Bring On The Butterflies!
Plants for a Butterfly Garden
I think there is two things that all gardeners have in common, the love for plants and the love of the butterfly. There is nothing more beautiful than the graceful flutter of butterflies frolicking from one flower to another. Add more color to your garden with the beauty of the butterfly.
Are you saying “I have this beautiful garden full of colorful blooms but have not seen that many butterflies all season!” The problem might be that you do not have the right plants for a butterfly garden. Although it is not difficult to attract butterflies with plants, there are a few elements that you need. You will want flowers that will attract the butterfly through all stages in its life. You will need a place for it to lay its eggs, plants that the large can eat off, places for the caterpillars to spin their chrysalides and once the chrysalides hatch, flower sources for the butterflies to get nectar.
On days when I am working in the retail garden center at Garden Crossings, I will often get asked “What is your favorite perennial?”. To that my response is “Every week something different is flowering so it is hard to choose a favorite.’ But with that being said I do have one that reminds me of hope for each new season.
Do you ever find yourself saying “I love my garden, but I feel like I could do so much more? All the color is at the ground level, I need more height. But, I don’t want a big shrub or something that will take up so much room…” I know I have areas in my garden where this is my thought exactly, I want height but not width. Well let me introduce to you Clematis, Flowering vines. Clematis is an upright growing vine that can reach anywhere from 3 foot upwards to 20 plus foot and like to climb fences, trellis, ladders, and arbors. Give Clematis a fence and it may spread to around 5 foot, give it a trellis or arbor and the spread will be just as wide as you accent.
So you love the look of the large, white, cone shaped paniculata Hydrangeas, but are thinking…I don’t have the space to grow that large of a shrub. I am here to tell you that you now have options! When you think of Hardy paniculata Hydrangeas the one that comes to mind in most cases is Hydrangea ‘Limelight’. ‘Limelight’ is a beautiful flowering shrub but does get upwards of 8 foot which may not work in every garden.
The dark evening sky, the mysterious happenings in the night, all of these things set you up for a touch of fear. Right? Well maybe not but it got your attention anyway. Today’s featured plant is ‘Midnight Marvel‘ Hibiscus. ‘Midnight Marvel’ is a new plant introduction for 2013. It is a cross between to other great Hardy hibiscus plants, those plants are ‘Summer Storm‘, known for its dark foliage and also ‘Cranberry Crush‘ known for its deep, rich, red flowers.
Zeeland, MI—Meet national gardening expert and author P. Allen Smith during the Garden Crossings 7th Annual Grand Opening weekend April 13-14. Garden Crossings, a retail and mail-order nursery in Zeeland, Michigan specializing in Proven Winners® annuals and shrubs, welcomes customers for a weekend of fun, friends, and the kickoff of spring 2012 gardening. During the Friday meet and greet with P. Allen, local radio station JQ99 will broadcast live from 6:30pm to 8:30pm. Garden Crossings will provide snacks, discounts, and to sign up for JQ99 Cash Cow Drawing. Customers are invited back on Saturday to browse among designed and planted containers and see what’s new for 2012.
Online PR News – 06-March-2012 –Online and retail garden center Garden Crossings introduces its spring 2012 collection of newly developed perennial plants. Garden Crossings’ new selections include diverse plant varieties such as Achilleas (Yarrows), Agastaches (Hyssops), Buddleias (Butterfly Bushes), Osteospermum (African Daisy) and more.
ZEELAND, Mich., April 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — More than ever before, homeowners turn to their gardens for relaxation and rejuvenation. Whether the garden is a spacious yard or a pocket-sized deck, these green spaces provide places to play, eat, rest and reflect. Unfortunately, most homeowners spend more time planning an evening out than their home oasis.