Flowers & Garden

5/08/2005

Plant a butterfly garden in a container...

You'll need a good-size pot that you can put in a sunny spot protected from wind. Butterflies are attracted to nectar-producing flowers, but each kind of butterfly has its own preference, so plant a variety of nectar-rich plants to increase your chances of attracting many butterfly species.

Here are a few good choices:

  • Scabiosa pincushion flower

  • Echinacea cone flower

  • Rudbeckia black-eyed Susan

  • Coreopsis tickseed

  • Hibiscus

  • Lavender

  • Rosemary

  • Verbena



Butterflies also like to drink out of puddles. Bury a cup up to its rim in the planter, fill it with sand and then keep it full of liquids. Butterfly favorites include stale beer, fruit juice and water. Now and then, stick a chunk of overripe fruit among the plants as a special treat. A potted butterfly garden would make a great Mother's Day gift. For an extra surprise, give Mom a butterfly identification guide.

Kids love container gardening too

Make gardening fun for kids by giving them their own container to plant. Container gardening is a great way to teach kids to garden because they can achieve a fabulous composition in a limited space without having to weed or do lots of maintenance.

Get the kids started with a little lesson in planting and caring for the plants, then let them loose at your favorite nursery. At first you'll probably have to help the little ones pick out the plants, but before long you can give them a budget and let them have at it Kids love designing and caring for their own container gardens, and they learn fast. The only problem is that it's a bit embarrassing when the kids' containers look way better than yours!