You have the best ones covered already. Although overplanted, jatropha and plumbago have lots of flowers, butterflies like them, they can stand full sun. Also maybe porterweed and cassia?

Forgot to add, I have a cassia tree, too!! Thanks, I look at those you have suggested :) Christy

Mexican sunflower,zinnias.SALVIAS of every shape and color.
tanya

Christy you are welcome to come over and "shop" in my yard. I'm in Pembroke Pines and have alot of butterfly plants to share. I have Chaya which is an edible green and the butterflies like the flowers.
you can email me at
sjkdavis at bellsouth dot net

Would Buddleia work for you?

Bottlebrush!!!! It is COVERED with butterflies, bees and hummingbirds all through the blooming cycle, which is pretty much all year except for when it's freezing.

How abt. some vines ? Honeysuckle, Sky Vine, etc... if you Google for "Hummingbird plants for Fla." or " Butterfly plants for Fla. " there is a wealth of great information, and change the wording you get lots more... sally

Blue Porterweed gets my vote and is always a hit with the butterflies.

Blue Porterweed gets my vote and is always a hit with the butterflies.

And the bees, another vial pollinator....

Thanks so much for the suggestions everyone!! I just sat down and plan on reading them all and looking at the plants, but thought I'd post a few pics first. I think I saw a tree suggestion, which wouldn't work for the area, and then a vine suggestion, which also wouldn't work. However, I have other spots that may be more appropriate for those!! I think I want 5 of the same plant, smaller and mounding? Take a look at the bed. You'll see the dying and dead Dianthera - those are what are being replaced. Thanks again!! Christy

Three barely living and a fourth dead Dianthera that will be replaced (you can mostly see the Lady of the Night in front of the dead one) all along the front of the bed.

Another view from the left of the garden:

The one lonely Dianthera the opposite of the driveway. You can barely see it on the very left. This is what the full bed looks like - again, tall Penta's, sterile Mexican Petunia, and the empty space to the right is a Texas Star Hibiscus that is still growing :)

The view from the front, note the dying Dianthera and the Lady of the Night behind it!!!

Christy, I just looked up dianthera, and it said it prefers part shade. Maybe you could move them to a cooler spot. BTW, what is that gorgeous grass plant? Don't tell me they're baby plants. I'd like some that will stay that size. :))

Sherry

Thanks, Sherry, my first thought is that it is getting too much sun as well. The two closest to the driveway get the most sun and are doing the worst. The one on the right went in about a month after the one on the left, which is why it is still barely living. My landscaper insists that is can accept the sun it receives and determined it must have some sort of problem. Either way, they are bad off and look horrible. She called the grass fountain grass. They've been in about 2 months and have filled out and look awesome!! I don't think they're going to get much bigger, but time will tell!! Thanks again :) Christy

Kind of seems to me they are all too close to that tree ( palm ??) which has spreading roots they have to compete with.. also close to the house there is possibly rubble from the construction, would change the PH... I'm guessing the soil is not very good there.... sally

Thanks Sally, we added horse manure, compost and dirt, and it really wasn't bad off to begin with. Plus, every other plant is thriving. I think it is a sun issue but the landscaper who recommended the plant thinks it has a problem. Either way, they need to be replaced, does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks!! Christy

Please move these plants out of the sun, and away from the pavement, which is reflecting heat onto them. Dianthera is related to shrimp plants, and should be kept in at least dappled to partial shade. I don't know who your landscaper is, but she is wrong about dianthera.

Plus, dianthera needs more water than the plants around it. The palm and larger leafed plants are sucking up all the moisture from the soaker hose, if that is one I see in the picture.

I promise you, if you move these plants into more shade and water more often, they will be fine.

I have those in my HOT SUNNY western exposed back yard. They get the little lavender flowers, right? Mine do fine as long as I run the sprinklers. Yours look thirsty to me.

My first thought was that they needed water, but I have not only run the soaker hose but hand watered them extensively. I was out there everyday for 3 weeks and still saw no improvement. I can move them, but what will I put in their place? Thanks, Christy

I just removed my dianthera nodosa about a month ago. The plant was in moderate shade and did very well, was very green and carefree. It got about four foot tall, six feet wide. Bloomed on and off, but short duration each time. Pretty though. I removed it because I was tired of pulling up baby plants which self sowed up to twenty feet away. I don't have many weeds and like it that way. It was too high maintenance in that regard. A little bit invasive. The blooming amount was not enough to warrant the work. It is a very pretty plant, though, and it does like shade.

Anna

Can Gardenia be grown in this climate? My husband keeps saying he likes them. Any thoughts?? Thanks, Christy

I would like to second the recommendation of porter weed (Stachytarpheta mutabilis). In your area it will be a perennial and it is one of the best hummingbird/butterfly attractors you can get. There is a red porterweed that does well in your area. It will attract hummingbirds for sure if they are around. The native porterweed is just about as good, but it grows tall and lanky.

I wouldn't recommend the coral porterweed. It grows very large and will take over large areas. It is excellent as a hummingbird/butterfly attractor, however.

The tall red pentas are the best butterfly attractors that you can find, in my opinion. They also are good for hummingbirds.

For shady areas the firespikes can't be beat for hummingbirds. I don't know when they would bloom in your zone. In zone nine they are just coming into bloom and will continue through Deecember. The lavender ones bloom in early spring here.

Christy-gardenia grow here. I have one planted in a large pot, but you can plant gardenia in the ground if they are grafted. Mine is grafted but I just liked the look of it in a pot. They like morning sun afternoon shade.

I went to the Butterfly Farm today, and saw a lot of the plants I already have in my garden!!! I will say, I really did like the Porterweed :) I'll think more about the Gardenia, my lanscape designer is replacing them with new plants. So, I just need to let her know. Thanks again, Coffeemom, I might just take you up on the shopping trip :) Christy