Getting Butterflies

Who could not love a butterfly? Yesterday I saw a beautiful butterfly hovering over my Mandevilla Vine. I'm pretty sure that little guy was Black Swallowtail and definitely attracted to the dark pink blossom.

Now I want more butterflies. Lots more.

Here's my plan: get plants that butterflies like. I ordered Pentas, a summer-blooming annual. I'll plant 3-4 flats (there's 18 to a flat, so somewhere between 54 and 72 4"-plants) in my front tree box. I like it full. Pentas can take lots of sun and are forgiving if you forget to water a day or two. For my shade gardeners, Impatiens will do the trick too.

If you want to build a more permanent collection of plants butterflies love, you should check out the following perennials. We have them available now. They're full and looking so fresh.
Artemisia, Buddliea "Butterfly Bush," Coreopsis, Delosperma "Ice Plant,", Echinacea "Cone Flower," Helenium "Mardi Gras," Hemerocallis "Day Lilly," Sedum, Thymus, and Parsley.

Important tips to remember. Butterflies like nectar. They are attracted to pink, purple and red. They like plants that they can land on easily while feeding and to lay their eggs on as well. Most important, insecticides are a definite no, no. I found www.butterflywebsite.com to be a good source to begin with and www.enature.com for identifying butterflies in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Now that I've done a little more research, I'm probably not going with the Pentas in the tree box and will plant a combination of Zinnias and Cosmos. That's a big deal for me. I'm not a Zinnia and Cosmos kind of guy, particularly in the front of my house. I think keeping them framed in a tree box, not in the main part of the front garden, it'll be ok.

I remember falling in love with the Zinnias in Morocco. They had Zinnias everywhere. Their bright colors will probably be exactly what I need to pick me up during the dog days of summer. Zinnias and Cosmos are tough plants too. They can definitely take hot, dry weather.

Future post idea.... Hummingbirds. They're wonderful!