these are asian or japanese beetles, very terrible pest, search plant eating japanese beetles for info... very destructive they come from grubs, only out late at night, see them eat with flashlight, knock into pan of soapy water to kill, best to kill there larva now to august or they will return with a vengeance. these are a little known pest eating all trees and vegetation all over the US. They LOVE mint, peppers, thyme, most herbs, spices, sunflowers...dont eat tomatos for some reason...if you see little green "grasshoppers"? DONT KILL THEM, they are baby praying mantises there to eat your beetles, they are your best friends... best of luck, Steve

I see you are in zone 10. I'm assuming that is USDA zone 10, in the US, but is it the southeast or southwest - very different environmental conditions. Without that knowledge, I will not recommend specific plants. For aesthetics: 1. select some plants that will drape down over that wall in places, softening it and visually connecting the flower garden to the lawn. You could use a hardy perennial like creeping for wooly thyme, or a cascading annual. 2. select plants that will not grow too large for the bed 3. select plants in a variety of mounding and upright habits, in varying heights, and position them for an undulating effect. 4. select plants for a succession of bloom throughout the season, keeping bloom color as well as leaf color and texture in mind when arranging for a pleasing effect. For the butterflies & hummingbirds: 1. Include a variety of plants that will provide blooms throughout the season. Native plants are best. When using perennials, choose them so you have a succession of bloom (as one is finishing, another is starting). 2. Provide fresh, clean water. Butterflies will also appreciate a muddy spot for "puddling" to obtain minerals. 3. Eliminate or reduce use of pesticides. 4. If you want to support certain species of butterflies, know their host and nectaring plant requirements - certain ones need certain plants: monarch/milkweed, pipevine swallowtail/dutchman's pipe, etc. There are any number of websites that will list plants native to your region. Below is an excellent article on butterfly and hummingbird gardening; this is written for the Northeastern US, but the same principles will apply. Scroll down and click on the link for the plant list. Again, this is for the Northeast, but there may well be some overlap. Here is a link that might be useful: How to Create a Butterfly & Hummingbird Garden

My beds are all 36 inches wide or less, and I have plenty of perennials and annuals in them. It really can be done. :) Perennials I have had in them for 3+ years (counting this year): Penstemon mexicali Veronica Sunny Border Blue Day lilies Hydrangea Mini Penny Scabiosa Foxglove Gaura lindheirmeri Salvia Heatwave Dahlias Asiatic lilies (they spread but can be moved) Garden phlox Columbine Balloon flower Coreopsis Dianthus Blanketflower Spiderwort (in shadier conditions) Newer ones Perennials (1-2 years): Gladiolus Shasta Daisy Penstemon Red Husker Canterbury Bells Now, I am not sure how these would work with your sun/shade and the brick wall...but, I have had no issues with these guys in my 24-36 inch wide boxes. It looks like you have a plan, but I wanted to throw these out. :)

Hi Mary- Many western milkweeds naturally grow in poorer soils, A. fascicularis being one of them. Don't stress over fertilizing, or lack thereof. I feed mine monthly with a 10-5-5 type fertilizer or 20-20-20 until they reach a size I'm comfortable with. Most times, I feed them with whatever is handy sitting in the shed. After that, I fertilize by eye: if they look like they don't need it, they don't get any. Liquid or dry, makes no diff. Don't overburden yourself or overthink what you're going to feed westerns; they'll resent whatever you give them if given too much anyway. This is a photo of one of my large fascicularis. I have some smaller ones I'm growing for a butterfly garden project.