How to Choose the Best Plants for a Butterfly Garden
We have a screened in porch which I just love. It is my dream to sit in my lounge chair, sip my coffee, and watch the butterflies flying around a butterfly garden. There is a nice space right by the porch which would be the perfect spot to put in this dream garden. Problem is, I just haven't done it, so when Monrovia asked to team up, my first thought was of that dream butterfly garden. Before we begin though, you should know my history with gardening is this; I fall in love with a pretty plant, get it in the ground, and several months later, it is dead. I would say that most of that comes from user error but it also may be that I am choosing the wrong type of plants. Knowing this and knowing I had no idea what plants would be best for said butterfly garden, I began my research on Monrovia's website which gave me all I needed to know about choosing the best plants.
So, whether you are a long-time gardener or a newbie like me, I am going to share some fun tips I gathered to get started on this project.
How to Choose the Best Plants for a Butterfly Garden
1. First, start with finding out what zone your region lies in. The Monrovia website will tell you this once you plug in your zip code. I know, cool! This is important because you need to know where a particular plant will grow well. Your climate and the plant's hardiness is taken into consideration when determining your zone.
2. Select plants that have a lot of blooms and a long bloom time.
3. Think about the way your garden is structured. For instance, a tree in the background that flowers or has berries is a good source of food for birds and a great place for butterflies and birds to nest.
4. Water source is important for birds and butterflies for drinking. Maybe add a small fountain, pond, or water element to your garden.
5.A variety of different types of plants with ranging heights is necessary to attract a variety of winged creatures.
Here are some of the highly recommended plants for a butterfly garden:
*Purple Bee Balm, Strawflowers, Sneezeweed, Astilbe, Dianthus, Coneflowers, Dwarf Rye Weed, and Ice Plant.
Armed with this information, I started out to Lowe's to find my plants.
I came home with three amazing plants to start my garden; Violet Wonder Ice Plant, Butterfly Dark Red and a Pink Dianthus. You'll see I already have a Magnolia tree and a patch of lavender which seems to be doing well. Also in the front of the bed is a hydrangea which isn't green yet.
You can visit the Monrovia online store to see more of the beautiful selection of plants or visit your local Lowe's store. Another cool thing, Monrovia has a newsletter! If you want gardening tips and to see what's in bloom delivered straight to your inbox, you can sign up HERE. I'm definitely looking forward to any tips that I can get!
One last thing to remember when you are putting together a garden, is great lawn care. A healthy lawn can make the world of difference to the exterior of your home.
To learn more about the Grow Beautifully program, visit Monrovia's website.
I hope I helped in your own attempt at a butterfly garden this year. I know I can't wait to get planting more and to enjoy my coffee on that lounge chair!
Hello Amy, More flowers more butterflies. I completely agree with you butterflies make our garden awesome. We feel amazing when they fly in our whole garden and give peacefulness to us. Thanks!
This is great Amy! Thanks for the great resource, we finally have a house that I can plant all kinds of things exactly how i want them! Hardest part is deciding what you want!
That’s awesome! I am excited to get mine going also. We can cheer each other on!
I have been wanting to make a butterfly garden too, but my experience is alot like yours 🙂 Thanks for these tips!
It will be my summer project! 🙂
Thank you. I’ve been needing this information. Not sure the butterfly garden will happen this year — I’m still researching. We are planning on adding herbs to our container garden on our deck this year though.