Butterfly Garden

In this landscape makeover, a bare backyard with no focal point or view becomes a flower-filled butterfly garden that also provides a little privacy.

Before: The back corner of the yard is void of landscaping. It's a bare hill that blends into the neighbor's yard, with nothing of interest to look at and no privacy. The homeowners would like a space where they can sit and enjoy the view.

After: A butterfly garden provides a relaxing getaway for the homeowners. Lattice panels act as a backdrop for the landscaping and lend a subtle sense of separation from neighbors. (Click for a video recap of the project.)

The homeowners want a gathering place in their backyard for relaxation. They love to entertain and want the yard to look beautiful from the house and deck. Their special request is to have a garden that will attract butterflies.

Landscape architect Sid Parrott does just that, creating a flower-filled area that will provide a lovely spot in which to linger. A covered swing, lattice panels, and a variety of perennials and shrubs give structure to the new area. As the new plantings mature, they will help add to the sense of privacy.

Creating a butterfly garden

Parrott adds plants that will support the various stages in a butterfly's life:

	egg - two days
	caterpillar - two weeks
	pupa (chrysalis applies to the butterfly, cocoon becomes a moth) - two weeks
	adult - two weeks to two months

Adult butterflies need nectar-producing plants for their energy supply. They especially love clusters of small tubular flowers. Lantana, zinnia, coneflower, butterfly bush and abelia are a few of the many good choices.

The larvae of butterflies generally require certain plants--"host plants"--on which to feed. Don't worry, though--they won't eat everything in your garden. Black swallowtail larvae will eat fennel, parsley, dill, rue and Queen Ann's lace, but they'll leave most other plants alone. Many native weeds are hosts for various species of butterflies, so often nearby fields can supply what your butterflies need.

Other tips:

	Pick a sunny spot for the butterfly garden; nectar-producing plants usually require full sun. Deadhead plants often to encourage rebloom. Avoid using pesticides.
	Add a steppingstone or two to help butterflies warm up on cool mornings, especially in the spring and fall. Cold-blooded insects, butterflies like to alight on a flat surface that has absorbed heat from the sun.
	Butterflies need a water source, not so much to drink but to absorb the minerals and other nutrients. Fill a birdbath three-quarters full with sand; add some compost and mix with the sand. Add just enough water to make a muddle. Butterflies will enjoy this just as they do a wet stream bank or a mud puddle after a rain.
	A special host plant: The caterpillar of the monarch butterfly eats only the leaves of the butterfly weed, so you'll want to plant some butterfly weeds in your garden to make certain these butterflies have a food source. It takes a year or two for these perennials to establish themselves in a garden. Once they do, they'll form a plant mass about three feet tall and two feet wide, and they'll be covered with bright orange flowers. Adult monarchs and a host of other butterflies are attracted to the flowers for their nectar .(Don't confuse the butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) with butterfly bush (Buddleia sp.), a completely different plant.)
	Another perennial that attracts both adult butterflies and their caterpillars is sedum. The sedum is a primary food source for the caterpillar of the variegated fritillary. There are many varieties of sedum, from low-growing groundcovers to taller plants. 'Autumn Joy' grows to about two feet tall, and in the late summer it bears clusters of flowers that start out pink and slowly turn coppery-red. This sedum is a drought-tolerant, easy-to-grow plant that's a great addition to any perennial border.

A Privacy Screen

These elements provide a subtle sense of privacy to this landscape:

	Latticework provides a sense of enclosure and partial privacy. You can simply nail the lattice to the outside of the posts, but for a more finished look on both sides, install the lattice between the posts. Parrott uses channeled lumber (made specifically for latticework) to create frames.
	Sweet olive, an evergreen shrub that will eventually reach 20 feet in height, helps anchor each side of the latticework and tie it to the landscape. The shrub gets its name from the fragrant flowers borne in late winter. Sweet olive does best in Zones 7 to 10. In colder climates, you could use evergreen hollies or small conifers to get the same effect.
	To anchor the far corner of the garden, Parrott plants a 'Little Gem' magnolia. 'Little Gem' will top out at 20-25 feet tall and has fragrant white flowers in summer. An evergreen, it keeps its dark green, leathery leaves year-round. 'Nellie R. Stevens' holly or Canadian hemlock would give the same anchoring effect without flowers.
	Wax myrtles also help anchor the planting bed. An excellent screening plant, it can be trained as a tree or a shrub. It does well in full sun or part shade and thrives in almost any soil condition.

E-mail info@butterfliesonthebeach.com

This site was last updated 05/25/04