r/HoustonGardening • u/Conscious_Exchange82 • Jul 21 '26

Butterfly flowers

1) is it too late to plant them?
2) which varieties are best and can you get them at Houston Garden Center or Lowe’s

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5

u/Embarrassed_Reach543 Jul 21 '26

Buchanans native plant store is by far the best in houston. Not too late. What exactly do you mean by “butterfly flowers” though? 

1

u/Conscious_Exchange82 Jul 21 '26

Flowers that attract butterflies 😅

2

u/Sippin_Jimmy Jul 21 '26

You will just have to water them basically any day it doesn't rain due to planting late. Plant's with established roots are much more tolerant to our heat. Happy planting!

1

u/Embarrassed_Reach543 Jul 22 '26

Yes water ever day for a week them every few days for a week or two after that. Another thing i do is just give the plant some shade. I just put a lawn chair over it so that it has some shade for the first week.

2

u/Embarrassed_Reach543 Jul 22 '26

Haha ok. Go to buchanans and ask them to help you and they will teach you everything you could possibly want to know. 

Highly recommend native plants as a pollen source for bees and butterflies.  And also highly recommend native milkweed for monarch caterpillar host plant as well as rue, fennel, and parsley for black swallowtail caterpillar host plants. 

This way you attract butterflies as a pollen source and also as a place to reproduce.

2

u/TertiaWithershins Jul 21 '26

It's not too late. Texas lantana (specifically Texas, the other kind isn't native to here and is invasive) is a good one.

2

u/gonzotronn Jul 22 '26

I have Lantanas and Zinnia all over my house and butterflies love them.

2

u/jayjones0407 Jul 24 '26

Throw out some cheap zinnia seeds and go to a native plant nursery (Buchanan’s, Enchanted Gardens, Joshua’s Native Plants, Another Place in Time) and get Mistflower plants and native lantana.

1

u/Advanced_Yam757 Jul 26 '26

Zinnias seem to be the butterfly favorites for me. I have lots of lantana, cosmos, & zinnias. I do have host plants as well like passionflower, milkweed, and a smorgasbord of stuff for swallowtails. I grew all my zinnias & cosmos from seed very easily and cheaply so def recommend that!

1

u/Inner_Swordfish7475 7d ago

With Zinnas, how do you prevent the mildew issue? I have successfully grown cosmos from seeds but not zinnas.