Rabbit Resistant Plants

Rabbit Resistant Plants

As gardeners we would envision our garden as the prettiest on the street, but nature sometimes intervenes with bugs and rabbits. Rabbits have been a major nuisance this year to gardeners and these creatures can destroy a plant or plants overnight. Unfortunately, there is not a plant that is 100 percent rabbit proof, because if the rabbits are hungry enough they will eat any plant. Rabbits do not like foliage that is rough in texture, pubescent foliage, lemony or scented foliage. The plants listed below has one or all of the foliage characteristics, and to combat the rabbits, I would like to suggest using the plants listed below in beds and borders, but also use a rabbit repellent on your property line. Some of the plants listed have a * image, which means that some rabbits sometimes have a little nibble. Plants listed with a spp. ending represents all varieties in that genus.

Anemones, Windflowers - Anemone spp. Type: Perennial corms. Zones: 4–9. Height: 4–36 inches depending on variety. Spacing: 6–12 inches apart depending on variety. Light: Full to partial shade. Uses: Cut flowers, containers, beds and borders, fragrant flowers.

Angelonia – Angelonia angustifolia. Type: Perennial in zones 9-10, annual outside zone 9. Zones: All. Height: 12-24 inches. Spacing: 10-12 inches apart. Light: Full sun. Uses: Containers, beds and borders, attracts butterflies to the garden.

Anise Hyssop - Agastache spp. Type: Perennial. Zones: 5-9. Height: 12-36 inches. Spacing: 12-24 inches. Light: Full sun. Uses: Beds and borders, fragrant flowers, attract hummingbirds and butterflies to the garden.

Arkansas Blue Star - Amsonia hubrichtii. Type: Perennial. Zones: 5-8. Height: 2-3 feet. Spacing: 2-3 feet apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Attracts butterflies, good fall color, beds and borders.

Aster – Aster spp. Type: Perennial. Zones: 4-9. Height: 2-5 feet. Spacing: 15 inches apart. Light: Full sun. Uses: Beds and borders, mass plantings, cut flowers, attract butterflies.

Avens, Grecian Rose - Geum spp. Type: Perennial. Zones: 5-7. Height: 10-24 inches. Spacing: 10-12 inches apart. Light: Full sun. Uses: Beds and borders, fresh cut flowers.

Azalea - Rhododendron spp. Type: Shrub. Zones: 4-9. Height: Varies from 2-20 feet depending on variety and cultivar. Spacing: 3-5 feet apart. Light: Full sun to shade. Uses: Specimen shrub, hedge shrub, smaller varieties can be used in borders, nectar plant for butterflies. 

Azalea

Balloon Flower - Platycodon grandiflorus. Type: Perennial. Zones: 4-9. Height: 6-36 inches depending on cultivar. Spacing: 8-12 inches apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Border, rock garden, cut flower, containers.

Basil – Ocimum basilicum. Type: Annual. Zones: 2-11. Height: 1-2 feet. Spacing: 12-24 inches apart. Light: Full sun. Uses: Leaves are used in cooking, pesto sauces, Italian dishes, butterfly nectar plant, mosquito repellant plant. 

Basil

Bear’s Breeches - Acanthus spp. Type: Perennial. Zones: 6-11. Height: 3-4 feet. Spacing: 2-4 feet. Light: Partial shade to shade. Uses: Specimen plant, cut flowers, dramatic foliage.

Beardtongue – Penstemon spp. Type: Perennial. Zones: 4-10. Height: 12-36 inches. Spacing: 18-24 inches apart. Light: Full sun. Uses: Mixed perennial garden, attracts butterflies and hummingbirds.

Bee Balm – Monarda didyma. Type: Perennial. Zones: 4-9. Height: 2-4 feet, but can reach to 6 feet. Spacing: 18-24 inches apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Attract butterflies and hummingbirds.

Bee Balms - Monardia spp. Type: Perennial. Zones: 4-9. Height: 1-4 feet, but can reach to 6 feet. Spacing: 18-24 inches apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Attract butterflies and hummingbirds, containers, beds and borders, cut flowers.

Big-leaf Periwinkle - Vinca major. Type: Ground cover. Zones: 5-9. Height: 12-18 inches. Spacing: 18 inches apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Excellent ground cover for retaining walls or hillsides.

