Planting Today--Butterfly Plants
March 24, 2013
Pentas, in fuscia pink for nectar, attract hummingbirds also.
Lavender attracts bees which kill garden pests.
Tropical milkweed, host of monarch butterflies' eggs. See the caterpillar under the leaf?
"Milkweed blooms entice swallowtails, painted ladies, American ladies, red admirals,
fritillaries, and hairstreaks for nectaring." http://www.butterflybushes.com/milkweed.htm
Fennel, host plant for black swallowtail eggs
Fennel, host plant for black swallowtail eggs
The beginnings of my refreshed butterfly garden, plants from my local Home Depot, are waiting to be planted this morning. Several types are needed, so you will see the major plants above that were selected: Pentas, lavender, and tropical milkweed.
Fennel and Mexican Heather weren't available this weekend, so another trip will be needed next weekend to see if they are in stock yet. I've got loads of zinnia seeds, the tall yellow and orange zinnias, that I'll plant among the flowers, for good measure. Mother Nature can handle those for me.
I kept several Porterweed plants in place when I cleared out the old plants last week. Here is a photo, not my photo, and I understand the Porterweed is a hummingbird attracting plant, also. Bees love it!
The best part of planting a butterfly garden is the shopping part. The hardest part is the placing and planting. The photo below is what I hope to achieve when all of the plants are in the ground:
Ha-ha! This is NOT my butterfly garden; it is the butterfly center at Callaway Gardens in Georgia!
This is more like what my garden will look like, except my garden is bordered by my sidewalk.
May I encourage you to try your hand at planting something butterfly-friendly this week? You will be rewarded with a peek into nature at its finest, and you will love the view.
Note: None of the photos are mine; I got all of them from Google searches.
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