You've found the famous Dave's Garden website! Join this friendly global community that shares tips and ideas for home and gardens, along with seeds and plants!
Check out the DG homepage for a brief overview of what you'll find in this gardening mega-site.
Login
If you don't have an account yet, visit the registration page to sign up.
I purchased two dianthus plants because the tag on it said they were butterfly attractants.
None of the butterflies in my garden ever land on them. Do you think it is the particular variety
I have that they don't like. Does anyone know which variety of the dianthus plant thatBF's
like?
I have scads of dianthus: grationopolitanus, X. loveliness, knappii, deltoides, and chinensis; come to think of it I don't remember any butterflies either. Something is pollenating them for me tho, I get tons of seed. Will have to watch this summer and see whose landing, lol.
One thing I have to say is that their is alot of marketing going on these days ref. plants. I see many comments and suggestions that I have to shake my head at, wondering why they make claims of plants doing this or that and they are wrong and in fact it's just a marketing ploy.
flygflowers--since you've already got butterflies in your garden, it sounds like you've already done a good job attracting them so it could be they like some of your other plants better and that's why you don't see them on the Dianthus. Or they just haven't been on them when you've been looking :)
Not every Butterfly likes every type of plant, I have wonderful Carnations and always attract the butterflies like the admirals etc, but the blue butterflies don't go near the carnations so stating a plant will attract butterflies is not wrong, it just never said which type of b fly would be attracted to them,
Thats the joy of nature and the pleasure of gardening ha, ha, ha.
Have a great gardening season. WeeNel.
I've planted LOT'S of flowers to attract butterflies and have seen different types of butterflies pick and choose certain flowers. Perhaps, as WeeNel suggested, the type that like dianthus simply haven't shown up yet. It seems that when I plant a new flower, it's usually not until the second year before any serious numbers of butterflies are attracted to them. For instance, I have a few Zebra butterflies that come to my butterfly bush but if I don't happen to be out there when they show up, I don't know about them. They don't seem to have a particular time of day they prefer to show up :-{ Also, it takes at least several of a type of flower to really attract butterflies--just a few doesn't seem to be enough to get their attention.
It will be two more months before I see any flowers here. Will have to watch what lands on what. I have butterflies: swallowtails in both yellow/black and black/blue, cabbage buterflies, tiny blue ones (not sure what the name is), victorias, and rarely monarchs, hawkmoths, moths, Bumble bees, mason bees, wasps, and my favs...Ruby throated Hummingbirds!!! I am out in the boonies so I'm still waiting for most to find my garden. Woodpeckers, bluebirds, robins, wrens, chickadees, westernbluejays and regular bluejays, hawks, falcons and meadowlarks (probably more, will have to watch and see what shows up this year). Heard a pair of white owls this evening, just before coming inside, nice. Love living in the country. Some other kritters will be showing themselves soon; raccoons, cyotes, the four legged creadents (you know those bambi things which I will gladly ship anywhere), saw a red fox running up the neighbors driveway yesterday. Yup, I got some beauties.
Pix: four baby raccoons and mama (early, 'bout 530am in juneish).
I live in the country too and also love it! We have a pair of hawks that nest every spring on the western woods line of our property, geese fly over our house every morning and evening, a pair of red foxes show up often in our woods across the creek, loads of various types of birds hang around our feeders, we have lots of bees, and of course all of our butterflies. My granddaughter loves to sit on the front porch with me and quietly watch all the hummers at the feeders and is always amazed at how many there are at one time (at least a couple dozen). We plant a food plot down by the creek and have several deer show up in it (with their new fawns in the spring). Of course we're much warmer down here than up there in Colorado so I already have lots of flowers blooming and the butterflies are already visiting :-} Shouldn't be too much longer for you Kathy.
Love that picture Kathy! Looks like a painting. What are the white flowers? I planted some pretty Blackfoot daisies last fall but our then puppy got through the fence and dug them out :-{ I'm looking for a replacement.
Nature..they are daisy "Becky" at 36-48", last year 48". I love them, when I deadhead, I clip them back to about 1-2" and then I get tall stems all summer for cutting, actually two stems from every cut. Mine need dividing this spring...
Pix: clockwise...Wild sunflowers, Daisy Beky, Penstemon Rocky Mountain Blue, Lavender munsted, Veronica spicata blue, and Malva (pink in center). Enjoy!!
They are beautiful! I will have to see if they will grow here before I look for them--we have just a little difference on our zones :-} I love your field of flowers--they are just gorgeous!
