Best Plants to Attract Bees, Birds, & Butterflies
Best Plants to Attract Bees, Birds, & Butterflies
Lavender
Given a sunny, well-drained site, lavenders will thrive in dry, poor soil and even self-seed. An annual top dressing of compost and occasional watering during very dry spells is welcome, but avoid overfeeding with high-nitrogen fertilizers or rich manures.
Compact varieties grow happily in containers, but require a coarse potting mix that doesn’t stay soggy, and you will need to water, sparingly, in the summer. In the fall, protect the roots from freezing by sinking the pot in a flowerbed for the winter or moving the potted plant into your garage until spring, then repot in fresh soil.
Bee balm
A North American native, thriving in woodland areas—Also known by its botanical name of Monarda, bee balm is very attractive to bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. The bee balm flower has an open, daisy-like shape, with tubular petals in shades of red, pink, purple and white. Bee balm plants are perennial, coming back year after year to add cheerful color to your garden.
How to Plant Bee Balm
Bee balm plants prefer moist, rich soil, and a sunny location. Bee balm will tolerate shade, particularly in hot-summer areas. Plant it in any protected spot that would benefit from a bright shot of color. Most varieties of the bee balm plant are between 2 1/2 feet to 4 feet tall, but there are also dwarf varieties less than 10 inches high. Dwarf varieties are excellent for container gardens or up front in your flower border where you can appreciate the shaggy, tubular blooms of the bee balm flower.
Butterfly Bush
Butterfly bushes (Buddleia davidii) are grown for their long panicles of colorful flowers and their ability to attract butterflies and beneficial insects. They bloom in spring and summer, but the naturally attractive shape of the shrub and evergreen foliage keep the bush interesting, even when it is not in bloom. These tough plants tolerate a variety of conditions and are hardy in USDA plant hardiness zones 5 through 9.
AntennariaPussytoes, (pink and red)
Pussytoes ground cover is remarkably resistant to disease and pests, including deer and rabbits. It is also an attractor for pollinating insects and a host for the American Lady butterflies.
Sweet William (Dianthus)
Dianthus flowers (Dianthus spp.) are also called “pinks.” They belong to a family of plants which includes carnations and are characterized by the spicy fragrance the blooms emit. Dianthus plants may be found as a hardy annual, biennial or perennial and most often used in borders or potted displays.
Book titles from the Penticton Library:
Attracting Birds to Your Backyard
536 Ways to Create a Have for Your Favorite Birds
For the BIRDS
A Month-by-Month Guide to Attracting Birds to Your Backyard
Authors: Schmauss, Schmauss, Krolick
Gardening for Butterflies
How you can attract and protect beautiful, beneficial insects
The Xerces Society
Hummingbirds
Authors: Orenstein, Fogden
Hummingbirds and Butterflies
Authors: Bill Thompson III & Connie Toops
Victory Gardens for Bees
A DIY Guide to Saving the Bees
Author: Lori Weidenhammer
Protect Young Crops from Birds
Hang a line of aluminum pie pans above the plants.
The movement and noise usually keep birds away from the plants.
How to Prepare Birds to Be Photographed
Stuff a pair of jeans and a shirt with newspaper to make a dummy and prop it in place where you intend to take pictures of the birds. Let the birds get used to it for a few days and they probably won’t notice when you take the dummy’s place.
Quick Nectar Tips
(Note: White sugar water most closely matches nectar from flowers. Brown sugar, honey and molasses are not recommended.)
Hang nectar feeders separate from seed feeders. Hang in the shade.
Nectar recipe is 4 parts water to 1 part white sugar. No food colouring. Bring to a boil for one minute, cool, and serve.
Change nectar twice a week to maintain freshness and increase bird activity.
Store unused nectar in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Provide 2 or more feeders if birds become overly competitive (territorial). Place one feeder out of sight of the other.
Generic Plan for a Backyard Butterfly Habitat
Alliums
Pink peonies and purple alliums
Peonies
Planting In Zone 5: Gardening Tips For Zone 5
(West Bench)
Zone 5 plants can survive winter temperatures no lower than -20 degrees Fahrenheit
(-28 C.). If a plant is hardy in zones 5-8, it can be grown in zones 5, 6, 7 and 8. It would probably not survive the cold winter temperatures in zone 4 or lower. It also could probably not survive the hot, dry summers and inadequate time for dormancy in zone 9 or higher. Continue reading to learn about the best plants zone 5 gardens.
