• Sun to Part Sun
• Attracts bees and butterflies
  Produces copious amounts of nectar
  Larval plant food for Queen and Monarch butterflies
• Plant in loamy, well-drained soils
• May be divided in spring
• Blooms from summer to fall
• Plant size and bloom color are variety specific

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Butterfly Gardening

Creating a garden or habitat for butterflies can be an exciting and rewarding project for you and your family.  These beautiful insects add active beauty to the garden as they feed, roost, and fly from bloom to bloom.  Many of the flowering shrubs, annuals, and perennials that provide food and shelter for butterflies can be found at the Good Earth Garden Center!

Creating a Butterfly Habitat

A habitat for butterflies is an environment that provides food, shelter and other things necessary…from eggs to larvae to pupae to adult.  Several of the components of this habitat are as follows:

• Sunny Areas: Butterflies are coldblooded and need sunlight to absorb warmth for flight and other activities.
• Water and Moist Areas: Most butterflies obtain water and nutrients/minerals from the moist areas found in and around your garden.  Swallowtails and other varieties will congregate around the edges of shallow depressions filled with water.  This behavior is commonly referred to as “mud-puddling”.
• Shelter areas: Butterflies seek shelter on shrubs, log piles, stone and mortar walls…where they can bask in the sun, seek refuge from bad weather and predators, or hibernate.
• Flowers:  Butterflies are attracted to a wide variety of flower shapes, colors, and nectars.  Mass plantings make it easier for the butterflies to discover the flowers.

Host Plants for Butterflies

After mating, the female butterfly searches for the proper “host” plant on which to deposit her eggs.  These host plants meet the needs of the butterfly during all four stages of its life cycle; egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, and adult.  Some of the host plants you can provide are:

• Butterfly Weed (Monarch) * A MUST for butterfly gardens; read all about milkweed in this post!
• Dill, Parsley, Fennel, Rue (Black Swallowtail)
• Tulip Tree (Tiger Swallowtail)
• Passion flower (Gulf Fritillary)

Nectar Flowers for Butterflies

There are many flowering shrubs, annuals, and perennials that supply food (nectar) for butterflies.

• Annual Flowers: Penta, zinnia, marigolds, lantana, cosmos, impatiens, verbena, salvia, petunias, dianthus, torenia, celosia and ageratums.
• Perennial Flowers: Coneflowers, asters, black-eyed susans, coreopsis, verbena, butterfly weed, cardinal flower, primrose, joe pye weed, agastache, bee balm and goldenrod.
• Flowering Shrubs and Vines: Azaleas, butterfly bush (buddleia), hibiscus, white or pink viburnum, wisteria, honeysuckle, lilac, mock orange, clethra, Invincebelle Sublime hydrangea, and bougainvillea.

Planting Your Flowers and Shrubs

The staff at The Good Earth Garden Center will be glad to help you with all the plants and materials necessary for attracting butterflies to your garden!

The post How to Create a Butterfly Garden! appeared first on The Good Earth Garden Center.

Asclepias (Butterfly Weed) was the 2017 Perennial Plant of the Year, chosen by the national Perennial Plant Association! Every year, a notable perennial comes into focus and this selection is surely one to include in the garden!

There are many kinds of butterfly weed, and probably the most common in Arkansas is Asclepias tuberosa.

Asclepias tuberosa

This Arkansas native is what folks think of when they are considering adding butterfly weed into their gardens. Sporting brilliant orange flowers, it will look wonderful in any color arrangement. How do you grow butterfly weed successfully?  Growing in a clump 12”-36” tall, they want very good drainage in a full sun situation if you have it. If you do not have a full sun spot, ½ day sun preferably in the afternoon will also work. Quite drought tolerant once established.  Flowers are a nectar source for many butterflies and the leaves are a food source for Monarch butterfly larvae.  Asclepias tuberosa blooms from late spring through summer.  Fertilize with an organic, slow release fertilizer in the spring, once new growth has begun.

Growing Tips

The good news is that milkweeds have a long, deep taproot that helps them be drought tolerant. The bad news is: this can make them a bit tricky to transplant and relocate. Try to find their “forever” home to avoid moving them, but if needed try to get as much of the root ball as you can. If you let the seed pods dry out and open, there is a good chance the seeds might self-sow and sprout, giving you more plants.  Expect to wait a few years after the seeds germinate to get flowers.

Other Perennial Milkweeds

Asclepias tuberosa ‘Hello Yellow’ is very similar to regular butterfly weed, but is a beautiful butter yellow color. Consider growing both colors together for a bright and cheery combination. Planting and growing conditions are the same as for the orange butterfly weed.

Asclepias incarnata is a bit different, in that its nickname says it all—swamp milkweed. This one prefers moist soil and grows 24”-48” tall in full sun. This beauty has small rose pink flowers in a cluster. Breathe easy, because blooms are fragrant!

Asclepias syriaca is another milkweed native to the southeast United States and this one can grow up to six feet tall! This one can spread by underground rhyzomes so either plant it in a space with a lot of room, thin periodically and/or remove seed pods to control growth.  In addition to butterflies, this milkweed attracts other pollinators such as honeybees and hummingbird moths. In fact, it’s also called nature’s mega food mart, because over 450 insects known to feed on some part of it.

Tropical/ Annual Milkweeds 

Although these milkweeds may not come back next year, they make a nice supplement to the perennial milkweeds, providing color and nectar all season!

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