"Green" Gardening Guide: Attracting Butterflies to Your Garden
Spring is every gardeners favorite time of year, not only because it is the best time for colorful blooming and fragrant smelling plant varieties, but also the prime season for attracting butterflies! Here are a few simple tips that will help make "attracting butterflies" part of your gardening hobbies!
The first tip we can give you to help gather these winged beauties in your yard is giving them full access to the food they love to eat! Some of our favorite "butterfly plants" we sell here at Plant Me Green are the Gaura Passionate Rainbow, the Gaura Whirling Butterflies, and the Gaura Rosy Jane. This month (March 2014) we are offering a special on the #1 sized Gaura's...only $12.95! This special will be good for a limited time only, so make sure to get your garden "butterfly ready" just in time for spring to be in full-bloom!
Keep in mind, when the butterflies are flying overhead, it may be hard for them to spot just one or two butterfly-friendly plants in your yard. Remember to plant the right varieties in strategic clusters to ensure that they can be spotted from afar! A huge border of brightly-colored butterfly bushes will be a perfect "butterfly buffet" for every species in your area.
Another easy and effective method, is leaving small pools of water in your garden area. You will be shocked at how many species are attracted to these tiny "watering holes". Even mud or wet/sandy areas should do the trick!
Butterflies are also fond of sun bathing. Placing flat rocks and logs throughout your garden will make for the perfect place for these cold-blooded creatures to warm up on even the coolest of mornings!
Since butterflies are insects, they will not migrate to gardens and yards that are heavily dependent on insecticides. If you find you need to use lots of chemicals each and every season to keep your garden pest-free, try doing a little research and picking some different plants of a more insect-resistant variety, specific for your area. A plethora of cultivars have been developed over the years that are far less attractive to destructive insects and disease alike.
If you want to learn more about what butterflies are native to your area, check out the butterfly database here. You can also pick up a good book at your local library or even do some online research about what is best for attracting the species that are native to your area.
And be sure to click here to check out our Gaura Spring Special!
