I have two patches of the plain old red Bee Balm, Monarda didyma. One spot is drier and sunnier than the other, and that patch isn't doing very well. This Spring I'm going to transplant it to the backyard, where the soil is richer and not so dry. This plant is the #1 Hummingbird plant in my yard right now, although I'm planting a bunch of others they like this year, like Cardinal flower and Cypress vine, so we'll see. Monarda fistulosa is supposed to do better under drier conditions. I have the cultivar 'Claire Grace', planted last Spring, that is doing well in a dry spot, part sun. It's got lots of little shoots coming up. I am winter-sowing Agastache rupestris and a couple other Agastaches this year. They supposedly attract hummingbirds like crazy and are very drought-tolerant. I think they actually MUST have well-drained conditions, or there's no chance of them thriving or surviving the winter. You might want to check out Ipomopsis rubra - a tall native with red tubular flowers that also attracts hummingbirds and grows under very dry, sunny conditions. It's a little weedy in appearance, but pretty flowers -I plan to add it to my wildflower meadow...maybe next year.

Hi Steve, Sorry I missed you but stop by some time and I will give you a tour of the tiny yard. It is amazing how many plants I have managed to squeeze into it. I have even crammed in a number of trees although I have to keep them cut back in the spring or I would have no room for any of the other guys. Speaking of echinacea, I have never had a whole lot of it but it is because I NEVER saw a butterfly on the ones that I had and I didn't want to waste space which I have so little of. But last weekend I went to visit family in Belmont and they had a next-door neighbor who had several hundred of the purple ones all planted together and there were lots of skippers and lady butterflies on them so I guess number counts. Anyway, at the moment what I see most of all is skippers, hairstreaks, ladies, painted and west coast and a monarch or two along with an occasional pipe vine swallowtail. I am a little concerned about not seeing more monarchs by now but I am hoping that will improve. I have a variety of milkweed plants which have tons of seeds you are welcome to and I have started some pipe vine seedlings you can have also though they are not the CA variety. I have not had success getting the native vine seeds to germinate. The ones I have are Aristolochia durior which are native to the east but they grow much more rapidly so I have planted them as well out there. Some of the butterfly species mentioned in other posts aren't native here which is sad because many of them are really beautiful but we do have some great ones that are very rewarding to see in the yard. Murray

Well, they didn't have a phone number listed so didn't get any information; guess I'll just have to go out there and see what's going on! I did print out their list and there are a lot of natives that sure aren't available at Home Depot, that's for sure! Lilyfinch, I know just what you're talking about, used to live up north, and I do appreciate our long growing season. However, you get the gorgeous colors in the Fall, and such a beautiful spring showing!

Cheryl.... My DIL Cindy and I would love to come, but that day is the last Meeting of the summer for the Central Fla. Heritage Rose Society , in Lakeland, at Fla. Southern College... at 2:30 PM..... don't know how we could be two places at once ! drats....... thanks, sally