Learn how to attract more butterflies to your garden with the best flowers for butterflies guaranteed to add color and variety.

You want to attract more pollinators, especially butterflies, to your garden but you’re unsure which flowers will best attract them.

What colors, shapes, or scents should you plant?

Listen to the player above and then read on below to learn about 5 of their favorite flowers and how easy each one is to maintain.

Monarch butterfly on a milkweed plant in Spoken Garden's podcast

 

In “Best Flowers for Attracting Butterflies” – Ep. 35 – learn about low maintenance flowers that are guaranteed to attract all kinds of butterflies and other pollinators. 

This episode is meant for any gardener who wants to learn how to attract butterflies to their garden. 

 

Jump ahead to the section you need:

 

Because you want to attract more pollinators, we’ve created a pollinator garden shopping list that might be helpful for you!

If you want to get started now, there are many other beautiful milkweeds that are magnets for butterflies. We’re affiliates for Eden Brothers and they have many milkweed seeds to offer which we highly recommend.

 

 These specific Sunset Flower Milkweed seeds would be perfect for your butterfly garden! They are a native wildflower that are colorful, easy to maintain, and loved by butterflies for their nectar and as caterpillar host plants.

Plus, when you get to the Eden Brothers checkout, because we are affiliates (which means we receive a small commission at no cost to you which helps us run our website and podcast), use our special coupon code “SPOKEN” for an extra 15% off your order!! 

 

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Butterfly Garden Plants

Butterflies fly gracefully from flower to flower looking for nectar to eat. 

They also need water, shelter from weather and predators, and good nesting sites.

If you want to attract butterflies to your garden this summer, you want to make sure to have these plants in your yard and planted by the end of spring. 

There are many more plants and flowers out there that can attract butterflies to your garden which you can find on this flower list.

Also, if you want to learn more about Butterfly behavior or help the migrating Monarch Butterflies, check out these Birds & Blooms articles.

 

 Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa)

Orange Butterfly Milkweed flowers and butterflies advertised in Spoken Garden's plant profile post.

These plants have clusters of bright yellow, orange, and red flowers that seem to be a magnet for butterflies. 

Generally, milkweeds:

  • Are perennials that flower in the summer
  • Grow anywhere from 24-36 inches high 
  • Prefer full sun
  • Can be direct-sown
  • Grow in USDA Hardiness zones 4-10 

You can buy milkweeds either as seeds or roots ready to plant.

Unfortunately, Eden Brothers (a great company who we are affiliates for) is sold out of the Butterfly Milkweed for spring of 2019, but they still have seeds available for the Swamp Milkweed and the Blood Flower Milkweed which have similar characteristics.

 


Blazing Star (Liatris spicata) 

Liatris spicata in a pot

This plant has flower spikes of blue, purple, and white colored flowers that create a bright oasis to attract butterflies.

The Blazing-Star Liatris:

  • Is a perennial corm-bulb that flowers in the summer
  • Can grow anywhere from 24-48 inches high
  • Likes sun to partial shade
  • Can be directly sown
  • Grows in USDA hardiness zones 3-9

 

Purple Coneflowers (Echinacea or Echinacea purpurea)

Purple coneflowers in a butterfly garden

Coneflowers are a part of the huge daisy family.

These plants show bright purple and pink bursts of flower color in your garden that butterflies can’t resist.

In general, purple coneflower:

  • Is an herbaceous perennial
  • Grows each year from a crown of buds at about soil level and then dies back to the ground in the mid-fall to winter
  • Blooms in the summer
  • Can grow anywhere from 24-36 inches high
  • Prefers full sun
  • Can be directly sown
  • Grows in USDA hardiness zones 3-9.

 

Black-eyed Susan or Rudbekia huerta 

A staple in many cottage gardens, Black-Eyed Susans are also a member of the gigantic daisy family.

This plant attracts butterflies with bright-yellow, red, or orange flower petals and a dark brown or black center. Some flower petals have a mix of yellow, orange, and red bands leading into the black center.

In general, Black-Eyed Susans:

  • Are technically biennials. This means they grow leaves the first year and then flower the second year during the summer months
  • Can grow anywhere from 12-36 inches
  • Prefer full sun
  • Can be directly sown
  • Grow in USDA Hardiness zones 3-9.

