Plants for Butterflies and Other Pollinators
Showing 33–40 of 210 results
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Astilbe chinensis
Pink plumes in mid-summer
Pink plumes in mid-summer
Size: 24” x 24” spreads
Care: Sun to part shade in moist to moist well-drained soil, more tolerant of drier soil than modern ones. Immune to walnut toxicity.
Native: Siberia, China, KoreaUse in borders or woodland gardens, for a cut flower or leave it stand for winter interest. Astilbe is Greek from a meaning “without” and stilbe meaning “lustre” referring to the fact that the leaves are not shiny. Liberty Hyde Bailey termed this plant “graceful” in the early 1900’s.
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Baptisia australis syn. Saphora australis False Indigo Z 3-9
Indigo blue racemes in June followed by ornamental black seed pods on this perennial that looks like a shrub. Internationally known garden designer Piet Oudolf’s 100 “MUST HAVE” plants, Gardens Illustrated 94 (2013).
Indigo blue racemes in June followed by ornamental black seed pods on this perennial that looks like a shrub. Internationally known garden designer Piet Oudolf’s 100 “MUST HAVE” plants, Gardens Illustrated 94 (2013).
Size: 3' x 3'
Care: Full sun sandy soil. Heat and drought tolerant, with no staking needed.
Native: Eastern United States, Wisconsin native.
Wildlife Value: Food source for several caterpillars and nectar for a number of butterflies.
Awards: Received England’s Royal Horticultural Society Award of Merit. Perennial Plant Association Plant of the Year Award, 2010. Missouri Botanic Garden Plant of MeritBaptisia is Greek meaning to dye referring to use of the plant as a substitute for indigo dye. Cherokee used Baptisia australis to cease mortification and cure toothaches. Collected by John Bartram, colonial nurseryman by 1748.
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Baptisia leucantha syn. Baptisia lacteata, Baptisia alba White Wild Indigo, Prairie wild indigo Z 3-9
Gorgeous creamy white flower spikes in May & June followed by pods.
Gorgeous creamy white flower spikes in May & June followed by pods.
Size: 3-5' x 2-3'
Care: full sun to part shade in rich well-drained soil.
Native: Wisconsin native – from Minnesota to Texas.
Wildlife Value: food source for several caterpillars and nectar for a number of butterflies.For the HoChunk “(t)he root is a single remedy to use for injured womb alone. Cook the root and mash it to form a poltice to bind on. Wash with water and draw out the inflammation.” Winnebago mashed cooked root to make a poltice applied to remedy inflammation of the womb. Baptisia is Greek meaning to dye referring to use of Baptisia australis as a substitute for indigo dye. Leucantha means white flowered.
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Baptisia sphaerocarpa Yellow wild indigo Z 5-8
Spikes of yellow pea-like flowers, a legume, in spring.
Spikes of yellow pea-like flowers, a legume, in spring.
Size: 2-3’ x 2-3’
Care: sun to part shade in moist well-drained to dry soil
Native: Missouri to Mississippi to TX
Awards: Missouri Botanic Garden Plant of Merit.Baptisia is Greek meaning “to dye” referring to use of Baptisia australis as a substitute for indigo dye. Sphaerocarpa means “round seed.” Collected by English planthunter Thomas Nuttall before 1834.
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Bigelowia nuttallii Nuttall’s rayless goldenrod Z 4-10
Clouds of soft yellow flower clusters rise above evergreen foliage from mid summer through fall
Clouds of soft yellow flower clusters rise above evergreen foliage from mid summer through fall
Size: 10-15” x 5”
Care: full sun in well drained soil, perfect rock garden plant
Native: Southern US; TX, LA, AL, GA, FL
Wildlife Value: attracts honeybeesCollected on banks of Ohoopee River in Tattnall County GA before 1970
Possibly collected by Nuttall before 1818. -
Bletilla striata syn. B. hyacinthina Chinese ground orchid Z 5-9
Racemes of pinkish-purple flowers on scapes above dark green, upright, lance-shaped leaves, April-May
OUT OF STOCK
Racemes of pinkish-purple flowers on scapes above dark green, upright, lance-shaped leaves, April-May
Size: 12-18” x 12”
Care: Part shade in moist, well-drained soil.
Native: China, Japan
Wildlife Value: Attracts bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. Deer & Rabbit resistant.
Awards: Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden MeritProtect with thick winter mulch, may not reliably survive Zone 5 winters.
Spreads slowly by rhizomes and seeds in optimal conditions.
‘Bletilla’ honors Louis Blet, a Spanish apothecary in Algeciras who also had a botanic garden at the end of the 18th century. Collected before 1784 by Thunberg. -
Boltonia asteroides False starwort, Bolton’s aster Z 4-9
Profuse small white daisies cover this 6 foot tall Midwestern native.
A cloud of profuse, spectacular small white daisies cover this 6 foot tall Midwestern native. Exceptional because it flowers in fall when yellows and purples predominate, making its white stand out. Great cut flower.
Size: 6' x 4'
Care: full sun to part shade in moist well-drained soil. Drought tolerant. If you want shorter plants cut back halfway in early to mid June.
Native: Kansas and Missouri to Arkansas
Wildlife Value: attracts butterfliesIntroduced to gardens in 1759. Named in honor of 18th century English botanist, James Bolton.
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Buddleja alternifolia ‘Argentea’ Silver fountain butterfly bush Z 5-9
Graceful, arching, weeping silvery foliage with cascading lavender flowers
Graceful, arching, weeping silvery foliage and, in early summer, lavender flowers cascade all along the stems like an upside-down mop of purple. It’s fragrant too and, true to its name, butterflies love it.
Size: 8-10” x 8-10” fast growing
Care: sun to part shade in moist well-drained to well-drained soil. Prune just after blooms finish.
Native: China & Japan
Wildlife Value: attracts butterfliesBuddleja named to honor Reverend Adam Buddle, Vicar of Farmbridge in Essex and botanist, (1662-1715) Alternifolia means the leaves alternate on the stem. The cultivar’s name ‘Argentea’ means silver due to the tiny hairs on the foliage giving the plant a silvery appearance. ‘Argentea’ selected at Hillier Nursery in England in 1939.
