Butterfly Nectar Sources

Large rounded clusters of lightly fragrant 1" wide deep coral pink flowers that lighten to near white toward the base of the petals and with a fuchsia eye sit atop sturdy stems and are produced beginning in late spring and continuing through summer potentially into fall. Coral Crème Drop™ Garden Phlox is another exceptionally disease resistant Phlox paniculata hybrid from the Candy Store series with rich deep dark green often bronze-tinged foliage on well-branched plants that are a little more compact than most Garden Phlox cultivars reaching only about 24" high. This is a slowly spreading clump-forming perennial that will eventually develop into a dense mass of stems and foliage that is topped for weeks by the bright and showy nectar rich flowers that attract butterflies, hummingbirds, and hummingbird moths. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in well-drained fertile soils for optimum vigor and flowering. Images courtesy of Plants Nouveau, all rights reserved. Item# 12206

Large rounded to conical clusters of fragrant 1" wide purple flowers with a red-purple eye and with each petal brushed with 2 light strokes of bright contrasting white are produced beginning in summer and can continue into fall. The flowers of Phlox are butterfly pollinated but they may also attract larger bees and hummingbirds. Candy Store™ Grape Lollipop Garden Phlox is a clump forming selection of the native perennial Phlox paniculata with extra dark green disease resistant foliage that adorns the dark colored sturdy stems. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in well-drained, fertile soils for optimum vigor and flowering. Image courtesy of AG3, Inc., all rights reserved. Item# 12040

Clusters of light pink, nicely fragrant, somewhat funnel-shaped to tubular flowers are held against a foil of coppery pink, long-lasting bracts and bright golden yellow foliage beginning in late spring to early summer and continuing into fall. Canyon Creek Glossy Abelia, an open pollinated seedling of Abelia chinense that was selected through Dr. Michael Dirr's breeding program at UGA, is a vigorous growing cultivar with some of the best yellow foliage of any shrub on the market today. The glossy, medium to fine-textured foliage starts out a contrasting coppery red and matures to bright sunny to golden yellow and finally to green in summer providing interest throughout the year and will have the best color where it receives at least a half a day or more of direct sunlight in a moderately fertile to rich soil. Utilize this tough and easy, evergreen to semi-evergreen medium to large shrub in the garden or landscape as a specimen plant or formal to informal hedge. The fragrance of the flowers in a bouquet can be enough to fill a room. Highly recommended. Item# 3073

Masses of bright yellow, 1" long trumpets herald the coming of spring and have a strong Jasmine-like fragrance that is produced in early evening and at night suggesting that they are pollinated by hummingbird or sphinx moths as well as by native bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. *It is not a suitable nectar plant for honeybees. Carolina Yellow Jessamine, Gelsemium sempervirens, is a native, twining, evergreen to semi-evergreen vine with glossy, dark green, narrow foliage that can climb up to 20' high but is just as happy on a 6' fence or other sturdy support. It is native to the southeastern US from eastern Texas, all along the Gulf Coast, north to Virginia, as well as in the southern half of Arkansas and about 3 counties in southcentral Tennessee. Provide Carolina Jasmine with a full sun to mostly sunny site in an average to well-drained, fertile soil for optimum growth and to maximize flowering. Although, it is shade tolerant it doesn't flower as profusely. Tough and easy as well as drought, deer, and rabbit resistant. Its fragrance is enough to stop you in your tracks on an evening stroll! Item# 1208

Dense 20-28" high spikes of large, deep cherry red, almost foxglove-like flowers with a striped white throat are produced beginning in late spring and can continue into fall if periodically deadheaded. The flowers attract bees, hummingbirds, and even butterflies. CHA CHA™ Cherry Penstemon, a complex hybrid of native Penstemon species, is a clump forming perennial with glossy deep green narrow foliage selected for its denser flower spikes and more compact habit that lends it to use as a low maintenance container plant as well as in the garden and landscape. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in an average moist, well-drained, fertile soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Photos courtesy of Terra Nova Nurseries, Inc., www.terranovanurseries.com, all rights reserved. Item# 12860

Dense 20-28" high spikes of large, traffic-stopping dayglow pink, almost foxglove-like flowers with a striped white throat are produced beginning in late spring and can continue into fall if periodically deadheaded. The flowers attract bees, hummingbirds, and even butterflies. CHA CHA™ Hot Pink Penstemon, a complex hybrid of native Penstemon species, is a clump forming perennial with glossy deep green narrow foliage selected for its denser flower spikes and more compact habit that lends it to use as a low maintenance container plant as well as in the garden and landscape. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in an average moist, well-drained, fertile soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Photos courtesy of Terra Nova Nurseries, Inc., www.terranovanurseries.com, all rights reserved. Item# 12859

