$5 each, plus $2 postage for 1-3 packets, $3 for 4-6 packets.
Payment to the MBNZT bank account at Kiwibank 38-9009-0654693-00 and send an email to with details of your purchase, your name and delivery address.
- Butterfly Nectar Mix
- Swamp milkweed - host for monarchs, cooler regions
- Tropical milkweed - (Scarlet or Gold) host for monarchs, warmer regions
- Giant swan plant
- Chatham Island nettle - host for admirals (larger leaves)
- Liatris spicata - nectar source
- Joe Pye Weed - nectar source
- Tweedia - nectar source and possibly host plant for monarchs
- Snail vine - host plant for long-tailed blues
BUTTERFLY NECTAR MIX - These seeds are a blend of wildflowers (annuals) which will provide nectar for butterflies and bees, and a block of mixed colour in your garden.
This gourmet blend of wildflower seeds will entice our flying friends with plenty of nectar. It is a balanced mix of 18 colourful annuals/perennials of mixed heights and flowering periods. Specially formulated for butterfly conservation, height: 30-70 cm.
Can include Asclepias curassavica 'Silky Scarlet', Calendula officinalis - English marigold, Cherianthus - Siberian wallflower, Coreopsis - plains coreopsis/tickweed, cornflower, mixed colours, Cynoglossum - forget-me-not, Delphinium - Rocket larkspur, Dianthus - Sweet William, Dimorphotheca - African Daisy, Echinacea - Purple Cone flower, i- Candytuft, Linaria - Toadflax, Linum - Blue flax, Lobularia - Sweet Alyssum, Rudbeckia - Yellow Coneflower/Blackeyed Susan and Trifolium - Crimson Clover
Sow directly in the garden when soil is warmer. This mix is enough to cover 2 square metres, and will attract a wide range of butterflies and moths.
Asclepias incarnata, SWAMP MILKWEED, originated in America. There are two varieties – one has white flowers, one has pink flowers. We only have the variety with pink flowers.
A incarnata seeds need to be cold stratified which replicates the seeds undergoing a winter under the snow. To do this, place seeds between moist paper towels or in moist vermiculite in a plastic bag and store in the refrigerator. In the spring you remove pre-chilled seeds from refrigerator and sow in pots.
The plants can be propagated either by seed or by division of the root mass of a mature plant. After stratification plant seed as soon as possible into seedling pots or seed trays – and then prick seedlings out into larger pots when they have 2-3 true leaves. First year plants will normally only have a single stem but in following years will produce multiple stems as the root system develops. Light browsing by caterpillars is okay in the first year but ensure that there is a reasonable amount of foliage retained to enable the plant to develop a strong healthy root mass.
In late autumn the plant will lose its leaves and stems will die back. It is not dead; just mark the spot with a stake and wait for new shoots to come up in the spring. If the seedling appears to die when planted out into its permanent position do not be hasty in replacing it. In most cases you will find it will resprout. Contains 20-30 seeds.
Asclepias curassavica, TROPICAL MILKWEED is a native milkweed from America. Monarchs will lay eggs on it – and it makes an attractive addition to the garden, very popular as a nectar source. 20-30 seeds in a packet. Two varieties available, Gold (with yellow petals and centres) or Scarlet (scarlet-orange petals, gold centres) sometimes referred to as ‘bloodflower’.
Sow directly in the garden when soil is warmer. For earlier sowings use seed mix in egg cartons (or similar) and cover with a light sprinkling of topsoil. Keep moist and warm. Transplant when seedlings are 5-10 cm tall.
Gomphocarpus physocarpus or the ‘GIANT SWAN PLANT‘. More robust, and more resistant to the onslaught of the caterpillars, much more resilient than the swan plant (G. fruticosus). When identifying the two plants, the main difference is that the seedpod of G. physocarpus is not swan-shaped (although it’s often called the giant swan plant) but has round seedpods. The leaves are shorter and wider, and the plant will grow to 2-4 metres, whereas the swan plant reaches 1-2 metres.
Sow directly in the garden when soil is warmer. For earlier sowings use seed mix in egg cartons (or similar) and cover with a light sprinkling of topsoil. Keep moist and warm. Transplant when seedlings are 5-10 cm tall.
The seeds USED to be classified as Asclepias physocarpa and A. fruticosa, but the plants were reclassified in 2001 as part of the African family of milkweed, Gomphocarpus.
Urtica sykesii CURRENTLY OUT OF STOCK - U. sykesii (was U. incisa), or Pureora, scrub nettle, host plant for red and yellow admiral butterflies. It is native to New Zealand and SE Australia, dies back during the winter and regenerates again in spring. Height variously reported between 400 mm and 2 m. Leaves 50-120 mm. Likes shade or mild sun and a sheltered spot. 40-50 seeds.
Urtica australis, CHATHAM ISLAND NETTLE is a host plant for red and yellow admiral butterflies, endemic to the SW Fiordland Coast, and subantarctic islands including Stewart island and Chatham Islands. U. australis forms dense bushes up to 1 m by 1 m. Semi-succulent, leaves can be 200 mm diameter.
LIATRIS SPICATA, Blazing Star or Gayfeather, is a perennial in the sunflower/daisy family. Native to North America, it grows in moist prairies and meadows. Tall spikes of purple flowers resemble bottlebrushes/feathers up to 2 metres tall. Loved by bees and butterflies. 20-30 seeds.
Eutrochium purpureum, JOE PYE WEED, is a perennial in the aster family. Native to North America, Joe Pye Weed grows well in damp settings and has many pale pink to purple flowers. Will grow to 1 - 2.5 metres tall. Loved by butterflies. 20-30 seeds.
Oxypetalum caeruleum, TWEEDIA has stunning sky blue, star-shaped flowers. Native to South America, it can be grown as an annual or perennial. Prefers full sun and moist soils. It is said to be an alternative host plant for the monarch but as it is slow-growing and monarchs are not keen to lay on it, it is better kept as a nectar source and a bright addition to the garden. 20-30 seeds.
Vigna caracalla, SNAIL VINE is an attractive evergreen vine. This beautiful tropical vine, with lavender and white flowers, is native to Central and South America and thrives in full sun and high humidity.
It is also known as a snail bean or corkscrew plant and makes a very pretty addition in a hanging basket or container, where it will dangle up to 14.5 m if permitted. A member of the pea family, it will play host to the long-tailed blue butterfly, Lampides boeticus.
Growing this vine from seed is relatively easy as long as you plant the seed in full sun and loamy, moist, and slightly acidic soil. Soaking seeds overnight in warm water will aid germination. They can be directly sown outdoors in suitable climates or you can also start seeds early inside, in cooler regions. Be sure that the indoor temperature is no cooler than 22 C. Keep the seeds damp and in indirect light. Transplant as soon as the ground warms outside or grow them in containers year round.
The easiest way to buy is:
If you don't want to buy via TradeMe it is simple to pay with internet banking into the MBNZT bank account (Kiwibank 38-9009-0654693-00) and send an email to with details of your purchase, your name and delivery address.
$5 each, plus $2 postage for 1-3 packets, $3 for 4-6 packets.