LANDSCAPE GARDENS
What monarch butterflies taught me about garden design. Butterflies love alleys. My borders and beds contain lots of tall plants — Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium spp) and ironweed (Vernonia fasciculata) and cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum) — that reach from 6 to 10 feet tall. The meandering paths among these plants are insect highways, especially for butterflies like monarchs and swallowtails (and certainly for birds), who come sweeping down the empty avenues protected by the tall plants on both sides. I’m not sure if this is an act of joy or survival, but it’s pretty clear that open runways like this help funnel in the butterflies toward nectar and host plants.
TERRACES: Steel risers extend into garden.Contrast prairie plants with turf and unexpected texture, structure and color, ie grasses, etc.
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