A butterfly garden is an easy way to bring some beauty and fun to your garden. Read on for more butterfly-friendly flowering plants as well as tips on how to grow a butterfly garden in your yard.
Butterfly Garden Tip #1: Many species of plants and flowers attract butterflies – some provide nectar for the adults, and some provide nutritious leaves for the larvae to feed upon.
Annual Nectar Flowers for a Butterfly Garden
| Cosmos (Cosmos sulphureus) | Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus) |
| Globe Amaranth (Gomphrena globosa) | Queen Anne’s Lace (Daucus carota) |
| Impatiens (Impatiens wallerana) | Sunflower (Helianthus sp.) |
| Marigold, French (Tagetes patula) | Verbena (Verbena sp.) |
| Mexican sunflower (Tithonia sp.) | Zinnia (Zinnia elegans) |
Butterfly Garden Tip #2: As a bonus, many butterfly-attracting plants are low-maintenance, hardy, and quite possibly native to your area, which means that your butterfly garden may be the easiest patch of flowers you’ll ever grow.
Perennial Nectar Flowers for a Butterfly Garden
| Ageratum (Ageratum) | Hollyhock (Althea rosa) |
| Aster (Aster sp.) | Ironweed (Vernonia sp.) |
| Bee Balm (Monarda didyma) | Joe-Pye weed (Eupatorium fistulosum) |
| Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia sp.) | Lantana (Lantana sp.) |
| Boltonia (Boltonia asteroids) | Leadplant (Amorpha fruticosa) |
| Bugle (Ajuga reptans) | Lobelia (Lobelia cardinalis) |
| Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa) | Milkweed (Asclepias sp.) |
| Catmint (Nepeta sp.) | Mountain mint (Pycnanthemum sp.) |
| Chives (Allium schoenoprasum) | Passion Flower (Passiflora sp.) |
| Coneflower (Echinacea sp.) | Phlox (Phlox paniculata & carolina) |
| Coreopsis (Coreopsis sp.) | Salvia, Sage (Salvia sp.) |
| Daylily (Hemerocallis sp.) | Sedum (Sedum sp.) |
| English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) | Shasta Daisy (Chrysanthemum max.) |
| False Indigo (Baptisia australis) | Spearmint (Mentha spicata) |
| Gayfeather, Blazing Star (Liatris sp.) | Thistles (Cirsium sp.) |
| Heliotrope (Heliotropium arborescens | Verbena (Verbena sp.) |
| Hibiscus (Hibiscus sp.)) | Yarrow (Achillea sp.) |
Butterfly Garden Tip #3: The best location to plant a butterfly garden is in full sun.
Shrubs and Trees for a Butterfly Garden
| Abelia (Abelia sp.) | Mock Orange (Philadelphus sp.) |
| Blueberry (Vaccinium sp.) | New Jersey Tea (Canothus americanus) |
| Butterfly Bush (Buddleia davidii) | Pear (Pyrus communis) |
| Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) | Plum (Prunus sp.) |
| Buckeye (Aesculus parviflora) | Privet (Ligustrum sp.) |
| Clethra (Clethra alnifolia) | Redbud (Cercis sp.) |
| Elaegnus (Elaegnus umbellata) | Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus sp.) |
| Hawthorn (Crataegus sp.) | Silverling (Baccharis sp.) |
| Honeysuckle shrub (Lonicera sp.) | Spiraea (Spiraea sp.) |
| Lilac (Syringa sp.) | Viburnum (Viburnum sp.) |
Butterfly Garden Tip #4: In addition to nectar-producing flowers for your butterfly garden, consider plants that caterpillars like to munch, such as fennel and milkweed.
Host Plants for Butterfly Larvae and Eggs
| Black Cherry (Prunus serotina) | Milkweed (Asclepia sp.) |
| Clovers (Trifolium sp.) | Nettles (Urtica sp.) |
| Carrot and Cabbages | Oaks (Quercus sp.) |
| Dill (Anethum graveolens) | Parsley (Petroselinum sp.) |
| Dogwoods (Cornus sp.) | PawPaw (Asimina triloba) |
| Elms (Ulmus sp.) | Senna (Cassia sp.) |
| Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) | Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) |
| Flowering Fruit Trees | Tulip Tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) |
| Hop Tree (Ptelea trifoliate) | Willow (Salix sp.) |
Butterfly Garden Tip #5: When planning for your butterfly garden, keep in mind that some butterflies like to lay their eggs in trees.
Butterfly Garden Tip #6: Mass plant single varieties of plants for greater visual appeal and to attract more butterflies.
Butterfly Garden Tip #7: It’s important to keep a butterfly garden free of pesticides!
Butterfly Garden Tip #8: Butterflies love to sunbathe, so include a few flat, dark stones in your garden.
Butterfly Garden Tip #9: Butterflies also need water and take minerals from the soil by sipping from wet soil. Bury a dish of coarse sand (kept wet), or include dishes of water with pebbles or sticks for perching.
Butterfly Garden Tip #10: Learn your local butterflies, and plant larval host plants so you can attract species common in your area.
Butterfly Garden Tip #11: Plant your butterfly garden where it’s protected from the prevailing wind, such as near a fence, wall, or hedge.
Butterfly Garden Tip #12: Stagger the bloom times on plants to ensure butterflies are attracted to your garden throughout the warm seasons of the year.
Butterfly Garden Tip #13: Having trees or large shrubs near your butterfly garden can provide a protected place for butterflies to nest at night.
Hello,
I am buying a home in the desert mear Palm Springs California. I like the butterfly plants but are those types of plants the best type of plants. Let me know what types are the best in Desert area.