Black-eyed Susan – Rudbeckia spp. Type: Perennial. Zones: 3-10. Height: 18-30 inches. Spacing: 12-24 inches. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Beds and borders, containers, attract birds and butterflies. 

Black-eyed Susan

Blanket Flower - Gaillardia spp. Type: Perennial. Zones: 5-10. Height: 18-24 inches. Spacing: 18 inches apart. Light: Full sun. Uses: Borders, containers, cut flowers, attracts butterflies.

Bleeding Heart – Dicentra spp. Type: Perennial. Zones: 3-9. Height: 24-36 inches. Spacing: 18-24 inches apart. Light: Partial shade to shade. Uses: Borders, containers, cut flowers.

Blue Heliotrope, Clasping Heliotrope - Heliotropium amplexicaule. Type: Perennial. Zones: 7-10. Height: 12 inches. Spacing: 24-36 inches apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Ground cover, in containers, mixed perennial garden, attracts butterflies.

Blue Mist Shrub, Bluebeard - Caryopteris spp. Type: Deciduous shrub. Zones: 5-9. Height: 24-36 inches. Spacing: 18-24 inches apart. Light: Full sun. Uses: Attracts butterflies, borders, fragrant flowers.

Butterfly Bush - Buddleia davidii. Type: Deciduous shrub. Zones: 5-10. Height: From 3-6 feet depending on variety. Spacing: 3-5 feet apart. Light: Full sun. Uses: Attracts butterflies and hummingbirds, fragrant flowers, specimen shrub. 

Butterfly Bush

Butterfly Weed, Milkweed - Asclepias spp. Type: Perennial. Zones: 5-11. Height: 24-36 inches. Spacing: 12-24 inches apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Nectar and food plant for the Monarch butterfly, cut flowers, borders, wildflower gardens, containers.

Canna Lily – Canna X generalis. Type: Perennial. Zones: 7-11. Height: 4-6 feet. Spacing: 3-5 feet apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Plant in masses with bananas and gingers for a touch of the tropics, containers, cut flower, and wetlands or boggy areas. 

Canna

Catmint – Nepeta X faassenii. Type: Perennial. Zones: 5-10. Height: 2-3 feet. Spacing: 12-18 inches apart. Light: Full sun. Uses: Butterfly nectar plant, front borders, your cat will love it.

Catmints/Catnips - Nepeta spp. Type: Perennial. Zones: 5-10. Height: 12-36 inches. Spacing: 12-18 inches apart. Light: Full sun. Uses: Butterfly nectar plant, front borders, your cat will love it.

Clematis – Clematis spp. Type: Perennial vine. Zones: 4-9. Height: 6-10 feet. Spacing: 3-5 feet apart. Light: Full sun and keep the roots in the shade. Uses: Trellises, arbors, mailboxes.

Common Periwinkle, Dwarf Periwinkle - Vinca minor. Type: Evergreen ground cover. Zones: 4-9. Height: 4-6 inches. Spacing: 8-12 inches apart. Light: Full sun to shade. Uses: Ground cover for erosion control, hillsides, retaining walls, slopes.

Coneflower – Echinacea spp. Type: Perennial. Zones: 2-10. Height: 24-36 inches. Spacing: 15-20 inches apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Borders or containers, cut flowers, attracts birds, butterflies and hummingbirds. 

Coneflower

Coppertip, Falling Stars - Crocosmia spp. Type: Perennial bulb. Zones: 6-10. Height: 2-3 feet. Spacing: 12-18 inches apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Cut flowers, borders, attracts hummingbirds.

Coralbells – Heuchera spp. Type: Perennial. Zones: 3-9. Height: up to 36 inches. Spacing: 12-18 inches apart. Light: Full sun to shade. Uses: Attracts butterflies and hummingbirds, containers, borders, drought and heat tolerant.

Daffodils – Narcissus spp. Type: Perennial bulb. Zones: 4-9. Height: 4-24 inches. Spacing: 4-6 inches apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: borders, naturalizing, forcing, cut flowers. 

Daffodils

Dahlias – Dahlia spp. Type: Perennial tubers. Zones: 7-10. Height: up to 6 feet. Spacing: 24 inches apart. Light: Full sun. Uses: Cut flowers, containers, mass plantings.

