Bee Plants

Like a flashing neon sign that says "Eat at Joes!", a ring of large crepe-like watermelon pink petals, accented with purple bee guides, flare around the ends of the tubular flowers like a flamenco dress guiding in hummingbirds for a rich nectar reward. Sweet Talk™ Deep Pink Cuphea are compact well-branching plants that revel in the heat and sun of summer flowering from spring to fall. Use these heat and sun-loving tropicals in mixed containers, as specimens in pots or hanging baskets, or add them to the front of a sunny border or landscape. The Sweet Talk™ Cupheas will grow and flower best in a well-draining, fertile soil with average moisture. Images courtesy of PanAmerican Seed, all rights reserved. Item# 13315

Like a flashing neon sign that says "Eat at Joes!", a ring of large crepe-like deep reddish purple petals broadly edged in starkly contrasting white, flare around the ends of the tubular flowers like a flamenco dress guiding in hummingbirds for a rich nectar reward. Sweet Talk™ Lavender Splash Cuphea are compact well-branching plants that revel in the heat and sun of summer flowering from spring to fall. Use these heat and sun-loving tropicals in mixed containers, as specimens in pots or hanging baskets, or add them to the front of a sunny border or landscape. The Sweet Talk™ Cupheas will grow and flower best in a well-draining, fertile soil with average moisture. Images courtesy of PanAmerican Seed, all rights reserved. Item# 13316

Like a flashing neon sign that says "Eat at Joes!", a ring of large crepe-like intensely red petals, accented with purple bee guides, flare around the ends of the tubular flowers like a flamenco dress guiding in hummingbirds for a rich nectar reward. Sweet Talk™ Red Cuphea are compact well-branching plants that revel in the heat and sun of summer flowering from spring to fall. Use these heat and sun-loving tropicals in mixed containers, as specimens in pots or hanging baskets, or add them to the front of a sunny border or landscape. The Sweet Talk™ Cupheas will grow and flower best in a well-draining, fertile soil with average moisture. Images courtesy of PanAmerican Seed, all rights reserved. Item# 13314

The medium-sized, elegantly cupped, semi-double flowers are composed of deep rosy red petals that are edged in a broad and starkly contrasting bright white band and are centered by a boss of golden stamens often mixed with a few petaloids. Flowering occurs in early to midseason, October to February, attracting bees and other pollinators. Tama Americana Camellia is a large flowered Japonica type with a moderate rate of growth and a somewhat open habit maturing into a large rounded evergreen shrub. Provide Camellias with a fertile soil rich in organic matter, with average moisture, and an organic mulch. Item# 13244

The medium to large, semi-double to loose peony form flowers are composed of rosy pink to rosy red petals that are edged in a narrow and starkly contrasting bright white band and are centered by a boss of golden stamens often mixed with petaloids. Flowering occurs in early to midseason, October to February, attracting bees and other pollinators. Tama Beauty Camellia is a large flowered Japonica type with a moderate rate of growth and an upright to rounded, densely branching habit maturing into a large rounded evergreen shrub. Provide Camellias with a fertile soil rich in organic matter, with average moisture, and an organic mulch. Images courtesy of Cam Too Camellia Nursery, all rights reserved. Item# 13245

The large waterfall like clusters (racemes) of white, bell-shaped flowers that are produced in late winter and early spring and last for weeks, absolutely shine against the dark green foliage covering the upper and outer portions of this easy evergreen shrub. Temple Bells Pieris, Pieris japonica 'Temple Bells', is a small to medium-sized evergreen shrub with a slow rate of growth. The glossy deep dark green ovate foliage that emerges in red to bronze shades and finally to medium green before deepening in color adding to this plants seasons of interest. This member of the Blueberry family, Ericaceae, is one of the more shade tolerant evergreens but it is perfectly happy in morning sun to filtered shade. Temple Bells Pieris will do best in a moist to average moist soil rich in organic matter, with average or better drainage and will happily grow anywhere that Azaleas, Camellias, and Japanese Maples thrive. It is more tolerant of calcareous soils than most members of this family, including in the midwest, but acidic soils are probably optimal. Provide an organic mulch and use slow release fertilizers that are labeled for acid loving plants. I pass by these shrubs in my mother's garden on the north side of her house twice a day and never tire of its welcome flowers during the dreary days of late winter when we are so ready for spring! Item# 1190

