Is it your garden goal this year to attract more pollinators? You're in luck, because Encore Azaleas are not only hardy shrubs with year-round interest, their vibrant reblooming flowers provide nectar for butterflies and hummingbirds.
Encore Azaleas can play a primary or supporting role in any butterfly garden you are planning. Since they attract butterflies and hummingbirds with their blooms in multiple seasons, they will assist in bringing migrating butterflies and hummingbirds to your garden spring and fall, plus provide nectar for native butterflies that are around all summer.
Source: Savannah Morning News, Norman Winter
Appealing to Butterflies
Butterflies have been called flying flowers and the gems of the insect world. The miracle of their transformation, bright colors and graceful flying patterns catch our eyes and captivate our imagination. The large mass of bright colors provided by Encore Azaleas will be noticed by pollinators. Plant Encore azaleas in groups of 3, 5 or 7 plants. These can be mixed into a foundation planting with other shrubs that attract butterfliers and hummingbirds such as the abelia varieties – Miss Lemon™, 'Kaleidoscope' and 'Radiance' – from Southern Living. Locate plenty of plants near windows and seating areas where they can be enjoyed at leisure. Generally speaking, butterflies are attracted to red, yellow, orange, pink and purple flowers that form flat clusters or have short tubes. Swallowtail and grey comma butterflies are especially attracted to azalea flowers.
Enticing Hummingbirds
Hummingbirds see bright red, pink, and orange more easily, so choose brightly colored Encore Azaleas for your hummingbird-attracting plantings. Autumn Fire®, Autumn Bonfire® and Autumn Sundance® would be nice choices. The trumpet shape of Encore Azalea flowers is also important for hummingbirds, since they are only able to sip sweet nectar from that shape.
Care Tips to Prolong the Show
As well as providing three seasons of flowers and attracting butterflies and hummingbirds, Encore Azaleas are easy to grow. Keep these watering tips in mind to keep the visiting pollinators and your beautiful shrubs healthy.
- Water Encore Azaleas when they are planted. Keep the soil moist but not wet throughout the summer and fall.
- Ensure good drainage so standing water never remains long enough to oversaturate and damage the roots of your Encore Azalea shrubs.
- Plant an abundance of Encore Azaleas for an abundance of hummingbirds and butterflies spring through fall.