Daylily – Hemerocallis spp. Type: Deciduous perennial. Zones: 2-10. Height: To 36 inches. Spacing: 15-18 inches apart. Light: Full sun. Uses: Borders, erosion control, slopes, mass palntings.

Dianthus, Pinks – Dianthus spp. Type: Perennial. Zones: 4-10. Height: 14-18 inches. Spacing: 10-12 inches apart. Light: Full sun. Uses: Attracts butterflies, cut flowers, borders or edgers, fragrant flowers.

Dianthus

Evening Primrose – Oenothera spp. Type: Perennial. Zones: 3-9. Height: To 4 feet, depending on species. Spacing: 12-24 inches apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Ground cover, flowers open in the evening.

False Indigo, Wild Indigo, Baptisia - Baptisia spp. Type: Perennial. Zones: 4-9. Height: To 5 feet, depending on species. Spacing: 12-36 inches apart. Light: Full sun. Uses: Borders, cut flower, dried flower, drought tolerant, attracts butterflies.

False Spirea – Astilbe spp. Type: Perennial. Zones: 3-9. Height: 18-24 inches. Spacing: 12-18 inches apart. Light: Partial shade to shade. Uses: Edger, foreground plant, cut flower, dried flower, attracts butterflies and hummingbirds.

Feverfew, Painted Daisy - Tanacetum spp. Type: Perennial. Zones: 4-9. Height: 8-36 inches, depending on variety. Spacing: 8-18 inches apart, depending on variety. Light: Full sun. Uses: Containers, bed and borders, butterfly attractant, cut flowers, drought tolerant.

Floss Flower, Ageratum* - Ageratum houstonianum. Type: Annual. Zones: All except very cold areas.  Height: 6-12”. Spacing: 6-8” apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Butterfly nectar plant. 

Ageratum

Flowering Onions - Allium spp. Type: Perennial bulb. Zones: 3-9. Height: 1-4 feet, depending on variety. Spacing: 2-5 inches apart, depending on variety. Light: Full sun. Uses: Accent, mixed border, drought tolerant, nectar plant for butterflies.

Fountain Grasses – Pennisetum spp. Type: Perennial. Zones: 6-11. Height: 1-5 feet, depending on variety. Spacing: 2-4 feet apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Borders, edgers, specimen, containers.

Foxglove – Digitalis spp. Type: Perennial. Zones: 4-8. Height: 36-48 inches. Spacing: 12-24 inches apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Flowering perennial in back of the landscape bed.

Fritillaria – Fritillaria spp. Type: Bulb. Zones: 3-9. Height: 8-40 inches, depending on variety. Spacing: 10-12 inches. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Mid spring bloomer for perennial gardens.

Geranium or Scented Geranium – Pelargonium spp. Type: Annual, perennial in zone 9. Zones: All. Height: 24-36 inches. Spacing: 12-24 inches apart. Light: Full sun. Uses: Teas, sachets, jellies, potpourris, vinegars, and desserts. 

Small Shell Ginger

Alpinia mutica – Small Shell Ginger. Type: Perennial. Zones: 8-12. Height: 5-6 feet. Spacing: 4-6 feet. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Cut flower, foliage used in floral arrangements, specimen or container plant. 

Alpinia purpurata – Red Ginger. Type: Perennial. Zones: 8b-10. Height: 5-6 feet. Spacing: 3-5 feet apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Foliage and flowers are used in floral arrangements, containers, landscape beds. 

Red Ginger

Alpinia zerumbet ‘Variegata’ – Variegated Shell Ginger. Type: Perennial. Zones: 8-12. Height: 6 feet. Spacing: 4-6 feet apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Containers, foliage and flowers are used in floral arrangements, specimen plant.

Variegated Shell Ginger

Ginger or Cooking Ginger – Zingiber officinale. Type: Perennial. Zones: 8-10. Height: 4 feet. Spacing: 3-5 feet apart. Light: Partial shade. Uses: The root or rhizome is used in fish and meat dishes, to flavor teas and carbonated drinks, Chinese cooking.

  

Hardy Ice Plant - Delosperma spp. Type: Perennial. Zones: 5-11. Height: 3-4 inches. Spacing: 9-12 inches. Light: Full sun. Uses: Ground cover for slopes, erosion control, rock garden, edger, attracts butterflies and hummingbirds, drought and heat tolerant.

