When is the best time of year to begin planting a butterfly garden in zone 8A?

Answer #2 · Gardenality.com's Answer · I'm in Zone 8A opf Georgia and have a large butterfly garden. John's right about availability. At our nursery and garden center we cary some butterfly attracting plants year round however have more varieties in stock from April through July. Here's a list of some of my top favorite perennial plants that are sure to attract lots of butterflies...and hummingbirds as well.

Lantana - My favorites are Sonset, Chapel Hill Gold, and Miss Huff (for large areas).

Butterfly Bush - My favorites are those in the Lo & Behold Series...especially 'Blue Chip'

Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa) - This one is a very hardy dependable perennial

Bronze Fennel - One of the best host plants

Pincushion Flower (Scabiosa)

Salvia ('Black & Blue' and 'Hot Lips') - Attracts butterflies and is irresistable to hummingbirds

Best success with your butterfly garden!

Brent)

Answer #1 · Maple Tree's Answer · Hi Tina-A Butterfly garden can be planned and planted anytime of year. A few factors that would determine the best time for you would be weather conditions (rain, frost, freezing soil, etc.) and availability of plants you would like to use. Spring in Georgia (zone 8), March and April, is a great time to get started. Spring is a great time for planting perennials and many annuals. The nurseries should be getting a nice assortment of plants this time of year for you to choose from.

There are many flowering plants that attract many varieties of butterflies. If you have specific butterflies you want to attract there are lists of available plants that will attract those specific butterflies that are native to your area. When creating a Butterfly Garden you want to pick the plants they like to both feed on (Butterfly Nectar Plants) and lay eggs on (Butterfly Host Plants). Butterflies in your area will visit for longer periods of time during the year if they can find the plants they like to lay their eggs on. These are called 'Host Plants'. Some butterflies can go throught as many as four complete life cycles in one season producing four different butterflies in one year. So as you can see attracting and enjoying butterflies all summer can easily be accomplished.

I noted below links to some good articles in Gardenality regarding Butterfly Gardens that may be interesting and helpful to you. Some may want to create a Butterfly Garden that attracts those butterflies that may be native to your area. I found a site that can help you with plant selections for your specific area also. Just click on the links below to go directly to the articles. These will help you with planning, types of plants that attract butterflies, planting, pruning, and maintaining your garden.


http://www.gardenality.com/Articles/369/Garden-Types/Theme-Gardens/Butterfly-Gardens/default.html

http://www.gardenality.com/Articles/371/Garden-Types/Theme-Gardens/Planning-and-Planting-A-Butterfly-Garden/default.html

http://www.gardenality.com/Articles/373/Garden-Types/Theme-Gardens/Suggested-Butterfly-Garden-Plants/default.html

http://www.gardenality.com/Articles/764/Garden-Types/Flower-Gardens/Free-Butterfly-Garden-Designs/default.html

http://www.thebutterflysite.com/butterfly-gardening-by-area.shtml

Please let me know if you have any other questions.

John)