How to Grow a Butterfly Garden

If you have a stretch of mild weather, now is a great time to plant a butterfly garden. Butterfly gardens are one of the most rewarding (and beautiful) gardens you can grow, pollinator-friendly plants will provide both beautify and butterfly visitors all season. These plants will often attract other pollinators as well, including hummingbirds, moths and bees, which all play an essential role in ecosystems that support living organisms and even the food on your plate. Plus, watching butterflies visit your garden provides moments of peace and entertainment. Read on to learn how to grow a butterfly garden in your own backyard.

See more: How to Start a Pollinator Garden

1. Plan Your Butterfly Garden Based on Your Location

To start, it may help to look around your neighborhood. Do you see any flowery plants growing well at nearby homes? Those species will likely do well in your garden as well because they have thrived in your local soil and climate. You can also read about gardening zones and find out what grows best in yours. Different plants are hardy in different zones, so checking this ahead of time will help you choose what to plant.

Choosing native plants is better for the environment and the success of your garden. Nonnative plants may even be harmful to species of butterflies that are not used to them, so local is key.

You can also check which plants grow well in your area by stopping by your local garden center. The experts there can also help you plan a bloom schedule so that you always have something colorful popping up.

2. Learn About Local Butterfly Populations

You will also want to find out what kind of butterflies live near you. Do a little research to discover the most common species in your area. Then find out what they like to eat as well as what kind of vegetation they prefer for resting, shelter from harsh weather and protecting their young. These factors will all help you determine which plants to choose for your garden.

3. Choose the Best Location in Your Space

If you’re not sure where to plant your butterfly garden, you may want to track the sunlight in your space. Whether you are planning to start your garden in a yard, on a farm, or on your back porch, you have options to decide where to place your plants. To start, you will want to check how much sun hits the soil at a few given times throughout the day.

If possible, you will want to choose an area that has full sun (not dappled or shaded) for close to half the day at a minimum. You will also want to pick a spot with good soil that’s shared with plants that grow well with the flowers you select.

See more: Companion Planting 101

4. Treat Your Soil for Best Results

If you have a lot of clay or rocks where you plan to plant, you will want to get the soil ready first. You can check the soil’s makeup by doing an at-home chemical test and other small experiments.

To check if the soil is alkaline, add a small amount of soil to a small amount of vinegar and check if it fizzes. If it does, your soil is too alkaline. To check if it is acidic, mix a small amount of soil with water, then add some baking soda. If it fizzes, it is too acidic. If you try both experiments and there is no fizzing, your soil is well-balanced.

You might want to add a layer of compost or topsoil to get the area ready for planting and make it less alkaline. You can also add other organic matter like mulch or peat moss. If you want to make your soil less acidic, try adding lime or limestone from a hardware store or garden center. You can try adjusting in small amounts until you reach your desired levels.

See more: 10 Ways to Make Your Garden More Eco-Friendly

5. Choose the Right Plants for Butterflies

Butterflies feed on nectar, so plants with plenty of nectar are their favorites. They also love host plants – any plant that makes it easy for them to lay eggs on the underside of the leaves. Even if they are not ready to lay eggs, butterflies will spend time on common host plants to explore and find their favorite spots.

Some great flowers to start with are bell-flowered foxglove, prairie-clustered phlox, nasturtium and verbena. Monarch butterflies also love milkweed, and any plants with large blooms and tons of nectar are sure to be a hit. Cosmos, purple coneflower and black-eyed Susans attract butterflies with bright, beautiful flowers. Tall hollyhock and sunflowers are easy for them to spot from the sky. You also might want to include a pop of color with zinnias, petunias, pansies and dahlias. And bees and butterflies alike will love goldenrod, chrysanthemum, aster and bee balm.

Anything that continuously blooms from spring until fall is a great option, or you can stagger blooms so that something is always opening up as others stop flowering.

6. Organize Your Garden

You will want to plan your garden with several different considerations in mind. You should consider aesthetics as well as height. It will also help butterflies to spot your pollinator garden if you match your flowers together – first by type, then by color. The best colors to attract butterflies are orange, yellow, purple and especially red.

7. Accessorize to Give Butterflies a Luxury Stay

You can add more than just flowers to your garden to attract butterflies. Provide a little shade, or even flat rocks for butterflies to land on. They will stop to cool off and rest in your garden if you offer a bit of seating as well. You can also plant a row of shrubs around the perimeter of your butterfly garden to provide shelter from the weather. Water features and baths are just as good for butterflies as they are for birds. Garden benches are also great for butterflies who may use them as a spot to lay their eggs or rest.

See more: 7 Ways to Attract Pollinators to Your Garden

8. Avoid Harsh Chemicals

Pesticides, herbicides, insecticides and other harsh chemicals could kill the butterflies you attract. If you need to maintain your garden and fight off insects, aim for natural approaches or organic mixtures to take care of this.

9. Just Get Started!

The most important step to having a beautiful butterfly garden is to just get out there and start planting. You only need one nectar or host plant to start, and then you’re on your way. If you choose perennial plants, you can keep adding one or two every year or expand throughout the season. You will be enjoying butterfly guests in no time!