16 New Perennials For Pollinator Gardens
Customers who want to attract butterflies, bees, hummingbirds, and other pollinators to their gardens need plants that will provide food, shelter, and protection throughout the year. Perennials not only offer these benefits for pollinators, they can also improve the overall health of your consumers’ ecosystems because of the diversity they provide. Offering your customers a variety of spring, summer, and fall blooming perennials that help them welcome pollinators to their gardens is a great way to boost sales and show you support the current movement to protect pollinators. Consider carrying a few of these 16 pollinator-friendly perennials for retail sales in 2017.
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Andropogon gerardii ‘Blackhawks’ (Intrinsic Perennial Gardens)
‘Blackhawks’ has a deep-green foliage that takes on a deep-purple background in mid-summer that deepens to dark purple and near black in some parts of the plant. This upright, 5 feet-plus tall plant will stand out in the landscape, especially with other tall grasses.
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Buddleia ‘Monarch Prince Charming’ (Walters Gardens)
Get charmed by this one-of-a-kind Butterfly Bush. It's claim to fame is its unique, cerise-pink flower panicles, a color breakthrough for the genus. At 4 feet tall (if measured in Zone 6, with complete dieback to the ground), this medium-sized shrub is the perfect height for structure in a medium-sized garden or the middle of the border. It is hardy in Zones 5 to 10.
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Calamagrostis × acutiflora ‘Hello Spring!’ (Emerald Coast Growers)
‘Hello Spring!’ offers a cheery greeting with its beautiful variegated form. It has crisp, uniform, green and white striping, and a refined habit. ‘Hello Spring!’ reaches a height of 3 to 4 feet and is hardy in Zones 4 to 10.
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Coreopsis ‘Gilden Lace’ (Plants Nouveau)
Tall perennials are back! This strong and sturdy tickseed is covered with golden yellow flowers most of the summer, like a mountain gilded in gold. The lacy leaves and strong stems make a wonderful base for the thousands of flowers. Pollinators love this one, and it serves as great shelter for birds and other wildlife throughout the year. If you have a small garden and would love some height or a focal point, ‘Gilded Lace’ is the perfect solution. It looks lovely massed in a large setting or as a stand-alone in smaller spaces. Hardy in Zones 3 to 8.
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Coreopsis grandiflora ‘SunKiss’ (Kieft Seed)
A color breakthrough in seed, C. grandiflora ‘SunKiss’ is the brightest yellow with large blotch coreopsis available. It has a controlled habit and is well branched and floriferous. An excellent heat-tolerant plant for novice and expert gardeners alike, this coreopsis is reliable, easy to grow, and its color blends well with almost everything. Hardy in Zones 4 to 9.
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Coreopsis UpTick Series (Darwin Perennials)
The UpTick Series features large-size flowers and longer blooming for more color in the garden. UpTick coreopsis are available in unique and stunning eye colors including Gold & Bronze, Yellow & Red, Cream, and Cream & Red. These coreopsis are easy to maintain and offer heat and drought tolerance. Hardy in Zones 5 to 9.
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Echinacea ‘Butterfly Postman’ (Eason Horticultural Resources [EHR])
The newest selection in the Butterfly series of coneflowers from AB-Cultivars, 'Postman’ is named for the lovely little postman butterfly. Like the other members of the Butterfly series, 'Postman' is a compact grower with strong, sturdy stems, reaching 18 to 24 inches tall and wide. It's sterile with bright red flowers, and will bloom off and on all summer long. Hardy in Zones 4 to 9.
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Echinacea ‘Prairie Splendor Compact Rose’ (Syngenta Flowers)
With first-year flowering and no vernalization requirements, Echinacea ‘Prairie Splendor Compact Rose’ helps simplify production scheduling. Its compact breeding reduces the need for plant growth regulator applications. Prairie Splendor flowers up to three weeks earlier than traditional echinacea varieties. Hardy in Zones 3 to 9.
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Hemerocallis ‘Rainbow Rhythm Tiger Swirl’ (Proven Winners)
This variety stands out from the rest of the daylilies with its uniquely shaped petals. Huge, 6½-inch, triangular-shaped flowers are light golden yellow with a pronounced raspberry-red eye. The bottom sepals are smooth, often twisting or curling into a “swirling" motion. This is the perfect companion to 'Primal Scream,' matching its spider-like look. Daylilies are a great landscape plants and possibly one of the most care-free and easiest perennials to grow. They are deer resistant and attract butterflies and hummingbirds. ‘Rainbow Rhythm Tiger Swirl’ is hardy in Zones 3 to 9.
