How To Grow The Flower Varieties To Attract Beautiful Butterflies
The beauty of gardening is partially the artistic arrangement of the flowers in various shades, shapes and patterns; yet it is also the ability to escape into nature right in your very own backyard, indulging in pleasant scents and tranquil moments. While surrounding ourselves with a wildflower bouquet is largely a matter of choice, it is a matter of survival for delightful creatures like butterflies and hummingbirds. It is easy to design a beautiful butterfly and hummingbird flower garden. The flower varieties, of course, are only part of the planning; you’ll also need water, a mix of sun and shade, hiding spots and breeding grounds.
The flower varieties you choose will make a big difference. Planting larger groups of flowers will help butterflies notice them. Many gardeners start with a purple or bicolor butterfly bush and surround it with perennials. Consider the purple coneflower, black-eyed Susan, Brazilian verbena, daylily, catmint, lavender, phlox, goldenrod, ironweed plant, aster and sedum. Annual favorites for a butterfly-magnet flower garden include zinnias, marigolds, cosmos, sweet alyssum, cleome and lantana. These are the beauties of your garden, but you’ll need to also be considerate of your larvae hosts. They like to snack on parsley, dill, bronze fennel, milk weed and nettle.
Once the flowers for your plant habitat are in place, take other environmental factors into consideration. Your precious butterflies want a floral wonderland, but also a place that is safe from wind, rain and predators, so try adding hedges and small, dense shrubs like honeysuckle or butterfly bushes; trellises or fences covered in passion vines or hops. Generous brush piles of bark, logs, rocks and leaves allow for hiding during winter months or stormy days. Even “organic” pesticides agitate the sensitive butterfly, so keep your guests protected from any chemical sprays or dust. Be sure your butterfly habitat has at least six hours of full sunshine, with flat rocks where they can bask in the sun to warm up before taking their early morning flights. Just like humans, bachelor butterflies also want a place to drink after work: mud puddles, shallow pans of damp sand and gravel or wet dirt all make ideal gathering spots. Rotting fruit, watermelon rinds and seeds are delicious nutrients that create a true butterfly nirvana.
Once you have the flower arrangement to entice butterflies, you may want to jumpstart the process by purchasing a few butterfly kits with live caterpillars. At www.butterfly-gifts.com/live-butterfly-kits.html, you can find painted ladies. At www.wardsci.com you can buy packages of swallowtails, sulphurs and fritillaries. Live monarch and swallowtail kits can be found at www.swallowtailfarms.com as well. In some cases, you may need a USDA permit to order in bulk. Fertile fall is a good time to begin planting your flower garden in anticipation for a lovely spring and summer.
Tags: floral, flower garden, the flower
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