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Bees, Butterflies & Beauty
Bees, Butterflies & Beauty
Form IS the function

Your residential and commercial customers want more from their landscapes. While “pretty” is still the primary driver for colorful landscapes, requests for “low maintenance” landscapes are rising. In addition, you're being asked to design for ATTRACTING WILDLIFE (mostly the insect and bird forms!) while keeping it “pretty.” Look to the following bee-and-butterfly-attracting plants to work into your naturalistic designs.

Bees, Butterflies & Beauty
Form IS the function

Your residential and commercial customers want more from their landscapes. While “pretty” is still the primary driver for colorful landscapes, requests for “low maintenance” landscapes are rising. In addition, you're being asked to design for ATTRACTING WILDLIFE (mostly the insect and bird forms!) while keeping it “pretty.” Look to the following bee-and-butterfly-attracting plants to work into your naturalistic designs.

Bees, Butterflies & Beauty
Form IS the function

Your residential and commercial customers want more from their landscapes. While “pretty” is still the primary driver for colorful landscapes, requests for “low maintenance” landscapes are rising. In addition, you're being asked to design for ATTRACTING WILDLIFE (mostly the insect and bird forms!) while keeping it “pretty.” Look to the following bee-and-butterfly-attracting plants to work into your naturalistic designs.

What are your customers looking for when buying native plants?

A 2014 Ball survey of North American perennial growers revealed that their landscape contractors were seeking native plants to solve water use and drought issues, to create lower maintenance landscapes, and to address clients’ requests for bee and butterfly gardens.

Clearly, there is an opportunity for an integrated planting of native plants and “functional” and colorful annuals and perennials!

Visit the Water Wise section for more ideas.

Black & Bloom Salvia

The plant vigor, thicker leaf, bigger bloom and darker stem of Black & Bloom make a big impact. This Southern perennial thrives in heat, drought and humidity and it gets big quick! Its deep blue color against the black stem stands out in any landscape or container. This plant is absolutely one of the best magnets for pollinators, including hummingbirds, bees and butterflies.

Height: 36 to 48 in. (91 to 122 cm)
Spread: 36 to 48 in. (91 to 122 cm)
USDA Hardiness Zone: 8, 9, 10

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Black & Bloom Salvia
Black & Bloom Salvia, Campfire Coleus & Lucky Pot of Gold Lantana in mixed landscape
Black & Bloom Salvia
Black & Bloom Salvia
Nepeta Jr. Walker in mixed landscape
Nepeta Jr. Walker
Nepeta Jr. Walker

Nepeta Jr. Walker

A much more compact and tidy version of Nepeta Walker’s Low, Jr. Walker is loaded with bees and butterflies from early Spring to late Summer.  This perennial North to South has lavender blue flowers with gray green foliage. It works great in very dry environments and is partial to full sun.

Height: 18 in. (45 cm)
Spread: 18 to 24 in. (45 to 61 cm)
USDA Hardiness Zone: 5-8

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Santos Purple Verbena (Rigida)

A tough, long-lasting Southern perennial, Santos Purple is heat and drought tolerant and performs exceptionally well in cool climates. Also, it’s highly resistant to Powdery Mildew. With a compact, upright habit, this well-branched plant blooms from late Spring through Summer. It naturalizes in the Southeastern U.S.

Height: 12 in. (30 cm)
Spread: 48 in. (122 cm)
USDA Hardiness Zone: 7a to 11

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Santos Purple Verbena and Sunkiss Coreopsis
Santos Purple Verbena
Santos Purple Verbena
Fireworks Gomphrena
Fireworks Gomphrena in mixed landscape
Fireworks Gomphrena
Fireworks Gomphrena and Easy Wave Silver Petunia

Fireworks Gomphrena

Tough, vigorous, drought tolerant and low maintenance, with a unique “scaffolding” habit and multiple blooms per plant, Fireworks explodes with color. It attracts bees and butterflies.

Height: 48 in. (122 cm)
Spread: 48 in. (58 cm)

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Sparkle White Gaura

This durable, long-blooming, heat and drought-tolerant perennial is compact enough for containers but floriferous enough for the landscape. It’s carefree – not prone to insects or diseases. Sparkle White is an All-America Selections National Winner and recipient of the Fleuroselect Gold Medal.

Height: 12 to 24 in. (30 to 61 cm)
Spread: 12 to 20 in. (30 to 51 cm)
USDA Hardiness Zone: 5b to 9a

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Sparkle White Gaura
Sparkle White Gaura
Sparkle White Gaura
Sparkle White Gaura
Flutterby Petite Tutti Fruitti Pink Buddleia
Cran Razz Buddleia
Blaze Pink Buddleia
Flutterby Petite Tutti Fruitti Pink Buddleia

Flutterby Petite®, Cran Razz and Blaze Pink Buddleia

Monarch butterflies flock to Buddleias in the late Summer. These perennial varieties bloom early, have larger flowering spikes, and are super drought tolerant. Buddleias are a mainstay in both Northern and Southern gardens.

Flutterby Petite Buddleia

Height: 24 to 30 in. (60 to 75 cm)
Spread: 24 to 30 in. (60 to 75 cm)
USDA Hardiness Zone: 5 to 10

Cran Razz Buddleia

Height: 5 to 6 ft. (1.5 to 1.8 m)
Spread: 4 to 5 ft. (1.22 to 1.5 m)
USDA Hardiness Zone: 5 to 10

Blaze Pink Buddleia

Height: 62 to 74 in. (157 to 188 cm)
Spread: 50 to 62 in. (127 to 157 cm)
USDA Hardiness Zone: 5 to 10

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Combinations for Customers Seeking Naturalistic Designs:

Black & Bloom Salvia, Endurascape Blue Verbena, Lucky Lavender Lantana & Serena White Angelonia
Gaura Sparkle White & Pow Wow Wild Berry Echinacea
Mixed planting - before
Mixed planting - after
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