Heartleaf Brunnera – Brunnera macrophylla. Type: Perennial. Zones: 3-8. Height: 12-18 inches. Spacing: 12-18 inches apart. Light: Partial shade to shade. Uses: Beds, borders, ground cover, containers.

Holly Fern, Shield Fern, Sword Fern – Polystichum spp. Type: Perennial. Zones: 3-10. Height: 12-36 inches, depending on variety. Spacing: 9-12 inches apart. Light: Partial shade to shade. Uses: Borders, erosion control, slopes.

Iris* - Iris spp. Type: Perennial bulb or rhizome, depending on variety. Zones: 3-9. Height: 18-48 inches, depending on variety. Spacing: 8-10 inches apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Perennial beds and borders, cut flowers. 

Iris

Lamb’s Ear - Stachys byzantine. Type: Perennial. Zones: 3-9. Height: 12-18 inches. Spacing: 10-18 inches apart. Light: Full sun. Uses: Borders, edger, containers, drought tolerant, rock garden.

Lantana – Lantana camara, L. montevidensis. Lantana - Lantana camara 'Miss Huff'. Type: Perennial. Zones: 7-11. Height: 4 – 5’. Spacing: 3 – 5’ apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Butterfly attractant, heat and drought tolerant. 

Trailing Lantana - Lantana montevidensis. Type: Perennial. Zones: 8-10. Height: 18 – 24”. Spacing: 3 – 4’ apart, can spread to 5’. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Butterfly attractant, heat and drought tolerant. 

Trailing Lantana

Larkspur – Consolida spp. (A), Delphinium spp. (P). Type: Annual or perennial. Zones: All. Height: 12-36 inches. Spacing: 10-12 inches apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Wild flower gardens, bed and borders, fresh cut flowers, dried flowers.

Lavender – Lavandula spp. Lavandula angustifolia. Type: Perennial. Zones: 5-10. Height: 18-24”. Spacing: 12-18” apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Nectar plant for butterflies and hummingbirds, flowers can be dried or fresh cut, in potpourris, and sachets, in containers.

Lenten Rose, Christmas Rose, Hellebore - Helleborus spp. Type: Perennial. Zones: 4-9. Height: 14-24 inches. Spacing: 12-22 inches apart. Light: Partial shade to shade. Uses: Beds, cut flowers, companion plants with ferns, hostas, heucheras in mixed bed.

Lungwort - Pulmonaria spp. Type: Perennial. Zones: 4-9. Height: 12-18 inches. Spacing: 12-18 inches apart. Light: Partial shade to shade. Uses: Beds and borders, ground cover, drought tolerant, companion plants with ferns, bleeding hearts, hostas.

Marigolds – Tagetes spp. Mexican Marigold Mint - Tagetes lucida. Type: Perennial. Zones: 8-10. Height: 24-30”. Spacing: 12-18” apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Butterfly nectar and larval food plant, Mosquito repellent plant, fresh flowers are used in salads; leaves are used as a substitute for French tarragon. 

Mexican Marigold Mint

Mexican Heather, Cigar Flower – Cuphea spp. Type: Shrub. Zones: 9-11, treated as an annual outside zone 9. Height: 24-36 inches. Spacing: 24-36 inches apart. Light: Full sun. Uses: Ground cover, mid-bed plantings, attracts butterflies and hummingbirds.

Miscanthus Grasses – Miscanthus spp. Type: Perennial. Zones: 4-10. Height: 5-6 feet. Spacing: 3-5 feet apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Shrub, privacy hedge, specimen plant, cut or dried flowers.

Muhly Grasses - Muhlenbergia spp. Type: Perennial. Zones: 6-9. Height: 3 feet. Spacing: 3 feet apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Bed and borders, containers.

Mums - Chrysanthemum spp. Type: Perennial. Zones: 5-9. Height: 12-36 inches. Spacing: 12-18 inches apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Containers, mass plantings, cut flowers.

Oregano – Origanum spp. Greek Oregano - Origanum vulgare subsp. Hirtum. Type: Perennial. Zones: 4-11. Height: 24 inches. Spacing: 12 inches apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Leaves are used in Italian dishes, pizza, shellfish, egg dishes, beef, pork, and poultry dishes. 

