Garden Plans

The Perfect, No-Fuss Bird and Butterfly Garden Plan

The Perfect, No-Fuss Bird and Butterfly Garden Plan

For a no-fuss bird and butterfly garden plan that will bring lots of pollinators buzzing around your landscape, this garden plan has you covered. Tried-and-true favorites, such as catmint, butterfly weed, bee balm, and aster, will produce a ton of color all summer into fall. Their flowers will also provide the nectar, pollen, and seeds that will draw wildlife, including butterflies, bees, and birds, to your yard. Feel free to add a small birdhouse or a water source, like a birdbath, to really roll out the welcome mat for winged visitors and other creatures in your bird and butterfly gardens.

Plants for Creating the Bird and Butterfly Garden Plan

The following perennials do best in a full sun location in well-drained soil. They'll also keep on blooming through heat, humidity, and drought.

  • 2 Sedum (Sedum 'Vera Jameson'): Zones 4-9
  • 4 Catmint (Nepeta 'Walker's Low'): Zones 4-9
  • 2 Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa 'Gay Butterflies'): Zones 4-9
  • 2 Bee balm (Monarda 'Grand Marshall'): Zones 3-9
  • 1 Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida 'Goldsturm'): Zones 3-11
  • 2 Meadow blazing star (Liatris ligulistylis): Zones 3-8
  • 2 Anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum 'Blue Fortune'): Zones 4-10
  • 2 New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae 'Purple Dome'): Zones 4-8
  • 2 Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea 'Ruby Giant'): Zones 3-9
  • 2 Joe Pye weed (Eupatorium maculatum 'Gateway'): Zones 3-7
  • 1 Butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii Peacock): Zones 5-9

If you aren't able to find the exact cultivars listed above, substitute with others that offer similar colors, shapes, and sizes.

In certain climates, some plants can become overly aggressive and spread out of control, so before planting, always check which species are considered invasive in your area. For example, butterfly bush can become problematic in some parts of the country, so you may instead want to plant similarly sized bluebeard, which also has purplish flowers that draw pollinators.

Get the Free No-Fuss Bird and Butterfly Garden Plan

The free Garden Plan for this garden design includes an illustrated version of the planted garden, a detailed layout diagram, a list of plants for the garden as shown, and complete instructions for installing.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Are butterflies good for your garden?

    Butterflies are great for your garden! When they feed on nectar, they collect pollen that is carried to other plants. This helps flowers, veggies, and fruits produce new seeds.

  • Are birds good for your garden?

    Birds can help you naturally remove pests from your garden by gobbling them up. Bluebirds, chickadees, and cardinals are some of the best birds to attract if you're interested in insect control.

  • What are the best bees for your garden?

    Honeybees and bumblebees are the most noticeable bees, but there are hundreds of native bee species that also help move pollen from flower to flower to help fruit and seeds develop.

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