How to Create a Hummingbird and Butterfly Garden

Learning how to create a hummingbird and butterfly garden can be a challenge, but with a few tips you can easily master the art. Having a wide selection of flowers that produce nectar will help give you the best chances or drawing in a variety of hummingbird and butterfly species and keeping them there. There are dozens of flowers to choose from such as hibiscus, day lilies, aster, lavender, lilac, and marigold and the larger variety you can intermix the better your chances. Here's a few more tips to keep in mind and help you be most successful at your own hummingbird and butterfly gardens.

Location. Most butterflies prefer to rest and feed in full sunshine, so the ideal place would have six or more hours of daily sunlight in June. If the site is grassy, remove the grass first. Loosening up the soil with some tilling will help, but grasses such as Bermuda or Centipede can sprout by the millions from the chopped-up pieces.

Visualize how you want your garden to be set up. Consider where you will likely observe from, and what types of flowers will best fill your landscape. Putting larger plants to the rear and smaller plants up front makes sense. Putting a butterfly feeding dish or birdbath where you can easily see it would also be a wonderful sight. A small bench or chair nearby will make the butterfly garden a great morning or evening resting spot. You can even be creative and place some of the food source within a window box or plant container; this way, you c

n watch the beauty of these animals from inside your home too.

Avoid pesticides! Pesticides are not good and will kill off all your chances of attracting butterflies. One way to control pests is to gently wash the bugs off plants with a pressure nozzle on the garden hose. Although tedious, many will drown and insect predators will eat others on the ground. Mornings are the best time when bugs are most actively about and let the foliage dry too before night. A few chewed leaves are a small price to pay for your butterflies' health.

Maintenance. Fertilize your garden the day you plant it or clean it up after winter, around March 15th. Fertilize again in late May and again in mid-June. Water thoroughly after fertilizing and often during dry spells. Weed occasionally and remove spent flowers to keep more flowers coming.

Spring replanting. Around May 1st, scrape away mulch where you want new butterfly plants and install them as you did your first planting. Return the mulch and pine straw to the freshly planted area, and fertilize your whole garden. Fertilize thoroughly and occasionally weed when needed to keep competing weeds away from robbing your nectar producing flowers of nutrients. Fertilize twice more, on May 21st and June 15th, and don't fertilize again after July 1st. Note that freshly planted perennials may need extra care. Scout your garden daily for problems and get ready to enjoy the myriad of butterflies and other life that will come.

Matt Buquoi is the owner of Flower Window Boxes, and an avid gardener and landscaper. His no rot window boxes have been featured in many cottage and cape cod style homes for butterfly gardens. Visit their website for more information about their window boxes which can be used for butterfly gardening.