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Home > Blogs > Birds and Butterflies > Archives > 2009 > January > 29 > Entry
Planning Time
It’s cold, it’s snowy, and it’s the prefect time to start thinking about the garden. Now is a great time to sit down with those garden catalogs and start to plan your garden for spring. If you have a butterfly/pollinator garden it’s also fun to look for a new plant or two to try. If you do not currently have a garden now is a great time to start planning.
A few tips, start small. Just by adding a few nectar plants you can encourage butterflies to visit. It is possible to add these plants in containers. A small area with five to ten plants can really make a difference in butterfly/pollinator habitat. Be sure to select plants that are nectar sources as well as plants that are host plants for the caterpillars.
When planting, plant in groups of three to five plants. The large mass of color is easier for the butterflies/pollinator to see as they fly over. It also makes more of a statement to human visitors as well. Be sure to include an area that has some larger stones for the butterflies to bask. Also an area for the butterflies to puddle. This could be just an area of open soil that you keep moist or you could use a large pot saucer and fill this with sand that you keep moist.
Remember butterflies are insects too, so don’t use pesticides in the garden it is harmful to the butterflies. With any successful butterfly/pollinator garden you should expect some of the foliage to be eaten. The caterpillars will become the next generation of butterflies. It is a good idea to fertilize the plants but when all possible use organic fertilizers. Keep the dead flower heads cut back to encourage new flowering.
Cox Arboretum has a great booklet available that gives plant suggestions and garden plans plus information on butterfly/moth lifecycle and ID. There are many great book and web site that can help with the selection of the plants. Or just Google butterfly gardens or butterfly plants and you’ll be amazed with all you’ll find.
Butterfly/pollinator gardens are a beautiful way to increase habitat for our small flying friends. Have fun, enjoy and think spring!
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