Christie, Being that I'm up here in PA, my winter sown plants aren't sprouting yet. I'm really anxious to see how many of them come up. I started lots for Black Swallowtails, as I'm trying to attract them here. Almost all of my winter sown plants are for them. I wish I had thought of going on eBay before just this past Friday. So now I have a lot of seeds that I have to plant yet. I don't even know if it's possiblt to try to attract Giant Swallowtails here, but I might try for them. I just ordered various types of seeds of garden plants and seeds of trees. I have loads of Agastache foeniculum coming up, but I planted those inside. I'll have to winter sow all of the seeds that I have coming in the mail because I've run out of room for things in the house, no more windowsill room left and no shelf room. I wish we'd have a sun porch. That would be the perfect place for having plants waiting to go outside next month.

Did you do a lot of winter sowing besides the ones that you listed that are coming up for you? Are you trying for any new butterflies this year? Do you get a lot where you're at?

I hope you are able to soon plant your seeds that you have to plant yet. Sorry about that nasty ice storm taking up a lot of your time. Spring is soon here. Hurray!

Oops, I forgot to tell you what all I have sprouting for the butterflies. I have lots of tropical milkweed plants growing from seeds I got from CalSherry aka tdogmom. I also have Butterfly Weed plants coming up from seeds. I bought 2 Agastache Foeniculum plants from a local nursery for a very cheap price ($1 each) last year and have many seeds coming up that I planted from those plants. Other plants I have coming up are snapdragons, blazing star liatris, and hmmm...I think that's it for now. It's just that I have sooo many milkweeds started for the Monarchs that when I mention the different kinds of plants I have started, it sounds like I don't have much. I just wanted to make extra sure that I have enough food for the Monarchs. I had 70 last year and hope to get at least double that this year. If I find 200, that would be great! I just hope that they are healthy though. I want to try to space them apart and hopefully try to keep them healthy that way.
I hope my seeds get here quick because I'm going to have a lot of planting to do. I usually put my plants out anywhere from April 15 to April 30. As many as I have this year, I'll probably need all of those days to put them out. LOL Come on spring!

I'm going to try direct sowing my tropical milkweed this year. Last year I used winter sowing and it worked but I'm hoping I'll have better results if I direct sow them.
You asked if I'm trying to attract any new butterflies. I haven't seen a Zebra Swallowtail yet. I've planted Paw Paw and waiting for that to come up so I'll have a host plant for them. I'm also determined to attract Tiger Swallowtails. I know we have them around here but I only have one or two sightings every summer. I have a tulip poplar for a host plant but might not have had their favorite nectar plants before. They should like the Garlic Chives, Verbena bonariensis and I ordered an abelia shrub. I do see quite a few butterflies here. My most common ones last year were buckeyes and black swallowtails but there are several others that I see occasionally.
I have a whole bunch of little heuchera seedlings coming up that I'm pretty excited about. It's not a butterfly plant but the hummingbirds will use the flowers a little and it's one of my favorite plants for shade.
I winter sowed several different salvias this year but NONE of them are coming up yet. Trying to be patient. My new butterfly garden is actually going to be a butterfly/hummingbird garden so I need those salvias.

About all of my new milkweeds have sprouted (winter sown), plus my silybum marianum (St. Mary's or Milk Thistle), Pitcher's Sage, Mirabilis (4 o'clocks), epilobium (2 species), lobelia syphilitica, verbesina, zizias, gray coneflower, verbena hastata, several alyssums (pink, white, purple, rose), monarda citriodora, elecampane (inula), helicrysum, coreopsis, gomphrena 'Strawberry Fields', hyssop, Blessed Thistle, and angelica purpureum. I direct sowed some more thistle and some more angelica, so I will have plenty of food for the BSTs. I now have 5 good sized plants of Rue that I purchased as tiny plants last year. Plus, the fennel and zizia, I hope I get some more of them this year.

I'm also going to plant some hardy fuchsia. Has anyone ever grown this? I also have seeds of andropogon (the vine we discussed last year?).

Susan

Christie, I never tried direct sowing tropical milkweed. This is the first year that I am planting it and have started it in many small containers and my place is loaded down with that and butterfly weed. Those Monarchs are going to really love me this year! Anyway, I hope that the direct sowing works out well for you.

Last year was the first year I was into butterflies and being that I didn't know the various species before then, I don't know if a Zebra Swallowtail was ever around here or not. I'd think that I'd have noticed those beautiful long tails though if I'd have seen them. I just hope that I'll be able to get that here after my Paw Paws come up whenever I get some. Someone had seeds of them for sale on eBay. It would be nicer to have the tree so I wouldn't have to wait so long because I'm not a spring chicken and want to be living yet to see these trees get big enough to host Paw Paws. It would be nice tasting one of those fruits too! I have no idea how long it takes a Paw Paw seed to get to be a decent-sized tree that can host ZSTs.

I had lots of Eastern Tiger Swallowtails here last year and am getting a couple trees for them this year. They obviously must have host trees in the woods that is beside us, but I'd like to plant some more for them on our property in case those ever get cut down (they aren't on our land). When our lilacs were blooming, that's what the swallowtails loved to be on. After that, they went on the Swamp Milkweed and the zinnias the most, I believe.

