Bee Plants

An easy groundcovering perennial, Selfheal produces dense spikes of contrasting coppery tinged green bracts from which row after row of white tubular flowers with a purple 'hood' emerge. It begins flowering in early to mid spring lasting for several weeks providing nectar to bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. This member of the mint family is easy to establish and requires little care once established in the garden. Use Selfheal as a groundcover, on roadsides, as a component of the meadow, prairie and other naturalistic settings. Selfheal can be used to good effect spilling over walls or even in containers if you feel you need to contain it. Deer, rabbit, and pest resistant. Mainly a winter and spring growing perennial that moves into dormancy after seeds set in summer. Item# 11176

Large deep red bottlebrush-like flowers are produced at the ends of the arching stems in spring and sporadically through summer on large established plants. Semmes' Hardy Bottlebrush was selected as much for its cold hardiness (large well-established plants have increased cold hardiness over young tender plants) as for its habit and flowering potential. Bronze tinged new growth follows the flush of spring flowers that are sure to attract hummingbirds, butterflies, bees and other garden beneficials. Semmes' Hardy Bottlebrush has a naturally compact and rounded 4-5' x 4-5' habit with somewhat arching evergreen branches. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in a well-drained soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Item# 11886

Large, 4-5" wide, fragrant, semi-double flowers of the purist white with wavy petals and a contrasting boss of golden yellow stamens shine like spotlights against the foil of deep green glossy foliage. Flowering begins early in the season in October continuing into December, with a few flowers into early January. Setsugekka Sasanqua Camellia has a vigorous moderately upright habit that rounds out with at maturity. This dense foliage of this large evergreen shrub lend it to use as a specimen, screen, hedge, or even a small evergreen tree form. The Sasanqua Camellias are tolerant of full sun to part sun conditions. Provide an average moist, average to well drained, moderately fertile, acidic soil rich in organic matter and an organic mulch for optimum vigor and flowering. Item# 10183

In spring, tiny greenish-white flowers are produced in the leaf axils attracting a variety of bees and those that are pollinated will produce large 3/8" diameter shiny black berries. Beyond its value to wildlife, the Shamrock Dwarf Inkberry Holly, a selection of Ilex glabra, was selected for its compact 3-4' size, its adaptability to a variety of soil and sun conditions, and for the fact that it suckers less than the species. Its main requirement is acidic soils ranging from average moist to wet. Inkberry Holly is native to all states along the eastern seaboard and the Gulf Coast. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in a moist soil for optimum vigor and the densest growth habit. Caterpillar host: Holly Blue. Item# 13287

Vibrant yellow and red flowers are borne from Spring to frost on an upright to spreading perennial. Raise Monarch Butterflies in your own backyard! The Monarchs migrate through our area just as the Asclepias begin to awaken in spring, just in time for the females to lay their eggs on the new growth. Caterpillar host: Queen and Monarch. Item # 3078.

Solid yellow blooms are borne from spring to fall on this vigorous and fast growing upright perennial. Raise Monarch Butterflies in your own backyard! The Monarchs migrate through our area just as the Asclepias begin to awaken in spring, just in time for the females to lay their eggs on the new growth. Caterpillar host: Queen and Monarch. item # 643.

Silver Mound Lantana is a low growing, mounding lantana that produces an abundance of soft yellow flowers that mature to white and are borne from spring to fall attracting a variety of other smaller pollinators as well as butterflies. An old favorite with the vigor and flower power of the ever popular New Gold as it spends its energy on flower production instead of seed production. An excellent low maintenance groundcover or for the front of the garden or landscape. Item# 10896.

