{"id":2120,"date":"2009-03-10T07:40:33","date_gmt":"2009-03-10T11:40:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.shadowmanor.com\/blog\/?p=2120"},"modified":"2009-03-09T12:58:09","modified_gmt":"2009-03-09T16:58:09","slug":"theme-garden-faeries-and-butterflies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.shadowmanor.com\/blog\/?p=2120","title":{"rendered":"Theme Garden: Faeries (and Butterflies)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AmidOkay, if you want to get technical<\/em>, this garden will probably attract more butterflies and hummingbirds than faeries. However, it’s the thought that counts, and who’s to say for sure whether that little creature that just whizzed past was a hummingbird or one of the Wee Folk?* (Besides, tradition has it that faeries are attracted to gardens where butterflies are plentiful, so you might just get lucky.)<\/p>\n

The garden can be as large or small as space allows, and in a pinch nothing more elaborate than a window box or a few flowerpots will suffice.<\/p>\n

The first step is to make your garden attractive to wildlife in general: Avoid pesticides, make sure there’s a water source (such as a birdbath or small fountain), and provide shelter: Siting the garden near woods or a dense hedge is ideal, but a smaller garden can use a birdhouse or even a clay flowerpot turned on its side instead.<\/p>\n

Hummingbirds and adult butterflies both like plants that produce a lot of nectar, but butterflies also appreciate “host” plants that their caterpillars eat: Check with your local wildlife extension about host plants. It’s best to select plant species which are native to your area, since they’ll not only grow best but they’ll also attract the most butterflies. Try to arrange your plant selection so that something is in bloom throughout the growing season. A “cottage”-type garden with a slightly overgrown look and a variety of flowers is perfect for this (and gets extra points because it’s lower maintenance).<\/p>\n

There are loads of plants which are suitable for this type of garden, including:<\/p>\n

Anemone species
\nAster (Callistephus chinensis)
\nBaby’s Breath (Gypsophilia)
\nBeardtongue (Penstemon)
\nBee Balm (Monarda didyma)
\nBergamot\/Horse Mint (Monarda)
\nBlanket Flower (Gaillardia aristata)
\nBluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta)
\nBurning Bush (Dictamnus albus)
\nButtercup (Ranunculus)
\nButterfly Bush (Buddleia davidii\/Buddleia alternifolia)
\nButterfly Flower (Schizanthus wisetonensis)
\nButterfly Lily (Hedychium coronarium)
\nButterfly Orchid (Oncidium papilio)
\nButterfly Pea (Clitoria ternata)
\nButterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)
\nChrysanthemums (Chrysanthemum)
\nCinquefoil (Potentilla fruticosa)
\nColumbine (Aquilegia)
\nCommon Garden Petunia (Petunia hybrida)
\nCommon Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
\nCommon Zinnia (Zinnia elegans)
\nConeflower (Echinacea purpurea)
\nCoralbells (Heuchera)
\nCoreopsis (Coreopsis grandiflora\/verticillata)
\nCornflower (Centaurea cyanus)
\nCosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus)
\nEnglish Lavender (Lavendula angustifolia)
\nForget-me-not (Myosotis)
\nFour o’Clocks (Mirabilis jalapa)
\nFoxglove (Digitalis)
\nGayfeather (Liatris spicata)
\nGiant Hyssop (Agastache)
\nGloriosa Daisy (Rudbeckia hirta)
\nHeather (Erica)
\nHollyhock (Alcea)
\nLavender (Lavandula)
\nLilac (Syringa vulgaris)
\nLily of the Valley (Convallaria majalis)
\nLobelia species
\nMexican sunflower (Tithonia)
\nNasturtium (Tropaeolum)
\nNew York Aster (Aster novi-belgii)
\nPassion Flower (Passiflora incarnata)
\nPeonies (Paeoniaceae)
\nPeriwinkle (Vinca)
\nPincushion Flowers (Scabiosa caucasica)
\nPinks (Dianthus caryophyllus)
\nPoppy (Papaver)
\nPrimrose (Primula)
\nRabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus nauseosus)
\nRed Hot Poker (Kniphofia)
\nRosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
\nRoses (Rosa)
\nSea Holly (Eryngium bourgatii)
\nSea Pink (Armeria maritima)
\nShrubby Cinquefoil (Potentilla fruitiosa)
\nSnapdragons (Antirrhinum)
\nSnowdrops (Galanthus)
\nSweet Pea (Lathyrus odoratus)
\nSweet Woodruff (Galium odoratum)
\nThyme (Thymus)
\nVerbenas, Vervains (Verbena)
\nViolets (Viola pedata)
\nYarrow (Achillea millefolium)<\/p>\n

If you have small children or animals which might randomly munch things in the garden, check to make sure you aren’t planting anything harmful. (Buttercups, for instance, can cause contact dermatitis, and foxgloves can be deadly.)<\/p>\n

An additional trick for attracting butterflies is to provide them with a “sun deck:” Fill a shallow bowl with gravel and then add water. Keep the gravel moist throughout the summer. Butterflies will stop for a drink and frequently sunbathe for a while. (A few slices of overripe fruit will also attract many species.)<\/p>\n

For optimal faerie results, add a gazing ball or other colorful decorative accents. (A pretty blown-glass hummingbird feeder can do double duty, luring more birds and adding an eye-catching decoration.) You can also try cultivating some of these plants and trees, all of which are reputed to be favored by faeries:<\/p>\n

Alder
\nApple
\nAsh
\nBirch
\nBlackthorn
\nBluebells
\nClover
\nCowslip
\nElder
\nElecampane
\nFerns
\nFlax
\nFoxglove
\nFurze Bushes
\nGlobe Flower
\nHawthorn
\nHazel
\nHeather
\nMallow
\nNightwort
\nOak
\nPansies
\nPrimrose
\nRagweed\/St. John’s Wort
\nRose
\nRosemary
\nRowan
\nSilverweed\/Silver Cinquefoil
\nStichwort
\nStrawberries
\nThyme
\nTulips
\nWillow
\nWood Anemone
\nWood Sorrel
\nWormwood<\/p>\n

Even if you never see a faery, that doesn’t mean they aren’t around. And you’ll still have a lovely garden and a nice conversation piece (you’re trying to attract what<\/em>?) either way.<\/p>\n

(Hummingbird fairy image by Jody Bergsma<\/a>.)
\n<\/p>\n

\n
\n*I’d be happy with either one. When you wander into a hummingbird’s territory, it buzzes around and menaces you. I love being menaced by something two inches long. Makes me feel like Godzilla when the helicopters come.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Okay, if you want to get technical, this garden will probably attract more butterflies and hummingbirds than faeries. However, it’s the thought that counts, and who’s to say for sure whether that little creature that just whizzed past was a hummingbird or one of the Wee Folk?* (Besides, tradition has it that faeries are attracted […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2120","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-unhallowed-ground"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.shadowmanor.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2120","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.shadowmanor.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.shadowmanor.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.shadowmanor.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.shadowmanor.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2120"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"http:\/\/www.shadowmanor.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2120\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2755,"href":"http:\/\/www.shadowmanor.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2120\/revisions\/2755"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.shadowmanor.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.shadowmanor.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2120"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.shadowmanor.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}