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Planning your butterfly garden

 
Setting up a butterfly garden is easier then you think. In most cases, a tiny patch of nectar flowers is all you need to attract them, or if you want to get them while they’re in their caterpillar stage, you just have to make sure you have food plants to nourish them.

It’s best to keep your butterfly garden is a sunny area and sheltered from the wind. Make sure you have plenty of flowers and some moist damp areas maybe even a rock or two.

A rule of thumb for attracting butterflies to your garden is perennials are better than annuals and go with natives over exotics.

Planning your butterfly garden:
When planting your nectar rich flowers try to stagger the bloom season so you always have some flowers close to the ground.

For example, in the back of your butterfly garden you could place taller shrubs or even small trees, in the middle would be your colorful medium sized flowers, and right in front the smallest flowers. This arrangement is not only functional but visually pleasing as well.

Here’s a quick tip that will help ensure you attract plenty of butterflies to your garden. Located your garden in a spot that’s going to be in the sun during 11am – 3pm this is when butterflies are most active, and if your flowers are in the shade during these hours you will not attract any butterflies.

Pesticides are another no no for the butterfly gardener. Harsh chemicals on your garden will repulse most butterflies.

Nectar rich flowers free of pesticides planted in a sunny area, this is what’s going to bring all those beautiful butterflies to your garden.