If you like butterflies, than planting both plants that host the larvae and feed the butterflies are important. These are some of the flowering herbaceous plants (and one vine) suitable for planting in the southeast for the butterflies that we have here. Flowering plants that are host to larvae of the butterfly Flowering plants that provide nectar for butterflies This gulf fritillary butterfly emerged from a cocoon in my yard in 2015. I … [Read more...]
Purple Passionflower: Passiflora incarnata
Purple passionflower, also known as maypop, is a relatively quick-growing, perennial, herbaceous vine in the Passifloraceae family. You can find this vine growing throughout the Southeast from Texas to Kansas up to Pennsylvania and down to Florida. In Mississippi, I’ve often seen it in pastures or open fields. It’s a great addition to an arbor or trellis and provides necessary food for the larvae of several butterfly species. The flower is … [Read more...]
The Many Faces of Salvia: Beautiful butterfly and hummingbird attracting flowers
Salvia is definitely one of my favorite garden plant genera. There are just so many choices and they are hardy and the butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds love them. Here are some of my favorites from my garden. All mentioned are perennial. Mexican salvia - Salvia leucantha These purple and white flowers are fuzzy! Who could ask for more? They get about 3-4 feet tall and are bush-like. Perennial. Tolerant of a variety of soils but does not like … [Read more...]
Mississippi State University Dorman Hall Gardens
The folks at Dorman Hall have been working hard to create a beautiful teaching garden in a small space. I visited there this October and found a variety of garden types and some really cool plants. The gardens around Dorman Hall were established in 2008. A daylily garden, fern garden, butterfly garden, and vine garden were added in 2011. View photos of the daylilies in the garden See the virtual tour of the garden Cacti and … [Read more...]
Backyard Wildlife: The Critters in My Garden
For me, half of the fun of having a garden is watching the critters that come to enjoy it. Here are some of the critters that have shown up in my garden (and my family's garden) in the last couple of years. Learn more about backyard habitat by reading these articles Food plants for caterpillars and butterflies How to Create Good Wildlife Habitat in Your Backyard Plants that provide food and shelter in fall and winter for wildlife … [Read more...]
How to Create Good Wildlife Habitat in Your Backyard
If your garden includes sources of food throughout the year, water, a variety of structure (height and shape) that can be used for cover, and plenty of places for animals to create nests in to reproduce, it’s likely that you already have lots of wildlife in your yard. Wildlife requires 4 things to thrive Food Water Cover Places to reproduce Food Native plants are a great source of food for wildlife. You’ll need a mixture … [Read more...]
Plants that provide food and shelter in fall and winter for wildlife
If you’d like to see more wildlife in your garden in winter, be sure to include plants that provide food and cover in the fall and winter. Some of these plants are evergreen, providing necessary cover, and some have fruits, seeds, or nuts that persist into winter. Here are some (mostly native) plant suggestions that can be used in Zone 7b and throughout much of the southeast. Trees Apples (Malus spp.) American beech (Fagus … [Read more...]
Mexican Salvia – Fall Blooming, Deer & Drought Resistant
Also known as Mexican bush sage, this salvia produces great fall color (purple and white) that attracts hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies. It looks great mixed in with other flowers for interesting color combinations, or planted in a bunch to create a nice edge or border. Where to Plant Mexican Sage This plant thrives in full sun, but will tolerate some afternoon shade. It gets to be about 3-4 feet tall and just about as wide, so give it … [Read more...]
Butterfly Bush – Buddleia spp. (Buddleja)
If you're looking for a shrub that will attract hummingbirds and butterflies and also produce very sweet-smelling, attractive flowers, look no further. Butterfly bush really lives up to its name. When it is blooming, I see butterflies on it frequently. Hummingbirds seem to enjoy the nectar as well. Where to Plant a Butterfly Bush Butterfly bushes are hardy in zones 5-10 and need full sun. Once established, they don't require much water (as the … [Read more...]
Turk’s Cap – Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii
Turk’s cap is a perennial, deciduous, shrub-like plant native to the Southeastern United States. It produces small (2-3 inch) red flowers that resemble a closed-up hibiscus. In the Malvaceae family, it is also commonly known as wax mallow, Texas mallow, manzanilla, and sleeping hibiscus, among other common names. This plant flowers in the summer and fall (from May to November) and the flowers attract hummingbirds, butterflies, bees, and other … [Read more...]
