One phlox in my garden attracts more butterflies (swallowtails) than any other and that is Volcano Pink. Color? Location? Some unknown genetic trait? Wish I understood why. The second most attractive are the pink old fashioned ones. The old fashioned ones are plagued with ratty foliage from chronic fungal disease. The Volcano series phlox are very resistant to disease. I also have Volcano Reds, Starfire Red, Blue Paradise and Volcano Purple and these do not have nearly as many butterfly visitors. BC

A plant in regular 5g black pastic pot should do well with 1g of water, dmama386. To determine when to water, insert a finger into the soil somewhat near the root ball to a depth of 4". If the soil feels almost dry or dry then water and mark it on the calendar. Do this for 1-2 weeks. Then review the information on the calendar and see how often you are watering. Then set the sprinkler or drip irrigation to water 1g on that same frequency (every 2,3,4,5,etc days). If the temperatures change around 10 degrees and stay there, use the finger method again. If your soil is sandy, add 50% more water than normal. If tomorrow's weather calls for wind advisories, consider watering the night before as windy days can cause hydrangeas to wilt. Because your plant is new and is not established in your garden, it will have a tendency to wilt that will be more pronounced on years 1-2. When this happens, follow this approach... If the wilting episode looks really bad, water immediately 1g of water. Otherwise, test the soil moisture with your finger. If it feels dry or almost dry then water 1g. Otherwise, wait until next morning and water 1/2g if still wilted. Most hydrangeas will recover on their own by night time. Maintain 3-4 inches of mulch past the canopy at all times. This conserves soil moisture so you do not have to water often. Hydrangeas usually do not need pruning provided your location allows them to grow to their full mature size. With mopheads, their mature size can be around 5-6' (HxW); I am assuming some of widest ones since you do not know the variety. After 3-4 years of growth, you may start getting a better feel. Of course, for safety and aesthetic reason, you may need to prune sometimes. Since you do not know the variety, I recommend pruning after blooming (so you enjoy the blooms) and before the start of July. My shrubs in Texas begin to produce new flower buds in mid July so pruning by the end of June will make sure that you do not prune next year's flower buds. Further up north, bud production will start a little later. Stems can be pruned about 1" from the brown whereas dried flower buds can be deaheaded. Aluminum sulfate is used to change the color of the blooms to blue when your soil is alkaline. You need to determine if your soil is acidic or alkaline. To determine your soil pH, send a sample to the University of Florida Extension Soil Testing Laboratory (http://soilslab.ifas.ufl.edu ). An alternative is to ask neighbors who have hydrangeas, ask a plant nursery near your home or purchase a cheap soil pH measuring kit at a nursery, Lowe's, etc. If you have to add aluminum phosphate then follow the directions on the package for as long as you have the hydrangea. Then use the pH measuring kit to see how your soil is changing from alkaline to acidic. A kit that measures using the pH scale makes the process easier. Then again, growing the hydrangea in a pot instead would make this even easier to do, of course. Hydrangeas do not require much fertilizer on normal soils. Sandy soils may require application of amendments (such as magnesium) and a soil test every 3-5 years is recommended. An application 1 cup of compost, manure or cottonseed meal in April-May and June should be enough but a soil test can tell you what else is needed. You can also add coffee grounds, liquid seaweed or liquid fish. Stop all fertilizers in July to help the plant go into dormancy after the fall. If your hydrangeas are like mine, they will go dormant between November-December. Use that time to remove plant debris. Below is a website with lots of hydrangea information. Does that help you? Luis Here is a link that might be useful: More Hydrangea Information

