Plant a Bird and Butterfly Feeder

      This month we are going to plant a bird and butterfly buffet in your garden, on your porch or outside a window, depending on what kind of space you have.  Whether you are in an urban setting or in the country, few things rival the joy of watching the hummingbirds, songbirds, butterflies and bees outside your window. The good news is, it doesn't take a lot of time or money to create a beautiful and bountiful garden that will draw your furry and feathered friends to your home. Not only will you be rewarded with their song and form, but you will be contributing to the very important cycle of life that includes pollination (many plants cannot form fruits or seeds without it!) and dispersal of seeds. So grab your hand-hoe, some potting soil and your favorites of the following plants and be prepared to be delighted!

      If you have a garden or yard space that you can devote to the following plants, great! We will go over a simple planting layout that can complement your regular landscaping or edible gardening. For those of you living without a piece of ground to plant in, you can use anything from a large tin olive oil can to a planter box. Terra cotta pots, wine barrels, window boxes or an eclectic mix of containers will all serve as excellent planting spots. You can even stack them to fit on a small patio. Just make sure you allow room for the plants to grow. Most of these plants need sun and will need to be watered regularly; in most warm climates you will have to water every morning. One trick is to take a large plastic soda or water bottle, fill it with water and then turn it upside down with the open end submerged 2-3 inches in the soil. This will allow the water to seep out slowly into the pot.

      If you are growing in an existing garden, simply work in some compost or potting soil to a depth of at least 6 inches, water well and let sit for about an hour. Then plant. For pots, make sure there are drainage holes in the bottom of the container, fill with potting soil to about 3 inches from the rim, water well and let sit an hour. When you add the plants you will be adding potting soil to make sure no roots are exposed. The final height of the soil should be no higher than 1 inch from top of pot rim to allow for water to be absorbed.  When planting you should not be able to see the plug above the ground where it will dry out, nor should the bottom of the plant be buried under soil where it will rot.

      I have chosen varieties of flowers that are non-toxic to humans and animals. Look for the varieties that are edible so you can use them to brighten up salads and desserts. Many of the varieties listed will attract multiple species. Some prefer partial shade but most are sun lovers. Most of the plants listed should be readily available at your nursery as 6-packs or 4-inch pots. In most cases 6-packs are every bit as good as a 4-inch or 1 gallon pot, and they cost much less but if you want faster results, a larger plant will give you a bit of a head start. Try to get organic whenever possible, and never add chemical fertilizers or spray with pesticides because these are highly toxic to the very animals you are attracting, not to mention being toxic to humans as well. In a round pot or wine barrel you might choose to plant 3 hollyhocks, 1 sunflower or 3 gladiolus in the center with bachelor buttons or dahlias in a circle 6 inches out from the taller plants (4 should be plenty), snapdragons or zinnias in a circle 12 inches out from the bachelor buttons (6-8 plants) and marigolds or sage at the outer perimeter. In a bed or a planter box, plant the tall plants (hollyhock, sunflower, gladiolus, cosmos) in the back with increasingly smaller plants in front.

Annuals (Grow quickly and die after they bloom. These do not come back the following year.)

Bachelor Buttons   Sun and partial sun. 36 inches tall. Comes in blue, pink, purple and frosted. Can flop over so you may want to stake them up as they get big. Plant 12-24 inches apart.

Cosmos  Sun lovers. 36-48 inches tall. Pinks and whites. These get pretty big and wide so you may want to devote a pot to each one. Plant 24-36 inches apart.

Marigold Sun lovers. 6-36 inches. Marigolds come in wide variety of shapes, sizes and colors. They are great edible flowers and bloom a long time. Check the tag for size and planting distance.

Snapdragons     Sun and partial sun. 12-36 inches, depending on variety. Try the "Butterfly Varieties". Plant 8 inches apart. Flowers are edible.

Sunflower  Sun. 3-10 feet. The queen of bird feeder plants, they come in a wide range of colors and sizes. Sunflowers can get up to 10 feet tall, although there are dwarf varieties that stay under 5 feet. They are easy to grow from seed and, in fact, you can use the seed from your bird seed. The black seeded varieties are favored by most songbirds. Seeds are edible.

Zinnia    Sun. 12-18 inches tall. Comes in a variety of colors and shapes. Plant 6 inches apart.

Nasturtium  Sun and partial shade. A sprawling, colorful vine that exuberantly spreads its seeds so be careful about where you plant it. In a wine barrel you could plant them on the outside edge to cascade over. Flowers are a preferred edible.  

Perennials and Biennials (Come back the following year. Life spans vary.)

Dahlia  Sun. 12-48 inches. Buy tubers on line or at your local nursery in the spring. Plant tubers so that stem is facing up and 3-6 inches below the surface of the soil. Plant 12-24 inches apart.

Fuschia  Prefers some shade. Great in a hanging pot. Hummingbirds love it! Flowers are edible.

Gladiolus Sun to partial. 3-4 feet. Buy corms at the nursery in late winter to early spring. Plant as close as 6 inches. Flowers are edible.

Hollyhock  Sun. 6-8 feet. Comes in a wide variety of colors, single to double flowers. Plant 12-24 inches apart. Flowers are edible.

Pelargoniums  Sun to partial shade in hot areas. Lots of varieties.

Penstemon  Sun to some shade in hot areas. Shrubby perennial to 5 feet. Hummingbirds love the tubular flowers. Comes in a wide range of colors but the reds are preferred by hummers. Plant 2-3 feet apart.

Sage  Sun. Wide range of species of sage, all of them beloved of hummingbirds and bees. Many have seeds that birds love. Garden sage can be planted 10 inches apart and grow to a height of 12-18 inches. Flowers are edible and leaves are a popular culinary herb.