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Butterfly Gardening

May 10, 2008 By Karen Creel

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Due to the the destruction of wilderness areas, and growing urban developement, butterfly habitats are growing scarce. If you would like to play a part in these beautiful creatures conservation, plant a butterfly garden. You don’t have to have a big area, several potted plants grouped together in the sun can provide a haven for butterflies. Keeping in mind a few simples “rules”, you should soon be enjoying these beautiful creatures in your yard.

Butterfly www.Gardenchick.com

Butterflies are sun loving creatures. Plant your garden where it will receive at least 6 hours of sun each day

Plant both nectar and host plants.

Examples of nectar plants include butterfly bush, blueberry bushes, mock orange, plums coneflowers, milkweeds, spearmint, lantana, verbena, zinnias, lavender, asters, bee balm, and black eyed susans. This is only a very limited list.

bee balm flower www.Gardenchick.com

Host plants, where the butterfly can lay their eggs, and feed the butterfly, include alfalfa, clovers, sweet fennel, dill, parsley, fennel, carrots, snapdragons, plants in the mustard and cabbage family. Remember, the caterpillar will be feeding on these plants, so if you are concerned about a few”ragged ” plants, you may want to locate them in an area where they won’t be seen.
Provide water for your butterflies. They don’t need deep water like a birdbath. Provide a patch of wet sand along the edge of your garden, or a shallow container. In the container, fill partway with sand, and in the recessed area, put your water. The butterflies will stand on the sand and drink.
No pesticides or herbicides can be used on your plants. Butterflies are sensitive to chemicals.

zinnia www.Gardenchick.com

Now relax and enjoy

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Gardenchick is a place for gardeners, flea market fanatics, lovers of the farmhouse look, and purveyors of all things rusty!

I’m not sure when my fascination with junk began, but gardening was in my blood from an early age.  I remember my grandmother could throw a few seeds out and have the prettiest flowers.  Sweet peas were rampant beside the front porch.  I can see her now, bent over pulling weeds, and I find myself doing the same thing anytime I’m in the yard.  My dad was raised on a large farm, and even though he moved away, and we always lived in the city, he had a garden.  He had me help him  plant a garden in May before he died in August.  So you can see, gardening just comes naturally to me.

I can’t explain the love of rusty and all things chippy, but I have dug through more barns and sheds than I would like to admit to bring out a rusty wagon or old chicken feeder.

So, I hope you will follow along, and we can learn a few things together.  I’ll be sharing gardening ideas, my flea market finds, and thrifty ways to repurpose.

 

 

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