Lisa Villegas

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - Some plants earn their place in the garden because they’re beautiful. Others earn it because they’re busy. Salvia happens to be both. With its tall spikes of colorful blooms, salvia is one of those plants that seems to attract life from the moment it begins flowering. Bees buzz from bloom to bloom, butterflies stop in for nectar, and before long, hummingbirds discover it too. It’s one of the hardest-working plants you can add to a pollinator garden.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - From the moment it begins blooming until the first frost, lantana is covered in clusters of colorful flowers that seem to attract butterflies almost nonstop. It’s one of those plants that instantly brings movement and energy to the garden, making it feel alive from sunrise to sunset. If you’ve ever dreamed of sitting on your patio while butterflies flutter from flower to flower, lantana is a wonderful place to start.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - Summer is settling in across the Carolinas, bringing plenty of sunshine, warm afternoons, and those familiar pop-up storms that remind us it’s July. Through Saturday, expect highs in the low to mid 90s with typical summertime humidity. It will be hot, but at this point, widespread heat advisories are not expected.