Draw Hummingbirds and Butterflies by arranging these Flowers

The first time you plant a hummingbird or butterfly garden can be extremely satisfying and enjoyable. However, how do you begin? With so many blooms and bushes to choose from, it's a bit challenging to decide what to do. The good thing is that to design the garden you've always wanted, all you require is a bit of information and direction. In no time, you'll wake up in the picturesque whirring of butterflies and hummingbirds' wings and butterflies' kisses while being in the most beautiful garden in the neighborhood.

Consider Your Garden's Structure

If you want to build a butterfly and hummingbird garden, it is essential that you must consider the whole layout of your backyard. In order to draw butterflies and hummingbirds, think about a tiered garden that will provide a variety in your garden. In the midst of all the plants, flowers, herbs, and trees to select from, a good starting point for creating your ideal garden is to consider the climate of your area. It is important to select species with native habitat to your region and will produce greater nectar than hybrids or exotics (bonus: native plants also flourish with little maintenance). If you select species with distinct bloom times, the garden will be able to provide nectar all year round. This results in some satisfied hummingbirds! Keep in mind when you are planting your garden that you should leave some space between every plant. So, hummingbirds can navigate around and stay in one spot whenever they come across a particular flower that they are drawn to. It is also possible to structure your garden to help conserve water by putting the same plants. Get help on how to design the garden in this blog post.

Flowers to Hummingbirds

Hummingbirds aren't boring in regards to their preferences for flowers! Hummingbirds are visually stunning, and while the red flowers are known for their ability to attract these tiny birds, however, they don't discriminate on the color of their choice. They're frequently seen attracted by the purple, white, orange, blue, pink, and white blooms, too! Here are a few of the top species that attract hummingbirds.

Perennials:

• Bee Balm
• Butterfly bush (also attracts butterflies)
• Columbine
• Daylily
• Iris
• Lupine
• Scarlet Sage (grown as annual in cooler climates)
• Scarlet Trumpet Honeysuckle

Biennials:

• Foxglove
• Hollyhock
• Impatiens (Impatient Lucy)
• Larkspur
• Petunia

Annuals:

• Cleome
• Fuchsia (grown as a perennial in certain zones)

Flowers to Butterflies

If you're hoping to transform your garden to become a paradise for butterflies, you're just in time! Hummingbirds and butterflies are alike in their preference for plants. They both enjoy nectar-bearing vibrantly colored red, yellow, orange, pink, and purple tubes of flowers (although butterflies are more likely to prefer smaller flower tubers). To keep butterflies within your garden all season or all year long, you must be prepared to provide food for their offspring! This is why you should incorporate plants that can be used for all phases of a butterfly's existence, which includes a location for eggs to hatch, food sources for butterflies' larvae (caterpillars), and areas to make chrysalides or nectar sources for the adults. Be sure to choose species native to your region because butterflies and their native plants have co-evolved throughout time and depend upon each for pollination and to sustain their lives. Below are a few of the top plants that draw butterflies to your garden and feed their offspring!

Flowers That Attract Butterflies

• Alyssum
• Aster
• Bee Balm
• Butterfly Bush
• Calendula
• Cosmos
• Lupine
• Scarlet Sage (grown as annual in cooler climates)
• Dianthus
• Fennel
• Globe Thistle
• Goldenrod
• Hollyhock
• Lavender
• Liatris
• Marigold

Plants That Attract Butterfly Larvae (Caterpillars):

• Borage
• Fennel
• Grasses
• Hollyhocks 
• Lupine