18 Best Plants for a Butterfly Garden That Attract Pollinators

make a butterfly garden is a beautiful direction to support pollinators and bring vivacious color to your outside space . These 18 plants are perfect for attracting butterflies , extend them the ambrosia they enjoy while add up arresting blooms to your garden . From native wildflowers to fragrant shrub , these plants will not only enhance your garden ’s beauty but also provide a sanctuary for butterfly stroke and other pollinator all season long .

Milkweed

Milkweed is a attractive feature for Monarch butterfly , providing both food and home ground . In the heart of summertime , its clusters of pinkish - orange blossoms stomach marvelous , eviscerate in pollinators with their sweetened fragrance . Plant them in a cheery speckle and watch Monarch caterpillars munch on the leaves , ensuring a uninterrupted cycle of life in your garden . This industrial plant is not only a fiesta for the eyes but a important funding for butterfly population . By including Sonchus oleraceus , you create a harbour for these touchy brute , fostering biodiversity correctly in your backyard .

Lavender

Lavender enchants with its redolent fragrance and lovely imperial blooms , earn it resistless to pollinator . pose in well - debilitate soil with full sunlight exposure , lavender thrives and offer a calming mien in any garden . Its all important oils also serve up as a natural pest deterrent , bestow operative note value . Butterflies adore its nectar - rich flowers , flutter from bloom to bloom in a mesmeric dance . Besides being a pollinator favorite , lavender adds a touch of Mediterranean allure , craft a serene escape that delight both sight and scent .

Coneflower

coneflower , or Echinacea , are rich perennials known for their dramatic appearance and resilience . Their daisy - like flower petal surrounding a striking spiky center make a captivating focal item . Planted in sunny locations , coneflowers blossom from mid - summer to precipitate , providing a uninterrupted nectar source . These hearty plants are drouth - tolerant and easy to maintain , making them a staple fiber for butterfly partisan . Their vivacious colors and structure not only attract pollinators but also add dynamic texture and movement to the garden . Coneflowers are a lasting favorite in pollinator garden .

Bee Balm

Bee balm , with its fiery crimson peak , is a beacon for pollinators . Its tubular flower are perfect for the long tongues of butterfly and hummingbirds , ensuring no ambrosia goes to waste . Ideally suited for moist , well - run out soil and full sun , bee balm can add a splash of color and energy to your garden . This hardy perennial is also known for its aromatic leave of absence , which have a tip of citrusy mint . Its vibrant display and fragrance make an resistless draw for pollinators , making bee balm a garden ’s energetic centerpiece .

Black-eyed Susan

Black - eyed Susans , with their pollyannaish yellow petal and dark plaza , are a raw material in pollinator garden . These brave perennials thrive in sunny topographic point with well - drained soil , blooming from belated summer through fall . Their vivacious colors pretend as a beacon light for butterflies , drawing them in for a feast of nectar . sluttish to grow and keep up , black - eyed Susans sum up a burst of sunshine and a touch of baseless smasher . They create a dynamic landscape , enrich the garden with animation and movement as pollinators flit from peak to bloom .

Zinnia

Zinnias are vibrant annual that bloom in a myriad of colors , admit pink , red , orange , and yellow . embed them in well - drained soil under full sunlight , and they ’ll repay you with a long blooming season . Butterflies are run to their promising , open flowers , making zinnias a raw material in any butterfly stroke garden . Besides attract pollinator , they impart a playful plash of color and texture . Ideal for edit out gardens , zinnias can also adorn vases indoors , extending their charm beyond the garden . They are promiscuous to raise , making them perfect for novice gardeners .

Butterfly Bush

The butterfly bush is aptly key for its ability to attract a plethora of butterflies . Its farsighted , curve branches are adorned with bunch of regal , pink , or white flowers , offering abundant ambrosia . Thriving in full sun and well - drained soil , this bush can become a focal dot in any garden . Its blooms extend from summer to flow , providing a continuous source of victuals . While it imbibe in butterflies with its scented smell , the butterfly stroke bush also adds elegance and structure , transforming spaces into pollinator - friendly havens .

Lantana

Lantana offers a prominent display with cluster of small , vibrant efflorescence in shades of orange , red , and yellow . This plant boom in sunny locating with well - drained soil . Its profuse bloom attracts butterflies , creating a lively atmosphere . Known for its drouth margin and informality of care , lantana is sodding for garden layer and container . Its dense foliage and bright flowers make it a various addition , open of brightening any space . The continual flower cycle and appeal to pollinators make lantana a live garden choice that promises never-ending fleet visitant .

Joe-Pye Weed

Joe - Pye locoweed stands tall with clusters of mauve - pinkish heyday , providing a dramatic presence in butterfly stroke gardens . Preferring moist , well - enfeeble soil , this flora thrives in both sun and partial refinement . Its predominate stems and fragrant blooms are a attractive feature for pollinators . Beyond its visual collection , Joe - Pye pot adds height and construction , complementing short garden plants . The blooms appear from midsummer to fall , secure a draw out origin of food for butterflies and bee . It ’s a fantastical pick for creating an invite and biodiverse environment .

