How to Make a Butterfly Garden in Northern California

Draw butterflies to your garden with plants and flowers that they like.

Butterfly gardens are gardens that are planted with specific flowers, herbs and vegetables known to attract butterflies. Planting them will make it more likely that butterflies will be drawn to your garden where you can observe them. In northern California, butterfly gardens need plants that attract butterflies but also plants that can grow in that specific climate. Flowers and herbs such as lilacs, marigold, California wild indigo, lavender, butterfly bush, rosemary or bush monkey flower are good choices. Some vegetables that attract butterflies and grow well in northern California are onions, scallions and leeks.

Things You'll Need

• Seedlings
• Garden stakes
• Shovel
• Trowel
• Organic fertilizer
• Watering can

Instructions

1. Place stakes along the area where you want the garden to be to get an idea of the garden's size. The area should get at least five to six hours of direct sunlight a day so that the flowers will get the light they need to bloom.

2. Prepare the garden beds. Using a shovel, dig into the soil about seven to 10 inches deep and turn it over to loosen it. Shift through the loose soil to remove any roots, rocks, weeds or other debris.

3. Mark out paths and rows to make it easier to move around in the garden. The rows should be about three feet wide and the paths should be wide enough to walk on.

4. Dig holes in the garden beds for the seedlings. Using a trowel, dig each hole about the size of the rootball of each seedling. Space each plant out -- at least six inches apart -- so that they have enough room to grow.

5. Prepare the seedlings for the garden. Squeeze the sides of the plant container gently until the rootball starts to loosen. Slip the seedling out of the container and place the rootball of the seedling in the hole and fill in the extra space with soil.

6. Water the seedlings after planting to stimulate the roots to grow. This will also help the soil settle. Fill in any uneven spots with fresh soil.

7. Fertilize the garden with organic fertilizer. Butterflies are delicate insects that can be sickened by harsh chemicals so it is best to use organic fertilizer. Fertilizing the garden will stimulate the flowers grow more and produce big blooms that attract butterflies.

References

• Art Shapiro's Butterfly Site: Butterfly Gardening in the Northern California Foothills
• Las Pilitias Nursery : Plants for a California or Western Butterfly Garden
• The Farm: How to Plant a Garden