HELP! I have a brain freeze about what I want to do with the new area I want to make into a butterfly/hummingbird garden. I originally was planning on doing some raised beds to match what I have, but have decided it would be too much of the same. I have a squareish area to work with, about 8 x 9 feet that I will likely make into a berm. I already have my plant list and some seeds started, just need to figure out the installation.
Would love to see all your pictures.
This is the view of my Butterfly/Hummingbird garden from my bedroom window. the garden itself has only been in since february. there was absolutely nothing there before I put these beds in. Its still a young garden and since this picture, the corner bed has been extended on either side and a few more plants added tot he center round bed. Ive yet to take pics of that. I love this garden already, but will more so when all the plants fill in and get taller. Ive already attracted Hummers (they could care less about the darn feeder so i took it down) and a number of Sulfurs and Monarchs have visited as well.
This message was edited Apr 13, 2009 11:08 PM
I'm dealing with my own headache...grrrr...lol
I'm trying to incorporate a dozen more host plants into a new garden which will be 1/2 filled with irises and the other 1/2 will have mainly the new host plants with a few hummingbird plants too. What is driving me crazy is that almost all of them are going to grow to be 3-4' tall...so I am having a nightmare figuring out placement. I wish 1/2 of them would grow to be just 12-18"...or to just 2'...nope!
Good Grief!
LOL.. I just plant them and let it go, but then again, Im fond of that cottage, messy look
Nice space you have there Cue! Looks like it will be easy to expand if you want.
Susan, I think I'm going to add some drainage tiles for vertical height and plant some of the smaller and trailing plants. Maybe some allysum and ageratum, etc. Maybe you could find something similar (wiskey barrels, pots, etc.)
I had a brain storm and this is what I think I'll be doing with that area. While the paths take away planting space, they are necessary with two dogs. These areas will be slightly mounded too, in order to let the dogs know it is a place they shouldn't be in (ha!).
great idea. BTW, how'd you layout your design like that? what software (if any) did you use?
Photoshop. I just did it quick. you could probably use any software program that has drawing and layer options.
cool, thanks. I have photoshop. have had it for a year now, and have yet to figure out how to use it...LOL
It can be daunting. I use it for work so it's not too bad. My drawing skills suck though. This could also have been done easily in Illustrator, but since I had the picture already reduced to web size, I went ahead and did it this way.
Mrs_Ed, look like you've got all the tools needed, and you're well on your way. Cue_Chick; my sentiment exactly. lol. I'm learning by trails and errors. Last year I placed my 'butterfly-garden' to the front -- not so this year. It overgrew into a real jungle real fast. So I'm reserving the spot for some low growing colorful annuals. Butterfly garden will be focused on the side yard, should some grow wildly? I name them my 'cottage garden for the butterflies' lol.
For me, I don't have too many spots that are full sun. Most of those spots are taken already except for this spot and the areas on the outside of the fence.
Here is one of my hummer gardens I started last year. Butterfly bush, coral bells, lupines, hibiscus, and clematis are starting to return. I also add impatiens and salvia. It fills in quite nicely and its not fancy but the hummers and butterflys heart it! Its about 13x6 feet. It was my old herb garden, there are still chives, oregeno, onions, catnip, and garlic there!
The hummer feeder is hung from the arbor aka stargate. Its in part sun/shade.
And this little 4x4 area where the the dog house used to be. Bee balm, clematis, and mint return and I plant impatiens in the pots and hang a fushia from the hook. No feeder here, just flowers. I planted it last year also. PS Hi Mrs Ed!
And edit to say Lily_Love your place it out of this world!!!! (Birdwatching Forum)
This message was edited Apr 19, 2009 4:46 PM
Very Nice GM, except for that Yankees stone ;-P
So even in Part sun/shade you get butterflies? My "hummingbird island" (pic attached) garden last year didn't see much butterfly action, that's part of why I'm moving to a new sunnier area.
This garden will be where my pond is going.
Yes, I get plenty of BF in the part sun/shade.
Maggie, thank you. I think it's mostly due to my photography skill. (I hope it's improving, lol). Full sun is a premium here due to many large trees and I'm a trees-hugger. (Something not many knows about me, lol). BFs. visited my partial shade garden too, but most of the time, it's the annual, colorful bed that was in the front of the border that was where I found them the most last year, Mrs_Ed. So as it turned out, I've the hostplant to the side, and the nectaring plants to the fronts. Hmmm, I did never make that distinction 'til now. :-)
Here is a tear-drop shape of my little perennial bed; here I've Rue, butterfly bush, Fennels and other hostplants to attract my BFs friends. I started this bed year before last in the fall. The following spring it looked pretty much established. Now I'm adding more natives plants to the garden. I hope I'm not overcrowding them.
