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The Sweet-Smelling Flower Every Butterfly Garden Needs
By LAUREN KRYSTAF
If you’re searching for a new addition to your butterfly garden, look no further than lion’s ear, a plant with tubular orange blooms that attract both butterflies
and hummingbirds.
Lion’s ear can grow 8 feet tall and 6 feet wide, and while it thrives in full sun, it can grow well in partial shade. It is also drought-tolerant and prefers well-draining soil.
Since it can grow quite tall, it works best when planted along the edge or toward the back of a garden, with smaller plants like bee balm or butterfly milkweed in front of it.
This colorful flower is a perennial in USDA zones 8 to 11. Be careful not to confuse it with its invasive relative Leonotis nepetifolia, which is also sometimes called lion’s ear.