Simple Butterfly Garden Tips for the Busy Weekend Gardener

The sight of a butterfly adds an irresistible beauty and charm to any garden. If you would like to add more butterflies to your garden, here are some tips to get you started. For the best results, focus on creating a healthy, diverse and colorful garden that will attract butterflies to your home on a year-round basis.

What Kind of Plants Should You Plant to Attract Butterflies?

There are many plants that are known to attract butterflies. Choose a variety of nectar producing plants that will be in bloom throughout the season. For the best results, plant your nectar producing plants in staggered intervals so that something will always be blooming in your garden, and those that you have butterflies in your garden on a year-round basis. For the best results, you will want to have flowers in bloom from mid to late summer. This is the period in which butterflies are most active. Look for flowers that have multiple florets, as these are known to produce more nectar.

Working With Annuals for Optimal Results

Annual plants are known to attract butterflies because they usually have the brightest, most showy blooms. It is no wonder that butterflies are attracted to these plants! Many annuals will bloom continuously through the season. Choose long and continuously blooming annuals so that you have a steady supply of nectar to offer your butterfly population. Visit your local nursery to get the best selection of seasonal annuals, or plant seeds after the last frost. Opt for colorful and fragrant plants that provide long blooms, but avoid double blooms.

Perennials Can Provide Your Butterflies with a Constant Nectar Supply

There are also many fine perennial plants that can provide a constant supply of nectar throughout the blooming season. Perennial plants that are known to attract butterflies include coneflowers, asters, butterfly weed and lilacs. In general, plant members of the mint family, which are known for their rich nectar stores. A good guideline is to avoid double flowers because these are often short on nectar.

Create a Butterfly Jar to Supplement your Garden

There are many easy ways to supplement your garden’s nectar supply. You can create your own homemade butterfly feeder that will attract more butterflies to your garden. Use an inverted baby food jar and drill a hole in the center of the lid. Plug the hole with cotton and fill the baby food jar with a solution of one part sugar and nine parts water. Finally, attach a brightly colored fabric petal to the lid. This will make your feeder much more appealing to butterflies. Hang the butterfly feeder in your garden so that you will attract a larger butterfly population.

Create a Watering Hole for Your Butterfly Population

Like all living things, butterflies need water to live. They are known to frequent puddles, so if you really want to draw butterflies to your garden, make sure that there is a small water source for them to stop at. Butterflies tend to frequent small puddles. Many males of various butterfly species are known to gather around small rain pools. It is easy to create your own permanent puddle that can act as a butterfly meeting spot. You can do this by burying a bucket up to the rim in your garden, fill it partly with sand or gravel and then pour liquid into the bucket. You can apply natural sweeteners, such as water, sweet drinks, overripe fruit and let them sit there for a few days. This is an incredibly attractive place for butterflies, so there is a good chance that your garden may become a favorite congregating point for your local butterfly population.

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