Hibernation Boxes: Do Butterflies Use Them?

Top 13. Mar 19, 1999 7:55 PM

» Sarah_Sunn - Pots and stuff

Hi. Sis. Hey, I found my strawberry pots. If my kitchen cabinets were as orderly as my storage shed! They were packed away so as not to get broken!

Tomorrow I'll start my search for various flowers. Do butterfly bushes all grow six to eight feet tall? I have a couple of catalogs and that's the impression I get. Before I actually buy anything I'll sneak back to your site and see what I should get. With 70+ weather today I'm really anxious to play farmer for a few hours.

Re: the rose bush you bought; I was hoping you wouldn't ask - it didn't make it. I think the neighbor's spray did a number on it. Sue thought she could resurrect it, so I had her take it to their place. She's a lot like mom - she can put a twig in the ground and it will bear a beautiful bush. She nursed it back to health, and I enjoy it whenever see them; all wasn't lost anyway. Sorry.

Love Ya,

-- posted by Sarah_Sunn

Top 14. Mar 19, 1999 8:55 PM

» Naomi_Mathews - Pots and stuff...and butterfly bushes!

Sis, I've had my eye on a couple of butterfly bushes too. No -- they don't have to grow to be that tall. Look for the one that is called "Buddleia davidii" ... this is the one I'm getting. My Western Sunset book says this one grows fast in spring and summer (3-4 ft, even 10) but -- you can prune them back and keep them trimmed. Also it says your soil will need good drainage, so if you put it (or them) in pots, be sure the pots have drain holes in the bottom -- I usually put some small rocks in the bottoms of my pots BEFORE I place the potting soil in them. This promotes better drainage. My book also says they need just enough water to maintain growth, but other than that, little care. AND, in our climate, in the winter, the branches (or softwood) will usually freeze to the ground, but its ROOTS are very hardy. Our daughter has a couple of them in her yard (across the river) and they freeze down every year, but come right back in early spring. They also bloom in 6-12 inch clusters, so you may need to stake them later when they bloom. This is easy to do though, and they should be very showy! They are a great perennial, and butterflies definitely love them!

As to the rose--I'm glad you gave it to Sue! At least it's living somewhere, and if you get to see it now and then that's great! Maybe she can give you back a "twig" someday! (-:

70 degrees! I'm envious--but it did reach near 67 here today ... I'm ready!

-- posted by Naomi_Mathews

Top 15. Mar 26, 1999 5:47 AM

» terri_in_pa - Butterfly Bushes

Hi Lillian,
My Butterfly bushes have grown to be about 7 to 8 feet tall, but the soil in the bed is 70/30 mushroom soil and topsoil with a western exposure. I cut mine back yearly to about 2 feet at the end of the season. On the other hand, my sister's butterfly bushes only grow to be about 3 feet high. Her soil is very sandy. I think the growth truly depends on the type of soil that it grows in. At the end of last season, i moved my butterfly bushes to another area in the yard which has more clay in the soil and has an east/west exposure so it will be interesting to see how large they grow to be this year. They needed to be moved as they had smothered out other nearby plants in the flower bed.

-- posted by terri_in_pa

Top 16. Mar 27, 1999 8:20 AM

» Naomi_Mathews - Terri, about those butterfly bushes...

You really grew some TALL ones! Tell me, did they have abundant blossoms all summer? I haven't ever grown one, this year will be me first though. I was thinking of two or three, but maybe my space would only allow for two maximum. I'm taking out an old prostrate juniper that has spread to be over 5 to 6 feet in width in our back flower bed. I want to put at least one butterfly bush in that spot. But I don't want it to crowd out my peonies, which will stay where they are now, next to the juniper. I will probably move two roses there as well, as I'm rearranging a couple of roses this spring too. (If and when it warms up! brrr)

Please continue share your butterfly bush successes here at the "butterfly forum" anytime, Terri. Thanks!

-- posted by Naomi_Mathews

Top 17. Mar 27, 1999 2:37 PM

» Sarah_Sunn - Hi, Terri W, and Sis~~

About those butterfly bushes. I couldn't find any here, and didn't want to wait for a special order, so I skated the easy way out for my "pot" garden. Delphiniums, columbines, lupines, fuchias, firefly bush, azaleas, and 'blue hummingbird' with violas, purple and white alyssum and blue lobelia filling in the spaces, should make those little critters pretty happy. According to what I've read these should all be good attractants.

Hubby will put up my hummer feeder tomorrow, and it won't be difficult putting up the butterfly feeder. Instructions on the box said to mount it just above the level of the tallest flowers, so all I need to complete that project is a dowel; getting there. This is exciting, as I haven't had flowers for several years. It's been so windy the past couple of days, I've left them in the garage to get a good start.

Putting the PVC pipe with tiny holes drilled in the sides really works great in the strawberry pots which are filled with azaleas and violas. Lots of color. I can't take credit for this tip, but it's so easy; just cap off the bottom of the pipe and drill little holes in a circular pattern, leave about 2 inches of pipe above the top of the pot and plant around it.

