Plant Flowers to Attract Butterflies and Hummingbirds to your garden
Everyone loves butterflies and hummingbirds in their summer gardens. Californian gardeners are fortunate to have these two species year round in their back gardens of orange and lemon blossoming trees.
In other colder climates, plantings of several different flowers and garden fixtures are necessary to attract butterflies and hummingbirds. This will assure you of a butterfly garden and hummingbirds all summer long.
A hummingbird feeder will help. Also a butterfly house. But planting perennials that bloom year after year will save you money and give you years of summer visits from many varieties of butterflies and hummingbirds.
Perennial flowers to plant for attracting Butterflies and Hummingbirds to your garden:
Any variety of Echinacea or coneflower will bloom from July to frost, attracting butterflies all summer. Echinacea grows to about 32" wide and about 18" tall. Plant in a sunny spot.
Of course, there's the magical Butterfly Bush or Buddleia davidii, that grows 8-10feet tall and almost as wide, which is a very sturdy plant and must be pruned hard every year. Without pruning, it will take over your garden and produce less feathery flowers. The Butterfly Bush is available in a myriad of colors. Hummingbirds like it, too.
Monarda, which is in the herb family, has a lovely scent, grows tall in the back of your garden and is available in many different colors. Monarda is not only a wonderful addition to the scented garden, but also attracts butterflies and hummingbirds.
Annuals, in colder climates:
Fuschias, hanging or upright, are a wonderful attraction for hummingbirds. Use them in hanging potted plants or in window boxes. Fuschias are shade-loving flowers and can survive in partial sunlight as well. There are 100's of varieties in many solid colors and bi-colors. Fuschias can also be wintered over in your cellar or basement.
Verbena is a great flower attractor for butterflies and hummingbirds, numbering about 250 varieties, they grow in a sunny spot, and come in hanging and upright standards. Verbena can be planted in pots, in your garden, and in hanging potted plants.
Lantana grows on a woody stem and can be invasive in frost-free climates, but behaves properly in the Northeast. Lantana is a type of verbena and is available in yellow, orange, red and pink, and some bi-colored flowers. Hummingbirds love it, so do butterflies. Lantana is perfect for window boxes that live in the hot sun and requires little water.
All of these planting suggestions grow in at least garden hardiness zones 7-5.
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Comments
Awesome! I like the idea of being able to attract hummingbirds to my garden. I just planted a bunch of lilies and dahlia's last weekend, but after reading your article I think I might like to try growing Lantana. Thanks!
I love butterflies and hummingbirds! So beautiful to watch.
I love this article, and you photo was gorgeous. We have lots of hummingbirds (the feeders help), but very few butterflies. I may try some new plants to see if I can lure more of them. Thanks!
when i was in California, there were flocks of hummingbirds that came into the garden everyday, what a sight, we get one or two, even with plants that attract them.
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