The numbered plants are those that somebody on the Butterfly Gardening forum has used to SUCCESSFULLY rear caterpillars to adulthood or has actually observed the caterpillar eating. If there is no numbered plant, then nobody on our forum can vouch for any specific plant. If a butterfly in the list below has no numbered plant, research the plant family shown for hostplant candidates. Several forum members report that using nursery or home-improvement store plants can be poisonous to caterpillars and adult butterflies due to pesticides or other chemicals. You have three main options: 1--raise the plant from seed (best). 2--prune the plant, do not put it in a prominent location, and wait for some new growth before presenting the plant to butterflies (good). 3--buy nursery/store plants, wash them thoroughly (fair; it is hard to get all the chemical off of the plant). SWALLOWTAILS Giant Swallowtail - Citrus family, Rutaceae 1. Ptelea trifoliata - hop tree, wafer ash 2. Zanthoxylum clava-herculis - hercules club 3. Zanthoxylum fagara - wild lime 4. Zanthoxylum americanum - prickly ash 5. Citrus spp. - various species, including cultivated 6. Murraya paniculata - orange jasmine 7. Ruta graveolens - rue 8. Dictamnus albus - gas plant Spicebush Swallowtail - Laurel family, lauraceae 1. Persea borbonia - redbay 2. Persea palustris - swampbay 3. Sassafras albidum - sassafras 4. Lindera benzoin - spicebush 5. Cinnamomum camphora - camphor tree Pipevine swallowtail caterpillars will die if raised on tropical pipevines. Please only use the pipevines on the list. Pipevine Swallowtail - Pipevine family, Aristolochia 1. Aristolochia macrophylla - big leaf pipevine 2. Aristolochia tomentosa - woolly pipevine 3. Aristolochia serpentaria - Virginia snakeroot 4. Aristolochia californica - California pipevine 5. Aristolochia fimbriata - white-veined Duchman's pipe 6. Aristolochia trilobata - Dutchman's Pipe 7. Aristolochia clematitis - Birthwort 8. Aristolochia watsonii - Desert pipevine Anise Swallowtail - Carrot family, Apiaceae 1. Pimpinella anisum - anise 2. Foeniculum vulgare - fennel 3. Lomatium - parsnip Eastern Black Swallowtail - Rue family, Rutaceae - Carrot family, Apiaceae 1. Ruta graveolens - rue 2. Anethum graveolens - dill 3. Foeniculum vulgare - fennel 4. Petroselinum crispum - parsley 5. Zizia aurea - golden Alexander Palamedes Swallowtail - Laurel family, lauraceae 1. Persea borbonia - redbay 2. Persea palustris - swampbay 3. Sassafras albidum - sassafras Zebra Swallowtail - Pawpaw family, annonaceae 1. Asimina triloba - common pawpaw 2. Asimina pygmaea - dwarf pawpaw 3. Annona muricata - soursop Polydamas Swallowtail - Pipevine family, Aristolochia 1. Aristolochia elegans - calico flower 2. Aristolochia gigantea - giant pipevine 3. Aristolochia fimbriata - white-veined Duchman's pipe Eastern Tiger Swallowtail - Rose family, Rosaceae - Magnolia family, Magnoliaceae - Olive family, Oleaceae 1. Prunus serotina - wild black cherry 2. Liriodendron tulipifera - tulip poplar 3. Ptelea trifoliata - wafer ash, hoptree 4. Fraxinus velutina - Arizona ash tree 5. Magnolia virginiana - sweetbay magnolia Canadian Swallowtail 1. Populus tremuloides - quaking aspen Two-tailed Tiger Swallowtail - Cherry family, Prunus - Ash family, Fraxinus - Citrus family, Ptelea 1. Prunus virginiana - chokecherry 2. Ptelea crenulata - California hoptree 3. Ptelea trifoliata - Common hoptree Pale Swallowtail - Buckthorn family, Rhamnaceae 1. Rhamnus californicus - coffeeberry 2. Ceanothus arboreus - California lilac Western Tiger Swallowtail - Willow family, Salicaceae WHITES and SULPHURS Sulphurs - Bean family, fabaceae Cloudless Sulphur 1. Cassia alata - Candlestick plant 2. Senna hebecarpa - wild senna Clouded (Common) Sulphur 1. White or red clover 2. Baptisia australis - wild indigo Orange-barred Sulphur Sleepy Orange 1. Cassia obtusifolia - sicklepod 2. Cassia bicapsularis - Christmas senna 3. Cassia surattensis - glaucous cassia 4. Senna mexicana - Bahama senna 5. Senna ligustrina - privet senna 6. Cassia javanica - apple blossom cassia, pink cassia 7. Chamaechrysta