Do you enjoy seeing a butterfly in their natural habitat? Are you filled with happiness when you see their delicate wings fluttering in the morning sunshine? This experience is less lived as there are lesser greeneries surrounding people and to live it you need to have a garden that attracts these beautiful butterflies. This type of garden is called a butterfly garden which is designed and grown to attract pollinators like bees and butterflies. A butterfly garden needs to have everything that will help us realize our impact on the environment. Depending on the space available, you need to plants rows of these bright flowers in an already existing garden. A butterfly garden is where the ripen nectar-producing flowers not only look like a rainbow that comes to life but also has an everlasting fragrance.
Similar to vegetables, there are certain types of flowers and shrubs that is known to attract butterflies to your garden. It is known that butterflies are attracted mostly to any type of flower that is a nectar-producing variety, as this is the fuel they need for their bodies, but it is also important to choose leafy plants that will provide safe location for egg-laying butterflies. Go for plants and flowers that flourish in each growing season and choose flowers that come back year after year for more nectar. Gardens with perennial and annual flowers will brighten your garden as well as provide a steady source of comfort and fuel for the butterflies.
Start your butterfly garden with the butterfly-friendly flowers that will surely attract them and create an aromatic and lovely scenery.
1. Butterfly Bush – This is a fast growing and easy-to-care-for shrub that attracts masses of butterflies during summer while displaying the sweet smelling white, blue, or purple blossoms. This bush can grow twice its size, but it is easy to control by cutting back to the ground in the late fall or early springtime. The botanical name for this plant is Buddleia Davidii and varieties and its ideal condition is a sunny spot with moist and well-drained soil. The Butterfly bush goes well with the bright orange Mexican sunflower. This combination helps in creating a beautiful contrast that is very attractive to people and butterflies.
2. Phlox – This flower has a pretty and sweet smelling blossoms in white, pink, lavender, salmon, or red, which is flourished all summer. The other varieties are not good for disease resistance. The botanical name for this plant is Phlox paniculata and it needs to have a sunny spot with moist and well-drained soil. It is often planted in combination with Purple coneflower or any of the many interesting and pretty varieties of Echinacea.
3. Anise Hyssop – This plant is a beautiful, rugged and drought-tolerant plant and does quite well in hot climates. The lovely blue blooms toward the end of the summer are highly attractive to butterflies, but they are resistant to deer and rabbits. With the sturdy and long-lasting, they make excellent flowers cut. The botanical name for this plant is Agastache foeniculum and needs just as much as sun it gets and the soil needs to be moist. Plant with some Black-eyed Susan with its bold, yellow flowers provides a pretty, carefree contrast to Anise Hyssop’s blue blooms.
4. Asclepias – Butterfly Weed – This is an excellent choice if you want to attract Monarchs. The adult butterflies enjoy the nectar from the flowers and lay eggs on the leaves of the plant. The caterpillars eat the leaves to make the cocoons on the plant’s stems. The orange flowers is the most popular variety, but there are many milkweed varieties. Go for swamp milkweed and annual blood-flower for butterflies to add a different aspect to your milkweed patch. Not all types of appeal to all butterflies so be careful! The botanical name for this flower is Asclepias tuberosa and it enjoys a bright spot while it is moist in a well-drained soil.
5. Aster – This aromatic plant is a wonderful choice to add color to your butterfly garden in autumn. You can create a riot of colors with abundant blossoms in white, pink, blue, red and purple. Pearl crescent caterpillar grows to be pretty little orange and black butterflies that are fond of these plants. The botanical name for this plant is Aster selections and it is five feet in height and needs a sunny spot with a well-water soil. The Bloody geranium makes this herbaceous perennial a great companion plant. It has pinkish lavender flowers in the spring and summer and in fall, it has a red foliage.
So next time you are creating a garden, choose a butterfly garden to add your contribution to the world.
