Sunday Gardener: Colorful pollinator plants

Sunday Gardener: Colorful pollinator plants to support butterflies and bumblebees

WELCOME BACK. IT’S TIME FOR A SPECIAL LIVE EDITION OF SUNDAY GARDENER WITH CARRIE ENGEL FROM VALLEY VIEW FARMS. I TRIED TO GIVE HER, YOU KNOW, REASONS TO BE PROUD OF ME. LIKE TRIMMING MY ROSE BUSHES. ALTHOUGH I LOOK LIKE I WAS IN A FIGHT WITH A CAT. THAT HAPPENS. YEAH. IT HAPPENS, IT HAPPENS. I GOT ALL KINDS OF STUFF ON ME. BUT YOU HAVE POLLINATOR PLANTS FOR US TODAY, AND THESE ARE ALL REALLY COLORFUL AND PRETTY. THESE ARE GREAT. AND THESE ARE MAINLY BUTTERFLY ATTRACTORS. SO BUTTERFLIES NEED TO HAVE A HOST PLANT THAT THEY CHEW UP. SO THIS IS WHAT I HAVE. I GREW PARSLEY FOR ME IT’S A GOOD NATURAL DIURETIC. WHEN I NEED TO LOSE A LITTLE WEIGHT BEFORE I GO TO THE DOCTOR. IT’S LIKE A NICE CHEAT ANYWAY, BUT BUT MY BUTTERFLIES ATE IT ALL. SO LITTLE SWALLOWTAIL CATERPILLARS, THEY LOOK LIKE DILL. THEY LIKE FENNEL, THEY LIKE PARSLEY. BUT THEY JUST DECIMATED IT. SO YOU HAVE TO BE READY FOR SOME OF THAT WITH SOME OF YOUR PLANTS. OKAY, SO BUTTERFLIES LIKE HERB GARDENS, BUT THEY ALSO LIKE A LOT OF NECTAR. SO THESE ARE SOME FLOWERS THAT THEY SEEM TO LIKE A LOT. THIS GROWS LIKE THREE FEET TALL DOWN HERE. THE GOOD OLD COMMON MARIGOLD. THEY LOVE THIS. OKAY, THIS PLANT IS ANGELONIA. WE ALSO CALL THAT THE SUMMER SNAPDRAGON. THIS LOVES THE HEAT, LOVES THE SUN. SO THAT’S A PLANT. THEY LAND ON DRAGONS AT HOME. YEAH. AND THEY SEEM TO LIKE YELLOWS AND PURPLES A LOT. THIS HAS A LIGHT FRAGRANCE. THIS IS HELIOTROPE. OH, I WANT TO SMELL IT. HOLD ON, HOLD ON. SOMETIMES. YEAH. IT SMELLS LIKE LIKE A LIKE A SCENTED LOTION. YEAH. IT’S A LITTLE BIT LIKE THAT. IT ALMOST HAS A LILAC SCENT. REALLY. LIKE THAT SOUNDS GOOD. LANTANA DOESN’T SMELL AS GOOD, BUT IT HAS A NICE COMPOUND FLOWER THERE THAT THEY ABSOLUTELY LOVE. I LIKE THE COLOR COMBINATION. THAT ONE LIKE A PINK AND LIKE A MANGO COLOR. IT’S REALLY PRETTY. AND THEY COME IN A LOT OF DIFFERENT COLORS. BUT NOW THIS ONE, THIS IS MY NEWFOUND FAVORITE. WE HAD, I SAW THIS LAST YEAR TO SEE TRIAL UP IN PENNSYLVANIA, AND THERE WERE MONARCH BUTTERFLIES ALL OVER IT, AND I THOUGHT IT HAD BEEN STAGED. I’M LIKE LOOKING FOR CHRYSALISES JUST HANGING. AND THEY WEREN’T. SO THEY REALLY LOVE THAT PLANT, THAT AGERATUM. THAT’S ONE THAT’S VERY INTERESTING BECAUSE IT ALMOST LOOKS LIKE LITTLE TUBES. YEAH. THE NICKNAME FOR THIS IS CIGAR FLOWER, BUT HUMMINGBIRDS LOVE THIS TOO. THEY PUT THEIR LITTLE PROBOSCIS RIGHT IN. OH, THAT MAKES SENSE. AND IT KIND OF SUCKED THE NECTAR OUT. YEAH. AND THESE ARE ALL ANNUALS, SO THESE ALL HAVE TO BE REPLANTED EVERY YEAR. BUT THEY BLOOM ALL SUMMER. WHEREAS THESE PLANTS OVER HERE, THIS IS VERBENA BONARIENSIS, THAT TALL PLANT THAT IS TALL, IT IS TALL. AND IT GETS 4 OR 5FT TALL IN THE GARDEN. BUSHY. IT DOES GET VERY BUSHY AND IT KIND OF JUST SHOWS UP EVERYWHERE, LIKE IN BETWEEN OTHER FLOWERS. YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS? THE FLOWERS. I MEAN, THE PLANT IS BIG, BUT THE FLOWERS ARE SO SMALL. THEY ARE, BUT THEY STILL THEY LOVE THE BUTTERFLIES. AND THEN THIS ONE HERE, THIS IS MILKWEED. THERE ARE SEVERAL DIFFERENT VARIETIES. THAT’S A NATIVE PLANT. AND AGAIN, THE MONARCH BUTTERFLY