You want your balcony garden completely filled with colourful butterflies? You just need to plant these five beautiful flowering plants. Your house will surely look like a beautiful paradise after this.
You can easily see colourful butterflies right in your small home balcony. You do not need a big garden for this. You just plant some beautiful flowering plants, and they will easily provide food for the butterflies. You only need to ensure proper care, good sunlight, and zero chemical pesticides.
1. Marigold
These yellow and orange marigold flowers really boost your balcony’s beauty. Some varieties of this plant easily attract butterflies and other pollinating insects. You must plant them in a pot with a good water drainage system. You should make sure the plant gets a few hours of sunlight every day. You must pour water only when the top soil becomes dry.
2. Zinnia
Zinnia flowers bloom in red, pink, yellow, and orange colours, and they give a very fresh look to your balcony. The flower nectar naturally attracts butterflies. You should keep this plant in a place that gets plenty of sunlight. You must keep the soil moist, but you should not overwater it. You need to regularly remove the dried flowers, because this helps new flowers to bloom in some varieties.
3. Lantana
Lantana plants produce small flowers in beautiful bunches. Their nectar easily pulls the butterflies towards them. This plant grows very well in sunny spots. But you must remember that some Lantana varieties are invasive, and they spread very fast in natural environments. So you must choose a local variety and grow it strictly inside a pot. You need to keep children and pets away from eating the plant’s berries.
4. Milkweed
Milkweed plants attract butterflies, and they also help you understand the butterfly life cycle. Some varieties of this plant act as host plants that provide food for Monarch butterfly caterpillars. The female butterflies lay their eggs on this plant, and the caterpillars grow by eating its leaves. But you should know that this plant is not suitable for all types of butterflies.
5. Pentas
Pentas plants grow small star-shaped flowers in bunches. You can find them in many different colours, and they really help in attracting butterflies. You can easily grow Pentas along with other flowering plants in your balcony.
Tips to make your balcony a butterfly paradise
- Plenty of sunlight: You arrange the pots in a way that the plants get the right amount of sunlight.
- Flower bunches: You should grow many flowering plants together. This makes it very easy for butterflies to find nectar.
- Moist sand: You can keep some moist sand in a shallow plate. You must ensure water does not stagnate and keep the plate clean.
- Stay away from pesticides: Chemical pesticides badly damage the butterflies and their caterpillars.
- Regular care: You water the plants as per their need, and you regularly remove the dried flowers.