How to Plant Butterfly & Hummingbird Wildflower Gardens

Butterfly garden in Manito Park, Spokane, Wash.

Creating a wildflower garden to attract butterflies and hummingbirds is not only a great way to grow a colorful garden but to observe these colorful winged creatures. There are many flowering plants that are fairly easy to plant and take care of, which will allow you to observe an array of butterflies and hummingbirds pollinating your plants.

Things You'll Need

• Variety of seeds or plants from list below Planting soil Peat moss Organic fertilizer Trowel or small shovel

Instructions

1. Choose some or all of the following flowering plants which attract both butterflies and hummingbirds: butterfly bushes, hollyhock (althea), azaleas, bee balm, bougainvillea, impatiens and petunias. There are, of course, many others that attract butterflies and hummingbirds, but these are fairly easy to get at your local garden shop or greenhouse.

2. Prepare the soil in the area you wish to plant your wildflower garden. It should be in an area that drains well (mixing in peat moss helps) that does not have lime or a clay-based soil type. Regular potting soil is best. Mix in some organic fertilizer as well so the plants have a nice rich environment to cultivate in.

3. Plant seeds about an inch below the soil's surface and tamp down on the soil topping firmly. Scattering seeds will give it more of a natural wildflower feel when they grow up in random places. Use a spray setting on your hose to water them for the first few weeks so that the seed do not get pushed around and washed away. Keep them damp but not soaked. Partial sun (about five to six hours per day or dappled sun) is best for most of these flower varieties except for impatiens and a few varieties of azalea, which like a shady location. If your garden has a tree at one end of it, plant these under this spot.

4. Plant young to mature container plants in a similar fashion, but for these you will need to dig holes with a trowel or small shovel to place the root balls in the ground. Plant these no closer than six inches apart. Water in a similar manner, but these will need more water because they are already larger plants.

5. Watch for your flowers to attract butterflies and hummingbirds and observe what species are attracted to certain flower species. They will naturally pollinate these plants and they will spread, making your garden flourish. By paying attention to their blooming cycles, you can pinch off old flowers when they are spent and prolong the time that they bloom.

References

• Plants that Attract Birds, Butterflies and Wildlife