 

Phlox or Phlox drummondii grandiflora 

 

Phlox are considered either flowering annuals or perennials depending on your climate zone.

These beautiful flowers bloom throughout the summer with their pink, purple, cream, red, blue or white flowers. Some even have mixed colors that butterflies cannot resist. 

Generally, Phlox:

  • Flowers mid to late summer into fall
  • Can grow up to 24-inches tall
  • Prefers full sun
  • Can be directly sown
  • Grows in USDA Hardiness zones 2-11

 

 

 Creating a Butterfly Garden

A pollinator garden is a garden made up of plants that flower during different seasons which provide nectar and pollen to many different insects, birds, and other animals.

To create a butterfly garden, you need to entice them with specific colorful flowers. They also need access to water, a protected habitat for nesting, shelter from weather/predators, and find safety in non-pesticide-use garden areas.

Two types of plants that butterflies need are host plants and nectar plants. And, in general, butterflies are attracted to reds, yellows, oranges, pinks, purples, etc.

Examples of host plants would be milkweed or parsley (depending on the type of butterfly).

Examples of nectar plants for butterflies are:

 

Keep on scrolling to see links to many of these products below!!

 

  Butterfly Gardening Videos

 

 

 

 

 Butterfly Plants for Sale

 

Bloodflower / Sunset Flower Seeds, Bright …

 

Liatris spicata in a pot

Gayfeather / Blazing Star Seeds, Purple Fl…

 

Purple coneflowers in a butterfly garden

Purple Coneflower Seeds (Echinacea).. 

 

 

Black-Eyed Susan in a garden

Check out this beautiful variety of Black-Eyed Susan available at Eden Brothers!

Black Eyed Susan Seeds – Marmalade, Summer…

 

Annual Phlox Seeds – Tall Mix, White/Pink/…

For each of these flowers above, use our coupon!

When you get to the Eden Brothers checkout, because we are affiliates (which means we receive a small commission at no cost to you which helps us run our website and podcast), use our special coupon code “SPOKEN” for an extra 15% off your order!! 

First, enter SPOKEN into their coupon code box (just like the first photo). You will know you received the coupon if you see the “coupon applied” notice (see the second photo).

 

 

Or, if you need to shop for other garden plants for this spring and summer, click the link below.

Click here for the most up to date deals and plants on Amazon!

 

 

 

Butterfly Plants Conclusion

We’ve presented 5 flower ideas for you to plant guaranteed to attract butterflies.

With low maintenance perennials (and some annuals), you can create an oasis that is not only beautiful but functional.

Now we want to hear from you!

Which of these flowers above would you consider planting in your butterfly garden, and why?

Let us know by leaving a quick comment below. Thanks!

 

That’s all for this DIY garden minute episode!

You can find other one-minute topics on our podcast page at spokengarden.com/podcast

On Instagram or Pinterest under @SpokenGarden (all one word) to follow or leave us a comment.

Find us on your favorite podcast platform and Alexa through MyPod or AnyPod!

 

Butterfly Flowers References: 

 

And hey—before you head out—if you want to connect with us and subscribe to our newsletter go to Spoken Garden’s free resource page!

We have FREE garden content we are so excited to give to you, like cheat sheets, plant profile sheets, etc!

Thanks for Listening!!!

 

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Liatris and Black-Eyed Susan with butterflies with text overlay in Spoken Garden's podcast advertisement

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Learn how to attract more butterflies to your garden with the best flowers for butterflies guaranteed to add color and variety.

 

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Today’s Topic: 

Best Flowers for Butterflies

Learn how to attract butterflies to your garden with their favorite flowers. With our 5 suggested plants, you’re guaranteed to invite these and other pollinators to your garden.

Downloads: 

Show Notes

Pollinator Garden Shopping List 

What You’ll Learn:

  • 5 best flowers for butterfly gardens.
  • Where to buy each of the 5 flowers.
  • Links and videos for further resources and education.

Resources: 

Some of the resources and products below may be affiliate links, meaning we might get paid a commission (at no extra cost to you) if you use that link to make a purchase.

Other Gardening Products Related To This Podcast You Might Not Have: