Creating a butterfly garden
Creating a butterfly garden, or a garden for wildlife, can be done by choosing nectar rich plants and shrubs. These will attract butterflies, moths, bees and other beneficial insects to visit even the smallest of gardens. Planted and placed in a warm sheltered spot, they can be grown in the ground, in Patio pots, troughs, old buckets or washing-up bowls.
Habitat Loss
The loss of wildflower meadows, hedgerows, woodlands and the over use of chemicals in the countryside by intensive farming, has seriously effected the numbers of our butterfly species, creating a butterfly garden can help reverse this decline for some of our butterflies.
Choosing Plants
When choosing a selection of plants, if possible choose a mixture of both native wildflowers and cultivated varieties. These types of plants are often referred to as herbaceous perennials, biennials or cottage garden flowers they are usually colourful easy to grow and require little maintenance. Shrubs like Buddleia are also easy maintenance and a magnet for summer garden butterflies.
There are many species of Native plants some of which are generally considered by gardeners as common weeds such as dandelions, buttercups, and daises. These hardy wild perennials are probably some of the earliest wild flowering plants and play an important role in early spring and will often continue to flower late into autumn.
Will butterflies breed in my garden?
If Peacock, Comma, or Small Tortoiseshell butterflies are visitors to your garden you can encourage them to breed by planting some Nettles. The Nettles are best planted in a tub or trough then buried in the ground, this will stop them from spreading around the garden. Carefully choose a sunny position near nectar plants, female butterflies can be quite fussy where they lay their precious eggs.
Why Early Flowering Plants so important to wildlife?
Spring flowering plants and shrubs provide a welcome nectar source, for butterflies, moths, bees and other insects awakening from winter hibernation. Butterflies like the Peacock, Comma, Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshells and Brimstone will all benefit from a selection of well chosen plants in a carefully planned butterfly garden.
Spring Flowering Plants
Wild Primrose (Primula vulgaris)
- Colour: Pale Yellow.
- Light: Full sun - Partial Shade
- Flowering: February to May.
- Height: 25cm.
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Aubretia (Aubrieta deltoidea)
- Colour: Pink - purples - blues.
- Light: Full sun - Partial Shade
- Flowering: March to June
- Height: 10-20cm.
Sweet rocket (Hesperis matronalis)
- Colour: Purple - white
- Light: Full sun - Partial shade
- Flowering: May-June
- Height: 90cm-120cm.
Violets (Viola riviniana wild and cultivated varieties)
- Colour:
- Light: sun and shade
- Flowering: April-June.
- Height:
Sweet William (Dianthus barbatus)
- Light: Full sun
- Flowering: May-July
- Height: 20-45cm.
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Cowslips (primula veris)
- Colour: Pale Yellow.
- soil type: calcareous.
- Flowering: April to June.
- Height around: 30cm.
Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
- Colour: Yellow.
- Light: Full Sun.
- Flowering: March to October.
- Height:
Native Bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scripta)
- Colour: Blue, White
- Light: Shade
- Flowering: April-June
- Height:
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Common Lilac (Syringa vulgaris)
- Light: full sun-partial shade
- Flowering: April- June
- Height: up to 7m.
- Origin: Non-Native
Yellow Rattle (Rhinanthus minor)
- Colour: yellow
- Flowering: May to September
- Height: up to 45cm
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Summer Flowering Plants
Knapweed (Centaurea species)
- Light: Sun-partial shade
- Flowering: June-August
- Height: 45-150cm.
- Origin: Native
Wild Marjoram also named (Oregarno) (Origanum vulgare)
- Colour: Purple.
- Light: Full Sun.
- Flowering: July-September.
- Height: 20-80 cm.
Buddleia Butterfly Bush (Buddleja all varieties)
- Colours: Purple, Red, Yellow and more
- Light: Full Sun
- Flowering: July-late November.
- Height:True Dwarfs - Large
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Honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum)
- Light: Full sun-Partial shade
- Flowering: June-September
- Height: 2-10m.
Yarrow / Achillea (all wild and cultivated varieties)
- Light: Full Sun
- Flowering: June-October
- Height:1-15m.
- Origin:Native – Non-Native.
Scabious (Scabiosa spp.)
- Colour:
- Light: Full Sun
- Flowering: June-September
- Height: 50-60cm.
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Autumn Flowers
Coneflowers (Rudbeckia, Echinacea)
- Colour:
- Light: Sunny
- Flowering: July to October
- Height: 60-90cm.
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More great nectar plants
- Sweet rocket (Hesperis matronalis)
- Michaelmas daisy (Aster novi-belgii)
- Thyme (Thymus drucei)
- Catmint (Nepeta mussinii)