New butterfly/hummingbird garden update
Rhonda
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
In March, I started a butterfly/hummingbird garden from scratch at my new place. Joe was kind enough to allow me to take over a 40'x20' patch of yard behind the lanai. I have attached a few pics of the before, during, after and today (these pics are not the best due to clouds and smoke). In order to not bore you as much, I did two montages for the prep pics....click on the pics to enlarge.
Here are a few pics from today of the garden.....it has filled in a
little and of course I have added plants (for some reason, Joe doesn't
believe me when I leave the house and say "don't worry...I'm not buying
anymore plants") LOL Sorry that these pics aren't the best, it has been
cloudy and slightly smoky this morning (brush fire burning down the
road). I also have several plants started from seeds generously provided by some GW butterfly garden members :)
Cape Daisy, Pink Pentas lanceoltas (these will get much taller),
Salvia "Phyllis'Fancy", Salvia "Mystic Spires", Salvia "Amistad",
Gerbera daisies, shrimp plant, firebush
Dianthus "Sweet William", tropical milkweed, Agastache "Acapulco Deluxe Red" in pots
View from the end with my beautiful Adirondack chair and table...a surprise from Joe :)
Salvia "Amistad", shrimp plant, firebush
Panama Rose aka Bush Penta (neither a rose or penta). Planted two of
these. They will get tall but I'll try to keep them trimmed to 5' or so.
View from my chair
Dutchman's pipevine ....host for Pipevine swallowtail and Goldrim
swallowtail caterpillars and Passion Vine....host for Gulf Fritillary
and Zebra Longwing. Lion's Ear in front of Passion Vine should start blooming soon. Hummers like the flowers of the aloe vera.
Butterfly/hummingbird eye view :)
Enjoy,
Rhonda
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Comments (10)
Rhonda
6 years agoPart 2 Pics
Newly planted Pink Delight butterfly bush, red Penta lanceolata, Sweet William and Popcorn Cassia
Side view
Salvia "Phyllis' Fancy", Salvia "Amistad", Salvia "Mystic Spires", cape daisy, shrimp plant
Salvia "Phyllis' Fancy" (I love the deeply quilted leaves on these) with cape daisy and gerbera daisy in the background
Salvia "Mystic Spires" with sweet viburnum bush, cape daisy, gerbera daisy and blanket flower
Cape Daisy, Salvia
"Phyllis'Fancy", Salvia "Amistad", tropical milkweed, Sweet William, red penta lanceolata and popcorn cassia
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The butterfly/hummingbird garden that's going bye-bye.
Comments (6)Thank you! Regarding the agastache, I started it from a packet of seeds that were supposed to be Purple Pygmy, but it isn't. I'm thinking it's rupestris, Sunset Hyssop, but I'm not positive. I had quite a few seeds germinate, and some of the seedlings grew, but only two have grown into mature plants. The other one is in another bed. The lobelia are growing in a spot where water catches whenever we get a heavy rain, and they love it so much. The red has spread by seed all over, the blue was new last year, so hasn't spread as much, and the purple is sterile (I'm guessing, never had a seed pod on it with seeds inside). I'm being optimistic about this now that I know I'll have more space to expand this garden much bigger than it already is. When my boyfriend first told me the idea of the garage, I was not pleased. But now, I see potential. I just have lots of work ahead of me. :) Karen...See Morebutterfly and hummingbird gardens.
Comments (20)I think I had this for a couple of years, and it did attract lots of hummers and butterflies and moths. I just planted a new Salvia 'Black and Blue' this year because the butterfly people suggested it for both hummers and butterflies. I also have the Salvia Texas Sage with pink/white blooms, and the Sulphurs just love it. The butterflies that like the fruit plates are Question Marks, Commas, Red Admirals, Mourning Cloaks, Hackberry and Tawny Emperors because they are not strict nectaring butterflies like the Monarchs, Swallowtails, Sulphurs, etc. We are inundated with lots of butterflies this year. I have raised close to 60 Question Marks, a couple of Hackberry Emperors, Silvery Checkerspots and Bordered Patches, Black Swallowtails, and Pipevine Swallowtails. I raised about 5 Nessus sphinx and one Eumorpha Achemon sphinx that feed on my Virginia Creeper (a very valuable wildlife plant for birds and moths). Last year, my friend, Linda, said she had the migrating Monarchs all over her verbesina enceliodes (Golden Crownbeard), so she gave me a seedling. I've also got 3 different hardy lantanas, pentas lanceolata (a sphinx moth host plant), milkweed (tons of it for the Monarch larvae), Joe Pye Weed (in full bloom right now), two passion vines (Blue Crown and incarnata 'Incense', and the mama Gulf Frit just laid about 50 eggs on them), Wild Senna, Partridge Pea, Sunflowers, verbena bonariensis, annual red verbena, fennel (green and bronze), Zizia aurea (for the Black Swallowtails, too), my Rue that I've grown for several years, and several pipevine species, Aristolochia macrophylla (big leaf), A. tomentosa, A. clematitis, and A. serpentaria, veronica, lavendar 'Provence', catmint, Marigolds, lots of zinnias, Salvia pink flowering perennial, Mexican Flame Vine (a real nectar favorite), yellow coneflower, pale coneflower, cosmos (the Orange is blooming its head off right now), phlomis tuberosa, cleome, agastache foeniculum, and tons of other stuff, all crammed into my tiny front yard. I saw one hummingbird early in the season, but haven't seen any since. I usually see them when they migrate south later in summer-early fall. Sometimes the butterflies that like rotting fruit, dung, and tree sap, will use the hummer feeders, too. Have you seen that happen? Susan...See MoreButterfly, Hummingbird and Bee Garden
