Creating a Butterfly Garden

     Create a Butterfly Garden in a place where you can enjoy a quiet moment or a surrounding for a peaceful leisurely walk. The benefits of these gardens are too numerous to name.

   Create a Butterfly Garden and you will see that they are not an expensive adventure. All that is needed is a large sunny open area in your garden.  A shelter, some rocks and some water puddles and of course we must not forget some plants and flowers to attract them. This is a must when you create your Butterfly Garden.

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    The shelter is necessary to create a Butterfly Garden to keep the Butterflies safe from unwanted predators and to be able to hide from wind, cold and also a wonderful place for resting. We can accomplish this with hedges and climbing vines on trellises and fences. You can also have small trees and shrubs although it is important not to ever use pesticides in the area you have chosen to create a Butterfly Garden.


The Black-eyed Susan 'Henry Eilers’, Rudbeckia subtomentosa 'Henry Eilers', has tubular star shaped yellow flowers with large dark eyes. The green foliage sits at the bottom of the tall daisy-like flowers. Black-eyed Susans need to be grown in full sun in somewhat moist soil conditions in a well-drained area. It is great in borders, for cut flowers or for naturalized areas. Black-eyed Susans attract butterflies, provides food for birds in the winter and is mildew-resistant. Plant in masses with Veronica ‘Goodness Grows’ or with ornamental grasses.

    When you create a Butterfly Garden it is good to remember that these beautiful creatures cannot drink from open areas of water such as birdbaths and ponds and for this reason the puddles can be made up of wet sand or dirt. You will find that they will tend to flock around these areas. Include passion flower, or hops vines other plants suitable would be butterfly bush and some honeysuckle. If you want to add another area for herbs then you will find that many Butterfly species will enjoy them as well. Weeds that will attract many butterfly species to your enchanted garden would include milkweed, nettle and dandelions. Here we hope that we can help you discover how to create a Butterfly Garden and give you some starting tips.


The Butterfly Bush 'Pink Delight', Buddleia 'Pink Delight', has fragrant, deep pink flowers on a compact growing butterfly bush. The leaves are grayish green to add interest. It is a vigorous growing shrub that boasts deep pink flowers from mid-summer and is a butterfly magnet. This bush flowers summer and fall and is easy to grow. Plant it near a path or patio and the shrub will provide a delightful fragrance for you, too. It's generally pest-free. This plant blooms on new growth and should be pruned back to the ground in spring.

  When you create a Butterfly Garden it should never be created without the milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) and also Dill and parsley for feeding the Caterpillars. The bright orange blossoms on the milkweed attract a large variety of butterflies. I am sure we all know that without caterpillars you won't have butterflies. Other Plants and flowers which will help you create this peaceful existence are Black-eyed Susan (rudbeckia), beebalm, cosmos, zinnias, hollyhocks to name a few that would give you a place to start when ready to create a Butterfly Garden.