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A flower-filled yard or garden is a reward in itself, but there’s something really special about becoming a popular stop for butterflies, bees and hummingbirds. Strader’s can get you equipped with everything you need to attract these cheerful visitors.
Among Ohio’s more common butterflies are the Painted Lady, Spice Bush Swallowtail, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail and the classic Monarch. For most any species of butterfly, larvae need milkweed or similar plants to mature, but once they’ve emerged, they look for fragrant flowers with shallow petals so they can reach the nectar.
One of the more popular and easy ways to draw in butterflies is with Butterfly Weed plants. Typically bright orange with clumps of small flowers, this plant is rather easy to keep, though if you plant them from seeds, it will take a few years to get flowers. Other plants to consider for attracting butterflies include the following:
Similar to the Butterfly Weed, the Butterfly Bush grows long, spiked trusses full of small blooms that butterflies love to climb on. There are several color varieties, but butterflies tend to like lavender-pink, or mauve flowers.
Also called a purple coneflower, this Ohio native flower can grow pretty tall in full sun and is rather tolerant, making it good for patio containers. They are drought and deer resistant, and the flower heads can be removed in the fall, or left intact to feed finches and other birds.
A slim, erect flowering plant with grass-like leaves, this dense flower, also known as gayfeather or marsh blazing star, is popular with butterflies and hummingbirds. They bloom from July through September and are valuable to native bees. Being natives to marsh edges and prairies, they do like moist soil.
A great deer-resistant flower with bright colors, some varieties of this plant bloom in May and June, while others last into the fall season. Coreopsis is also drought-resistant and likes full sun and well-drained soil.
A fragrant flower for bees, butterflies and hummingbirds, Bee Balm is good for a well-watered garden, liking moist soil and part shade or full sun. It’s also deer-resistant! The flowers are colorful and unusual with tubular petals.
These are some of the more popular bee and butterfly plants we stock at Strader’s. Your on-site specialists can give you tips for growing these and other excellent options for attracting Ohio’s amazing butterflies to your yard or garden.
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