Top 5 shrubs and perennials

[polygro]

I am in the planning stage of extending some beds in my south-facing front garden as I want to provide more nectar-rich plants that will attract butterflies

I was wondering what your top 5 suggestions would be?

Thanks

Polly

[tufftie]

I'm not sure what soil you have so these may or may not be suitable but...in no order..

Buddlias - rosas - Cotoneaster lacteus - Lilacs and Malus

[DavyG]

Buddleia, otherwise known as "Butterfly Bush".

Try doing a Google search for Buddleia (uk search).

Cheers,

Dave

[naturelover]

Budlia,hebe,lilac,all nice and full of nectar.

[Jez]

Also Majoram, Field Scabious, Centurea Nigra, Red Valerian & Cyanara are very good food plants

[Bub-les]

If you haven't got it then a planting of Sedum spectabile will attract butterflies especially if its in the full sun. The bigger the area the better.
I found sweet william attracts hummingbird hawkmoths.
I know you wanted ideas of perennials but please consider night scented stock the perfume attracts moths.
Barbara

[pressld2]

Lavendar maybe. Personally I hate the smell but bees love it and I do get a few butterflies on the one in my garden too.

Dav eP.

[Paul mabbott]

There have been several other lenghty threads in this forum - might be worth looking back through the gardening archives.

Bit confusing when you mentiom 'shrubs and perennials' - you'll really need, from a gardening point of view at least, to know whether you want large shrubs or small perennials.

There have been some good suggestions. I used to make vomitting noises when people mentioned Buddleja but now let it grow in my hedgerow! It's not a very pretty plant (unless you get the deep purple one), scraggy and spreading, and only provides nectar for a fairly brief period. It's okay but I can think of better things!

I think that one thing you need to consider deeply is length of flowering period - it's easy to get lots of flowers in June-July but harder to stretch the flowering period from January to November! Also you need to consider whether some of your beds will be sheltered for much of the year or whether you need sun-tolerant ones.

A couple of suggestions:

Form a herb bed - oregano, thyme, rosemary, savoury and whatever else you like. Doesn't need to be large but you'll have flowers for much of the year - as well as leaves to put into your cooking!

Late winter/early spring - bulbs are not particularly attractive to insects but hellebores (Helleborus niger, H. orientalis, H. foetidus) may produce nectar from December to March - a very useful period for many insects.

If you have a hedgerow then incorporate hawthorn and buckthorn into it. If you have bare walls and fences, train some ivy up them.

You seem to exclude annuals from your plantings but these may include some very valuable nectar-producers, are easy and cheap to grow, can have a very long flowering season (especially if grown as a mixture) and can be used to fill in gaps between longer-lived plants.

Good luck, let us know how it goes .....

[pressld2]

Originally Posted by Paul mabbott

I used to make vomitting noises when people mentioned Buddleja but now let it grow in my hedgerow! It's not a very pretty plant (unless you get the deep purple one), scraggy and spreading, and only provides nectar for a fairly brief period. It's okay but I can think of better things!

It always seems to me that you really need a railway line to grow buddleja properly. When I had one in my garden it was just as you describe Paul, but all the ones I see on the railway embankment from the train window look thick, bushy and luxuriant!

Dave P.

[Jez]

Hyssop is one other particualy for bees also agastache but this one seems to be a gem-Cirsium Rivulare Atropurpureum blooms almost all year round will be having 1,2 0r 3 myself this year