How to create the butterflies’ garden
Hot to do
- First of all, choose a corner or a flower bed in which you want to create your butterflies’ dedicated area garden possibly sunny and sheltered from wind and strong drafts.
- Prepare the soil by removing weeds and, once cleaned, do not hesitate to mix it with a new soil or compost.
- On the back of the farm planted dalie and spurs leaving a passage of 50/60 cm between the flowerbed or what is behind it.
- On the front, however, distribute the annual plants in scattered groups to give a natural look to your butterflies’ garden.
- Cover with the mulch all over the surface to keep moisture and avoid growing new weeds. If you want, you can pass a small irrigation system to keep your bedding wet.
- Gradually remove dried flowers to encourage new blooms and ensure fresh nectar to butterflies.
The flowers to use
The first important thing to realize a perfect a butterflies’ garden is to reserve a space for some “host plants” or plants such as parsley, with their leaves, can accommodate eggs and caterpillars. It is also important not to use insecticides in order not to compromise the growth and presence of the butterflies themselves.
But besides the dahlias and the Delphiniums, which plants and flowers can we insert in this flowery corner of our garden?
The cosmos bipinnatus may be flanked in the back of the flower to Delphiniums, ensuring that its height is equal to that of the other two flowers or at least, not too low compared to the underlying plants.
At the “bottom level” we can put flowering tobacco, whose height varies between 150 and 60 cm. Annual, with colors ranging from white to purple to greenish. The Tegetes erecta with a height of 90 cm can be inserted at this level, considering its yellow gold color.
At the “bottom floor” we finally have all the flowers whose height varies between 15 cm and 45: Petunia, begonia semperflorens, verbena and agerato. At the time of purchase in the nursery, care will be taken of each person to evaluate the order in which order and color to associate these last plants also according to the area where they are planted. Not all can flourish and last for the same period at the same latitudes.
Other plants and flowers to use
It is not said that the flowers and plants of the example can meet the chromatic and aesthetic needs of everyone, so it is good to know an alternative to them by season, height and color to create a tailor-made corner. So here are other flowers and plants divided by season, with some adjoining features.
Spring flowers
- Sweet pea: Pink, white or lilac, can reach maximum heights of over 1.5 m.
- Arabis blephorophilla: Pink or white flowers, it reaches 30 cm in height.
- candytuft: white or purple, ground cover flowers, 30 cm high.
Summer flowers
- Asclepias tuberosa: Orange blossoms, can reach 90 cm.
- Big daidies: classic white with yellow center, they can vary from 30 to 90 cm high.
- Coreopsis: It is self-sowing and generally very yellow. There are varieties of other colors. Height approx. 60 cm.
Autumn flowers
- (Astro del new England): Pink or purple, has a height between 90 and 180 cm
- Vernonia noveboracensis: Purple flowers and height that can reach 1.5 m.
- Golden rod: Intense yellow and heights between 30 and 150 cm
