It is time to roll out the red carpet for butterflies in your area. Below is a list of fragrant eye-catching blooms to delight your eye and the butterflies taste for sweet nectar. Check with your local nursery to decide which plants are best for your soil type and climate zone.
25) Rockcress - This spring blooming plant has pink or white flowers and prefers sun. It grows about 10 inches tall and flourishes best in zones 3-7.
24) Tickseed - These daisy-like flowers in gold prefer full sun. They bloom in spring and will grow about 2 feet. They self-sow. This bloom prefers zones 4-9.
23) Joe-Pye Weed - Thriving in the fall in full sun or partial shade, this dusty pink flower grows 6-10 feet in zones 2-9.
22) New York Ironweed - A fall bloomer, this plant has deep purple flowers that love full sun. It gets up to 5 feet high and does best in zones 5-9.
21) Summersweet - This summer blooming bush with its white flowers prefers shade. It can get up to 8 feet tall and grows well in zones 4-9.
20) Flowering Tobacco - Blooming from summer to fall in colors of white, purple pink or green, this tube shaped flower can be found in all zones. It is an annual that can grow up to 5 feet.
19) Wax Begonia - This plant has flowers in pink, white or red that bloom from late spring to early winter. It is an annual of 8-12 inches and does well in all zones.
18) Cosmos Bipinnatus - Pink, red, or white, these daisy like flowers grow 4-8 feet tall. They are an annual that blooms from summer to early fall and do well in all zones.
17) Candytuft - These blooms form white flower clusters. They are a spring flowering groundcover that prefers sun. Zones 3-9 work best for this plant.
16) Wild Passion Flower - Purple pink flowers that bloom in full sun during the summer time. This vine can grow up to 20 feet and flourishes in zones 6-10.
15) Verbena - Blooming from early summer to early winter in all zones, this bloom grows to a height of 12 inches. The flowers come in colors of purple, pink, white, or red.
14) Sweet Violet - This plant's flowers are white or purple. Blooming in the spring it grows to about 8 inches tall in zones 4-8.
13) Butterfly Weed - The flowers on this plant form small bright red clusters. It does best in sun and will grow to about 3 feet tall. It prefers zones 3-9 and is an excellent host plant where butterflies like to lay their eggs and caterpillars like to feed off its leaves. Parsley works well as a host plant too.
12) New England Aster - These blooms look like purple or pink daisies. They bloom in full sun in the fall to a height of 3-6 feet. Zones 3-8 work best.
11) Goldenrod - A fall blooming yellow flower, this plant prefers full sun and grows 1-5 feet high. It flourishes best in zones 3-8.
10) Common Lilac - This shrub blooms in spring. The flowers are purple or white and can achieve a height of up to 15 feet. It prefers zones 3-8.
9) Sweet Pea - This is an annual sun lover that works well in all zones. The flowers bloom in spring and are pink, white or lilac. This plant can get up to 6 feet tall.
8)Shasta Daisy - White daisies with yellow centers that bloom in summer. This flower needs full zone and will grow up to 3 feet. It likes zones 4-8.
7) Queen Anne's Lace - This plant has lacy flat white flowers that bloom in the summer. It needs full sun and will grow up to 3 feet tall. Plant in zones 3-9.
6) Petunia - An annual that bloom from late spring to early winter in all zones. Its flowers come in many different patterns and colors. This plant can grow up to 18 inches tall.
5) African Marigold - This large yellow flower blooms all summer in all zones and is a favorite in many gardens. It is an annual that can get up to 3 feet tall.
4) Dahlia -Another garden favorite that bloom from mid summer to early winter. It can get up to 6 feet tall and the flowers come in many various colors and forms. It does best in zones 3-8.
3) Delphinium - A summer bloomer, this plant can grow up to 7 feet. The flowers form on spikes and are blue, lilac, or ivory. Plant this in zones 3-7.
2) Ageratum - A great annual plant for edging, it grows well in all zones. The blooms come in clusters of fuzzy lilac-blue, pink, or white and grow up to 12 inches tall.