Italian Oregano – Origanum vulgare. Type: Perennial. Zones: 4-11. Height: 24 inches. Spacing: 8 inches apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Leaves are used in Italian dishes, pizza, shellfish, egg dishes, beef, pork, and poultry dishes. 

Sweet Marjoram - Origanum majorana. Type: Perennial. Zones: 9-11, treated as an annual outside zone 9. Height: 12 to 18 inches. Spacing: 9 inches apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Leaves are used in eggs, meats, rice, pastas, soups, vegetables.

Peonies – Paeonia spp. Type: Perennial. Zones: 3-7. Height: 12-36 inches, depending on variety. Spacing: 18-36 inches apart. Light: Partial shade to shade. Uses: Back of the border bed, cut flowers.

Petunia – Petunia X hybrid 'Purple Wave'. Type: Annual. Zones: All except very cold areas.  Height: 4 – 6”. Spacing: For a thick coverage, 12 – 15” apart, 3’ apart for regular coverage, plants will spread 3 – 5’. Light: Full sun. Uses: Butterfly attractant, heat and drought tolerant, border, edger, or in hanging baskets. 

Purple Wave Petunia

Phlox – Phlox spp. Type: Perennial. Zones: 3-9. Height: 2-36 inches, depending on variety. Spacing: 12-18 inches apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: bed and borders, ground cover, attracts butterflies and hummingbirds.

Poppies – Papaver spp. Type: Annual. Zones: 2-11. Height: 1-4 feet. Spacing: 6-12 inches. Light: Full sun. Uses: Beds and borders, containers.

Prostrate Rosemary - Rosmarinus officinalis 'Prostratus’. Type: Perennial shrub or groundcover. Height: 12-18”. Spacing: 2 feet apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Additional Uses: The leaves are used in lamb and fish dishes, butterfly nectar plant, Mosquito repellent plant, and drought tolerant plant. 

Prostrate Rosemary

Rosemary – Rosmarinus officinalis. Type: Perennial shrub. Zones: 8-11. Height: 4 feet. Spacing: 3-5 feet apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: The leaves are used in lamb and fish dishes, drought tolerant plant, and butterfly nectar plant.

Russian Sage - Perovskia atriplicifolia. Type: Perennial. Zones: 4-9. Height: 3-5 feet. Spacing: 24-36 inches apart. Light: Full sun. Uses: Containers, bed and borders, cut flowers, butterfly attractant. 

Russian Sage

Salvia and Sages. 

Autumn Sage - Salvia greggii 'Maraschino'. Type: Perennial. Zones: 7-10.  Height: 3’ – 4’. Spacing: 18” – 24” apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Butterfly and hummingbird attractant, accent, cut flower, herb and perennial garden. 

Mexican Sage - Salvia leucantha. Type: Perennial. Zones: 8-10. Height: 2 – 4’. Spacing: 3 – 5’ apart. Light: Full sun. Uses: Butterfly attractant, and drought tolerant. 

Pineapple Sage – Salvia elegans. Type: Perennial. Zones: 8-11.  Height: 3 - 4 feet. Spacing: 3 – 4 feet apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Blooms red flowers in spring, summer, and fall. The leaves when crushed smell and taste like fresh pineapple. Uses: The fresh leaves can be used in drinks and salads. The leaves can be used in hot or cold drinks, and the flowers and leaves are used chopped in salads. Attracts butterflies and hummingbirds to the garden. 

Sage - Salvia officinalis. Type: Perennial. Zones: 5-10. Height: 3 feet. Spacing: 12-24 inches apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Leaves are used in stuffing, meat dishes, egg dishes, salads, soups, stews, and vegetables, accent in borders.

Sedge - Carex spp. Type: Perennial. Zones: 4-9. Height: 6-36 inches, depending on variety. Spacing: 12-36 inches apart, depending on variety. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Beds and borders, containers.

Sedums, Stonecrops – Sedum spp. Type: Perennial. Zones: 3-11. Height: 2-24 inches. Spacing: 4-18 inches apart. Light: Full sun. Uses: Containers, slopes, rock gardens, cracks and crevices, butterfly attractant.

Siberian Iris - Iris sibirica. Type: Perennial. Zones: 3-9. Height: 12-36 inches. Spacing: 12-18 inches apart. Light: Full sun. Uses: Ponds, streams, or boggy areas, cut flowers.

