Butterfly-Attracting
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Moonshine Yarrow · Achillea 'Moonshine' Flat heads of soft sulphur-yellow flowers float above ferny silver foliage all summer. An award-winning, drought-hardy yarrow that bees and butterflies flock to and that dries well. -
Terracotta Yarrow · Achillea 'Terracotta' Broad flat heads open burnt-orange and fade through terracotta to soft buff-yellow over ferny grey foliage. A drought-hardy yarrow giving warm, shifting colour and excellent for drying. -
Paprika Yarrow · Achillea millefolium 'Paprika' Flat clusters of cherry-red flowers with gold eyes age to soft salmon over ferny green foliage. A tough, spreading yarrow excellent for dry banks and pollinator borders. -
Yarrow · Achillea millefolium Flat-topped flower plates over ferny aromatic foliage, exceptionally tough in poor dry soils and a haven for beneficial insects. Vigorous and spreading, so give it room. -
Sweet Lili Hyssop · Agastache 'Sweet Lili' Tall spikes of rose-pink and lilac flowers rise over liquorice-scented foliage, humming with bees and visited by honeyeaters. Drought-tolerant and long-flowering through the warm season. -
Silk Tree · Albizia julibrissin A spreading umbrella-shaped tree with feathery ferny foliage and fluffy pink powderpuff flowers through summer that draw butterflies and bees. Gives light, elegant dappled shade. -
Cut-leaf Daisy · Brachyscome multifida · from $4.25 A dainty spreading native daisy carpeted in mauve, purple or white flowers for much of the year above ferny green foliage. Ideal for borders, rockeries, containers and attracting butterflies. -
Common Everlasting · Chrysocephalum apiculatum A low, silvery-grey spreading daisy carrying clusters of bright golden button flowers through much of the year. Tough, drought-hardy and excellent for pollinators and dry verges. -
Early Sunrise Tickseed · Coreopsis grandiflora 'Early Sunrise' An award-winning tickseed bearing semi-double golden-yellow daisies from late spring, often flowering in its first year from seed. Compact, free-flowering and bee-friendly. -
Tickseed · Coreopsis grandiflora Bright golden daisies in non-stop succession over a long season, thriving on heat and poor soil. Deadhead to keep the cheerful display coming until autumn. -
Zagreb Tickseed · Coreopsis verticillata 'Zagreb' Masses of golden-yellow star flowers cover a fine, thread-leaved mound all summer long. Drought-hardy and spreading, it makes a low, pollinator-rich carpet. -
Cosmos · Cosmos bipinnatus Airy ferny plants topped by simple daisies that wave on tall stems and adore poor, dry soil. One of the easiest cut flowers from seed, loved by bees and butterflies. -
Geisha Girl Duranta · Duranta erecta 'Geisha Girl' A fast warm-climate shrub bearing sprays of two-tone purple-and-white flowers followed by golden berry clusters. Popular as a colourful clipped hedge; the berries and leaves are toxic if eaten. -
Cheyenne Spirit Coneflower · Echinacea 'Cheyenne Spirit' An award-winning seed strain producing a warm mix of red, orange, gold, cream and rose flowers on compact plants. Drought-hardy and a magnet for pollinators. -
Green Envy Coneflower · Echinacea purpurea 'Green Envy' An unusual coneflower whose petals open lime-green and flush rose-pink toward the centre as they age. A striking, long-lasting cut flower that bees adore. -
Magnus Coneflower · Echinacea purpurea 'Magnus' An award-winning coneflower with large rose-purple flowers whose petals are held flatter and more horizontally than most. A robust, pollinator-rich border perennial with sturdy stems for cutting. -
PowWow Wild Berry Coneflower · Echinacea purpurea 'PowWow Wild Berry' A compact, award-winning coneflower covered in vivid rose-magenta blooms that hold their colour without fading. Free-flowering from seed and tidy enough for pots and small borders. -
Purple Coneflower · Echinacea purpurea Big daisy flowers with drooping rose-purple petals around a bristly copper cone, a magnet for bees and butterflies. Seed heads feed finches if left standing into winter. -
White Swan Coneflower · Echinacea purpurea 'White Swan' Pure white daisy flowers with drooping petals around a golden-bronze cone, blooming all summer. A reliable seed-grown coneflower beloved by bees and butterflies. -
Arizona Sun Blanket Flower · Gaillardia 'Arizona Sun' An award-winning, compact blanket flower bearing red daisies tipped with golden-yellow all season. Heat- and drought-hardy, flowering in its first year and loved by bees and butterflies. -
Butterfly Bush · Gaura lindheimeri Airy wands of white-to-pink flowers dance on wiry stems like a cloud of butterflies for months on end. Drought-proof and self-cleaning, it brings movement to any sunny border. -
