Maureen Austins' Top Plant Recommendation: Favorite Perennials for Birds & Butterflies for Southern California.

Agastache spp
It is a hummingbird favorite, so it's one of MY favorites! I love the colors of the flowers, fragrance of the leaves, and versatility of the plant.
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Asclepias curassavica
A beautiful flowering milkweed with leaves that provide food for hungry monarch and queen caterpillars, and blooms that attract butterflies of all types for nectar.
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Galvezia speciosa
Beautiful scarlet blooms attract hummingbirds, and the leaves are a host for buckeye butterflies (caterpillars). Plus, it's a drought-tolerant California native.
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Gaura spp
It has the wispy "feel" of a grass, but benefit of the pink and/or white nectar blooms which attract butterflies. Plus, it has a very long bloom period and is extremely hardy and drought-tolerant.
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Salvia spp
I'm a salviaholic. I never met a salvia I didn't love! And hummingbirds love them, too.
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Verbena bonariensis
I love how it sways in the breeze, as if to "call" butterflies in for its sweet nectar. It's versatile--looking good anywhere in the garden, and is very drought-tolerant.
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