Butterfly Nectar Sources
| There are many good butterfly nectar sources for your butterfly garden. One good butterfly nectar source is the Lemon Princess Spiraea Spiraea japonica 'Lemon Princess' available from our friends at Park Seed. This dwarf Japanese Spiraea has vivid yellow foliage that eventually darkens to green in the summer and then to orange and red in the fall. It produces large clusters of pink blooms in early summer. It grows to 18 to 24 inches high, blooms for an extended period and keeps a nice shape. Plant in a well drained site in full sun to flower best. It is also a good candidate for container gardening. A late winter pruning creates a bushier plant and ensures more blooms. Spiraea is hardy in USDA zones 4 to 8. Another good butterfly nectar source from the folks at Park Seed is the Ice Ballet Asclepias Asclepias incarnata 'Ice Ballet' Ice Ballet is a very easy plant to grow. It doesn’t mind damp soils. It blooms mid to late summer on 3 to 4 foot tall plants with snowflake-like clusters of white flowers. The blooms last a long time when cut for bouquets. Ice Ballet is hardy in USDA Zones 3 to 9. | |
Bee Balm or Monarda is a perennial that attracts butterflys as well as humming birds. Our friends at Spring Hill Nursery, where you can save $25 Off a $50 Order have the Jacob Cline Monarda Monarda, 'Jacob Cline'- a mildew resistant cultivar that boasts large deep red flowers that bloom all summer long making it a great addition for your butterfly or herb garden. The Jacob Cline Monarda grows 3-4' tall and 2-3' wide and is hardy in USDA zones 3 to 8.The Butterfly Bush Buddleia davidii is an herbaceous perennial but many people consider it a shrub. Butterfly Bushes can grow to 6'-12' tall and get to be 4'-12' wide. The plant blooms all summer long and can have purple, pink, white, or red flowers on long spikes similar in appearance to lilacs. Butterfly bush plants like full sun and well-drained soil in USDA zones 5-10 and is somewhat drought tolerant. Mulching Butterfly bushes in the fall and pruning the plants back to the ground in late winter will help control the size of the plant. It will re-emerge from its roots in when growth begins again in spring. Blooms tend to be larger and more abundant on new growth, so this will give you a reason for pruning it back. Keeping the dying flower spikes trimmed off will also encourage flowering. Of course, the butterfly bush belongs in your butterflies garden where it good at attracting tiger swallowtails. But it also a source of hummingbird nectar, making it the perfect choice for hummingbird gardens as well. You can buy Butterfly Bushes at most garden centers, but they are considered invasive in some areas of the country. The plant spreads by seed so keeping it deadheaded will help contain the spread of the plant. These are just a few suggestions and there are many other good butterfly nectar sources for your butterflies garden. Return to Butterfly Gardening from Butterfly Nectar Sources
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