On our regular WFAA Green Segment, Horticulturalist Patrick Dickinson and Water Expert Denise Hickey shared some beautiful options to plant flowers that will bring much needed pollinators to your yard. We’ve got the recap and replay for you below.
When you plant Texas native and adaptive plants, they use less water and attract butterflies, bees and hummingbirds to yards. Many thrive with natural rainfall and no extra watering needed. They also don’t require a lot of fertilizer because they naturally prefer our soil and the nutrients is has to offer. And the best part is the insects they attract are the best kind of insects! All the wonderful bees we depend on for food production, need the pollen to survive in our urban environment. These plants also attract butterflies which is good because we’ve seen a drop in the population over the past few decades.
Here are some plants recommended from AgriLife’s Water University pollinator list.
- Lynn’s Legacy Cenizo
- Flame Acanthus
- Red Turk’s Cap
- Gregg’s Mistflower
- Texas Lantana
- Texas Rock Rose
- Monarda ‘Jacob Cline’
- ‘Goldsturm’ Rudbeckia
- ‘Henry Duelberg’ Salvia
- Zexmenia
- ‘Apricot Sunrise’ Agastache
- Butterflyweed
- ‘Moonbeam’ Coreopsis
- Cedar Sage
If you want to attract Monarch Butterflies. the key plants to use are Gregg’s Mistflower and Texas Lantana. Monarchs go crazy for these two, and it’s good to include Butterflyweed because that is the only plant that Monarch’s lay their eggs and the larvae eat as they mature. To attract Hummingbirds, Flame Acanthus and Turk’s cap are your best bets.
These plants bloom all season and really take the heat and sun, with some even adjusting well in some shade.
For more information go to WaterUniversity.Tamu.edu and WaterMyYard.org.