Invite Butterflies and Hummingbirds to your Garden

Butterflies and hummingbirds can add magic to any garden, and it's easy to invite them in. Just select the right plants - butterflies like bright colors while hummingbirds and butterflies both like blooms with plenty of nectar. Easy-to-grow plants that attract pollinators include butterfly bushes, Rose of Sharon, and Weigela. Butterfly bush (Buddleia) is a favorite of butterflies and hummingbirds. The sweet fragrance and bright summer flowers are appealing to people, too. Unfortunately, traditional butterfly bush varieties have a tendency to get overgrown and leggy. Regular pruning is often needed to keep them in check. New Lo & Behold 'Blue Chip' Buddleia is a miniature butterfly bush with all the fragrance and butterfly appeal of older varieties but in a smaller package. It stays just 24"-30" tall and wide without any pruning, and produces abundant lavender blue flowers from midsummer to frost. This continuously blooming butterfly magnet does not need deadheading, and makes a fantastic low-maintenance mass planting. A noninvasive hybrid, Blue Chip is perfect for anyone who wants to attract butterflies and hummingbirds but doesn't have space for a big plant. It can be incorporated into container gardens. While not as petite as Blue Chip, 'Miss Ruby' is a compact new variety with intense flower color. Its vivid magenta flowers are richer and brighter than those of other varieties. Miss Ruby matures to approximately 4'-5' tall and wide, not as small as Blue Chip but much more manageable than the 6'-8' range of many older varieties. These new varieties are easy to grow in full sun and are hardy to USDA Zone 5. Butterfly bushes tolerate most moist, well-drained soils. Buddleia may be trimmed back in later winter or early spring, although pruning is usually not necessary with these new varieties. Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) is another easy-to-grow plant that attracts butterflies and hummingbirds. They bloom in mid- to late summer and are available in a wide variety of colors. The pure white of White Chiffon is especially nice in the evening, while gardeners looking for deep color will appreciate the rich violet of Violet Satin. Check out the assortment at www.provenwinners.com to see which variety best suits your color scheme. All Rose of Sharon varieties do best in full sun. Weigela are even more diverse in size, shape, color and foliage. Wine & Roses is popular for attracting hummingbirds. Fine Wine is a smaller version of this favorite, and dwarf Midnight Wine is smaller yet. My Monet is another miniature Weigela. Its green and white variegated leaves often blush pink to match its pink spring flowers. The chartreuse foliage on reblooming Ghost Weigela transforms to iridescent buttercream in late summer. Weigelas are fast-growing plants that thrive in full sun. So instead of looking hard for butterflies and hummingbirds, choose these plants for your garden and sit back and enjoy the show!

HERBS AS COMPANION PLANTS

Observant farmers and gardeners have long noted that certain crops or plants give higher yield or are stronger growing when grown with another plant as a companion. Recent research bears out some of the benefits of mixed plantings, as opposed to the practice of monoculture.
The long taproots of carrot-like herbs, such as caraway and angelica, serve to break up heavy soils for easier cultivation of fine rooted herbs or vegetables. Many herbs in the mint family repel insects by aromatic oils in the foliage or stems. Root excretions from certain plants can affect the growth of other plants.
Much research remains to be done on the symbiotic relationships among plants, both above and below the soil. However, your personal experience can be of value in learning what plant combinations can prove beneficial in your garden. Below are listed a few combinations that you can try.

Vegetable or fruit / Companion Herb / Benefit

Beans / Summer Savory / Improves flavor; deters bean beetles

Beets / Chives, Garlic / Improves growth

Broccoli / Nasturtium / Attracts aphids away from crop

Brussel Sprouts / Borage, Dill / Improves growth

Cabbage / Mints, Hyssop, Sage / Deters cabbage moth

Carrots / Sage, Chives / Sage deters carrot fly;
Chives improves growth

Cucumbers / Tansy / Deters striped cucumber beetle

Eggplant / Tarragon, Thyme / Improves growth

Fruit Trees / Chives, Southernwood / Chives protects against apple scab;
Southernwood repels fruit moth

Grapes / Hyssop / Increases yield of vines

Lettuce / Wormwood (at a distance) / Will deter animals from entering garden

Peppers / Marjoram, Lovage / Enhances flavor; improves growth

Potatoes / Horseradish / Helps crop resist disease

Radish / Chervil / Planted in alternate rows improves growth
and flavor

Raspberry / Rue / Deters Japanese beetles

Roses / Garlic, Chives / Increases fragrance

Squash, Pumpkins / Nasturtium, Tansy, Borage / Deters squash bug & striped pumpkin beetle

Strawberry / Borage / Improves flavor

Tomato / Basil / Improves growth and flavor

Combinations to avoid: Cabbage and strawberries; tomatoes and cabbage; rue and sweet basil; fennel and green beans, tomatoes; fennel hinders the germination of caraway and coriander; fennel disturbs the growth of tomatoes and green beans; wormwood inhibits the growth of fennel, sage, caraway, and anise.

Add to your compost pile: Comfrey is the ideal compost builder; Melon leaves add calcium; Stinging nettle stimulates humus formation; Tansy concentrates potassium; Valerian attracts earthworms.