Some butterfly-attracting plants we picked up:

[SarraceniaScott]

My wife and I wanted some flowers and shrubs native to the Houston area that would attract hummingbirds and butterflies.

We picked up:

* Buddleia davidii (butterfly bush)
* Salvia coccinea (sage)
* Gaura lindheimeri (butterfly gaura)

On our list, currently unavailable ia:

* Asclepias curassavica (Mexican milkweed)

What care/planting tips can anybody give me on these plants?

 

[elandolf]

a couple years ago my mom bought a wee little butterfly bush for the backyard. now there is a 9 foot tall butterfly tree

 

[Drosera36]

We have a pretty big butterfly bush in our backyard, and it even attracts hummingbirds. Every fall/winter when it has died back, we pretty much cut off like 3 feet of it's last seasons growth to keep it small. And every season it grows like 6 feet tall. But anyways, pretty much no care is required, just give it lots of water in summer.

-Ben

 

[Nflytrap]

Butterfly bush isn't native to NA...I believe it came from China. If you keep it where drainage is good it should do well.

This is considered an invasive species by some. Funny as we bought one...put it in a spot with poor drainage...and had it die. In the meantime my dad had skipped over weeding out an interesting little plant that had popped up in our yard some time before we bought the butterfly bush. Turns out the weed was a butterfly bush! Guess it shows that the better things in life are free.