Comments (12)Great List of plants Debra. Our hummers, butterflies & bees here love my Mexican Sunflower Plants(Tithonia Fiesta Del Sol). I found one that only grows 28-30 inches high) as my husband does not like the Tall Variety that is topping about 6-7 Feet now. I just cut in back about 2 feet on the top. You have to dehead them(so they will keep blooming and watch out for the seed pods as they can really stick your fingers. Leave seed pods along with Coneflower seed pods & chickadee's will devour them in the fall. But they are full sun. We already had this Sage bushes that a lot of people grow here(Denton, Texas). I wish it bloomed all the time(only blooms when it is about to rain). Next year planting Turk's Cap, Gabor Trumpet Vine(Campis radicans "Gabor'), Honeysuckle Vine you already have and planting a Chaste Tree. They seem to really enjoy my Phlox Phlopaniculata "Bright Eyes". We moved here from N.C. about 1 and half years ago. I am finding out that my Full sun plants are not really fun sun here in the Texas heat. Going to also try a Hardy Fuchsia just to see what it does here(it likes part shade to shade.) We are having a time with either mites or white flies taking the plants down in the drought and heat. Can't spray them as I will kill what I am trying to attract. Butterfly Bush (Buddleia davidii) did not make it first year here so we planted the "Low and Behold' Variety in a Large Planter. Had to put it on roller & keep moving it in & out of the sun. Going to try and over-winter it in Garage. Just found out today that I am not suppose to plant any plants in a plastic container as that keeps the roots hot so I am repotting it in a Ceramic Container- suppose to keep roots cool or I can try some type of Double-potting method. Our Hosta's did not do that well here like N.C. even after adding peat moss to the garden. We also ran out of areas to plant sun loving plants. In N.C. (S. coccinea) was a big hit along with Foxglove(likes shade) and Spider Flowers(Cleome hassleriana) but it too is sun loving plant .Your Cypress Vine should be a big hit. The hummers are really fueling up for their trip and they will get fat. I did not know that my Pineapple Sage plant would not bloom until October. It was blooming when I bought it & I pinched the top out so it would bush out but the mites attack it. They are looking good now but still no blooms yet. The young hummers are checking us out when we are outside which is always fun. Hummingbirds fly a certain route around houses etc. So be careful when changing parking spots in your driveway/road. I just found out that many kill themselves while running into parked vehicles and storms throw them down or into trees so big canopy of trees are great shelter & shade. We are having to put up window bird decals up. Woodpeckers and baby chickadees pecked our feeders apart this spring when they fledged. It bother me a little but it was kind of funny. I am having to change the feeders twice a day as the solution is getting cloudy when temps. hit 100 degrees or more and I boil it 2 minutes. Thanks again for your great list. Bonnie...See MoreAn update on our Butterfly/Hummingbird Garden
Comments (27)Rita, Yes, lantana is always a favorite...especially of the Gulf Frits and zebra longwings (which I haven't seen yet this year). They don't show up well in the pics but I planted them all along the outside edge of the garden. It still amazes me that bottlebrush is such a hit with the hummers as the flowers aren't tubular, really just filaments. But, they do love them. Carol, Pentapetes phoenicia is not a penta at all, they're in the mallow family like hollyhocks. They're an old fashioned plant that Thomas Jefferson grew at Monticello. A Gardenwebber on the butterfly site sent me some seeds :) I love the purple porterweed as it is popular with butterflies and hummers. I had red porterweed in Williston and it didn't do well there. But, I have higher hopes for it here as everyhting seems to grow here LOL Tomcath sent me some cuttings that I still have in pots. He also sent me some flowering maple cuttings. I'll provide an update once they are planted. Silvia, I had to do some planning on this garden to make sure that I got all my favorite plants in. I fear that I will need to divide and share next year LOL Tom, The only 2 migrating hummers I had a month ago used the plants (Amistad and shrimp plant) the first day then only used the feeders the remaining days of their stay. Go figure. GardenGal, Thanks for the kind words. The orange plant is Leonotis leonurus, commonly called Lion's Ear. I love the unique flowers too and hummers use it as well. SMC, Thanks! I am amazed at how quickly it's filling in. But then again, I have never gardened in SW Florida before. Things grow so fast here LOL Rhonda...See MoreRhonda
6 years agoRhonda
6 years agoRhonda
6 years agoRhonda
6 years ago
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