I really did want a butterfly bush, but will put it on the back burner this summer. Terri, you mentioned having mushroom soil - does this mean it is a former mushroom bed, or what? Have you ever raised or found any morels? We used to hunt them when we lived in the Golumbia Gorge, but decided they were strictly mythical.

Love,

-- posted by Sarah_Sunn

Top 18. Mar 27, 1999 9:52 PM

» terri_in_pa - Hi Lillian and Naomi.......

I have never heard of morels...dont even know what they are! Please tell me more about them...at any rate..the mushroom soil comes from mushroom farms just south of here...I guess when the soil has expired for mushroom use, the farmers sell it to the plant centers for resale to the public...I know that if you have a pickup truck that you could go to the farms and get it for cheap or FREE! I can say this.....the better the soil, the larger the butterfly bushes will be. I will keep you both posted as to how the bushes do in the clay/ good soil mixture...
Yes, the bushes bloomed PROFUSELY where they were at...there was never a time during bloom that there were no flowers....continued to bloom till frost! Lillian, you must see if you can get these bushes for your yard, they themselves will draw soooooo many butterflies to your yard...your plantings sound wonderful!!!

-- posted by terri_in_pa

Top 19. Mar 30, 1999 4:27 AM

» terri_in_pa - oh no......

i was out checking all the flower beds yesterday...and the last thing i checked was the butterfly bushes i transplanted...Every year i cut them down and do realize that they do take awhile to "come alive" from the winter sleep, but it seems to me that they may have DIED!!! I will just keep an eye on them, hopefully they will spring shoots from the bottom (usually what they do.) I did cut them down at the time I transplanted them and they grew some little leaves then after the transplant...I just hope that they arent dead...Will keep you posted on their progress....

-- posted by terri_in_pa

Top 20. Mar 30, 1999 3:46 PM

» Naomi_Mathews - Terri, I wouldn't panic yet...

If your "spring" has been like ours here on the West coast, it's just so cold again, and usually my peonies are at least 6-8 inches out of the ground by now. Not so this year -- I can see the tips of them, maybe 2-3 inches so far. And no leaves on hardly any deciduous trees yet in our area. We're in USDA Zone 6 (similar to you) and it's just unseasonably cold!

So I think you may be surprised one day and see them poking out. From what I've read about butterfly bushes, their roots are VERY hardy, and yes they do die down in winter. My hydrangeas do the same and also peonies and astilbe. One day you think they're DEAD -- next sunny day or two you'll be delighted to see new shoots! Also, my hostas are really SLOW this year. We just need some nice WARM spring sunshine. Remember the article I wrote about "Spring" a few weeks ago? All the buds that were swollen haven't progressed nearly as fast as usual. My flowering cherry is STRUGGLING to bloom!

But one day soon -- we shall see spring! So do keep us posted on those butterfly bushes.

Today I bought SEEDS! Lots of seeds. I must have had a fit of spring fever. And I found some new things I'd never seen before that attract hummers and butterflies!

The one I'm the most curious about is called "Tithonia" (Sundance) and has bright scarlet-orange daisy-like flowers that will be about 3 in. across, on compact plants. Says it attracts both "birds and butterflies!" Have you ever heard of this one or seen it. It's an "annual" so I'll have my son start them in his little greenhouse.

Another one I got is called "Scarlet Flax" and is really a wildflower according to "Lily Miller" and is originally from No. Africa and So. Europe! It has 2 inch scarlet cup shaped flowers on 18 in. stems, and are said to be hardy, easy to grow. Should attract butterflies!

AND, I found the "IPOMOEA" Morning Glory seeds that I wrote about in my article of this week! They are beautiful! The color is "Scarlet O'Hara" and they are a vine that grows to 8 ft. (annual) and have 4 1/2" flowers! Suppose to be great for hummer AND butterflies. I also got some of mixed colors, and one called "Crimson Rambler" ... these are also for butterflies and hummers. They're all "Burpee" seeds.

One more--have you ever heard of or seen a "Convolvulus" (Blue Enchantment) flower? It is striking! It has "morning glory-type" flowers, but isn't morning glory. This one is an annual too, about 14" ht. The flowers are bright blue, white centers, gold throated "trumpet flowers" that hummers like! Says ideal for hanging baskets or as spreading ground cover.

So, how did I do? Hopefully, I'll have some great vines and new annuals this year for a nice change! And have the perfect spots for them around our deck, against our back fence, and in my big planters on the decks.

Spring! Come soon!

-- posted by Naomi_Mathews

Top 21. Mar 31, 1999 6:08 PM

» terri_in_pa - WOW....

you got me on some of those annuals! sounds like you will definitely have a colorful annual garden this year!! please take pics....I have to get to the garden center to pick up some annual seeds..Hopefully if i have time tomorrow morning i will get some before i have to leave for work...I may not start some of them in the house, i may throw some out into the wildflower beds and see what happens..all my cleomes and cosmos seeds are outside already..I used to grow many annuals in the house but those two seem to do well on their own outside. I will keep you posted on which ones i decide to get..

-- posted by terri_in_pa