Dense 18-24" high spikes of large wine-purple, almost foxglove-like flowers with a striped white throat are produced beginning in late spring and can continue into fall if periodically deadheaded. The flowers attract bees, hummingbirds, and even butterflies. CHA CHA™ Purple Penstemon, a complex hybrid of native Penstemon species, is a clump forming perennial with glossy deep green narrow foliage selected for its denser flower spikes and more compact habit that lends it to use as a low maintenance container plant as well as in the garden and landscape. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in an average moist, well-drained, fertile soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Photos courtesy of Terra Nova Nurseries, Inc., www.terranovanurseries.com, all rights reserved. Item# 12857

Not just another yellow Lantana, Chapel Hill Yellow is a superior selection that has the habit of New Gold but with the cold hardiness of Miss Huff. It produces clusters of primrose yellow flowers from spring to frost on a low and spreading plant and like all Lantana the flowers attract loads of butterflies and other pollinators. It is sure to brighten up gardens throughout zone 7 and easily lends itself to use as a groundcover in the garden and landscape or spilling from large containers. Item# 10808.

Large 3" wide dark reddish-purple trumpet shaped flowers are borne throughout summer to year-round under warm tropical conditions adorn the vine-like stems of this tropical. Cherries Jubilee Allamanda, a selection of Allamanda blanchetii, is a naturally evergreen, scandent (a.k.a. vine-like) large arching to shrub to vine-like shrub that revels in the heat and sun of summer. The flowers may be visited by butterflies, bees, and other pollinators. It can be trained as an espalier, trellis, or even as a tree form and can be allowed to trail along fences and up arbors in freeze free climates. Cool winter temperatures and frosts may cause some leaf drop. Provide Cherries Jubiliee Alllamanda with a full to partly sunny site in an average moist but never soggy wet, well-drained, fertile soil for optimum vigor and continuous flowering. Where not hardy it is easily overwintered in a warm sunny window.  Item# 356

As sexy as Hot Lips but in an all new shade! The spikes of two-lipped tubular bright white flowers are tipped with a broad band of deep cherry red at the tips of the petals creating a stunning contrast. Flowers may be solid cherry red when the weather is cool and dreary but quickly revert to their two-toned splendor with a little sunshine. Cherry Lips Salvia begins flowering in late spring or early summer and continues into fall, all the while attracting bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. A hybrid of the two native species S. greggii and S. microphylla, a.k.a S. x jamensis, this sunloving Sage develops into a naturally rounded, 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. Provide a full to mostly sunny site in well-drained, average moist, fertile soils for maximum flower power. Item# 12471

Spikes of deep red, 1" long tubular flowers are produced throughout the growing season on this low growing, semi-spreading Salvia greggii hybrid making it an excellent addition near the front of the garden or landscape. Cherry Queen begins flowering earlier and over a longer period than its parents Salvia greggii and Salvia blepharophylla. Add Cherry Queen Salvia to the garden or enjoy it as a low maintenance container plant in any sunny location. Good drainage and ample sunlight are key and the hummingbirds will surely thank you. Item# 11401

Deep fiery red, 1" long tubular flowers tipped in white are produced throughout the growing season to year round under warm tropical conditions attracting hummingbirds and the occasional larger butterfly. Cherrybells Cigar Plant is a selection of Cuphea ignea with a compact habit and good resistance to leaf spotting, It is a naturally evergreen, herbaceous tropical whose full bushy yet somewhat compact habit lend it to use for sunny hanging baskets, window boxes, or add this neat little guy to mixed containers where it can mingle among and around the taller plants and will eventually spill over the edges to some extent. For optimum growth and vigor provide a full to mostly sunny site in a fertile, well-drained, average moist soil.  Images courtesy of Ball Horticulture, Inc., all rights reserved. Item# 12880

2013 AAS Perennial of the Year! This award winning seed grown Purple Cone Flower produces 3-4" wide daisies in brilliant colors ranging from red, orange, yellow, pink, purple, and cream. Sturdy and winter hardy compact plants with excellent flower power. The Purple Coneflower is an excellent plant for pollinators with its nectar rich flowers. Provide ample sunlight and good drainage. Flowers the first year! Image courtesy of Kieft Seed. Item# 10525.

Graceful foot-long spikes of fuzzy bright fuchsia tubular flowers are produced from summer through fall and throughout winter under frost free conditions on a mannerly shade tolerant plant with deep green textured foliage. Chiapas Sage develops into a 3' high and wide plant and hails from the Cloud Forests of San Cristobal, Chiapas, Mexico and should do wonderfully in the humid central and eastern US. It is frost tender but is reported to withstand zone 7 winters if given a breathable protective winter mulch in a well-drained soil. In hot summer climates plan to give Chiapas Sage midday and afternoon shade and it can tolerate light shade and will be sure to brighten up these areas. The nectar rich flowers are a treat for hummingbirds, butterflies, and other pollinators. Easy to overwinter as a container plant and floriferous enough to be enjoyed as an annual. Item# 11691 

