A selection of my favourite English Garden annuals and perennial plants that will attract butterflies to your flower borders.
Hardy Annuals
Grow your annuals in large patches in a sunny border and remember butterflies (and bees) usually prefer the older varieties of flowers.
This is because they may not have such big flowers but they have more nectar.
Candytuft (Iberis umbellata)No English Garden should be without these! They are very easy to grow, fast growing, bushy reaching approx 8 inches. They flower over a long period in summer, being covered with pink, white or lilac blooms.
They are an ideal plant for children to grow. (Look out for the Fairy Series)
Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus)
Sometimes called the Bluebottle plant, it is fast growing, upright, reaching approx 12 inches and flowers in summer. Plant the wild flower variety which is easy to grow and delicate to look at.
Forget-me-not (Myosotis)
Beautiful blue flowers with a delicate fragrance, they like part shade and fertile, well-drained soil.
Grows to approx 8 inches.
My garden always has an abundance of these, they look good mixed with tulips and seem to do well in full sun as well.
Self seeds easily.
Marigold (Calendula Officinalis)
The English or Pot marigold is fast growing and fairly bushy reaching approx 14 inches.
It has large, cheerful daisy-like flowers in varying shades of orange and yellow.
It will thrive in most soils and likes full sun to be at its best. Dead-head regularly to have continuous flowers from spring to autumn.
Mignonette (Reseda)
Lovely sweetly scented flowers of pale green and another which is very easy to grow. Fairly fast growing, upright, reaching 12 inches it likes a sunny spot and fertile, well-drained soil.
Sweet Scabious (Scabiosa atropurpurea)
Scented blooms of red, mauve and pink, flowering from July onwards.
It will form an upright bushy plant of approx 12 – 24 inches.
Give it a sunny spot.
Herbaceous Perennials
Achillea millefolium
This plant is vigorous and upright in habit reaching approx 24 inches. Enjoys sun and well-drained soil. Red flowers in summer with feathery leaves.. A. ptarmica – The Pearl is the white form with large heads of small pompom-like flowers and can spread quite quickly.
Aubretia
Reaching approx 7 inches, it enjoys a sunny spot and is ideal for growing on walls facing south. Spring flowering when it is covered in blooms of blue red, or violet.
Dianthus deltoides
Maiden Pink, fragrant, flowering in summer with pink, white
blooms. Likes full sun and well-drained soil.Very popular old plant.
Honesty (Lunaria annum)
Sometimes called the silver dollar plant, it is a biennial and gives you splashes of color in the spring and early summer. It also has very attractive seed heads which can be dried and brought inside for floral arrangements.
Michaelmas Daisy (Aster novae-angliae)
Or New England Aster, it likes sun or part shade and rich and well-drained soil. It has long lasting flowers of purple/pink in late summer and autumn
Sedum spectabile
Best known as the ice plant, it flowers at the end of summer and into the autumn. Likes full sun and well-drained soil. In my garden these are always covered with butterflies and bees.
Sweet rocket (Hesperis matronalis)
Sometimes called Dame’s violet or Vesper flower ,because the evening scent is wonderful; it is an easy to grow, upright plant reaching approx. 30 inches, that has long spikes of flowers.
It prefers a sunny spot and fertile soil but will grow in light shade and tolerates poor soil. If it enjoys living in your garden it will self seed gently. I encourage it as much as possible!
You can cut it back after it has flowered and often it will give you another flush of flowers in the autumn. Don’t be without this plant.
This photo was taken in my garden.
Sweet William (Dianthus barbutus)
A slow growing, upright and bushy biennial, reaching approx 18 inches. Blooms in July, this is a well-known pink, white or purple flowering cottage garden plant.
Likes sun and a moist but well-drained soil.
Enjoy your garden!
