Butterfly & Hummingbird Garden

The garden that attracts hummingbirds and butterflies is both attractive and beneficial to our environment. Creating an environment with butterfly-friendly plants, shelter, food and water is our design goal, ensuring that our winged friends stay long enough to lay eggs. Often, this butterfly-friendly garden is designed as a “mini-garden” within one of the other styles. Although a “plant-driven” landscaped area with masses of color, there are also elements such as water, rocks and wood for sunning, and sheltered areas that enhance the hummingbird and butterfly experience. There are numerous plants that provide a food source and are useful for attracting these flying garden visitors, allowing you to enjoy your patio seating areas, benches, hammocks, and other outdoor furniture. Make sure the garden areas are open and sunny, yet protected from the wind, especially near the coast. Water is a critical element to the garden, including everything from a simple puddler stone and bird bath; to a wall fountain; to a natural stream and waterfall system. Butterflies are most attracted to plants with pink, red, orange, white, yellow, and purple flowers. Many of my clients take it one step further and have me design pollinator and bird-friendly gardens (see sections below).

Caterpillar Host Plants: Appropriate Garden design must support butterflies throughout their life cycle. Flowering nectar plants nourish adult butterflies, while the leaves of larval plants (milkweed) nourish growing caterpillars. Excellent butterfly choices include: Asclepias species, Gaura, Lantana, Armeria, Nepeta, and Monkey Flower. Also consider planting Seed Mixes for Butterflies

By dedicating a section of your vegetable garden for planting a Seed Mix. Available seeds mixes are available at: Burpee Butterly & Hummingbird Mix, Gurney’s Monarch Butterfly Mix, and Shady Oak Butterfly Farm (order seeds on Internet)

Hummingbird Nectar Plants: Appropriate nectar plants include Salvia, Hibiscus, Daylilies, Cuphea, Cigar Plant, Buddleia, Agapanthus, and Agave to name a few.

Pollinator Garden

A pollinator garden requires dedication and a desire to plant California natives, as well as shrubs with varying bloom times, and flowers with different shapes. Dedicate a planter or garden area for special seed mixes (see above) and your flowering garden will attract pollinator-friendly insects and butterflies.

Bird-Friendly Garden

A garden that provides birds with seeds, fruit, berries, and nectar-bearing plants will give you year-round pleasure as your winged friends visit you daily. As with pollinators, native plants are essential to local wildlife. Berry-producing trees and shrubs are excellent choices, as well as trees and shrubs that provide shelter and nesting areas. Year-round water is a mainstay of your bird-friendly Garden.