Butterfly Gardening.

Butterfly Gardening.

What is butterfly gardening? Simply put, butterfly gardening is the art of growing flowers and plants that attract these colorful and delicate creatures to your garden. Delight your family and visitors with beautiful butterflies, but be sure to create a safe place for them to live. If you have cats, rethink your plans, because it would be a shame for them to die with these cute insects in tow. Designing a butterfly garden is a matter of personal preference. The most important points to consider are the size of your garden and the types of flowers and plants you want to grow. Choose a garden style that appeals to you, but also make sure it includes plants and flowers that are attractive to the butterflies you hope to attract.

It is important to find out what plants and flowers attract the species of butterflies. Live in your region. You can find this information at your local library
You also need water to create an environment that is attractive to them. A birdbath is attractive and keeps butterflies off the ground and away from stray cats or mischievous puppies. Placing shallow dishes on a pole or hanging from a tree also works well. When planting a butterfly garden, be careful about the colors you choose for your flower beds. While butterflies don't care what color you choose, you don't want your garden to become a hodgepodge of disjointed colors and textures. Butterflies are attracted to flowers that have nectar rather than pollen, such as honeysuckle, milkweed, sorrel, valerian, daisies, echinacea, yellow sage, day lily and lavender.

Some people find it helpful to draw the outline of a butterfly garden and color it to see what the final product will look like. Remember that warm colors, such as red and orange, are nice and bright. These colors have more impact against a deep green background. Cool colors, such as blue and purple, have a calming and soothing effect, and contrast perfectly with white to give a fresh, bright look.