If it gets some sun there, cypress vine should attract hummingbirds. Not sure about butterflies. And, boy, does it self-sow!

There are some better plants for butterflies and hummers. I love the Butterfly bush it get's large so you would need space for it, 4 foot by 4 foot, for humming birds salvias are great, I never had hummers till I had salvias, then there is the Turks cap it needs part sun, part shade morning sun being the best or late evening sun but not mid day sun.
If you want a vine for hummers cypress vine is great but it's a little slow growing but by August and Sept. it takes over a fence. Vine for butterflies passion vine, The cats will eat the leaves and have it looking tattered but anything for butterflies with be eaten if your going to do a Habitat.
Do you know if you have any lizards? If not I would look into getting some they help out with bugs. I have three types, starting out with only one but by shopping at nurseries that I knew had Anoles that I would or could bring some eggs home when purchasing a plant. Then I received the other lizard , the gecko from plant swaps again from eggs being in with the plants.
Pentas is a very pretty plant for butterflies, this one can be brought inside for winter.
You can get lots of plants in the small containers that cost 1.49 they grow very quick so don't worry about not having a big plant right away.

Don't for get to have water for birds, it's easy and cheap enough to do. You can use the bottom of a planter saucer placed on top of an upside down planter. I get lots of planters and garden stuff at garage sales and even estate sales. I got an angel for 15 bucks but if I'd bought it at a store I would have paid 60 or more.
Sometimes you can find things thrown out at the curb. I got a swinging bench this way and plants too.

I would consider a crossvine if you are looking for vines. It is an evergreen vine that blooms profusely, and attracts both hummers and butterflies.

perenniels by seed can take a long, long time. Some take 2 years to grow.

But if you get plenty of sun and have something to climb on, a mixture of morning glories and moon vine will give you a good show. I'm not sure about butterflies. Usually butterflies like plants with profuse, tiny flowers like pentas.

You can grow pentas from seed, but you'd need to start indoors ASAP.

If you can get some rudbeckia Hirta, they are happy in sun, bright shade, are fairly tall and I've seen butterflies on mine. They reseed AND they bloom the first year. You'd need to get some and toss them around and water them in soon. A mix of wildflower seeds might be good if you get plenty of sun.

Wildseed farms has a mix you might be interested in. And if you want specific flowers, they are listed separately and you can at least get a sense of which are recommended for TX and OK

Here is a link that might be useful: hummingbird flower mix

Salvia coccinea, verbena boneriensis, porterweed and zinnias are great re-seeders and easy to grow. They are great hummer/bfly plants. Salvia greggii and flame acanthus are also easy to grow from seed and are great perennials. The salvia cocc. will bloom in less than full sun but the others I mention are sun lovers. As mentioned before, you can purchase good perennials in a 4" for a couple of bucks and that is a great investment. I have had salvia Indigo Spires for 5 years now (purchased as a 4" plant). I have divided it every year for several years and the hummmers go crazy for it. It is a large plant, approx 4x4 ft. Lantanas are another afforable plant family that you may want to consider. You can probably get several of these seeds on the Seeds Exchange Forum for a SASBE.
good luck,
molly

I'm a homeschooler too. I second Carrie on the Crossvine. It's also evergreen and will look good all year. It's very low maintenance and is native to TX.PJ

I too am a home school mom of 3!! My garden is a great learning tool for the kids and a great retreat for me. I had Scarlet Sage this year in my garden, and the hummers and butterflies went crazy for it. It is very easy to grow and self seeds. I also love zinnias for the hummers and butterflies. You can see a picture of the scarlet sage on the wildseedfarm.com website. I will gladly send you some seed if you will send me your address.

Thanks everyone! Its cool to see other homeschoolers on here! My kids have learned a lot so far. We plan on giving them their own raised bed this year. At this point I'm so into flowers I haven't thought too much about veggies yet.

I wrote down all the plant suggestions to take with me to the stores. I got a few Salvias at Whole Foods last year so I will probably get those again this year. I planted them all right before all the rains and lost every one. I'm watching for lantanas. I have 3 in the front yard and 1 in the back. I got it on clearance in late fall. It seemed to do okay but it went dormant (or died) pretty fast in the winter. The ones in the front yard are just brownish but one is blooming and one is still green on the bottom. I tried doing a cutting from one but had no luck. I want a different color anyway.

Anyone know where to find a turk's cap? And the crossvine. I would love an evergreen vine.

I do have lizards. A lot of anoles and another kind. I have some toads too. I got a pot to make a toad abode, I hope they come back!

Your lantanas should come back. The butterflies love them! I see Turk's Caps for sale everywhere now - even Lowe's and Walmart have them. The mockingbirds love the Turk's Caps too! You might ask around your neighborhood...both of these plants do well from cuttings.

Another homeschool mom chiming in. I'm down to one though...and almost done with him at that. Gardening is a fun hobby for homeschool families...it is a great way to teach observation skills and hands on biology/horticulture.

In my gardens north of Ft. Worth, lantana, penta, scabiosa, salvias, monarda, zinnias, and daisies are favorites. Ask at a nursery if mexican bush sage will grow in your area. A large shrub with beautiful velvety purple spikes that butterflies love.

Flit over to the butterfly forum and ask about host plants for butterflies to lay eggs on. Then you'll catapillars and cocoons to watch, too.

Here is a link that might be useful: Creative Soul