Make an easy butterfly container garden with just a few nectar-rich plants - I've listed many for you to choose from - plus other butterfly friendly elements like rocks for them to sun on and a DIY puddler station for them to drink from.
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This is the first summer in a while that I've seen butterflies - multiple butterflies - in our yard! The monarchs haven't made their way yet, but I've seen a few swallowtails - both black and yellow. I'm pretty darn sure that's due to my efforts to bring these beauties in with host plants as well as other pollinator-friendly plants, including native plants. In fact, that was kind of my mission this summer! So I've been planting butterfly friendly plants like crazy!
I have offerings of carrots, dill, and parsley for host plants (I've seen some action in these areas already). As far as nectar-rich plants, it's basically a buffet in our backyard right now. We've got swamp milkweed, coneflowers, zinnias, asters, and more! But I wanted to make a special area just for the butterflies. So I got creative over the weekend and made a container garden in a large barrel planter and added a couple little features just for the butterflies.
I had a bunch of wildflowers in this barrel planter that were dying off and not looking so healthy. So I pulled the flowers and grabbed a few full sun perennials (butterflies like the sun) I had in single pots to create this butterfly garden. I added lantana, a small butterfly weed plant I had started from seed, as well as a beautiful "Cherry Brandy" black-eyed Susan flower my mother-in-law just gifted me. There are several different types of plants you could add to attract butterflies.
Nectar Plants for Swallowtails
- Joe Pye weed
- Butterfly bush
- Milkweed
- Phlox
- Coneflowers
- Zinnias
- Verbena
- Lantana
Nectar Plants for Monarchs
- Milkweed
- Goldenrod
- Coneflowers
- Joe Pye weed
- Butterfly bush
- Asters
- Lantana
- Black-eyed Susans
- Zinnias
How to Make an Easy Butterfly Container Garden
If you want to make your own butterfly container garden, first you'll need a planter large enough to fill with a variety of nectar-rich plants. Make sure it has drainage in the bottom, then fill it with potting soil (or a mixture of natural matter and potting soil). Then, add your plants! I don't usually follow the "spiller, thriller, filler" rule, but that's up to you. Just make sure they have some room to grow and spread.
Once I cleaned out my pot, I enriched the soil that was in there with some new potting soil. I stirred it up and then added my butterfly weed. It's small now, but it's a slow grower. I'm also having a slight aphid problem with it, but might introduce ladybugs in another week or two. Once established, this should be a perennial that's enjoyed by butterflies year after year.
Then, I added my lantana, which had already grown pretty big in the pot it was in. The little cluster of flowers are a good food source for butterflies. I also just learned that painted lady butterflies use this flower as a host plant.
The last plant I added was the "Cherry Brandy" black-eyed Susan. These flowers are like a big cup of nectar for butterflies! They're also a big enough flower for butterflies to land and rest on.
Once my planter was filled, I added a monarch butterfly stake to it. I also decided to place some bigger rocks on each side of the planter. They'll warm up in the sun and provide a warm space for butterflies.
As I was finished my butterfly garden area, I read about butterfly puddlers. I had an extra terracotta saucer, so I filled it with a mixture of sand and salt (needed for reproductive purposes), plus I added a few rocks for them to land on. You want to keep the sand moist, but not drenched.
And that's it! Everything I used for this project came from my backyard and will hopefully provide a nice spot for butterflies to come hang, drink, and enjoy some sunshine.
SUPPLIES
- At least 18 inch barrel planter, or other large planter
- Potting soil
- Variety of nectar-rich flowers, like butterfly weed, lantana, and black-eyed Susans
- Optional: butterfly garden stake, large rocks (with flat surface), butterfly puddler
STEPS
- Fill planter with potting soil (or use a mix of natural matter, like sticks, to fill bottom of planter before adding soil).
- Add plants to container. Make sure they have enough room to grow and spread. Then, water thoroughly.
- If desired, add a butterfly garden stake to the planter. Add other butterfly-friendly elements around the planter like big rocks to land and sun bathe on, and/or a butterfly puddler.
Before planting your butterfly container garden, make sure to check your gardening zone to make sure these plants will thrive in your area. I'm in zone 7b and these plants should return next year (the lantana may or may not return - I forget what variety it is, but some are cold-hardy and can survive winter).
Did you make this Easy Butterfly Container Garden project? Share it on social media using the hashtag #holokahome. Don’t forget to tag me @holokahome!