1) Butterfly Bush - This shrub produces pink or lilac flowers in the summer. The plant needs full sun and it can get up to 6 feet tall. As the name implies it is a favorite of butterflies and can be grown best in zones 5-10.
Add Interest To Your Water Garden With Floating Plants
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water garden
A water garden can be a relaxing element to add to any landscape but it can be rather boring unless you add aquatic plants. They are actually different kinds of plants you can add to your water garden, some like to populate the edges of the garden, some grow in the deep waters and others float right on top of the water.
These floating aquatic plants float on the surface and have long groups that go down into the water. These plants often have an exotic look and can provide shade to control algae as well as provide a nice habitat for fish and other pond creatures.
While most floating water garden plants are tropical there are a few that you can use in northern climates. if you have a harsh winter, you will want to treat your floating plants much the same as you treat your annuals and plan on replanting them each year.
Three of the more popular floating plants are discussed below and include Parrots Feather, Water Lettuce, and Floating Hyacinth.
Parrots Feather
This floating plant is rather easy to care for and has feathery foliage that is a blue green in color. parrot feather has stems that can grow up to 60 inches long and can provide a great spawning area for your pond fish. It is good in zones 4to 11 and can survive the winter is beneath the ice but may incur frost damage at the top of the pond.
Water Lettuce
This plant, as the name implies, resembles a big head of lettuce floating on top your pond. The foliage has a velvety look and can grow up to 10 Inches wide and may sometimes even produce white flowers and green berries although the flowers and berries are pretty hard to notice. This can be an invasive plant so you want to be careful that it doesn't take over your water garden. Water letters prefers warmer climates and can work in zones 9-11. Be very careful of frost, as this can damage leaves and cause them to rot and you don't want that in your pond!
Floating Hyacinth
Floating hyacinth reduces purple flowers on 6 inch stems and can be a colorful addition to the floating plants in your water garden. In order for proper flowering you'll need to make sure it has full sun and warmth and also that your water is providing the nutrients that this plant needs. If it is In good health, it can reproduce quite rapidly and you have to make sure that it doesn't take over your water garden. Good for zones 9 to 11, Floating Hyacinth and will also help to clarify your water.
Adding floating plants to your water garden will not only help but look better but it can also help the water quality be healthier and may reduce your maintenance. This is because the plants consume the same nutrients from the water that algae needs to grow. Therefore, water garden plants can help keep algae growth in check, thus increasing your water quality and reducing your water garden maintenance
These floating aquatic plants float on the surface and have long groups that go down into the water. These plants often have an exotic look and can provide shade to control algae as well as provide a nice habitat for fish and other pond creatures.
While most floating water garden plants are tropical there are a few that you can use in northern climates. if you have a harsh winter, you will want to treat your floating plants much the same as you treat your annuals and plan on replanting them each year.
Three of the more popular floating plants are discussed below and include Parrots Feather, Water Lettuce, and Floating Hyacinth.
Parrots Feather
This floating plant is rather easy to care for and has feathery foliage that is a blue green in color. parrot feather has stems that can grow up to 60 inches long and can provide a great spawning area for your pond fish. It is good in zones 4to 11 and can survive the winter is beneath the ice but may incur frost damage at the top of the pond.
Water Lettuce
This plant, as the name implies, resembles a big head of lettuce floating on top your pond. The foliage has a velvety look and can grow up to 10 Inches wide and may sometimes even produce white flowers and green berries although the flowers and berries are pretty hard to notice. This can be an invasive plant so you want to be careful that it doesn't take over your water garden. Water letters prefers warmer climates and can work in zones 9-11. Be very careful of frost, as this can damage leaves and cause them to rot and you don't want that in your pond!
Floating Hyacinth
Floating hyacinth reduces purple flowers on 6 inch stems and can be a colorful addition to the floating plants in your water garden. In order for proper flowering you'll need to make sure it has full sun and warmth and also that your water is providing the nutrients that this plant needs. If it is In good health, it can reproduce quite rapidly and you have to make sure that it doesn't take over your water garden. Good for zones 9 to 11, Floating Hyacinth and will also help to clarify your water.