Up to 3/4" diameter, lightly fragrant, dense Sputnik-like flower clusters are composed of numerous small creamy white to light pink, funnel-shaped flowers that are tipped in purple often giving the flowers a lavender cast and the long white styles and creamy white stigmas provide the spikey look. The nectar rich flowers are produced throughout the warmer months of the year, late spring and often into fall, attracting an array of pollinators. The Chinese Buttonbush or Glossy Adina, Adina rubella, is a deciduous, medium to large, fine textured shrub with a naturally rounded to arching habit and a moderate rate of growth. The very dark green foliage has a mirror like glossiness and creates a contrasting foil for the flowers. Like our native Buttonbush, this plant is naturally found growing along wet areas but has no problems adapting to average moist, fertile garden soils in full sun to light shade. Item# 10035

Rounded clusters of medium purple tubular flowers are produced in late spring to early summer atop sturdy stems. The flowers attract hummingbirds and larger butterflies. Claire Grace Beebalm was selected not only for its long-lasting masses of darker purple flowers but also for its glossy green healthy foliage with good resistance to powdery mildew. This was one of the top 3 performing Monardas in trials that included over 40 cultivars at Mt. Cuba Center near Wilmington Delaware. Discovered in Mississippi by Barb and Michael Bridges of the now defunct Southern Perennials and Herbs and named for their daughter. Beebalm makes an easy and reliable addition to the garden and landscape as well as in naturalized areas. Provide a full to mostly sunny position in well-drained soils for optimum health and flowering. Images courtesy of North Creek Nurseries, all rights reserved. Item# 11946

Up to 6" wide, fragrant, slightly rounded, white flower clusters arch away from their structure on semi-lax stems showing off numerous small white flowers that attract bees and butterflies. The dark green glossy foliage creates a strong contrast to the brilliant white flowers. This native Climbing Hydrangea is typically found growing where soils are consistently moist in shaded to filtered shade conditions. It is a hardy deciduous woody vine that uses a multitude of rootlets along its stems to grab onto structures for support and may be used as a groundcover as well. Only mature vertical growing stems produce the new growth that creates the early to midsummer flowering stems. A west central Louisiana selection. Item# 12066

Considered by many to be the best of the Mountain Mints, Clustered Mountain Mint produces an abundance of tiny whitish tubular blooms touched with purple or lavender in tight clusters held above the attractive bluish white bracts. The bracts are probably more showy than the flowers but the flowers attract loads of pollinators including bees and small butterflies. The foliage is wonderfully fragrant and can be used in teas and cooking. This is a durable and slowly spreading native perennial that flowers throughout the summer months. Item# 10029.

The dark maroon spikes to 30" high are adorned with clusters of dangling 2" long tubular bright red flowers that flare at their ends and are produced in cycles throughout the growing season attracting a variety of pollinators but especially hummingbirds. COLORBURST™ Deep Red Cape Fuchsia, a hybrid Phygelius, is a clump forming, heat and humidity tolerant perennial that is normally relegated to the West Coast but newer cultivars and hybrids like this one are showing that these plants can be enjoyed in the Southeast as well. They will do best in an acidic, well-draining, fertile, moist to average moist soil and can be enjoyed as both container specimens as well as in the garden and landscape. After a flowering cycle, remove the spent stems to help promote the production of new flowering stems. Images courtesy of Terra Nova Nurseries, Inc., www.terranovanurseries.com, all rights reserved. Item# 13323

The 3" wide, cornflower-like daisies open white, slowly work their way through shades of lavender, and finally deepen to a violet blue creating a rainbow of cool-colored flowers even on the same flower stalk. Colorwheel Stokesia is just as tough and reliable as its brethren creating a mound of foliage on a durable and dense clump forming native perennial. Stokesia Daisy is one of those plant it and forget it perennials, once they become established in nearly any garden or landscape they require almost no additional care. Image courtesy of North Creek Nurseries. Item# 10928.

Small clusters of large 4-petaled sunny yellow flowers are lightly fragrant and open in the evening to attract pollinating moths and may last until about noon the following day when they attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Ripe seeds are utilized by songbirds. Common Evening Primrose is a tall growing tap-rooted native biennial species found throughout most of the lower 48 states and into Canada. It is common in disturbed areas, meadows and prairies. The first year it produces a rosette of foliage and the second year it shoots up to 3-6' high and begins flowering in summer and may continue into fall under good conditions. The Common Evening Primrose will readily reseed on exposed soils. It is a good addition to naturilized areas or add it to the Moon Moth Garden. Item# 11761

Huge rosettes of extremely soft fuzzy evergreen gray-green foliage subtends the tall spikes of yellow flowers in summer. Considered to be one of the very first plants introduced into the US and was used herbally by Native American Indians and settlers as well as in its homeland of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Item# 9950.