Bloomfield – Butterfly Gardening Tips

Naomi is delighted to show off the Lake Bliss Retirement Village butterfly garden to anyone who wants to see it. She has some tips to you be successful with drawing these beautiful winged creatures to your garden.

• In order to attract a variety of butterflies, choose flowers that bloom at different times.
• Select flowers that are bright and have potent, sweet scents. Most varieties of butterflies are attracted to reds, oranges, deep pinks, purples, and yellows.
• Plant as much of your garden as you can in full sun because butterflies need warmth.
• Cluster the flowers to make it easier for butterflies to find because they are nearsighted.
• Have an assortment of perennials and annuals so you can change the flowers according to what you discover the butterflies prefer.
• Plant some herbs in your garden so the butterflies have plants for all their life stages.
• Provide plants that have nectar, such as alfalfa or milkweed, to feed the caterpillars.
• Butterflies need shelter, so have tall trees or commercial butterfly houses that can be found in garden centers.
• Do no use pesticides anywhere in your garden. Plant petunias, marigolds, and mint to repel unwanted insects without creating danger to the butterflies. Ladybugs and dragonflies also help with pest control.


Butterfly favorite plants and flowers:
• Azalea
• Black-eyed Susan
• Butterfly bush
• Ironweed
• Lantana
• Marigold
• Hibiscus
• Daylilies
• Lavender
• Verbena
• Rosemary
• Aster
• Starflower
• Coneflower
• Lilac
• Milkweed
• Zinnia
• Willow
• Fennel
• Pawpaw



Photo courtesy of Morguefile.com.