fasciculata - partridge pea 8. Senna alata - Candlestick cassia, candlebush Cabbage White - Mustard family, brassicaceae 1. The garden vegetable cabbage 2. Tropaeolum spp. - nasturtium California Dogface - Bean family, fabaceae 1. Amorpha californica - false indigo Dainty Sulphur - Aster family, asteraceae 1. Bidens spp. - Spanish needles Great Southern White - Mustard family, brassicaceae - Nasturtium family, tropaeolaceae - Saltwort family, bataceae Common White - Mustard family, brassicaceae Sara orangetip - Mustard family , brassicaceae Orange (Alfalfa) Sulphur - Bean family, fabaceae GOSSAMERS (blues, coppers, hairstreaks, Harvester) Gray Hairstreak - Mallow family, malvaceae 1. Sida spp. - broomweed 2. Hibiscus moscheutos - swamp rose mallow 3. Hibiscus coccineus - swamp hibiscus/Texas star 4. Desmodium genus - beggarweed 5. Trifolium repens - white clover 6. Medicago sativa - alfalfa Juniper Hairstreak 1. Juniperus virginiana - eastern redcedar Cassius Blue - Leadwort family, plumbaginaceae 1. Plumbago auriculata - leadwort 2. Plumbago scandens - wild plumbago Echo Blue (aka Spring Azure or Summer Azure) - Buckthorn family, rhamnaceae 1. Ceanothus spp. - California buckeye, California lilac Achmon Blue - Wild buckwheat family, polygonaceae 1. Eriogonum spp. - buckwheat Eastern Tailed Blue - clovers 1. Securigera (Coronilla) varia - crown vetch Atala - Zamia family, zamiaceae Great Purple (or Blue) Hairstreak - Mistletoe family, loranthaceae Harvester - In America, our only carnivorous butterfly. They feed on woolly aphids of the genera schizoneura and pemphigus. BRUSH-FOOTS (admirals, fritillaries, crescentspots, checkerspots, anglewings, ladies, tortoiseshells, leafwings, patches) Buckeye - Snapdragon family, scrophulariaceae - Plantain family, plantaginaceae - Vervain family, verbenaceae 1. Agalinis fasciculata - wild foxglove 2. Dyschoriste spp. - twinflower 3. Ruellia caroliniana - wild petunia 4. Ruellia succulenta - thickleaf wild petunia 5. Verbena hastata - blue vervain 6. Orthocarpus spp. - owl's clover 7. Plantago lanceolata - English plantain/ribgrass 8. Mimulus - monkey flower 9. Linaria vulgaris - butter & eggs 10. Linaria canadensis - blue toadflax 11. Linaria purpurea - purple toadflax 12. Galvezia speciosa - Island bush snapdragon 13. Diascia spp. - twinspur 14. Plantago major - greater or common plantain Most red-flowered and a few blue flowered passifloras will not support the butterflies that use these vines in the United States. Many red-flowered tropical passionvines are on the market. Please do not use them - they are similar enough to our own passionvines that our female butterflies will lay eggs on them, but the caterpillars will soon die. Gulf Fritillary - Passionvine family, passifloraceae 1. Passiflora incarnata - maypop 2. Passiflora suberosa - corky stemmed passionvine 3. Passiflora lutea - yellow passionflower 4. Passiflora alto - 'Amethyst'/'Lavender Lady'/'Star of Mikan' 5. Passiflora caerulea - blue passionflower/'Waterloo Blue' 6. Passiflora incarnata x cinnicata - incense passionflower 7. Passiflora vitifolia x caerulea - passionflower 'Lady Margaret' 8. Passiflora biflora - twin flower passionflower Zebra Longwing - Passionvine family, passifloraceae 1. Passiflora suberosa - corky stemmed passionvine 2. Passiflora biflora - two-flower passionvine 3. Passiflora lutea - yellow passionvine 4. Passiflora incarnata - purple passionflower or Maypops Ruddy Daggerwing - Fig family, moraceae 1. Ficus aurea - Florida strangler fig 2. Ficus citrifolia - wild banyan 3. Ficus benjamina - weeping fig 4. Ficus macrocarpa - Australian banyan Julia - Passionvine family, passifloraceae 1. Passiflora suberosa - corky stemmed passionvine 2. Passiflora lutea - yellow passionflower 3. Passiflora incarnata - maypop Painted Lady - Aster family, asteraceae 1. Borage 2. Sunflower 3. Malva sylvestris - High mallow 4. Malva parviflora - cheeseweed 5. Lavatera maritima - tree mallow 6. Thistles American Painted Lady - Aster family, asteraceae 1. Gnaphalium obtusifolium - cudweed, sweet everlasting 2. Gnaphalium falcatum - cudweed 3. Helichrysum petiolatum - licorice plant 