Today we’re visiting Libby Breitenbaugh’s butterfly garden in Irmo, South Carolina (Zone 8).
I have been gardening for over 30 years. Gardening brings me so much pleasure. I started my butterfly garden four years ago. It has slowly transformed to not only a butterfly garden but also a wildlife friendly habitat for birds, bees, rabbits, and squirrels. My garden consists of perennials with a few annuals. I have both nectar and host plants. My garden supplies shelter, food, and water for my all my visitors. I live in Zone 8, in Irmo, South Carolina.
An American goldfinch perched on the matching flowers of Rudbeckia hirta ‘Sonora’ (Zones 3–7 or as annual).
Butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosus, Zones 3–9) is essential for any butterfly garden as a host plant for the iconic monarch butterfly.
An eastern tiger swallowtail buttefly sits on the blooms of a Joe Pye weed (Eutrochium purpureum, Zones 2–9). The big masses of flowers on Joe Pye weed are attractive to a wide range of different butterflies and pollinators.
A monarch butterfly sips on a lantana (Lantana camara, Zones 8–10 or as an annual) flower.
Orange and white impatiens (Impatiens walleriana, annual).
‘Salsa Red’ coneflower (Echinacea ‘Salsa Red’, Zones 4–9). Coneflowers are a great source of nectar for pollinators, and many birds love the seeds once the flowers fade.
A variety of flowers to please all garden visitors, human and otherwise.
A wider view of the garden.
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Comments
Lovely! Thank you for sharing all of these beautiful colors!!
Thank you! You are more than welcome. I love sharing my flowers with other flower lovers :-)
such a pretty garden! love the butterfly sculpture (bench?) thanks for sharing!
Thank you! Yes, it is a butterfly bench.
It's beautiful! So many red flowers to attract pollinators and hummingbirds. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you! Red is my favorite color :-) I love the butterflies and hummingbirds that come to my garden.
Loved the close up of the goldfinch, but especially the wider shot of how your garden comes together. Please send more pictures soon!
Thank you!
Libby, it is all just lovely! Can you tell me the name of the plant in the back of the red salvia & in front of the fence (I believe?) that is yellow orange?
Thank you! The yellow orange flowers in front of the fence are Lantanas.
Lovely garden. Wonder if we might be related? My mother was a Breidenbaugh.
Thank you! My last name is Breitenbaugh. The names are very close!
Goldfinch and Rudbeckia! What could be better! Thank you for sharing your garden of delights.
Thank you so much :-)
Everyone's garden should be so kind and thoughtful to wildlife as your garden.
Beauty is common in a garden, but your kindness and thoughtfulness for nature is extraordinary!
Thanks for sharing, we should all follow your way of gardening.
Thank you so much! I do love nature :-)
I love that you are providing this important habitat for our local pollinators and wildlife. Thank you so much for your contributions! For anyone interested, I highly recommend "Nature's Best Hope" by Doug Tallamy. Very exciting! Since you are on the flight path of the monarch, it would be amazing if some of your neighbors also get on board with habitat gardening to provide a habitat corridor throughout your. neighborhood. Are you growing milkweed native to your area for them?
Oops, I missed the milkweed photo--well done! Very lovely!
Thank you! I will definitely check out "Nature's Best Hope" by Doug Tallamy.
Such pretty colors. Very pretty. I plant black fennel for swallowtails. I hate squirrels & they visit too. But love the birds ... & the bunnies give my low energy dog a reason to run ! Pretty garden
Thank you! I will plant black fennel in my garden next spring. I do have dill, parsley and cilantro in my garden.
Very nice garden
Thank you!
Gorgeous garden and gorgeous photography! Thank you for sharing your inspiring pollinator garden with us. 😊
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