PLANNING FOR A BUTTERFLY GARDEN

Now is the time to plan a successful butterfly garden.

Are you interested in adding double color to your garden? If so, then begin planning your butterfly garden today! When you choose plants that attract butterflies you will not only add color with those blooms, but with the butterflies they attract. To create an effective butterfly garden you need to begin planning now. Planning is so essential that I consider it just as important as water and sunlight.

The first step is to find out what plants are good for butterflies. That is easily done by consulting a library, bookstore, home and garden store or the Conservation Department. The Conservation Department has a free guide to butterfly gardening that details native and cultivated plants attractive to butterflies. It gives you tips on plant selection, arrangements and more. You can contact your local Department of Conservation office or agent for a print copy. Jump on the world wide web and visit www.conservation.state.mo.us/nathis/insects/butterf. to download the same information.

The next thing to do is contact native plant nurseries to get price guides. This will allow you to select plants and set a budget for your garden. If you view your garden as a never ending project you will not feel any pressure to finish it all at one time. You do not have to create the whole garden this year! This also means that you do not have to spend a lot of money in one season unless you want to. Stretch the project out over several years if it works better for you. This can make better use of your time and funds. A little price checking could save you money.

Third, make your plant selection. Some of you will choose the domestic plants while others will want to use the wild varieties. The domestic plants have the advantage of being easy to obtain and replace. The wild plants have the advantage of being adapted to Missouri's weather and thus are low maintenance.

As you choose plants, try to pick a variety of plants so that not every plant blooms at one time. Butterflies need nectar from spring until late autumn. Choosing a variety of species that bloom at different times of the year will provide nectar for the whole season. This means you have blooming color for a whole growing season and may keep butterflies for the same time.

Height is another thing to consider. Since most plants that attract butterflies are sun loving you will want to place taller plants so they do not shade out shorter plants. If placing the butterfly garden near a wall you want the taller plants near the center of the arrangement or closer to the wall. This enhances personal viewing and enjoyment of the garden.

After you have picked a sunny site sketch out a map with your plans. This will help you organize the garden so that when your plants arrive you are ready to go. Tilling the garden in February or March will get things ready for planting. A quick spray of a pre-emergent herbicide will kill seeds of weeds that compete with your desired plants.

Finally, consider planting shrubs as well as flowers. Many of the shrubs you can plant are not just nectar sources but food sources for caterpillars. If the shrubs are planted near to the nectar plants you increase the chances of attracting butterflies.

After planning your butterfly garden you should strive to put plants in the ground or plant seeds in March, April or May. Shrubs can be planted in spring or autumn.

A.J. Hendershott is an education consultant with the Missouri Department of Conservation.