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Lavandula angustifolia ‘Lavance Deep Purple’ (Kieft Seed)
‘Lavance Deep Purple’ produces the deepest, purple-blue summer color on the most controlled English lavender plants available. Its strong branching resists breakage. The plants are highly scented and attract bees and butterflies while resisting deer and rabbits. ‘Lavance Deep Purple’ is hardy in Zones 5 to 8.
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Leucanthemum ‘Ooh La Lagrande’ (Florensis)
‘Ooh La Lagrande’ is a pure white, first year flowering perennial that flowers earlier than ‘Lacrosse.’ It has a large first flower and many secondary flowers following shortly, giving it a long shelf life at retail. This new leucanthemum is naturally compact, so it is ideal for quarts or three in a gallon. Hardy in Zones 4a to 8b.
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Miscanthus sinensis ‘Bandwidth’ (Emerald Coast Growers)
‘Bandwidth’ has broad, bright-gold bands that span its rich-green blades. It forms full, compact stands that reach a height of 2 to 3 feet. Hardy in Zones 5 to 10.
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Miscanthus sinensis ‘Scout’ (Emerald Coast Growers)
‘Scout’ salutes gardens with slender green blades and white midribs that take on spectacular fall color. This handsome, infertile form reaches a height of 5 to 6 feet and is hardy in Zones 5 to 10.
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Monarda ‘Bee-You Bee Happy’ (Plants Nouveau)
Bees love these new bee balms, which are mildew free, covered in flowers, the perfect size, and available in colors to bring any outdoor space to life. Bred by AB-Cultivars, the Bee-You series attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds that can’t resist their sweet nectar and fragrance. Many selections have deep maroon or purple bracts that make the flower colors appear even deeper and more enticing. They attract much needed pollinators and are contained, carefree bee balms hardy in Zones 5(4) to 9.
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Penstemon ‘Cherry Sparks’ (Darwin Perennials)
Penstemon ‘Cherry Sparks’ is a beautiful, drought-tolerant, large-flowered interspecific hybrid that brings together flower size and hardiness in one package. It has double the flowering time, which translates to more color in the garden to enjoy. Hardy to Zone 5 in well-drained soils.
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Penstemon ‘Mission Bells Deep Rose’ (Darwin Perennials)
This hybrid penstemon offers fast fill in the garden with a long flowering time. The contrasting dark stems add to its bold presentation in the perennial garden. ‘Mission Bells Deep Rose’ is heat tolerant. Deadheading will encourage repeat blooms. Hardy to Zone 5.
View all
Andropogon gerardii ‘Blackhawks’ (Intrinsic Perennial Gardens)
Buddleia ‘Monarch Prince Charming’ (Walters Gardens)
Calamagrostis × acutiflora ‘Hello Spring!’ (Emerald Coast Growers)
Coreopsis ‘Gilden Lace’ (Plants Nouveau)
Coreopsis grandiflora ‘SunKiss’ (Kieft Seed)
Coreopsis UpTick Series (Darwin Perennials)
Echinacea ‘Butterfly Postman’ (Eason Horticultural Resources [EHR])
Echinacea ‘Prairie Splendor Compact Rose’ (Syngenta Flowers)
Hemerocallis ‘Rainbow Rhythm Tiger Swirl’ (Proven Winners)
Lavandula angustifolia ‘Lavance Deep Purple’ (Kieft Seed)
Leucanthemum ‘Ooh La Lagrande’ (Florensis)
Miscanthus sinensis ‘Bandwidth’ (Emerald Coast Growers)
Miscanthus sinensis ‘Scout’ (Emerald Coast Growers)
Monarda ‘Bee-You Bee Happy’ (Plants Nouveau)
Penstemon ‘Cherry Sparks’ (Darwin Perennials)
Penstemon ‘Mission Bells Deep Rose’ (Darwin Perennials)
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Janeen Wright is former Editor for Greenhouse Grower. . See all author stories here.