Anonymous
Post 09/15/2025 21:51     Subject: Re:Planted lots of butterfly weed, no butterflies
Anonymous wrote:My biggest pollinator magnets are Agastache, which are a little scraggly and don't reseed well in my moist clay soil, and African blue basil, which I allow to go to seed and has long salvia like flower spikes. Both are covered with pollinators. The more typical natives--e.g. milkweed, bee balm, coneflower, aster, even goldenrod--are good but don't really compare.

African blue basil is sterile and won’t set seed, but agree that the flowers are very attractive to pollinators. If you can get your hands on Herbalea it’s a great variety.
Anonymous
Post 09/15/2025 17:07     Subject: Re:Planted lots of butterfly weed, no butterflies
My biggest pollinator magnets are Agastache, which are a little scraggly and don't reseed well in my moist clay soil, and African blue basil, which I allow to go to seed and has long salvia like flower spikes. Both are covered with pollinators. The more typical natives--e.g. milkweed, bee balm, coneflower, aster, even goldenrod--are good but don't really compare.
Anonymous
Post 09/15/2025 16:55     Subject: Re:Planted lots of butterfly weed, no butterflies
Sorry - PP here:
Buy the plants or start from seeds ?
Anonymous
Post 09/15/2025 16:55     Subject: Re:Planted lots of butterfly weed, no butterflies
Enjoying this thread - I would like to plant some pollinator plants suggested here like milkweed, mountain mint, bee balm and black eyed Susan. What advice for a beginner garden would you give - should I buy the plants be start from seeds? Where is the best place to buy and best time to plant ? TIA!
Anonymous
Post 09/15/2025 16:35     Subject: Re:Planted lots of butterfly weed, no butterflies
Anonymous wrote:I walked by a neighbor’s yard in Bethesda the other day and saw some plants absolutely covered with bees, wasps, moths and butterflies. Literally hundreds of them—the plant looked like its surface was writhing. Picture This tells me it’s mountain mint. It was growing in full sun in their front yard next to the sidewalk.


Pollinators LOVE mountain mint. It is a sight to see!
Anonymous
Post 09/06/2025 10:57     Subject: Re:Planted lots of butterfly weed, no butterflies
Anonymous wrote:I walked by a neighbor’s yard in Bethesda the other day and saw some plants absolutely covered with bees, wasps, moths and butterflies. Literally hundreds of them—the plant looked like its surface was writhing. Picture This tells me it’s mountain mint. It was growing in full sun in their front yard next to the sidewalk.


Yup! Mountain Mint is incredibly attractive to insects. I have lots of it and it is always covered with bees and bugs of all varieties. And it smells really nice when you brush up against it, and makes a nice addition to bouquets.
Anonymous
Post 09/05/2025 20:57     Subject: Planted lots of butterfly weed, no butterflies
I have milkweed and just planted some butterfly weed and asters. I had some butteries a one caterpillar. But we had a tons of bees on the milkweed flowers so that’s nice.

One set of neighbors sprays for mosquitoes but the others don’t.
Anonymous
Post 09/03/2025 14:14     Subject: Planted lots of butterfly weed, no butterflies
For attracting humming birds, salvia black and blue works like nothing else. They also like cupphea but they are crazy all over the salvia.