Large dark purplish pink rays surround the green and copper tinged cone of nectar rich disk flowers in summer and interestingly the flowers always face eastward. The Tennessee Purple Coneflower is a rare species of Echinacea known only from a small area in central Tennessee around the Nashville area and was one of the very first plants to be added to the Endangered Species list but now the populations are stable enough that it has been unlisted and is a model success story for endangered plant species. A taprooted drought resistant native perennial, provide the Tennessee Purple Coneflower with a well-drained soil in a full to mostly sunny site in the garden and landscape. The flowers attract a menagerie of pollinators, especially butterflies, bees, as well as hummingbirds and other garden beneficials. Item# 11727

Texas Gold Columbine produces bright sunny yellow flowers over an extended period from mid to late spring. The spurred flowers are visited by a variety of pollinators including butterflies, bees, and moths. The fine, fern-like soft textured blue green foliage provides a nice contrast with surrounding plants. Columbine are not always long lived perennials but readily reseed on bare soils. Provide this beautiful perennial to biennial with a moist, semi-shaded location for the best results. Texas Gold Columbine, a hybrid seed strain of Aquilegia chrysantha var. hinkleyana x A. canadensis, was selected and introduced by Greg Grant and Jerry Parsons and is a Texas Superstar® plant selection. Item# 11388

Texas Ironweed produces clusters of rich purple, to pinkish purple, frilly flowers in summer atop fairly sturdy upright stems. This one of the smaller growing Ironweeds and can be somewhat rhizomatous but does not appear to aggressive. This is tough little drought resistant perennial that is excellent for pollinators common to well-drained soils. Texas Ironweed is shade tolerant but will perform best when grown in full sun in well-drained soils. Item# 10671.

Torpedo is a slightly larger flowering form of Batface Cuphea which produces 1-1/2" long red tubular blooms that end with a purple bat-like face that is accented by the bright red 'ears' on a naturally mounding plant. Flowers from late spring to frost and is adored by hummingbirds. Use Torpedo Batface Cuphea in mixed containers as a spiller or filler, as specimen containers, hanging baskets, or in mass in the garden and landscape to create a bold effect. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in a well-drained, fertile soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Item# 315

Clusters of deep blue 2" long pointed buds open to long-lasting tubular deep blue flowers that eventually fade to purplish-blue with the show beginning in early to midsummer and continuing into fall. True Blue Gentian is a hardy clump-forming perennial that develops into a well-branched 18-24"H x 12-18"W plant. A Darrell Probst is an open pollinated hybrid of Gentiana makinoi that is reported to be hardy into zone 8. True Blue Gentian does best in a full sun in areas with cooler summers and will likely need part shade where summers are hot. Provide it with a well-drained, average moist soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Makes a long-lasting cutflower as well as true blue addition to the garden and landscape. Image courtesy of AG3, Inc., all rights reserved. Item# 12286

An easy groundcovering perennial, Under the Sea Selfheal produces fat spikes of dark bracts from which tubular purplish pink flowers emerge over an extended period from late spring and through early summer 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 as a groundcover beneath larger perennials or as a component of the meadow or prairie. Selfheal can be used to good effect spilling over walls or even in containers if you feel you need to contain it. Item# 11176

The large, palmate, tropical-looking, glossy deep green foliage of this Variegated Fatsia is splashed with nicely contrasting bright creamy white making this a standout in shaded gardens. 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. 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. Item# 9305