USES THAT TO RAISE THEIR YOUNG TO FEED ON DO DIFFERENT THINGS. SO DOES IT FEED ON THE LEAVES OR DOES THIS ONE FLOWER. IT DOES FLOWER TOO. SO IT’S WHATEVER. IT HAS NECTAR. YOU CAN GET THEM IN ORANGE OR PINK AND SOME ARE VERY TALL AND SOME STAY A LITTLE BIT SHORTER. OKAY, SO THAT’S BUTTERFLY WEED, WE CALL IT. AND THEN THE ONE NEXT TO IT IS CALLED TURTLEHEAD. AND THE BALTIMORE CHECKERSPOT LIKES THAT ONE. SO DIFFERENT PLANTS DO ATTRACT DIFFERENT CATERPILLARS, DIFFERENT BUTTERFLIES. OAK TREES IN YOUR YARD ARE LIKE A PHENOMENAL WAY TO BRING IN AN AWFUL LOT OF BENEFICIAL INSECTS. REALLY? YEAH, I LIKE THAT. I HAD NO IDEA THAT THEY LIKED HERBS. THEY DO LIKE HERBS. AND I’M TELLING YOU, I HAD NO IDEA THEY LIKED IT AS MUCH AS THEY DID. I HAD ONE, IT WAS JUST IT WAS SO BIG. AND THEN TWO DAYS LATER IT WAS GONE. ALL RIGHT, SO HERE’S THE THING. NOW YOU’RE GOING HERBS FOR YOURSELF. YOU MAY WANT TO COVER IT WITH SOMETHING TO KEEP THE BUTTERFLIES AWAY AND THEN GIVE THE BUTTERFLIES THEIR OWN SO THAT THEY DON’T. NO, I DEFINITELY AGREE WITH YOU. YEAH. PUT IT MAYBE TO ONE SIDE OF THE GARDEN OR WHATEVER YOU WANT TO DO. BUT THEY DO LOVE IT AND IT’S NICE TO HELP FEED THE WILDLIFE OUT THERE. IT IS. IT’S REALLY NICE AND PEOPLE LOVE TO HAVE THE BUTTERFLIES COME AROUND TO AND JUST KIND OF SEE. I ALWAYS FEEL LIKE IF A BUTTERFLY LANDS ON YOU LIKE A DISNEY PRINCESS. THAT’S RIGHT. YOU FEEL LUCKY, RIGHT? IT NEVER HAPPENS. I’M NOT A PRINCESS. YOU HAVE TO WAIT. LIKE RIGHT AFTER THEY EMERGE, THEY’RE PRETTY FRIENDLY. THEY’LL COME IN AND STAY ON YOU. WE HAD A BUTTERFLY RELEASE ONE YEAR, AND IT WAS GREAT BECAUSE THEY WENT AROUND AND LANDED ON ALL THE KIDS THAT WERE THERE. YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS THOUGH? PEOPLE FREAK OUT WHEN THEY SEE CATERPILLARS THOUGH. BUT YOU GOTTA HAVE A CATERPILLAR BEFORE YOU HAVE A BUTTERFLY. EXACTLY. AND YOU HAVE TO LEARN TO KNOW WHICH IS WHICH. SO SOME CATERPILLARS MIGHT EAT ALL YOUR CABBAGE DOWN AND THAT MIGHT MAKE YOU MAD. YEAH. SO YOU DO HAVE TO KIND OF WATCH AND JUST KNOW WHAT KNOW WHAT’S OUT THERE. JUST MANAGE YOUR GARDEN BY WALKING AROUND AND TAKING A LOOK AT IT. NOW ARE THESE ALL FULL SUN? YES THEY ARE. THERE ARE PLANTS THAT WILL DO BETTER IN SHADE. THINGS LIKE LOBELIA. BUT HONESTLY, MOST OF THE BUTTERFLIES LIKE THIS, THEY NEED TO HAVE SOME WATER, WHETHER IT’S A BIRDBATH OR LITTLE SAUCER WATER OUTSIDE. THEY LIKE MUD TO COOL OFF IN. SO A LITTLE BIT OF SOIL THAT’S JUST THERE. MAYBE YOU CAN WET THAT DOWN FOR THEM TOO. AND THEN HAVING TREES OR SHRUBS NEARBY WHERE THEY CAN HIDE OUT A LITTLE BIT FROM STORMS. AND THAT IS ALSO HELPFUL. YEAH. YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING THAT IS NOT ENOUGH. YOU DO WANT TO PICK YOUR BRAIN WHILE WE’RE IN THE COMMERCIAL BREAK. IF YOU’D LIKE TO HAVE YOUR GARDENING QUESTIONS ANSWERED, YOU CAN NOW EMAIL OUR SUNDAY GARDENER TEAM AND BE LIKE ME. ASK A THOUSAND QUESTIONS.

Sunday Gardener: Colorful pollinator plants to support butterflies and bumblebees

Updated: 5:38 PM EDT Jun 7, 2026

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Carrie Engle from Valley View Farms joins Jenyne for a special Sunday Gardener in the 11 News Studio to showcase some beautiful pollinator plants.