, moderately fertile, average moist soil in a full to mostly sunny site for optimum vigor and flowering. Item# 9678

A profusion of dark-eyed golden yellow, 3-5'', daisies are held above the tidy rosette of foliage throughout summer. A reliable, tough, and deservedly award winning clump forming perennial. Excellent for butterflies and the birds will enjoy the seedheads in winter. Item# 9155.

Enormous conicle lavender clusters, to 4" wide and 12-14" long, composed of tiny fragrant nectar rich flowers adorn the weeping stems of this fountaining Butterfly Bush in summer and fall. Grand Cascade Buddleia is a vigorous hybrid and a 2018 Walter's Gardens introduction developed by crossing Buddleia davidii with Buddleia lindleyana. The flowers attract loads of butterflies, bees, and other pollinators. Images courtesy of Walter's Gardens, Inc., all rights reserved. Item# 11634

Hundreds of 1" wide dark purple daisies are produced in fall atop these dense mounding perennials that could easily be grown in the place of fall mums. Grape Crush New England Aster, a selection of Aster novae-angliae (a.k.a. Symphyotrichum novae-angliae), is a clump forming native perennial with a densely branching, naturally rounded habit requiring no pinching, and producing a superior fall show. It doesn't lodge or break over like the species can. The flowers attract bees and butterflies. Caterpillar host: Field Crescent, Pearl Crescent, Texan Crescent, Roadside Checkerspot, Hoffman's Checkerspot, Gorgonne Checkerdpot, and American Lady. Use these perennials where you would normally buy Chrysanthemums whether as part of the perennial border, landscape, or as container plants. Provide a full sun to mostly sunny site in an average to well-drained, fertile soil with average moisture for optimum vigor and flowering. Images courtesy of Walter's Gardens, Inc., all rights reserved. Item# 12741