NEW PLANTS

Pollinator Favorites

- MEGHAN SHINN

EACH YEAR plant brands release exciting new cultivars to market, the results of years of breeding, selecting, trialing and propagating. New plants are bred to enhance traits that make them stand out against comparable cultivars-and in your garden. On these pages we'll take a look at new options with special appeal to pollinating insects and hummingbirds.

Note: Although all these plants will be sold at retail in 2024, their availability may be limited because they are new. Keep an eye out for them reaching your area in the future if you can't find them yet.

BUTTERFLY CANDY BUTTERFLY BUSH
BUDDLEIA BUTTERFLY CANDY SERIES

Sweetly fragrant, jewel-tone flowers deck the five cultivars in the Butterfly Candy series of dwarf buddleia. Each plant remains compact enough to suit small garden spaces or large containers. The flowers, which draw butterflies and bees, range from cream (on Lil' Coconut) to pale pink (Lil' Taffy) to fuchsia (Lil' Raspberry) and purple (Lil' Lavender and Lil' Grape).

Bloom time: Spring and summer

Size and habit: All Butterfly Candy cultivars reach two to three feet tall and wide, with upright branches that support the flowers.

Exposure: Full sun

Growing notes: Site these butterfly bushes in full sun and well-drained soil. Provide regular water through the first growing season; thereafter, they tolerate dry conditions. Pruning should not be necessary, though cutting old stems back before growth resumes can result in heavier flowering. In mid-spring, apply a slow-release balanced fertilizer. USDA Zones 5-10.

'FANFARE SHOWTIME' BLANKETFLOWER
GAILLARDIA XGRANDIFLORA 'FANFARE SHOWTIME'