Garden Space: Grow These Herbs to Attract Birds, Butterflies and Hummingbirds
Add these plants to your garden to attract hummingbirds and butterflies.
By Kathleen Halloran
August/September 2007
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This garden is designed to draw visitors of the avian persuasion.
Illustration by Gayle Ford
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• Parsley (Petroselinum crispum). Plant lots of this useful biennial, both the flat-leaved and curly varieties, in full sun to part shade, and let it reseed itself from year to year. It will reach about 18 inches tall. If you’re a patient gardener, you can grow it from seed; others can start with a purchased plant.
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• Dill (Anethum graveolens). This reseeding annual will grow to about 3 feet. Sow seed in full sun in the spot where it is to grow—it has a taproot and doesn’t transplant well.
• Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa). This hardy perennial, also called butterfly weed, will reach about 2 feet and show off brilliant orange or red flowers. Grow it in full sun.
• Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata). Hardy to Zone 7, this flowering vine can grow in partial afternoon shade and starts easily from cutting or seed. Grow it on a fence or let it scramble across an open area.
• Rue (Ruta graveolens). This hardy perennial grows in 3-foot mounds and stays green through the winter. It can be started from seed, cutting or a division from a friend’s garden. Caution: Some people get a rash from handling the leaves.
• Artemisia (Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’ or ‘Valerie Finnis’). This hardy perennial forms a lovely silvery mound in the garden, to about 2 ½ feet. Start it from cuttings or division and avoid the more aggressive artemisias, such as ‘Silver King’.
• Butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii). A tall shrub with arching branches, butterfly bush comes in a wide variety of flower colors. It is hardy in Zones 5-9 and blooms heavily in a sunny location. Grow it from cuttings.