4. Helichrysum thianschanicum - licorice icicles 5. Anaphalis margaritacea - pearly everlasting 6. Antennaria plantaginifolia - plantain-leaved pussy toes 7. Artemesia ludoviciana - Prairie Sage West Coast Lady - Mallow family, malvaceae 1. Lavatera maritima - tree mallow 2. Althea rosea - common hollyhock 3. Malva neglecta - common mallow Red-spotted Purple - Rose family, rosaceae - Willow family,salicaceae - Poplar family, populus 1. Salix nigra - black willow 2. Salix caroliniana - Carolina willow 3. Prunus serotina - wild black cherry 4. Prunus cerasifera - purple leaf plum 5. Malus angustifolia - Southern or wild crabapple 6. "hybrid crabapple" Variegated Fritillary - Passionvine family, passifloraceae - Violet family, viola 1. Passiflora incarnata - maypop 2. Viola floridana - common violet 3. Viola soraria - woolly blue violet 4. Viola tricolor - Johnny Jump-ups 5. Viola x Wittrockiana - pansies White Peacock - Snapdragon family, scrophulariaceae - Vervain family, verbenaceae 1. Bacopa caroliniana - water hyssop, lemon bacopa 2. Bacopa monnieri - water hyssop, herb of grace Viceroy - Willow family, salicaceae - Poplar family, populus 1. Salix nigra - black willow 2. Salix caroliniana - Carolina willow 3. Salix caprea - goat willow Phaon Crescentspot - Vervain family, verbenaceae 1. Phyla nodiflora - fogfruit Silvery Checkerspot 1. Echinacea purpurea - purple coneflower 2. Echinacea tennesseensis - Tennessee coneflower 3. Echinacea pallida - pale coneflower 4. Rudbeckia hirta - black-eyed susan 5. Liatris spicata - blazing star/gayfeather Baltimore Checkerspot 1. Plantago lanceolata - English or narrow-leaved plantain 2. Chelone glabra - white turtlehead 3. Chelone lyonii - turtlehead "hot lips" Question Mark - Nettle family, urticaceae - Elm family, ulmus 1. Humulus lupus - hops vine California Tortoiseshell - Buckthorn family, rhamnaceae 1. Ceanothus spp. Red Admiral - Nettle family, urticaceae 1. Urtica spp. - stinging nettle Goatweed Leafwing - Croton family, euphorbiaceae 1. Croton capitatum - goatweed Hackberry Emperor - Elm family, ulmaceae - Hackberry family, celtis 1. Celtis spp. - hackberry, sugarberry Great spangled Fritilary - Violet family, viola Mourning Cloak - Willow family, salicaceae - Cottonwood family, populus - Elm family, ulmus 1. Salix matsudana - corkscrew willow White Admiral - Birch family, betula - Willow family, salicaceae - Poplar family, populus 1. Prunus serotina - wild black cherry Lorquin's Admiral - Willow family, salicaceae California Sister - Oak family, quercus Malachite - Acanthus family, acanthaceae Bordered Patch - Asteraceae - sunflower family 1. Wedelia hispida - Zexmenia 2. Verbesina encelioides - Golden Crownbeard MILKWEED BUTTERFLIES Monarch - Milkweed family, asclepiadaceae 1. Asclepias currasavica - tropical/scarlet milkweed 2. Asclepias incarnata - swamp milkweed 3. Cynanchum laeve - honeyvine 4. Asclepias fascicularis - narrow-leaf milkweed 5. Asclepias speciosa - showy milkweed 6. Asclepias physocarpa - Balloon or Swan plant 7. Calotropis gigantea - giant milkweek or crown flower Queen - Milkweed family, asclepiadaceae 1. Sarcostemma clausa - whitevine 2. Asclepias currasavica - tropical/scarlet milkweed SKIPPERS Brazilian Skipper - Canna family, cannaceae - Arrowroot family, marantaceae 1. Thalia dealbata - powdery thalia Fiery Skipper - Grass family, Poaceae 1. Bermuda grass - Cynodon dactylon Silver-spotted Skipper - Bean family, fabaceae 1. Amorpha fruticosa - desert false indigo 2. Robinia pseudoacacia - black locust Long-tailed Skipper - Bean family, fabaceae Hoary Edge Skipper - Bean family, fabaceae 1. Amorpha fruticosa - desert false indigo 0gt;

I have a couple kinds of Phlox divaricata, Louisiana Blue and Blue Moon. They grow in a woodland edge, unwatered and in fairly deep shade. Their growth habit in this setting is relatively loose, but I don’t know what they would look like in another setting, though I would guess more dense and upright. They are just finishing their bloom season at this point in the year, and I assume would bloom earlier for you. The two are slightly different shades of blue. I like them both a lot.