Snapdragons - Antirrhinum majus. Type: Annual. Zones: All. Height: 6-36 inches depending on variety. Spacing: 8-12 inches apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Cut flowers, beds and borders. 

Snapdragons

Solomon’s Seal – Polygonatum spp. Type: Perennial. Zones: 3-9. Height: 24-48 inches. Spacing: 18-24 inches apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Shady gardens.

Spanish Bluebells - Hyacinthoides hispanica. Type: Perennial bulb. Zones: 3-8. Height: 12-18 inches. Spacing: 12-18 inches apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Cut flowers, beds and borders, edger.

Spider Flower - Cleome hassleriana. Type: Annual. Zones: 2-11. Height: 3-6 feet. Spacing: 12-24 inches apart. Light: Full sun. Uses: Beds, borders, large containers, attracts butterflies, hummingbirds, and birds to the garden.

Spirea* - Spiraea spp. Type: Deciduous shrub. Zones: 4-9. Height: 12-36 inches. Spacing: 3-5 feet apart. Light: Full sun. Uses: Foundation planting, attracts butterflies, hummingbirds, and birds.

St. John’s Wort - Hypericum spp. Type: Ground cover. Zones: 5-11. Height: 12-24 inches. Spacing: 24-36 inches apart. Light: Partial shade. Uses: Ground cover, mass plantings, edgers, borders.

Swamp Sunflower, Narrow-Leaf Sunflower - Helianthus angustifolius. Type: Perennial. Zones: 6-9. Height: To 6 feet. Spacing: 18-24 inches apart. Light: Full sun. Uses: Wild flower gardens, attracts native butterflies, mixed perennial beds.

Tansy - Tanacetum vulgare. Type: Perennial. Zones: 3-9. Height: 3-4 feet. Spacing: 12-18” apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Nectar food plant for butterflies, dried flower.

Thyme – Thymus spp. 

Lemon Thyme – Thymus x citriodorus. Type: Perennial. Height: 12 inches. Spacing: 12 inches apart. Light Requirements: Full sun. Light purple flowers in summer. Wonderful Lemon scent when leaves are crushed or walked upon. Additional Uses: All leaves have a distinct lemon flavor that can be used in cooking. Attracts Butterflies and Hummingbirds to the garden. 

Summer Thyme – Thymus vulgaris. Type: Perennial. Height: 6 – 12 inches. Spacing: 6 – 12 inches apart. Light Requirements: Full sun to partial shade. Blooms lilac to purple flowers in summer. Additional Uses: All leaves are used in cooking. Attracts butterflies to the garden. All thyme plants can be used as an alternative ground cover. 

Silver Thyme

Tickseed - Coreopsis spp. Type: Perennial. Zones: 4-10. Height: From 6 to 36 inches depending on variety. Spacing: 9-14 inches apart. Light: Full sun. Uses: Dwarf variety can be used as borders or ground covers, beds and borders, attracts butterflies, cut flower.

Coreopsis

Verbena – Verbena spp. Verbena Canadensis ‘Homestead’ – Homestead Purple Verbena. Type: Perennial. Zones: 5-10. Height: 12 inches. Spacing: 3-4 feet apart. Light: Full sun. Uses: Ground cover for hills, slopes, retaining walls, rock gardens, attracts butterflies.

Veronica, Speedwell – Veronica spp. Type: Perennial. Zones: 4-9. Height: 4-12 inches. Spacing: 8-12 inches apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Ground cover, borders, attracts butterflies and hummingbirds, drought tolerant.

Vinca, Periwinkle - Catharanthus roseus. Type: Perennial/annual. Zones: 9-11, perennial, outside zone 9 treated as annual. Height: 24 inches. Spacing: 10-12 inches apart. Light: Full sun. Uses: Containers, bed, borders, butterfly attractant.

Whirling Butterflies - Gaura lindheimeri. Type: Perennial. Zones: 5-10. Height: 36 inches. Spacing: 18-20 inches apart. Light: Full sun. Uses: Containers, beds and borders, attracts butterflies, drought tolerant.

Wormwood – Artemisia spp. 

Roman Wormwood - Artemisia pontica. Type: Perennial. Zones: 4-10. Height: 18-24”. Spacing: 12” apart. Light: Full sun. Uses: Nectar and larval food plant for butterflies, drought tolerant plant, floral arranging, bed and borders. 