Medium to deep blue falls and standards with the falls being accented by contrasting gold crests at their base are produced in early to midseason, or March to April, atop 30-36" high stems. Sinfonietta Louisiana Iris has been highly popular since its introduction and was awarded an Honorable Mention in 1990 and the Award of Garden Merit in 1992 by the American Iris Society. 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# 13339

A mainstay of southern and western Texas and New Mexico butterfly gardens! Bright yellow daisies are produced from late spring into fall and are held against a foil of dark green, deeply lobed, fragrant, narrow foliage with the heaviest flowering occurring in fall. The flowers are highly attractive to a variety of butterflies, bees, and other garden beneficials. Skeleton-Leaf Goldeneye, Viguiera stenoloba and now Sidneya tenuifolia, is a native, naturally evergreen, small shrub with fine-textured, very dark green, deeply lobed, strongly resiny fragrant foliage that is resistant to being browsed by deer and rabbits. It is tough as nails and is highly drought resistant once well-established. Use it as a low maintenance formal or informal hedge, back drop, or groundcover. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in well-drained soils. A caterpillar host plant for the Bordered Patch Butterfly. Item# 13084

Narrow, upright to arching, 24-30" high spikes of rich purple flowers are produced in mid to late summer and into fall attracting a host of pollinators. Smallhead Blazing Star, Liatris microcephela, is a cormous, clump-forming, herbaceous perennial with narrow, dark green, fine-textured foliage and produce a multitude of flower spikes per plant at maturity. This tough little deer and drought resistant native is typically found in sandy to clayey, well-drained soils in the southeastern US. Like all of our Liatris species, it is a key pollinator plant attracting bees, butterflies, flower flies, and likely occasional low-flying hummingbirds. Smallhead Blazing Star makes for a long-lasting cut flower and, unlike most Liatris, the flowers begin opening from the top downward. Provide a full sun to partly shaded site in fertile, average moist to periodically dry soil. Images courtesy of North Creek Nurseries, all rights reserved. Item# 13266

This low growing, mat forming perennial covers up in 1/2" wide white daisies with yellow eyes in late summer and fall attracting bees and smaller pollinators. Snow Flurry White Heath Aster, a selection ofSymphyotrichum ericoides , is a 4-8" high, sprawling, groundcovering selection of this normally 3' high native perennial with dark green narrow heath or juniper like foliage. This species is found most commonly throughout much of the central US as well as into the northeastern and northwestern regions. Provide this easy perennial with a full to mostly sunny site and well-drained, semi-dry soils. Caterpillar host: Field Crescent, Pearl Crescent, Texan Crescent, Roadside Checkerspot, Hoffman's Checkerspot, and American Lady. Images courtesy of North Creek Nurseries, all rights reserved. Item# 12246

The bare winter stems are adorned with bright sunny yellow flowers in late winter and early spring attracting mainly bees as pollinators. Once the flowering season is finished this beautiful shrub is adorned with solid yellow foliage providing color until autumn when the foliage takes on purple tones until it falls away. The Solid Gold Dwarf Korean Forsythia, Forsythia viridissima var. koreana 'Solid Gold', is an Almost Eden introduction that we selected as a stable sport of the cultivar Ilwang. Ilwang was first shared with us by the late great nurseryman Sherwood Aikens of Minden, Louisiana. This is an easy to grow, low maintenance, compact growing deciduous shrub with an arching, fountaining habit growing wider than tall and maxing out at about 3-4'H x 4-5'W. Its golden foliage can tolerate full sun but may lighten some but this does not appear to affect the plant's vigor it. Provide a fertile soil with average or better drainage and average moisture. Item# 9742

Consistently in the top 10 in Coneflower and perennial trials! Brilliant golden yellow ray petals surround the fragrant golden tipped cones creating the 3" wide long-lasting, non-fading flowers perched atop sturdy 18" stems. The Sombrero® Granada Gold Coneflower or Echinacea was selected as much for its bright, long-lasting, non-fading color as well as for its excellent summerlong flower power, clean foliage, reliability, and neat and tidy habit. 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 and landscape as well as for container specimens. Leave seedheads for fall and winter songbirds to enjoy. Removal of spent flowers may help to prolong the flowering season but is not required. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in an average moist, well-drained, fertile soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Photos courtesy of Darwin Perennials®, all rights reserved. Item# 13319

A 2018 UGA Trial Gardens Classic City Award and a People's Choice Award winner! The large, lightly fragrant flowers open a coral pink, deepen through rose, and finally maturing to burgundy held on sturdy 18" high stems above the deep green foliage in summer. SOMBRERO® Tres Amigos Coneflower or Echinacea is a hardy clump forming perennial growing to about 18-20"H x 22-24"W making it compact enough for containers as well as being a colorful addition to the garden and landscape. Like all of the Echinaceas, the fragrant nectar rich flowers attract a variety of pollinators, especially butterflies and bees. Provide a fertile, average moist, well-drained soil in a full to mostly sunny site. Leave seedheads for fall and winter songbirds to enjoy. Photos courtesy of Darwin Perennials, Inc., all rights reserved. Item# 13156

