The Design
The color and scent of a flower tends to be the main reason butterflies will come into your garden. Deep and rich scents along with mauve colors attracts butterflies first with yellows or reds second. Butterflies tend to like to gather nectar from densely clustered flower heads such as sedum and buddleia.
The plants location in the garden can effect how well it will be visited by butterflies. Butterflies are cold blooded creatures and tend to search for nectar on sunny days versus cool and overcast days.
Placing plants that flower in different seasons is a good idea since butterflies come through the garden throughout the growing season.
To encourage butterflies to stay in your garden longer you should also have “host” plants which are plants that the caterpillar enjoy to feed off of. Such plants include milkweed, willow, oak, wild cherry and fennel.
Facts about butterflies
Butterflies are highly active insects and need a source of energy to keep them going.
Nectar is what butterflies feed off of to get their energy. Nectar is produced by flowers and the butterfly gathers the nectar with its long proboscis which is its tongue.
The proboscis gives the butterfly an advantage over other insects because it can suck the nectar out of flowers that are long or tubular when other insects cannot reach the nectar.
While nectar is the main food for butterflies, butterflies don’t only feed off of flowers but they enjoy other liquids as well. Having a shallow bowl of water with some sand in the bottom will attract male butterflies to “puddle”. They absorb minerals from this behavior and pass this along to the females during mating.
Butterflies will also absorb other liquids such as tree sap and human sweat which contains electrolytes that they find valuable.
While some insects can be pests in ones garden, don’t use any pesticides in the butterfly garden in order to insure a healthy environment for the butterflies.
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Plants that attract butterflies
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Aster – Aster novi-belgii
*Full sun- Late fall blooming
Bee Balm – Monarda didyma
*Full Sun & Moderate well drained soil – Summer blooming
Butterflybush – Buddleia davidii
*Full sun – Summer to late fall blooming
Coneflower – Echinacea pupurea
*Full sun – Summer to fall blooming
Fennel – Foeniculum vulgare
*Full sun & summer blooming –Herb
Globe Thistle – Echinops ritro
*Full sun & poor soil – Summer to early fall blooming
Goldenrod – Solidago
* Full sun & poor soil – fall blooming
Joe Pye Weed - Eupatorium purpureum
*Full sun to part shade & moist soil – Summer blooming
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| Lady’s Mantle – Alchemilla mollis
*Full sun to part shade – Spring to summer blooming
Lavender – Lavandula angustifolia
*Full sun and dry soil – summer blooming
Lilac – Syrigna species
*Full Sun and moderiate soil – Spring blooming
Salvia – Salvia species
* Full to part sun & Well drained soil – Spring – summer blooming
Scabiosa – Scabiosa caucasica
* Full sun & poor soil- summer-fall blooming
Sea Holly – Eryngium bourgattii
*Full sun & poor soil – Summer blooming
Sedum – Sedum species
* Full sun and poor soil- fall blooming
Yarrow – Achilea species
*Full Sun – Summer blooming
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Gardening in Shade
One of the many purposes to gardening is creating an outdoor living area. A area of the property where you can sit and enjoy the scent of the flowers, watch the butterflies flying around and sitting in the shade of the garden. Shade gardens are extra special to have because you often times spend more time in them. In the heat of the summer, it is quite relaxing to spend time in the shade so why not create a garden in your shady areas to enjoy even more!
Shade gardening can put on just as big of a show as sun gardening if the right plants are chosen.
You will find that the plants that bloom in the shade offer a cool and cozy feel because they are often in shades of purple, pink, and white.
Shade gardens often times require less maintenance and watering. Plants often won’t grow as fast in the shade so pruning does not need to be done as often and watering is required less since the sun does not dry out the garden as fast.
To add a burst of extra color you can plants annuals in your shade garden that flower all summer long. Impatiens, begonias, and sweet potato vine are a few annuals that provide color in the shade garden.
If you have shade under an evergreen tree try planting Hydrangeas, Rhododendrons, and Pireis which thrive in the acid soil that the evergreens tree leaches into the soil.
Don't know what to plant in your yard? Need some ideas on how to create the ultimate outdoor living experience? Contact the design experts at Well Rooted Gardens!
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| Beautyberry (Callicarpa)-Pink
Boxwood (Buxus)
Green Velvet-Evergreen
Green Tower-Evergreen
Alpine Currant (Ribes alpinum)
Hydrangea (Hydrangea)
Annabelle-White Flowers
Endless Summer-Blue Flowers
Pink Elf-Pink Flowers
Variegated Lacecap-Blue Flowers
Japanese Kerria (Kerria)-Yellow Flowers
Summersweet (Clethra)
Ruby Spice-Pink Flowers
Hummingbird-White Flowers
Sweetspire (Itea)
Little Henry-White Flowers
Henry’s Garnet-White Flowers
Pieris (Pieris)
Forest Flame-White Flowers
Rhododendron (Rhododendron)
P.J.M.-Purple
Purple Gem-Purple
White Catawba-White
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Ajuga (Ajuga)
Chocolate Chip-Purple Foliage
Astilbe (Astilbe)
Fanal-Red Flowers
Visions-Many Colors
Bergenia (Bergenia)-Leaf Texture
Bleeding Heart (Dicentra)-Pink Flowers
Brunnera (Brunnera)
Heartleaf-Leaf Texture
Jack Frost-Leaf Texture
Looking Glass-Leaf Texture
Coralbells (Heuchera)
Plum Pudding-Purple Foliage
Palace Purple-Purple Foliage
Cimicifuga (Cimicifuga)
Pink Spike-Pink Flowers
Hosta (Hosta)-Leaf Texture
Japanese Painted Fern (Athyrium)-Leaf Texture
Ligularia (Ligularia)
Little Rocket-Yellow Flowers
The Rocket- Yellow Flowers
Liriope (Creeping Lily Turf)-Leaf Textures
Lungwort (Pulmonaria)-Leaf Texture
Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum)-Leat Texture
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| Dogwood (Cornus)
Pagoda-White Flowers
Kousa-White Flowers
Hydrangea (Hydrangea)
Pink Diamond-Pink Flowers
Ironwood (Carpinus)-Orange Fall Leaves
Maple (Acer)
Amur-Red Fall Leaves
Maple-Japanese (Acer japonica)
Bloodgood-Red Leaves
Crimson Queen-Red Leaves
Red Dragon-Red Leaves
Redbud (Cercis)-Pink Flowers
Serviceberry (Amelanchier)
Autumn Brilliance-White Flowers
Shadblow-White Flowers
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