A black butterfly

Top Flower Picks for Your Butterfly Garden

There’s no better way to bring life and romance to your garden than adding a butterfly sanctuary. Many native Louisiana flowers and other plants are excellent picks to seed the beginnings of a blooming butterfly garden. Learn how to curate an attractive habitat with the right knowledge, plants, and resources to attract these fluttering, colorful insects.

Create the Perfect Environment for a Butterfly Garden

First, you must understand what kind of environment will be appealing to butterflies in the first place. Butterflies can be picky feeders and for good reason. Their life cycle is comprised of four very different stages, in which the butterfly’s body and immediate needs vary greatly. Butterflies can’t drink from open water, so to provide a functional watering hole for these insects, you should opt for a shallow container or pan. This way, it can be easily refilled after rainfall.

Additionally, you’ll need to balance areas of the butterfly garden that can sustain these insects at all stages of life: egg, larvae (caterpillars), chrysalis, and adult butterflies. Eggs, larvae, and caterpillars need shelter away from sunlight and rain, while adult butterflies depend on the sun to regulate their body temperature. For example, Swallowtails lay their eggs on top of the leaves of citrus trees and use them as a host plant. These butterflies nest comfortably on citrus trees throughout the duration of their life, as the young foliage of these trees is a great source of food for Swallowtails. 

Choose the Best Flowers for Your Butterfly Garden

To create a teeming microhabitat that will continue to attract butterflies with changing seasons, it’s essential to understand which nectar-producing flowers will serve as a plentiful food supply. Both annual and perennial flowers can attract butterflies, as well as vines, trees, and shrubs. Popular flowers for butterfly gardens include:

  • Hibiscus
  • Milkweed
  • Verbena
  • Zinnia
  • Bergamot
  • Dill, fennel, parsley, and other herbs
  • Lantana
  • Passionflower
  • Salvia

Planting tip: Plant your flowers together in clumps as opposed to spreading them out to attract more pollinators.

Start Your Butterfly Garden Today!

Start creating your beautiful butterfly garden with help from the experts at TPG – The Plant Gallery. Our expansive Garden Center offers a wide variety of flowers for your botanical needs, including a plant nursery that includes many species of trees, shrubs, and bedding plants. Learn more about our Garden Center and landscaping services by contacting us today.