Acres of land are not necessary for a successful Butterfly Garden. A window box, or a container garden will do the job, and is a perfect boredom busting activity for your kids!

What You Need

• plants that attract butterflies (see below)
• window box (optional)

• peat moss
• dirt

Instructions

1. Have your child select the plants from the list below.

2. Help them draw a simple plan, with proper flower spacing, and then plant accordingly.

3. Dig the garden. Break up the big clods with a garden fork, and add peat moss, creating a loose, fluffy soil for the young plants' tender roots.

4. Plant short flowers in the front and taller plants in the back. This design allows proper sunlight and keeps both low-feeding and high-feeding butterflies happy.

5. After planting, soak the soil. This is good for the plants but also helps butterflies, who suck the wet soil for salts and fluids--a behavior known as "puddling". If you are starting with seeds, do NOT soak the soil but follow the instructions on your seed packets.

Tips

• Planting groups of flowers rather than single plants will attract more butterflies. Keep your butterfly garden pesticide-free!
• Planting parsley to attract caterpillars, will help to generate a very active butterfly garden.

Notes

Plants that attract butterflies
Annuals: Coneflowers, flowering tobacco, impatients, marigolds, phlox, sunflowers, verbena, zinnia, cosmos.
Perennials: Asters, bee balm, butterfly weed, chrysanthemums, daisies, live forever, purple coneflower, sedum, heliotrope, rosemary, nasturtium, and yarrow.
Wildflowers: New England aster, bergamots or horsemints, black-eyed Susan, blazing stars, boneset, butterfly flower, coreopsis, ox-eye daisy, and purple ageratum.