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Plant a Pub to Please "Flying Flowers"

© Naomi Mathews

I've been resting for a spell in my comfy lawn chair beneath the lush green wisteria arbor that has finally grown as a shady canopy over our backyard deck. The fragrance of its graceful blue blossoms is wafting around me in pungent aromatic waves. As they sway ever so gently in the warm spring breeze, they remind me of the graceful hula dancers we saw in Kauai recently, moving in unison to the tune of "Hawaiian Love Song." Honey bees are humming busily above my head, seeking and finding sweet nectar at their Wisteria Springtime Cafe.

Ah, Sweet Spring! When a young man's fancy turns to love--but a woman's quite often turns to GARDENING! It won't be long now until the butterflies also return, seeking out their favorite nectar pub!

"A pub?" I hear you ask incredulously. "Did I hear you say a butterfly pub?"

"That's right -- a butterfly pub," I answer with a knowing smile. "I must get their pub planted soon, so it's ready for them when they arrive!"

"Nectar flowers, host plants, basking places, shelter, mud puddles . . . and now a PUB! What's next?" I hear you mutter, sounding very dubious.

"Well, that's about it -- for this year, anyway. And now, if you'll excuse me, I really must get to work. Why don't you plan to come back when my butterfly pub is finished, and then we can sit back and watch the 'Flying Flower' show?"

Planting My Butterfly Pub

Planting my butterfly pub is a delightful spring project and is really quite simple. However, there are a few basic guidelines I must follow to make sure butterflies will actually come to visit my pub. If you'd like to plant one too, please be my guest as I create my last spring project of this year. At least I think it will be my last!

Choosing an appropriate container

For my "pub project" I have chosen a decorative, water-retentive plastic planter as the container for the nectar-rich flowers that will grace my butterfly pub. My planter is 10 inches deep, 16 inches wide, and 4 feet long. Yours can be smaller or larger, and either wooden or clay. The choice is yours, as you will want it to blend in with your existing backyard decor. I chose a dark forest green one, as it will match my patio furniture nicely. My planter will sit on the deck in front of our hot tub, where it will be easy to water and get plenty of morning sun. AND, I'll be able to watch "flying flowers" as they come to visit while I'm soaking away in the hot tub.

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