Artemisia pontica

Wormwood - Artemisia absinthium. Type: Perennial. Zones: 4-9. Height: 2-3 feet. Spacing: 18-24” apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Nectar and larval food plant for butterflies, drought tolerant plant. 

Wormwood - Artemisia 'Powis Castle'. Type: Perennial. Zones: 9-11. Height: 2-3 feet. Spacing: 3 feet apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Nectar and larval food plant for butterflies, drought tolerant plant, foliage used in fresh or dried arrangements.

Yarrow – Achillea millefolium, A. filipendulina. Type: Perennial. Zones: 3-9. Height: 15-36 inches. Spacing: 12-15 inches apart. Light: Full sun. Uses: Cut or dried flowers, butterfly attractant, bed, borders. 

Yarrow

Zinnias* - Zinnia spp. Type: Annual. Zones: All. Height: 12-18 inches. Spacing: 12-18 inches apart. Light: Full sun. Uses: Beds, borders, cut flower, containers, butterfly attractant.                                                                                                  All Photographs may be purchased as Fine Art Prints at HibiscusAndMore.com 

Photography and digital images are ©Cheryl Ann Meola 2013. All Rights Reserved. All photographs and digital images displayed in this article are for viewing purposes only and cannot be duplicated. ©Cheryl Ann Meola 2013. Texas Certified Nursery Professional #1282.

Fertilizers For Southern Plants

Fertilizers For Southern Plants

Fertilizers are the vitamins or the essential elements that a plant needs to grow and stay healthy. The soil, atmosphere, and water usually provide the plant with these essential nutrients, but there are times when the soil is generally nutrient deficient and in this case a fertilizer is essential. There are sixteen essential elements to plant nutrition. These elements are separated into two categories, macronutrients and micronutrients. The macronutrients are: oxygen [O], carbon [C], hydrogen [H], nitrogen [N], phosphorus [P], potassium [K], Calcium [Ca], magnesium [Mg], sulfur [S] and are required by the plant in large amounts. Oxygen, carbon and hydrogen are provided to the plant by the atmosphere and water. Required by the plant in small amounts are the micronutrients, which are: iron [Fe], manganese [Mn], zinc [Zn], baron [B], copper [Cu], molybdenum [Mo], and chlorine [Cl]. These elements are the building blocks to plant nutrition and health.

There are several types of fertilizers on the market today that are especially formulated for specific plants and to mention a few, there are Azalea fertilizers, Hibiscus Fertilizers, Palm Fertilizers, and many others. Let’s say you go to your local nursery or garden center to purchase the recommended fertilizer for your plant and the item is not in stock, or even available in your local. What do you do now? Fertilizers are formulated by percentage ratios such as 6-6-6, which is a 1-1-1 ratio or what is called a balanced fertilizer. As long as you get as close to fertilizer ratio as possible the plant will be happy.

When applying fertilizer please follow the package recommendations to how much should be applied and how frequently. Over fertilizing your plants does not help the plant in fact can cause more harm than good because a plant will only take up the fertilizer that it needs. Depending on the plant over fertilizing can cause a decrease in plant health, can lead to a decline, or eventually death; and in some species of plants, over fertilizing can cause an increase in insects. Fertilize newly planted plants after you see new growth appear.

Listed below are a few southern plants and the recommended fertilizers.

Allamanda – Allamanda’s are moderate feeders, requiring a balanced fertilizer with applications 3 to 4 times a year. After establishment water only during periods of drought. Allamanda pictured right. 

Brown Bud Allamanda

Bougainvillea – Bougainvillea’s are heavy feeders and a Bougainvillea fertilizer should have a low phosphorous [P], which is the middle number and a higher analysis of potassium [K], which is the last number. The recommended fertilizers for the Bougainvillea are 6-8-10, 12-4-18, and 17-7-10, or you can use a fertilizer that is recommended for Hibiscus Plants. Bougainvillea pictured left.

Bougainvillea

Firebush: Hamelia patens – Firebush is gaining popularity with gardeners and landscapers alike due to the plant’s drought tolerance after establishment; the plant attracts butterflies and hummingbirds to the garden, and requires little to no maintenance. Firebush requires little to no fertilizer, but can be fertilized twice a year in early spring and early summer with a 12-4-8 fertilizer or a fertilizer that has a 3-1-2 ratio blend. Firebush pictured right.