You sure are lucky to see Black Swallowtails and Buckeyes there. Those are two that I didn't have here but hope to have someday. I think I'm jealous! ;-) What do the Buckeyes have for a host plant at your place? I planted Snapdragons last year but I guess a snapdragon isn't a snapdragon. I guess whatever they like is in the snapdragon family but maybe not even be a snapdragon, if you know what I mean. I planted the regular snapdragons that you'd see in a "normal" person's flower bed. lol

Like you, I've ordered some Verbena bonariensis. You meant that you have to plant the seeds yet, right? I don't think I ever heard of an abelia shrub before, so I learned something new again. So that's a nectar plant? I think I have so many nectar plants now and believe I'll concentrate on host plants now, which is mostly what I have coming in the mail. Last year I didn't get much further than planting nectar plants. Now this year I can take out what didn't suit me and replace it with nectar plants that are almost guaranteed to work or else put a host plant in their place. Either way, I'll have to still be digging another flower garden, probably as big as the one I already have. Boy, I'm getting into this bigger than I had realized I'd get into it. All it took was a friend who started talking about butterflies and showing pictures. Then I found this forum and that really put me over the top! Ahhh, how can a person not plant all of these plants when so many people talk about the success they've had with them?!

There's another one I didn't know...heuchera. I'll have to look these things up now. Oh, I love hummingbirds! I put two feeders up for them every year. I just wish I'd get more than I do. I only ever have 3 or 4 at my feeders.

It sounds like your garden is going to be really nice! I hope that you will post some pictures here. I LOVE to see pictures of other people's gardens!

I saw some Scarlet Runner Bean seeds at Kmart and I think that's either a butterfly attractant or hummingbird attractant or both. My hands and knees are going to be so sore from all the planting I'll have to do this spring! Ha!

Caterwallin - I see Buckeye cats in my yard on narrow leaf plantain - a weed. I also have broad leaf plantain in my yard but haven't seen them on that. I remember going barefoot when I was a kid and the seed heads from plantain would get caught between my toes. Does that bring back memories for anyone else? lol
I winter sowed my verbena bonariensis seeds and have bunches coming up but still pretty small.
My ironweed is sprouting now also, and my salvias have finally started sprouting but only a few so far.

My containers are still covered in snow but in between snow storms last week I noticed that my wild Blue Lupine (Lupinus perennis) had several sprouts! I am growing them for the Karner Blue butterfly and to test out how well they do on my front slope which is a restoration area.

Indoors, I have sprouts for Yarrow, Salvia "Lady in Red" (I grow them mostly for the hummingbirds), Red Milkweed and Blanket Flower.

I am growing a lot of Red Tropical Milkweed this year (Asclepias curassavica) because it is so easy from seed. Last year I grew it in pots and I had 3 Monarch caterpillars hatched on a pot on my patio! I moved a few of the caterpillars to other milkweeds on my property to save the plant from being eaten completely, and I got beautiful blooms. Worth growing!

Christie, Maybe Buckeye cats just don't like my area for some reason. There is sure enough plantain around, even where we don't mow. We have a big weed patch across the road, and I know there are plenty of those plants there. Yes, that does bring back memories, thinking of the seed heads getting caught between my toes. :)

I'm going to also plant some Verbena bonariensis, along with other types of seeds that I have coming in the mail. At one time I had thought about planting ironweed here but then it kind of slipped my mind, and now I can't remember if it's a host plant for anything. I'm trying to get mostly all host plants this year, but I did get a few nectar plants (seeds). I still have so many seeds to plant it's mind-boggling. I think I'll still be planting plants outside in June.

I am so, so, so behind in planting seeds....but I've done a few :) My fennel and dill are both up and the fennel is in the ground. I keep hoping the rain will come so they will settle in nicely.

Lisa

As far as seeds go, my moonflowers, morning glories, Mexican sunflowers, and ptelea trifoliatas are coming up. I've got about 15 little p. trifoliatas potted up to little pots, and more are still sprouting in the little peat pellets I used. Each one has come up in pairs, and the oldest seedlings are starting to get their true leaves - I can see the three pronged leaves coming on!
MissSherry

I have so many seedlings coming up, and darned if some of my labels didn't wash out! I forgot to cover them with packing tape. Ah, well. I know which ones are milkweed (can tell by the first set of true leaves).

I am going to plant A. curassavica in pots to put in my tent. I have tons of pots around. I need to get my morning glories and moonflower (Ipomeae alba) going.

MissSherry, do you sow your Mexican sunflower (Tithonia) seeds in pots, or in the ground? I direct sowed a ton of them last year, and got nothing. Could have been a bad batch of seed.

Also other plants are starting to bloom now - the dandelions, wild violets (blue with a yellow to white center - anyone know what species this is? I've looked on the net - fruitless); honeysuckle, and gaillardia pulchella. I have reseeding sunflowers up, lychnis, clary sage, verbascum (the species furry leaved kind I think is thapsis). I need to get my warm weather seeds started! But, I am still planting things I ordered right now.

BTW, my verbena bonariensis is coming back from the roots - I didn't think it was hardy here, and we had a terribly cold, nasty winter.

Susan

I've successfully sown Mexican sunflowers both ways, Susan, but I prefer to sow them in pots so I can plant them out exactly where I want them. When I direct sowed, I sowed more than I needed with the idea that I'd thin them, but then they came up in clumps - I prefer using the little peat pellets for just about everything I grow from seed.
MissSherry