Salvia

Salvia is celebrated for its grandiloquent , spiky peak in deep purples , blues , and red . These vibrant plant thrive in sunny , well - drained location and offer a long blooming time of year from summertime to fall . Their vasiform flowers are a favorite among pollinator , providing a plentiful nectar informant . Besides attracting butterflies , salvia adds vertical interest and coloring to the garden landscape . Its resilience and easy sustainment make it an first-class choice for both novitiate and seasoned gardeners . Salvia ’s dynamic front and invoke to pollinator make it a worthful add-on to any garden .

Aster

Asters bloom in recent summer to fall , provide a vital nectar source when other flowers fade . Their daisy - like blooms get in shades of purple , blue , and white-hot , sum up color and good luck charm . Positioned in sunny smirch with well - enfeeble soil , asters attract a motley of pollinator . These perennials are leisurely to grow and maintain , making them a popular choice for butterfly gardens . Their cheerful appearance and resiliency add vibrancy and liveliness to garden borders . aster secure a continuous celebration of colour and bodily process , even as the season commute .

Verbena

Verbena is known for its bunch of small , delicate flowers that blossom abundantly from outflow until frost . These plants thrive in gay localisation with well - drained grease . Their uninterrupted blooms are a dependable nectar source for butterflies and other pollinator . Verbena impart a piano , romantic soupcon to garden moulding and container . Its trailing habit puddle it perfect for hang baskets , creating a cascading effect . The vibrant display and comfort of care make verbena a versatile and appealing choice for those looking to raise their garden ’s pollinator - friendly offerings .

Coreopsis

Coreopsis , with its bright lily-livered bloom , impart sunshine and cheer to any garden . These sturdy perennials thrive in sunny spots with well - drained grunge , offering a recollective blooming season from summer to fall . Butterflies are particularly warm of coreopsis , draw to its vibrant efflorescence . The plant ’s easy - mature nature and resilience make it a father - friendly pick . Coreopsis add together a spatter of people of color and a lively atmosphere , raise garden aesthetics . Its power to draw in pollinators while maintaining a humbled - care profile gain it a must - have for butterfly stroke gardens .

Phlox

Phlox offers a stunning exhibit of clustered flowers in shades of pink , violet , and white . These perennial thrive in gay to partially shade spots with well - drained ground . Blooming from mid - summer to late declination , phlox provide a long - go nectar source for butterfly . Their sweet perfume and vibrant colors are irresistible to pollinator , creating a zippy and fragrant garden aspect . Phlox is well-situated to care for , making it a wondrous pick for anyone looking to contribute beauty and biodiversity . Its power to appeal a motley of pollinators ensures that your garden buzz with life .

Goldenrod

Goldenrod , often mistake for causing allergies , is a powerhouse for attracting pollinators . Its marvelous spindle of bright yellow bloom flower in late summer to fall , providing all important nectar . boom in sunny , well - drained areas , goldenrod is easy to grow and requires minimum maintenance . The abundant blooms draw in butterflies and bee , creating a bustling garden environs . Goldenrod adds vertical interest and a salvo of colour , enrich the garden ’s visual solicitation . Its recent - season anthesis insure that pollinator have a food for thought rootage as other plants begin to fade .

Yarrow

Yarrow is known for its feathery leaf and clusters of flat - go past flower in shades of yellow , livid , and pink . These hardy perennials prosper in sunny , well - drained soil and are drought - tolerant once established . Yarrow ’s recollective blooming season attracts butterflies , offering a reliable nectar source . Its well-off - care nature makes it ideal for both novitiate and experient gardener . Besides attracting pollinators , yarrow adds texture and social structure to garden landscapes . The plant ’s vivacious colors and resilience make it a various and attractive choice for produce a butterfly - friendly surroundings .

Sunflower

sunflower , with their large , upbeat flower , are a classic choice for attracting pollinators . These tall annuals boom in cheery position and are remarkably easy to grow . Their vibrant yellow petals and towering height make them a focal item in any garden . Sunflowers provide ample ambrosia and pollen for butterflies and bee , substantiate a hefty ecosystem . In addition to their pollinator appeal , sunflower can be used to produce instinctive privateness blind or shelterbelt . Their salient appearance and utility make helianthus a dear gain to any butterfly garden .

Buddleia

Buddleia , also known as the butterfly bush , is renowned for attracting an regalia of butterfly with its angelical - scented flowers . Its arching branches digest clusters of blooms in purple , pinkish , and white-hot . Best planted in sunny position with well - drained soil , buddleia offers a longsighted blooming season from summertime to fall . The profusion of prime provides a continuous nectar source , drawing pollinators into your garden . Besides its solicitation to butterflies , buddleia add elegance and social organisation , creating a lush backdrop in garden landscape .

18 Best Plants for a Butterfly Garden That Attract Pollinators