| Dee's Gardens |
| Specializing in Perennials and Bulbs |
| We make your garden grow year after year. |
| Butterfly Gardens |
| Not much else can compare to a beautiful garden in bloom and a whirl of butterflies gracefully fluttering their wings as they land and sample the nectar from each flower. |
We are big fans of butterflies. We have always had great success with just a couple of basic requirements of butterflies.
1. Plant a variety of plants for butterfly larvae (caterpillar)
2. Plant a variety of plants for adult butterflies
3. Give them moisture by making a mud puddle.
That's all we have ever done and people are always amazed how many butterflies we have. Below are list of plants that butterflies are
attracted to. For the mud puddle, we simply place a large, wide shallow bowl, or garbage can lid in a hole in the ground, fill it with dirt,
then add water to make a nice bed of mud. The butterflies will not only get a drink but get valuable nutrients from the soil. We have
found these work best in full sun and sheltered from wind. You will need to add water every few days or so to keep it wet. You do not
want to put holes in the bowl or lid as this will only increase how often you have to add water and it will dry out much too quickly. Do
not use potting soil, or any other soil amendments. Just use regular untreated, soil from your property, even if it is clay.
1. Plant a variety of plants for butterfly larvae (caterpillar)
2. Plant a variety of plants for adult butterflies
3. Give them moisture by making a mud puddle.
That's all we have ever done and people are always amazed how many butterflies we have. Below are list of plants that butterflies are
attracted to. For the mud puddle, we simply place a large, wide shallow bowl, or garbage can lid in a hole in the ground, fill it with dirt,
then add water to make a nice bed of mud. The butterflies will not only get a drink but get valuable nutrients from the soil. We have
found these work best in full sun and sheltered from wind. You will need to add water every few days or so to keep it wet. You do not
want to put holes in the bowl or lid as this will only increase how often you have to add water and it will dry out much too quickly. Do
not use potting soil, or any other soil amendments. Just use regular untreated, soil from your property, even if it is clay.
Plants for Butterfly Larvae
Plants for Adult Butterflies (if underlined click for more information)
- Curly Parsley - we sow parsley seeds every year and found this to be their favorite
- Carrots
- Queen Ann's Lace
- Hollyhocks
- Snapdragons
- Marigolds
- Lupines
- Wild Asters
| Want to know what species of butterfly a certain plant attracts, click on this informative link. |
| For the Monarch Butterfly Lovers see this link. |
- Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)
- Aster
- Red Valerian (Centranthus r. Coccineus)
- Bee Balm (Mondarda)
- Hollyhock
- Blue Mist Shrub (Caryopteris) - also a great shelter plant for butterflies
- Catmint (Nepeta)
- Liatris
- Coreopsis
- Echinacea
- Lilies (Bulbs-Oriental & Tiger)
- Gallardia
- Betony (Stacys m.)
- Black-eye Susan (Rudbeckia)
- Lantana
- Zinnias - we sow seed annually as we find these to be a favorite
Click on image to enlarge
and more information.
and more information.
Butterfly caterpillars do eat your plants, just like all caterpillars, so remember to mix with other less
desirable plants to cover the devoured foliage.
desirable plants to cover the devoured foliage.
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