Arlene Wright-Correll

Butterflies, Bees and Hummingbirds, Oh My! ©



Posted: Sunday, September 07, 2008

by
http://www.learn-america.com

Who would not want to have Butterflies, Bees and Hummingbirds in their gardens? Well you can if you plant the correct plants.

One such plant that the Monarch and Swallowtail butterflies, bees and hummingbirds dearly love is the Asclepia tuberose or the Butterfly Flower which is a vivid orange flower that will grace you summer garden. This plant produces 2 inch flower heads that will profusely bloom practically all summer. It survives droughts and does well even in poor soil. The deer hate it and it loves sun doing well in zones 3 to 9.

If you have a stone wall or a tree trunk or a fence you want to cover then consider the Hummingbird vine because when it bursts into glorious orange-red, trumpet shaped 3 inch flowers the hummingbirds will flock to it. These grow 20 to 40 feet in height, so think before you plant them because they are hardy and do well in zones 4 to 8.

I do love the Gaillardia as much as the butterflies do and they come alive with fiery bring yellow on pink flowers in early summer and stay on through to fall. They do well in any well drained soil and like the sun. The deer also do not like these flowers. They do well in zones 3 to 110 and when you plant them space them about 18 inches apart. They will grow to about 14 inches tall.

One year I planted some Verbascum and I discovered the butterflies loved them. I liked them because they tolerate drought real well and they grow to about 18 inches in height blooming from early to mid-summer in zones 5 to 9.

When you want to keep the birds and bees a little longer plant some Moerheim Beauty Helenium because this is a long living perennial that takes hardly any care and produces 2 to 3 inch blooms with flowers that gradually change from bright vermilion to burnt orange as they bloom from summer into the fall. These are tall flowers going as high as 36 inches. They make great cut flowers, the deer hate them and they do well in zones 3 to 9.

A garden is an investment and investments take time and money so when you want to bet on a perennial to attract the birds, bees and hummingbirds seriously consider the Fantasy Monarda which is truly an exotic eye catcher. Yellow and purple and green flowers and leaves bloom for weeks and fill your garden with fragrance, not only growing in full or partial sun, they adapt to difficult or wet soils yet survive droughts. Growing 24 to 28 inches in height, they do well in zones 4 to 9 and should be spaced about 2 feet apart.

I hope you enjoy my watercolor work of art of the butterfly that visited the zinnia in my garden.

"Tread the Earth Lightly" and in the meantime May your day be filled with

Peace, Light and Love,

Author's note: This article was originally written for GreenThumbArticles.com

About the Author & Artist. Arlene Wright-Correll (1935- ___), popular American award winning Artist, published author, columnist, & is the resident art instructor for Avalon Stained Glass School, at the age of 68, decided to pick up her paint brushes again after 54 years and paint.  She is a cancer and stroke survivor who is able to strive forward each and everyday to welcome the beauty of this small planet.  She also is a China & Porcelain painter, Sandblasting & Etching, Stained Glass & fused glass Artisan. She is one of the six KY Artists who worked 6 months to create the dolls for Journey Jots in 2006 and a Smithsonian Institute art exhibit in 2008. Her published books can be found here . She is also a featured writer for GreenThumbArticles.com and teaches Art Vacation Holidays at Avalon Stained Glass School and Creativity Center.

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