The Right Flowers To Create A Butterfly Garden

Have you ever visited a well-manicured public park or even a friend’s yard and were in awe at the large number of beautifully colored butterflies that seemed to flitter about? Of all the insects that inhabit our gardens, butterflies and ladybugs are the most desired. It is not as hard as you may think to attract butterflies to your garden, yet one mistake that gardening enthusiasts often make is to assume that all it takes to attract butterflies is to plant a few flowers. Adult butterflies consume nectar, which is found inside the base of flowers. Obviously, you will want to include many flowering plants into your landscape that will fulfill this need. In fact, for butterflies to take up residence in your yard, you will need to appeal to all stages of the insect’s life and needs, and not just to the adult stage.

Here are some tips for finding the right flowers to create a butterfly garden:

Plant some spearmint. In addition to the lovely smell that you will encounter in your garden, the white or light-pink flowers are delightfully dainty in any landscape. Butterflies adore these flowers, and gardeners love the plants since they will do quite well in shady spots of the garden, whereas many other flowers required full sun to adequately thrive.

Lantana is a sure-fire way of attracting butterflies. The fragrant plant will thrive in full as well as partial sun, and since they can withstand pretty much anything, they are a favorite of many gardeners. Keep in mind that they grow quite quickly, and proper management of the plants is required to keep them looking nice and to keep the flowers coming.

The Butterfly bush is known to anyone in the hopes of attracting butterflies. As the name implies, this bush is quite notable in its ability to attract the insects. If you are able to find the kind of bush that grows red flowers, you will be able to also lure hummingbirds to your yard!

Plant an Aster. The flower’s head is a marvelous addition to your flowerbeds, and its height will offer a more three-dimensional approach to your garden landscape. It is not uncommon to see two or three butterflies sharing one lower as they are all partaking of it nectar.

Lilacs are another favorite. To add depth to your garden design, find out ahead of time what color the flower will be. Usually the blooms will be either white or purple. Ensure that this shrub is planted in an area where it can spread out, since over pruning it will most likely rob you of a large flower harvest the following year.

Blueberries are very much welcomed by adult butterflies. They not only provide the nectar the animals need, but sometimes the slightly rotting berries provide extra moisture and also minerals they crave. Quite possibly the perfect combination of food sources for butterflies, this plant will make your yard a hands down favorite.

Marigolds provide the visual attractiveness to the butterflies that will lead them to your yard. Before planting, consider if you want to use perennial or annual plants, since this will have a long lasting effect on your landscaping.

Do not be surprised if in spite of your best efforts to attract a wide spectrum of butterflies to your yard you seem to only be able to attract a small handful. Butterflies are known to belong to the kinds of insects that are fiercely territorial, and will in fact repeatedly chase away other butterflies that might consider your yard for themselves.