Is there anything more beautiful than a garden overflowing with summer flowers? Your idea of a garden may be a collection of potted blooms on your patio, or a butterfly garden that takes up your whole yard. Either way, there is no denying that flowers attract all kinds of insects – both welcome and otherwise! The good news is, you can plant flowers that will attract the insects you want, while repelling the ones you don’t – all with a little help from Schaaf
Floral.
Butterflies, Yes. But Bees? Your idea of an idyllic summer scene may not include honeybees, but these industrious little guys are actually absolutely critical to our ecosystem. And with the global crisis affecting their populations, anything we can do to help them thrive is encouraged. And don’t worry – they rarely sting unless threatened or harassed. So sit back, and enjoy them from comfortable distance and they won’t bother you at all. They are actually quite fascinating!
A Yard Fit for a Monarch (Butterfly) – Although each butterfly has its own “favorite flowers”, there are many varieites of plants that will effectively guarantee that you will get plenty of visitors – daisies, asters, and goldenrod, for instance. If you want to provide for the life cycle of the butterfly, many plants not only are conducive to caterpillars, but also provide the needed nectar – butterfly bushes, violets, snapdragons, thistles, clover and sunflowers, for instance. The best thing to do is to research the types of butterflies common to the Minneapolis area, choose those you would like to see, and provide the right plants to make sure they feel welcome.
Bring on the Bees – Bees actually enjoy most of the same flowers as the butterflies do, which makes it easy to create a sanctuary for them both. One interesting fact – bees consume a lot of water. Keep a plentiful and fresh water source, and they will return over and over – especially if you accessorize with pebbles and twigs that they can sit on as they drink.
What About the Pesky Ones? Let’s face it, we would rather not deal with the mosquitoes, the beetles, the aphids, and the mites. You know, the creatures that either keep us miserable by biting us, or by destroying our flower or vegetable gardens. Amazingly, nature has provided some of her own defense – although these plants and flowers cannot provide total protection against pesky insects, gardeners often agree that they can make a difference in the levels of pests which plague them. Ornamental flowers such as chrysanthemums, petunias, and marigolds seem to have be pest averse – as do a wide variety of herbs. Herbs secrete essential oils that are often loathsome to mosquitoes, ticks and beetles. In fact, citronella is made from oils secreted by lemongrass; basil, lavender, rosemary and mint are also known to be “nature’s pest repellent”. And the aroma that repels the pests actually smells awesome to us!
How can Schaaf Floral help you to make your yard more beautiful? From flowers that butterflies love to plants that pests hate – we are here to help you with a fantastic summer garden.
