Blue Porterweed, Delivered and Planted in SW Florida
Blue porterweed is a low, sprawling Florida native perennial that thrives in SW Florida sun and sandy soil, with violet-blue flower spikes most of the year that butterflies, bees and hummingbirds visit constantly. It handles salt spray and dry spells. We deliver and plant it; text us for sizes and a planted price.
- Light:
- Full sun to part shade
- Water:
- Low to moderate; drought tolerant once established
- Salt:
- Moderate; handles salt spray and salty soil, not saltwater flooding
Blue Porterweed
Ask for a photo of the actual plant we would deliver.
Blue Porterweed sizes we deliver and plant
Every size below is planted by our crew, set at the right depth and watered in. Send the size and how many, and we text back a planted price, usually within the hour during the day.
| Plant | Sizes |
|---|---|
| Blue Porterweed | Call for Quote |
Blue Porterweed in SW Florida, at a glance
- Mature size here
- 1 to 3 ft tall and 3 to 4 ft wide, sprawling
- Light
- Full sun to part shade
- Water
- Low to moderate; drought tolerant once established
- Salt tolerance
- Moderate; handles salt spray and salty soil, not saltwater flooding
- Cold tolerance
- Frost burns the tops, but it usually resprouts when warm weather returns; coastal Lee rarely sees it
- Growth rate
- Moderate to fast; a short-lived perennial that benefits from cutting back
- Spacing
- 2 to 3 ft apart in a mass planting
- Florida native
- Yes, native to the southern half of the Florida peninsula
- Botanical name
- Stachytarpheta jamaicensis
Where Blue Porterweed works in a SW Florida yard
Blue porterweed is a loose, low plant for sunny beds, rock-lined borders and the front of a native or pollinator garden, where its violet-blue spikes keep going most of the year. It sprawls, so give it room or let it spill over an edging. Firebush, beach sunflower and muhly grass make an easy all-native pollinator bed with it.
- Butterfly and hummingbird gardens
- Native flower beds
- Sunny sandy borders
- Low sprawling color
How our crew plants it
Plant in full sun in well-drained sandy soil, at the same depth as the container, and space plants 2 to 3 ft apart for a mass. It needs no soil amendment. Mulch lightly, water in, and use the extra watering allowed for new plantings in Lee and Collier, then settle onto rain and your assigned days.
Care after planting
- Cut it back by a third to a half in late winter or after a frost to refresh the plant, and tip-prune through the year to keep it compact.
- Fertilize little or not at all, since it thrives in lean sandy soil, and skip nitrogen and phosphorus from June 1 to September 30 in Lee County, Naples and Marco Island.
- Water new plants regularly, then rely on rain, since established plants handle dry spells.
- Refresh or replace aging plants every few years, because porterweed is a short-lived perennial.
What to watch for
- A look-alike non-native, nettle-leaf porterweed (Stachytarpheta cayennensis), is on the FLEPPC Category II invasive list for South Florida, and the true native is the lower, trailing plant, so do not swap in an upright look-alike.
Blue Porterweed questions we hear
Is blue porterweed native to Florida?+
Yes. Stachytarpheta jamaicensis is native to the southern half of the Florida peninsula. Do not confuse it with nettle-leaf porterweed (S. cayennensis), a non-native look-alike that FLEPPC lists as Category II invasive in South Florida; the native is the lower, trailing plant.
Does blue porterweed bloom all year?+
Nearly. The violet-blue flowers open a few at a time along the spikes through most of the year in SW Florida. Cold snaps can pause blooming, and cutting the plant back in late winter brings on a fresh flush. Butterflies, bees and hummingbirds visit the flowers constantly.
Does blue porterweed attract butterflies?+
Yes. It is a nectar plant for many butterflies, moths, bees and hummingbirds, and tropical buckeye caterpillars feed on its leaves, so a few chewed leaves are normal. Plant it in full sun for the most flowers, and skip pesticides if pollinators are the goal.
Updated October 2026
Get a planted price on Blue Porterweed
Tell us what and how many. Quinten prices it from the nursery's live list and texts you back, usually within the hour during the day.
Only need the plant delivered, no planting? It is on our nursery's list at Palm & Plant Co.
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See it in 3D first
We deliver and plant across Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Naples, Estero, Bonita Springs and about an hour around.