Firebush

Firecracker Plant: Russelia equisetiformis – Firecracker plant is very drought tolerant after establishment in the landscape and is not picky about the soil it grows in. The plant attracts butterflies and hummingbirds to the garden.   Firecracker Plant

Firecracker Plant

requires very little fertilizer and you can apply a balanced fertilizer in the early spring and mid-summer. Firecracker Plant pictured left.

Hibiscus - Hibiscus are heavy feeders and a Hibiscus fertilizer should have a low phosphorous [P], which is the middle number and a higher analysis of potassium [K], which is the last number. The recommended fertilizers for the Hibiscus are 10-4-12, 9-3-12, or 12-4-18. Osmocote 17-6-10 + minors or Osmocote 18-6-12 are also recommended for Hibiscus and are a time-release fertilizer. Hibiscus plants attract Hummingbirds and Butterflies.

Homestead Purple Verbena: Verbena canadensis 'Homestead Purple' – There are two types of Verbenas, annual and perennial, but both types of Verbenas require the same fertilizer, and do extremely well under drought conditions and summer heat. Both types of Verbenas require a well-drained soil or plant in an area that does not collect water during heavy rains. Fertilize Verbenas once a year with a balanced plant food. Homestead Purple Verbena pictured right.  

Homestead Purple Verbena

Ixora – Ixoras require an acid soil and an acid fertilizer. When Ixoras are planted in alkaline soil the plant suffers from Iron and Manganese deficiencies. When planting Ixoras amend the soil with Miracle-Gro Azalea soil or Miracle-Gro Rose soil and top dress with mulch. The recommended fertilizer for Ixoras are the same that are recommended for Gardenias, Azaleas, and Rhododendrons which should contain the minor elements, or a fertilizer recommended for Palm trees, or a fertilizer recommended for Hibiscus. Apply fertilizer 3 to 4 times a year. Do you drink coffee or tea? If so, the used grounds can be recycled back into the soil under your acid loving plants such as Ixoras.

Lantana: Lantana camara – Lantana loves the summer heat and is extremely drought tolerant after the plant is established. In the south, Lantana is a perennial that comes back in the spring and should be pruned back after the danger of frost is gone. Lantana requires very little fertilizer and can be fertilized very lightly with a balanced

Lantana

fertilizer such as 6-6-6, 8-8-8, or 10-10-10 in early spring and mid-summer. Lantanas attract butterflies and hummingbirds. Lantana Plant pictured left.

Palm Trees – require a 3-1-3 ratio fertilizer such as 12-4-12, or 13-3-13, or 15-5-15 at a slow-release or a control-release formulation. The fertilizer should also, contain minor elements or micro-elements. Broadcast the fertilizer around the root zone and past the drip line of the palm fronds.

Pride-of Barbados: Caesalpinia pulcherrima – Pride-of Barbados is in the Fabaceae family, (Legumes) and has a symbiotic relationship with nitrogen-fixing bacteria called Rhizobia. The Rhizobia (bacteria) takes nitrogen from the air and changes the nitrogen to nitrates, a form of nitrogen that is immediately available to the plant’s roots. Because of the nitrogen-fixing bacteria, if you need to fertilize the plant use a low nitrogen fertilizer. The plant is very drought tolerant after establishment and grows well in a wide range of soils from alkaline to acidic.

Turk’s Cap: Malvaviscus arboreus – Turk’s Cap is in the Malvaceae Family, the same family the Hibiscus plant is in. Hibiscuses are heavy feeders and a Hibiscus fertilizer should have a low phosphorous [P], which is the middle number and a higher analysis of

Turk's Cap

potassium [K], which is the last number. The recommended fertilizers for the Hibiscus are 10-4-12, 9-3-12, or 12-4-18. Osmocote 17-6-10 + minors or Osmocote 18-6-12 are also recommended for Hibiscus and are a time-release fertilizer. Turk’s Cap is more drought tolerant than the tropical Hibiscus and attracts Hummingbirds and Butterflies. Turk's Cap pictured right.

All photographs featured may be purchased as fine art prints at Fine Art Prints

©Cheryl Ann Meola 2013.  Texas Certified Nursery Professional (TCNP) #1282.