About Zone 5 Gardens
The average date on last frost in zone 5 is around April 15. Most zone 5 gardeners tend to hold off until early to mid-may before planting vegetable gardens and annual beds. Most annuals and vegetables do very well in zone 5, as long as they are not hit by a late frost while they are young. Many tough zone 5 or above perennials can withstand a late frost or will still be dormant in early spring.
Best Plants for Zone 5
A large variety of perennials grow wonderfully in zone 5 gardens.
Creeping phlox, dianthus, creeping thyme, stonecrop and violets are excellent ground covers for sunny zone 5 gardens. For all season long color, interplant zone 5 hardy perennials like:
Bee balm
Echinacea
Phlox
Daylily
Delphinium
Rudbeckia
Filipendula
Sedum
Lilies
Lavender
Gaillardia
Poppy
Salvia
Penstemon
Russian sage
Hollyhock
Peony
Butterfly weed
For a shady zone 5 garden, try ajuga, lamium, lungwort, or mukdenia as a ground cover or border. Interplantings here could include:
Coral bells
Hosta
Ligularia
Ferns
Bleeding heart
Jacob’s ladder
Hellebore
Foxglove
Monkshood
Spiderwort
Astilbe
Balloon flower
Top 5 picks of trees and shrubs for zone 5 gardens:
Deciduous Shade Trees
October Glory or Autumn Blaze Maple, zones 3-8
Pin Oak, zones 4-8
Skyline Honey locust, zones 3-9
Cleveland Select pear, zones 5-8
Ginkgo, zones 3-9
Deciduous Ornamental Trees
Royal Rain Drops Crabapple, zones 4-8
Ivory Silk Japanese Lilac tree, zones 3-7
Redbud, zones 4-9
Saucer Magnolia, zones 4-9
Newport Plum, zones 4-10
Evergreen Trees
Arborvitae, zones 3-8
Colorado Blue Spruce, zones 2-7, or Black Hills, zones 3-7
Douglas or Concolor Fir, zones 4-8
Hemlock, zones 3-7
White Pine, zones 3-7
Deciduous Shrubs
Dappled Willow, zones 5-9
Red-twig Dogwood, zones 2-9
Forsythia, zones 4-8
Easy Elegance or Knockout Rose, zones 4-8
Weigela, zones 4-9
Evergreen Shrubs
Boxwood, zones 4-9
Juniper, zones 3-9
Mr. Bowling Ball Arborvitae, zones 3-8
Yew, zones 4-7
Golden Mops, zone 5-7
These are not all inclusive lists. Zone 5 gardeners will find many beautiful trees, shrubs and perennials at local garden centers that grow very reliably in their zone.
Zone 6 Growing Tips: What Are The Best Plants For Zone 6
(City of Penticton and along the Lakes)
Zone 6 usually experiences a yearly low of -10 F. (-23 C.).
Planting and growing zone 6 plants typically begins around mid-March (after the last frost) and continues through mid-November.
Best Plants for Zone 6
You may have to start some seeds indoors in March and April, but you can transplant your seedlings outside in May or June and experience a long, productive growing season. The best plants for zone 6 that can be sown outside as early as March are cold weather crops like lettuce, radishes, and peas. Of course, many other vegetables perform well in zone 6 too, including common garden varieties of:
Tomatoes
Squash
Peppers
Potatoes
Cucumbers
Perennial favorites that thrive in this zone include:
Bee balm
Coneflower
Salvia
Daisy
Daylily
Coral bells
Hosta
Hellebore
Common shrubs known to grow well in Zone 6 are:
Hydrangea
Rhododendron
Rose
Rose of Sharon
Azalea
Forsythia
Butterfly bush
What are the fastest growing flowers from seed?
Alpine aster
Bachelor buttons
Bee balm
Blackberry Lily
Black-eye Susan (perennial)
Black-eyed Susan (vine)
Blanket flower
Calendula
Chocolate vine
Clematis
Cleome
Columbines
Coreopsis
Dianthus
Delphinium
Cosmos
Cup-and-saucer vine
Foxglove
Fuchsias
Hyacinth bean vine
Hardy geranium
Marigold
Mexican sunflower
Morning glory vine
Nigella
Nicotiana
Nasturtiums
Pansy
Passionflower
Poppies
Purple coneflower
Snowdrop anemone
Sunflowers
Snapdragons
Star Jasmine
Sweet Alyssum
Sweet peas
Verbena
Wisteria
Zinnia