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BUTTERFLY PLANTS
by gladys
jeurink
I just read a
list of the best plants for BUTTERFLIES. We can grow all of them in
During the fall
when the tall (up to 5 feet)
Late spring
when I find a bare spot in the yard I can just toss in some ZINNIA seeds
and step on them and they will be up in days and blooming within 6
weeks. Many years ago at age
5 my mother gave me a plat for my own garden plus ZINNIA SEEDS. My
favorite now is the short (10 to 12 inches tall) bright orange ones that
love to grow in the parkway. You will find SWALLOW TAILS, SKIPPERS, and
MONARCHS on ZINNIAS. I put a rock in my bird baths for the BUTTERFLIES
to land on and some years remember they like a shallow muddy area with
manure for minerals.
I have written
about LANTANAS for the HUMMINGBIRDS. They are also covered with
BUTTERFLIES. By this time you probably have guessed I do not spray
insecticides or I would lose CRESCENTS & BUCKEYES. They like slightly
acid soil so a few granules of horticultural sulphur will keep them
happy.
If you need a bright, orange background
plus PAINTED LADIES or MONARCH BUTTERLIES the MEXICAN SUNFLOWER (Tithonia
rotundifolia) will do. A big rough feeling annual plant won’t come up
until it gets fairly warm so plant late. Leaves will turn yellow in a
cold spell. Wind will push
the plants so I like them in front of a fence plus several plants to
support each other.
BUTTERFLY
BUSHES (Buddleia davidi) name tells the story. They may get up to 10
feet tall and need to be cut back in the spring. The top for me is
generally dead so I cut off just above the new growth. Zone 5 is just on
the edge of hardiness for these bushes so after a cold dry winter what
is left may be very short. Leaving them stand all winter helps to
collect snow for wind protection. I have black, purple, pink and white
ones. In some states they are listed as invasive. I do have a few
seedlings around the yard in pinks.
PENTA’S, also
called
MARIGOLDS of
yellow, gold, and orange are liked by SULPHURS, PEARL CRESCENTS, and
SLEEPY ORANGES while filling in bare spots. They are easy to plant. Just
throw the seed out in the bare areas and then step on them to make sure
they get good contact with the soil. Every garden center will also have
many varieties from very short (6 inches to 12 inches) to tall (36
inches). The seeds are large and fun for kids as they come up very soon,
grow fast in full sun, and bloom in bright colors of
yellow, orange, red, and reddish-brown. There are singles and
doubles. They need to be deadheaded or will stop flowering to produce
seed. They all need enough water to prevent wilting when the Spiders
move in. Mites and Spiders do not like water so if they are on your
plants, just hose them off. Copyright 2015 |