Siskiyou Pink Gaura · Gaura lindheimeri 'Siskiyou Pink' Deep rose-pink flowers open from dark buds on wiry stems above bronze-tinted foliage, swaying in the lightest breeze. A long-flowering, water-wise butterfly favourite. -
Whirling Butterflies · Gaura lindheimeri 'Whirling Butterflies' Airy wands of white, pink-flushed flowers dance on slender stems like a cloud of butterflies all season. Heat- and drought-tolerant, weaving beautifully through other plantings. -
Rozanne Cranesbill · Geranium 'Rozanne' An award-winning, sterile cranesbill that flowers non-stop with violet-blue, white-centred saucers from spring to autumn. Spreading and weed-suppressing, it is one of the longest-flowering perennials grown. -
Autumn Joy Sedum · Hylotelephium spectabile Fleshy grey-green clumps build all summer to flat heads of dusky pink that deepen to rust in autumn, swarming with butterflies. The seed heads stand handsomely through winter. -
Walker's Low Catmint · Nepeta x faassenii 'Walker's Low' A billowing mound of grey-green aromatic foliage smothered in lavender-blue flowers from spring into summer. Award-winning, tough and a superb low edging that bees swarm over. -
Six Hills Giant Catmint · Nepeta 'Six Hills Giant' A larger catmint forming a big, sprawling mound of grey aromatic foliage drenched in lavender-blue flowers. Long-flowering, drought-hardy and irresistible to bees and cats alike. -
Blue Passionflower · Passiflora caerulea An ornamental evergreen to semi-deciduous climber bearing intricate blue-and-white flowers with a striking filament crown, followed by ornamental orange fruit. Hardier than the edible passionfruit but prone to suckering. -
Plumbago · Plumbago auriculata A sprawling, scrambling shrub awash with phlox-like sky-blue flower clusters from summer to autumn. Drought-hardy and butterfly-friendly, it makes a soft informal hedge or bank cover in warm climates. -
Black-eyed Susan · Rudbeckia fulgida Golden-yellow daisies with a near-black central cone blaze through late summer and autumn on sturdy stems. Reliable, long-flowering and superb in massed plantings. -
Goldsturm Black-eyed Susan · Rudbeckia fulgida 'Goldsturm' An award-winning black-eyed Susan smothered in golden-yellow daisies with dark cones from summer to autumn. Reliable, long-flowering and a feast for bees, butterflies and finches. -
Caradonna Woodland Sage · Salvia nemorosa 'Caradonna' Striking violet-blue flower spikes held on near-black upright stems above neat clumps of aromatic foliage. An award-winning, cold-hardy sage that draws bees and rebloms if cut back. -
Woodland Sage · Salvia nemorosa Dense spikes of violet-blue flowers held over neat clumps of aromatic foliage, alive with bees from late spring. Cutting back spent spikes triggers repeat flushes through summer. -
May Night Sage · Salvia x sylvestris 'Mainacht' An award-winning sage with deep indigo-violet spikes from near-black buds, flowering early and reblooming if cut back. Compact, cold-hardy and a reliable magnet for bees. -
Autumn Joy Stonecrop · Sedum 'Autumn Joy' Fleshy grey-green clumps topped with broad flower heads that open dusky pink and deepen to rusty-red in autumn. Bees and butterflies cover the blooms; seed heads stand through winter. -
Matrona Stonecrop · Sedum 'Matrona' An award-winning stonecrop with purple-tinged stems and grey-mauve fleshy leaves topped by soft pink flower heads. Strongly upright, drought-hardy and alive with pollinators in autumn. -
Ruby Glow Stonecrop · Sedum 'Ruby Glow' Low, spreading stems of blue-purple fleshy leaves carry flat heads of glowing ruby-red flowers in late summer. A compact, drought-hardy stonecrop alive with bees and butterflies. -
Wood's Pink Aster · Aster 'Wood's Pink' A compact, award-winning Michaelmas daisy covered in clear pink, yellow-centred flowers in autumn. Mildew-resistant and a vital late nectar source for bees and butterflies. -
Purpletop Vervain · Verbena bonariensis Tall see-through stems carry clusters of mauve-purple flowers that butterflies adore, perfect for weaving through a border. Self-seeds freely and is a weed risk in some regions. -
Strawflower · Xerochrysum bracteatum · from $3.95 A cheerful Australian daisy with crisp papery petals in gold, orange, pink and white that hold their colour when dried. A favourite for cottage borders, containers and cut or everlasting flowers. -
Zinnia · Zinnia elegans Vibrant, long-stemmed daisies in hot colours that bloom relentlessly through summer heat. The more you cut, the more they flower; a butterfly magnet and cutting-garden staple.