Ah, annuals! Now you are talking my kind of flowers.

The flowers that get the most attention from both butterflies and hummingbirds has to be the zinnias. Honestly, I don't know how much benefit they get from visiting the flowers. I think that with hummingbirds, maybe it is just a look!

The big, colorful flowers really draws them in. I grow Benary Giants every year and balance the mix with extra red!

How far away can the hummers see those things?! The nearest hummingbird feeder is not in my view from the flower garden - hope it's close by. And, of course, there are lots of big butterflies floating by to visit the flowers.

Now, if you were to ask about biennials - I'd say Sweet Williams.

Steve

Cosmos will bring them in, but they get wiped out pretty quickly with a frost.

There are so many butterflies already this year.

Ah - California poppies. I just verified this, they are just now starting to bloom and butterflies galore.

They do self-seed rather, er, um, "freely".

Rene's Garden has a couple of mixes that are spectacular. I have Tequila Sunrise, which is a mix of cream and the orange, she has other mixes - if you can read that awful blue on her website......

Here is a link that might be useful: link to rene's garden seed

I have always read that Verbena and Lantana attract butterflys. I have both as well as Cosmos, Allysum, and Zinnias in my garden. A couple weeks ago we had a black Eastern Swallowtail laying eggs in my parsley. I planted a few parsleys in an aquarium and moved in 3 or 4 eggs. At least 2 have hatched and now I have two 1/4 inch caterpillars eating that parsley as fast as they can! A few years ago my daughter and I raised 5 or 6 and gave away about 30 of the same types of caterpillars who were eating all my dill! (The eggs were laid on either dill, parsley, or carrot tops. I have found eggs on all three in the past, but I'm sure there are many other host plants.) 30+ caterpillars can sure eat a lot of dill and parsley! Be careful what you ask for, you just might get it!

Cat

Thanks for all the ideas!

Ok, I definitely will try cosmos and dahlias. Poppies - what culture do they like? Will they grow in clayish soil? I've never had any luck with them, for some reason.

Cat, thanks for the reminder about parsley! I was planning to put in some dill, I'll also try parsley. That is so neat that you are raising a few of them with your daughter - fantastic!

Does anyone grow any of the annual agastaches?

Dahlias? Well, that might be okay . . .

I have grown Agastache foeniculum -- anise hyssop. The butterflies really do love that one! But, I believe that the agastache are perennials. Could be wrong about some of them.

Anise hyssop grows easily from seed.

Steve

Thanks Steve - I will grow Zinnias, too. Forgot to mention that one - I have some seedpacks for it, ready to plant. Love zinnias!

I wondered about anise hyssop & would like to try it. I grow several perennial agastache varieties, but some sites say they can be grown as an annual? Not sure if that would hold true for zone 5 growing season.

Hattie