Dense spikes of rosy pink tubular flowers are produced in late summer and fall atop sturdy stems attracting butterflies, larger bees, and hummingbirds. The Southern Fall Obedient Plant, Physostegia virginiana ssp. praemorsa, is a clump forming species of Physostegia, whereas most species spread via long rhizomes, this one is a much more mannerly native perennial better suited to garden culture. It will slowly multiply developing into a dense clump of foliage and flowering stems. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in a wet to moist to average moist, fertile soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Item# 12752

A freely flowering summer blooming Snapdragon, this easy to grow perennial produces dense spikes of soft rosy pink flowers with primrose yellow and peachy orange nectar guides that sit atop a compact mound of handsome fuzzy gray-green foliage. The Spanish Snapdragon, a native of the drier Meditteranean region of Europe, is a suprisingly winter hardy species growing about twice as wide as it is high and may trail somewhat when grown as a container plant. It is best suited to soils with excellent drainage in a full to mostly sunny location and makes a forgiving container specimen that will dazzle for weeks. Even with its preferences for drier conditions it has been quite tolerant of growing in average moist well-drainedsoils in our hot and humid southern zone 8B climate. Moderately drought resistant once well-established and considered to be deer and rabbit resistant. Caterpillar host: Common Buckeye. Item# 11695

The large, palmate, tropical-looking, glossy medium to deep green foliage is heavily overlaid with contrasting white to creamy white variegation including the major veins which are almost solid white. A choice evergreen shrub for shaded sites. Mature plants produce large loose clusters to 18" or more across are composed of 1" to 1-1/2" diameter, ball-shaped white flowers that are produced in fall to winter attracting an amazing number of mainly smaller pollinators and are followed by 1/4" diameter green berries that ripen to black. Spider's Web Fatsia or Japanese Aralia makes an excellent choice for shaded locations and develops into a medium to large, often multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with an initially slow rate of growth that increase to moderate once plants are well-established. Makes a wonderful specimen, informal hedge, or container plant for indoors or out. Provide Fatsia with an average moist, fertile, acidic soil rich in organic matter with average or better drainage. Photos courtesy of TERRA NOVA® Nurseries, Inc., www.terranovanurseries.com, all rights reserved. Item# 12829

Dainty, nectar-rich, late winter to midspring, greenish white flowers are followed by sweet, clear orange, 3/8" diameter berries with a flavor reminiscent of cantaloupe ripen in fall. Like all of our native Hackberry species, the Spiny Hackberry, Celtis pallida or C. ehrenbergiana, is an important host plant for the Hackberry butterflies (American Snout, Cuban Snout, Empress Leilia, Dusky Emperor, Tawny Emperor, Hackberry Emperor, etc...) as well as the Red-Bordered Metalmark. The ripe fruit are devoured by a variety of birds and other wildlife. Human nibblers should be aware that the fruit does contain a large pit. The Spiny or Desert Hackberry develops into a large shrub or small tree that seems to prefer average moist soils but as the name implies it is quite drought tolerant once well-established. Item# 10682

Whorls of curving, tubular, yellow to cream flowers, commonly with purple dots, are held above the whorls of colorful bracts ranging from cream, to pink, to purple tones are produced in late spring and summer with the colorful bracts providing interest often into fall. The flowers attract a variety of pollinators including bees, butterflies, and occasional hummingbirds. Spotted Horsemint, Monarda punctata, is a clump forming, native perennial with lemony to oregano scented, narrow foliage. It is found throughout much of the central and eastern US and as far west as New Mexico and is commonly found on dryish, well-drained, and often poor, sandy soils. Spotted Horsemint makes an easy and reliable addition to naturalistic settings like roadsides, prairies, and meadows. Readily reseeds on exposed soils. Deer and rabbit resistant. Prefers a full sun site in well-drained soils.