Adding floating plants to your water garden will not only help but look better but it can also help the water quality be healthier and may reduce your maintenance. This is because the plants consume the same nutrients from the water that algae needs to grow. Therefore, water garden plants can help keep algae growth in check, thus increasing your water quality and reducing your water garden maintenance
Flower Garden Design - Bedding Plants That Have A Fine Leaf Texture
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Bedding Plants
When designing a flower garden, color maybe the single most important consideration, but need not be the only one. Bedding or herbaceous plants have form, size, and shape. Their leaves also possess a definite, visual texture. An excellent way of achieving a satisfying and harmonious composition in the flowerbed is to group together plants whose leaves are finely cut, serrated, or toothed. By so doing, the variety that is attained by contrasting colors is balanced by the unity achieved by the common leaf texture.
Examples of such bedding plants to name a few, would include, Achillea, (Yarrow) Brachycome, Bidens, Felicia, and Chrysanthemum frutescens. While all the above belong to the same botanical family, (Asteraceae) plants belonging to other families can also be found to possess similar leaf shapes. Verbena and Linum, (Flax) are cases that spring to mind.
Such plants, combine beautifully with many herb species such as Thyme, Artemisia and Rosemary, as well as with flowering plants whose leaves are not finely-cut, but nonetheless, narrow and delicate. Examples are some carnations, (Dianthus) Armeria, and small, grass, or grass-like plants like Festuca and Liriope. If you think in terms of shapes and textures, you'll get far better results than by focusing on color alone.
Thought should also be given as to how the flowering plants in the bed associate with the other plant-types in the garden, such as the ground covers, shrubs, and trees. An incredible sense of unity arises when these "speak the same language" both with each other and with the plants in the flowerbed.
For instance, ground covers can form a transition area between the lawn, and the herbaceous border. When choosing a ground cover, why not use a fine-textured species like Myoporum parvifolium. Similarly, shrubs with feathery leaves like some species of Melaleuca, Calliandra or coniferous shrubs like Juniper, accentuate and strengthen the design motif. A group of ornamental grasses, especially when they sport tall blooms, would be another example of a subtle association between the flowerbed and a different section of the garden.
The connection does not have to stop there. A criterion for choosing the trees in the garden, albeit not the only one, can definitely be their leaf texture. Trees that have very large, course leaves, are liable to seem incongruous with the fine textures of the rest of the garden plants. While on the other hand, feathery-leaved trees like Albizzia julibrissen, or Gleditsia triacanthos, would associate and combine appropriately with them.
Examples of such bedding plants to name a few, would include, Achillea, (Yarrow) Brachycome, Bidens, Felicia, and Chrysanthemum frutescens. While all the above belong to the same botanical family, (Asteraceae) plants belonging to other families can also be found to possess similar leaf shapes. Verbena and Linum, (Flax) are cases that spring to mind.
Such plants, combine beautifully with many herb species such as Thyme, Artemisia and Rosemary, as well as with flowering plants whose leaves are not finely-cut, but nonetheless, narrow and delicate. Examples are some carnations, (Dianthus) Armeria, and small, grass, or grass-like plants like Festuca and Liriope. If you think in terms of shapes and textures, you'll get far better results than by focusing on color alone.
Thought should also be given as to how the flowering plants in the bed associate with the other plant-types in the garden, such as the ground covers, shrubs, and trees. An incredible sense of unity arises when these "speak the same language" both with each other and with the plants in the flowerbed.
For instance, ground covers can form a transition area between the lawn, and the herbaceous border. When choosing a ground cover, why not use a fine-textured species like Myoporum parvifolium. Similarly, shrubs with feathery leaves like some species of Melaleuca, Calliandra or coniferous shrubs like Juniper, accentuate and strengthen the design motif. A group of ornamental grasses, especially when they sport tall blooms, would be another example of a subtle association between the flowerbed and a different section of the garden.
The connection does not have to stop there. A criterion for choosing the trees in the garden, albeit not the only one, can definitely be their leaf texture. Trees that have very large, course leaves, are liable to seem incongruous with the fine textures of the rest of the garden plants. While on the other hand, feathery-leaved trees like Albizzia julibrissen, or Gleditsia triacanthos, would associate and combine appropriately with them.
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