skip to main content

Arizona Gardening

Need suggestions for Phx butterfly garden

sardonicscorpio

18 years ago

I've been looking at all different types of butterfly plants, and I was wondering what you've had success with in the Phoenix area, besides Mexican Bird of Paradise. The butterfly garden forums seem to be lacking in AZ experience, and I've found little on the web that refers to desert-hardy nectar plants (probably because there aren't many). I have some roses, vincas, amaryllis and hibiscus in containers in my condo backyard (we have a fairly large yard for a condo, but unfortunately its mostly concrete), and I want more color and hey, some butterflies or hummingbirds would be great! And this would all be in containers...thanks for the input!!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (3)

kazooie
18 years ago
the butterflies sure seem to like the lantanas in my yard and the hummers went wild over all the penstimons that were blooming this spring.

if you go to high country gardens web site, they list a bunch of flowers that attract buterflies and hummers.
http://www.highcountrygardens.com/index.html

although, it is too late in the season for them to ship any plants here, but it may give you some ideas.
User
18 years ago
Lantana is popular with butterflies

Desert milkweed, and Passiflora foetida, are popular with butterflies.
Related Discussions
HELP - Cultural Needs in New Butterfly Garden
Q
Comments (3)
Thanks for suggestion, Jmcat. Found grownative.org and searched for "butterfly host/rabbit resistant." 2 Milkweeds I bought (tuberosa & incarnata) are deer but not rabbit resistant. 2 Milkweeds that are both deer & rabbit resistant (syriaca & cervillicata) weren't available where I bought even if I had thought of it. I was so intent on getting a good seasonal continuation of nectar sources and natives I didn't think of pesky critters. Guess I'll put up a graduated opening 3 ft. high fence with with deer netting on top. Gate essential for checking water/weeds. May leave it up through next spring while I'm fighting rabbits over plants from some bulbs I planted. Can't fight mother nature!
...See More
Need ideas for butterfly garden flowers
Q
Comments (23)
I grow the flowers/plants listed above too, but one I didn't see listed (maybe just missed seeing) is SALVIA - all of mine are butterfly magnets big time. Black and blue Salvia and Sages of all kinds attract butterflies and feed Hummingbirds. Garden Phlox of any kind is also another butterfly magnet in my yard - BIG TIME! I have several kinds of willow trees and Hackberry trees which are also good for butterly nurseries. This won't help you in zone 4, but for those on here who may live in the desert or other arid regions of N. America, who want to have butterflies and hummers, may I also suggest these: the Mexican Bird of Paradise bush (Caesalpinia gilliesii or Poinciana pulcherrima) is beautiful and attracts hummers and butterflies. I just love them. Chaste trees with their beautiful blue-violet flowers, Red flowering Yucca is gorgeous - beautiful. Cactus flowers, flowering shrubs & Tamarask Trees (Salt Cedars) attract butterflies and hummers too. These will all grow here in zone 6b-7, but the cactus must be brought indoors in winter. Hollyhocks attract butterflies. Coneflowers Butterfly Weeds Milkweeds Dills Parsley Fennels Asters Sunflowers Bachelor Buttons Pentas (big time butterfly magnets) Besides Zinnias and Petunias of all sizes, varieties and colors, don't forget Marigolds of all sizes, Sweet Allysum, and Periwinkles for three other inexpensive annuals that butterflies just adore! That's a few more. ~Annie
...See More
Butterfly garden, need a replacement!!
Q
Comments (23)
I would like to second the recommendation of porter weed (Stachytarpheta mutabilis). In your area it will be a perennial and it is one of the best hummingbird/butterfly attractors you can get. There is a red porterweed that does well in your area. It will attract hummingbirds for sure if they are around. The native porterweed is just about as good, but it grows tall and lanky. I wouldn't recommend the coral porterweed. It grows very large and will take over large areas. It is excellent as a hummingbird/butterfly attractor, however. The tall red pentas are the best butterfly attractors that you can find, in my opinion. They also are good for hummingbirds. For shady areas the firespikes can't be beat for hummingbirds. I don't know when they would bloom in your zone. In zone nine they are just coming into bloom and will continue through Deecember. The lavender ones bloom in early spring here.
...See More
Hummingbird/butterfly garden suggestions
Q
Comments (9)
For hummers: Daylilies! The orange ditchliles are very popular with hummers, but you can find more 'refined' smaller varieties in whites, pinks, yellows, oranges and reds - all the hot colors! I don't know which penstemons would best suit your conditions - but they're native to almost every part of the country so there should be a species or variety happy where you live. For butterflies: Also consider orange butterfly weed (asclepias tuberosa) and pink swamp milkweed (asclepias incarnata) - it's a very nice plant but I think the swamp in the name worries people. It will get by in a dry area once established and is more popular with the butterflies than the orange butterfly weed. 'Gateway' joe-pye weed (eupatorium?) likes moisture and would be good if you're willing to check on it and water when needed. I have yellow "Coronation Gold" yarrow - which holds up better to heat and humidty than Moonshine. Also I love blanket flowers - Gaillardia - they have a long season of bloom and like heat. Liatris - pinkish, purple. Available as a number of species, types, sizes. Purple coneflowers are a butterfly fav - but they now have them in orange or yellow varieties. Also consider mexcian hats or some of the black-eyed susans. These are the fav 'snackbar plants' in my sun garden - I'm not sure how they'd do in Georgia? But I'm envious of your warmer winter weather!
...See More
aztreelvr
18 years ago
You may want to include larval host plants for the baby butterflies (caterpillars) to eat as well as nectar sources for the adults. In general butterflies like daisy-like flowers where they can land and sip nectar. The suggestions above are great. Here are a few more.

