Showing posts with label butterfly garden plants. Show all posts
Showing posts with label butterfly garden plants. Show all posts

Friday, March 11, 2016

Best Perennial Shrubs That Will Grow in Most Gardens

Are you trying to find eye catching low maintenance perennial shrubs for your garden this summer? Keep reading this article where we are going to discuss all you need to know about the perennial flowers for sun which can form the backbone of any garden. Perennial shrubs play a vital role in the landscaping design of a property. These plants with their multiple stems not only give a stunning visual but also provide privacy when planted in groups. One of the reasons for the immense popularity of perennial shrubs is due to the fact that they require almost zero maintenance. Yellow perennial flowers would help to give your garden a number of attractive focal points and boost the esthetic appeal of your garden. A symbol of wealth strength and optimism, yellow perennial flowers would give your garden a whole new character. For instance the Caragana Siberian Peashrub is a deciduous shrub which not only gives pretty yellow flowers in spring and summer but also serves as a windbreak screen.

The beautiful show off forsythia shrub is yet another good choice for those looking for bright yellow flowers from summer till fall. Adaptable to almost all kinds of soil, these plants are known for their tolerance to pollution.  The Hypericum sunny boulevard shrubs are small perennial shrubs which gives pretty yellow flowers from July to September. Those of you looking for a super attractive ground covering perennials need to take home a white creeping phlox which would give your garden a stunning white flowering ground cover. The snowcap Shasta daisy is yet another perennial shrub which would definitely change the look of your garden for better. The pure white blossoms of the Shasta daisy would attract bees, butterflies and humming birds to your garden. Being heat, drought and humidity tolerant, this plant is really easy to grow. The Monarda blue stocking aka the Bee Balm is a blue flowering perennial which gives pretty violet flowers and attracts bees and small birds. As ideal butterfly garden plants, the Bee Balm thrives well in full sun or light shade. One of the prettiest summer flowing perennials you can find, the Bee Balm grows well on unevenly moist soil.

Both novice and experienced gardeners would acknowledge the charm and beauty of the summer blooming spirea shrubs. The summer blooming spirea shrubs come with big clusters of white blossoms on their arching branches. Growing the spirea shrubs is really easy and these plants thrive well in almost any growing zone. Depending on the kind, these bushes generally grow up to 6 feet in height. Make sure to plant the bushes in a location which would be capable of accommodating its size. Ideally they should be planted in areas which receive a lot of sun. Planting them in shades would lead to stunted growth and limited number of flowers. Though these plants don’t require much care or maintenance, you can always add mulch around the plant for moisture retention. The summer blooming spirea bushed needs to be prunes during the winter or spring. 

Monday, September 24, 2012

Create Habitats for Butterflies and Hummingbirds with Butterfly Bushes


Growing butterfly bushes is a popular hobby for many Americans? The enchanting colors of buddleia flowers, the bracing fragrance of the leaves, the hypnotic effect of the stems swaying back and forth, the sight of the trees rattling their leaves when touched by the gentle breeze, and of course, the green background of the landscape - all contribute to the uniqueness of a scenic butterfly garden. Hey wait a minute; is something missing? Yes, the butterflies!

English: Photograph of a Monarch Butterfly.
English: Photograph of a Monarch Butterfly. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Who doesn’t like to see a rabble of butterflies fluttering in the garden? Watching those colorful butterflies flit from one plant to another and circling in rabbles can be a great stress-relieving site for anyone. If your garden is without the butterflies then you might consider making it colorfully attractive by planting butterfly bushes.

Also referred to as summer lilac or buddleia, butterfly bushes are attractive flowering shrubs that can embellish the look of any garden. They grow fast, filling the neighboring space in quick time. And they flourish well in any type of well-drained soil; regardless of it is gravel, clay or sandy type. The butterfly bushes are flowering plants that provide a welcoming habitat for the butterflies and hummingbirds. Butterflies and bees love to feed on the nectar-rich flowers. One good thing about the butterfly bushes is that they don’t drop dead flowers.

Butterfly Bush Planting Tips

There are different butterfly bushes that thrive well in different climatic conditions. They generally spread quickly; hence should be planted at a distance of at least 6 feet away from each other, depending on the specific variety. The butterfly bushes grow at heights ranging from 5 to 15 feet, although some of the newer hybrids are small growing at 3 feet. Typically, they need at least six hours of direct exposure to sunlight everyday and should be watered regularly.

Maintenance and Variety

Butterfly bushes require regular trimming as they can grow fast in quick time. For best growth results, constant pruning of the dead petals should be done; this will make them bloom longer and grow denser. The ideal time for pruning is from July till the tail end of winter. There are over 100 varieties of butterfly bushes in the world. The flowering plants of butterfly bushes come in multiple colors ranging from red and blue to pink and purple to white and yellow and lots more. As a warning, do not use insecticides on your butterfly bushes as they can kill the butterfly larvae or sometimes even the butterflies.

Best Butterfly Habitats

Having butterfly bushes to attract the butterflies and humming birds is a great idea. But it would be wiser to think out of the box and create a friendly habitat for the butterflies. One such idea is to incorporate a few flat rocks in the surrounding area where the butterflies can enjoy and bask in the sun. Also, butterflies need some place to cool off. You can provide a relaxing habitat by including small muddy patches in your garden.

Butterfly bushes are available in a large variety of single colors- purple, orange, blue, red, pink etc. They are also available as bi-colored plants. A great selection of butterfly plants is available in smaller container sizes that are easiy affordable from Greenwood Nursery.

Check out ourInstant Butterfly Garden Plant Package that includes a butterfly house, too!