Grown more for its beautifully variegated, starkly contrasting bright white and deep green, upright to slightly arching clumps of slender foliage than for the near continuous procession of starry, ½" wide white flowers produced throughout the warmer months of the year on gracefully arching stems. The iris-like flowers are reported to attract bees, butterflies, and other smaller pollinators. Variegated Shooting Star Lily, a selection of Anthericum saundersoniae but now reclassified as Chlorophytum saundersoniae, is a naturally evergreen, clump forming member of the Asparagus family and a close cousin of the popular Spider or Airplane Plant, Chlorophytum comosum. It is adaptable to both full sun to bright shade as well as to soil types although an average moist, fertile, well-drained loam or sandy loam rich in organic matter may be optimum in the garden and landscape. The Variegated Shooting Star Lily also makes an easy container plant as a specimen or as a filler in mixed combination pots and can be easily overwintered indoors near a sunny window. Item# 13064

One of the bluest of old rambling roses. Less thorny than most roses, vigorous, and fairly disease resistant. Produces clusters of fragrant, small, purple blossoms in spring which darken to a blue-purple as they age. Item # 715.

Vibrant glowing fuchsia, 1" long two-lipped tubular flowers are borne along short spikes from spring to fall on this vigorous Salvia hybrid. Vibe® Ignition Fuchsia Autumn or James Sage is hybrid of Salvia greggi x S. microphylla garnering the best of both species and boasting exceptional flower power and a naturally compact tidy rounded habit to 2'x2'. It is sure to make an easy and forgiving colorful low-maintenance container plant or add it to the garden and landscape where its flowers will draw in hummingbirds, butterflies, and larger bees throughout the growing season. Provide a full to mostly sunny site with good drainage for optimum vigor and flowering. Vibe® Ignition Fuchsia Salvia is moderately drought resistant once fully established but may flower best under average moisture conditions. Images courtesy of Ball Horticulture, Inc., all rights reserved. Item# 12417

Vibrant dark purple, 1" long two-lipped tubular flowers are borne along short spikes from spring to fall on this vigorous Salvia hybrid. Vibe® Ignition Purple Autumn James Sage is hybrid of Salvia greggi x S. microphylla garnering the best of both species and boasting exceptional flower power and a naturally compact tidy rounded habit to 2'x2'. It is sure to make an easy and forgiving colorful low-maintenance container plant or add it to the garden and landscape where its flowers will draw in hummingbirds, butterflies, and larger bees throughout the growing season. Provide a full to mostly sunny site with good drainage for optimum vigor and flowering. Vibe® Ignition Purple Salvia is moderately drought resistant once fully established but may flower best under average moisture conditions. Item# 11987

The large 3-4" wide, funnel shaped, white flowers are neatly edged in a broad band of contrasting rich reddish-pink and seem to nearly glow against the foil of dark green, medium textured foliage. Flowering is in midspring attracting bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Vibrant Evergreen Azalea, a Harris hybrid, is a rare dwarf with a dense and compact habit that lends itself to bonsai culture but is sure to be a low-maintenance conversation piece in the garden and landscape.  Azaleas do best in average moist, acidic soils that are rich in organic matter but have good to excellent drainage and should be top dressed with an organic mulch such as pine straw and pine bark. We recommend using a slow-release, non-burning fertilizer that is labeled for acidic loving plants. Item# 12576

Medium to large, semi-double to peony to nearing anemone form, bright white flowers may or may not show gold tipped stamens and are produced in mid to late season, February to April. Victory White Camellia is a large flowered Japonica with a vigorous upright, well-branched habit maturing into a rounded, large evergreen shrub. The cloak of deep green, glossy foliage acts as the perfect foil to make its bright white flowers pop. Provide Camellias with a fertile soil rich in organic matter, with average moisture, and an organic mulch. Images courtesy of Cam Too Camellia Nursery, all rights reserved. Item# 13255

Dense flattened clusters of dainty white tubular flowers top the narrow blue-green to green fragrant foliage in summer. The small nectar rich flowers of Virginia Mountain Mint, Pycnanthemum virginianum, attract a wide variety of pollinators, and are especially important to native bees. This is a rhizomatous native perennial that will readily spread especially in moist soils. It is native mainly to the northcentral and northeastern US and is typically found in moist soils but can tolerate drier sites where it is less likely to spread aggressively. Virginia Mountain Mint is tolerant of a wide variety of soil types from clay, to sandy, to rocky as well as calcareous soils. Item# 12355