Desert Honeysuckle (Anisicanthus sp.) butterflies and hummingbirds.
Red or Pink Fairy Duster (Calliandra californica, Calliandra eriophylla) butterflies and hummingbirds.
Mexican Honeysuckle (Justicia spicigera) larval plant + hummingbirds.
Many Salvias (S. clevelandii, S. Coccinea, S. greggii, S. leucantha) butterflies and hummingbirds
Dwarf Orange Bells (Tecoma 'Sunrise') butterflies and hummingbirds.
Golden Dyssodia (Dyssodia pentachaeta or Thymophylla pentachaeta) larval + butterflies = Dainty Yellow Sulfur.

The Arizona Native Plant Society has two booklets that I'd recommend, one on butterfy gardening and one on bird gardening as part of their publications. They are $3.50 which includes postage.

Here is a link that might be useful: Arizona Native Plant Society booklets

Related Stories

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Asclepias Incarnata for a Butterfly Garden

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Beautiful swamp milkweed makes it easy to help monarchs and other pollinators in eastern U.S. gardens

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Butterfly Milkweed, a Beacon in the Prairie

By Pollination Press LLC

Vivacious orange flowers for you, nectar for the butterflies and bees. Asclepias tuberosa is worth planting for more reasons than one

GARDENING FOR BUTTERFLIES Be a Butterfly Savior — Garden for the Monarchs

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Keep hope, beauty and kindness alive in the landscape by providing a refuge for these threatened enchanters

GARDENING GUIDES 6 Plants That Beat Butterfly Bush for the Wildlife Draw

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

It's invasive, a nonnative and a poor insect magnet. Check out these better alternatives to butterfly bush in the garden

GARDENING GUIDES 20 Favorite Flowers for Butterflies and Bouquets

By Marianne Lipanovich

Discover perennials and annuals that do double duty as butterfly magnets and versatile cut flowers

GARDENING FOR BUTTERFLIES 7 Native Wildflowers to Make You an Awesome Butterfly Host

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Offer the leaves of these and you’ll get more butterflies than with flower nectar alone

CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANTS Great Design Plant: Asclepias Is Attractive to Monarch Butterflies

By Debbie Ballentine

Increase monarch butterfly populations in California by planting stunning native milkweeds

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Milkweed

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Quit cringing. This not-weed plant is a sight to behold in the garden, has a delicious vanilla scent and is a magnet for butterflies

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Callirhoe Involucrata Wakes Up Hot Garden Spots

By Jocelyn H. Chilvers

Give a dry and sunny garden a jolt of violet-pink color summer to fall — and watch bees and butterflies flock to the nectar

WINTER GARDENING 10 Native Wildflowers to Beautify Your Winter Garden

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

They stand strong in wind, feed wildlife and are easy to grow. But you may want to add these plants for their looks alone

Sponsored

More Discussions

What's wrong with my roses?

5

little bumps on rose leaves

1