Build a Pollinator Paradise Today!
As any Louisiana gardener knows, pollinators are essential for the health of our ecosystem. By planting a variety of pollinator-friendly plants in your yard, you can help support the local bee, butterfly, and hummingbird populations while also enjoying a beautiful garden. However, you can’t just select any pollinator plants and call it a day. Our humid, hot climate means you’ll need to pick plants that can survive before anything else. We’ve made the selection process easy: Keep reading to see our picks for the best pollinator attracting plants in Louisiana, all available at Louisiana Nursery!
Lantana
This tropical plant produces clusters of small, brightly colored flowers that attract a wide range of pollinators. Lantana is available in a variety of colors, including yellow, orange, red, and pink, as well as multi-color varieties. It’s a hardy plant that does well in Louisiana’s hot, humid climate and can grow up to 6 feet tall. Lantana prefers well-drained soil and plenty of sunlight, and it’s a great choice for gardeners looking for a low-maintenance pollinator plant. (Check out more heat-tolerant plants here!)
Milkweed (Preferably Native)
As the host plant for monarch butterflies, milkweed is an essential addition to any pollinator garden. The vibrant flowers of the butterfly weed variety are particularly attractive to butterflies and bees. Milkweed is a hardy plant that can grow up to 4 feet tall and prefers well-drained soil and full sunlight. It’s also an important plant for the survival of monarch butterflies, as it’s the only plant that monarch caterpillars eat. We have made a concerted effort at our stores to stock the native Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) as they provide the best outcomes for our favorite butterflies!
Honeysuckle (Vine)
This fragrant vine produces clusters of small, tubular flowers that are popular with hummingbirds and butterflies. Honeysuckle is available in a variety of colors, including yellow, pink, and white. It can grow up to 20 feet tall and prefers well-drained soil and full sunlight. Honeysuckle is also a great choice for gardeners looking for a plant that provides both beauty and fragrance to their garden.
Salvia
With their vibrant blue, purple, or pink flowers, salvia is a favorite of hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies. Salvia is available in both annual and perennial varieties, and it can grow up to 3 feet tall. It prefers well-drained soil and full sunlight, and it’s a great choice for gardeners looking for a low-maintenance pollinator plant.
Butterfly Bush
This popular shrub is available in both full-sized and dwarf varieties and produces long, cone-shaped clusters of small flowers that are a favorite of butterflies and hummingbirds. Butterfly bush is available in a variety of colors, including purple, pink, and white. It can grow up to 12 feet tall and prefers well-drained soil and full sunlight. Butterfly bush is a great choice for gardeners looking for a low-maintenance pollinator plant that provides a striking display of color in their garden.
When choosing plants for your pollinator garden, it’s important to consider the specific needs of each plant. Most pollinator plants prefer well-drained soil and full sunlight, but some, like milkweed, have specific soil and sunlight requirements. It’s also important to consider the bloom time of each plant and select a range of plants that bloom at different times throughout the year to provide a constant source of food for pollinators.
Check our our in-store selection!
At Louisiana Nursery, we have a wide variety of pollinator-friendly plants to choose from, including the five plants listed above. Our knowledgeable staff is always available to answer any questions you may have and help you select the perfect plants for your garden. By planting pollinator-friendly plants, you can help support the health of our local ecosystem while also enjoying a beautiful and vibrant garden.
Thanks for reading our pollinator plant blog post. If you enjoyed this blog post, why not level-up your gardening skills by joining our Garden Club? We only send – at the very most – one email a week. The newsletter includes our weekly sales sheet, staff-written content (like this blog post), to-do lists, and other seasonally-curated information to get you growin’ better! Click the link ‘here‘ to sign up today!
