If you have a sunny spot in your yard, you can easily create a butterfly garden in Cincinnati! Have you visited the Krohn Butterfly Show or the Cincinnati Zoo’s Butterfly Garden and wished you could have beautiful butterflies in your own garden? With the right plants and design, you can create a vibrant space filled with pollinators. Let’s dive into the steps to build a butterfly-friendly garden that will thrive in Cincinnati.

1. Choosing a Location for Your Butterfly Garden in Cincinnati

Select a sunny spot in your garden that offers some wind protection. Butterflies need sunlight to warm their wings, so choose a location that gets at least six hours of direct sunlight daily.

2. Designing Your Butterfly Garden

For a beautiful and functional butterfly garden in Cincinnati, mix shrubs, perennials, and annuals. In the back of your garden beds, plant larger butterfly attractors like Salvia, Butterfly Bush, and Lavender. Next, add butterfly-friendly perennials such as Joe Pye Weed and Coneflower. Finally, include annuals like Zinnias and Marigolds for seasonal color.

3. Choosing Butterfly-Friendly Plants

Select plants that are rich in pollen and nectar to attract butterflies. Butterflies use their sense of smell (even through their feet!) and are attracted to bright, colorful flowers. Here are the top 12 plants to attract butterflies in Cincinnati:

• Butterfly Bush: A top choice for its vibrant blooms and nectar-rich flowers.
• Joe Pye Weed: Perfect for sunny spots and loved by pollinators.
• Liatris: Known for its spiky flowers that butterflies can’t resist.
• Rudbeckia (Black-Eyed Susan): Bright and cheerful, these flowers are a butterfly favorite.
• Coneflower (Echinacea): A reliable perennial that draws in pollinators.
• Lantana: Heat-tolerant and loved by butterflies.
• Goldenrod: A late-blooming favorite that provides nectar in the fall.
• French Marigolds: Easy to grow and attract many pollinators.
• Zinnias: Brightly colored annuals that are butterfly magnets.
• Monarda (Bee Balm): Aromatic and vibrant, a great choice for attracting butterflies.
• Caryopteris: Also known as Bluebeard, it’s a late-season bloomer for butterflies.
• Sedum: Provides nectar late in the season when other flowers have faded.

Natorp’s Nursery grows Cincinnati’s largest collection of butterfly-friendly plants. Click here to explore our collection.

Transform your garden into a butterfly haven with Natorp’s wide selection of pollinator plants. Whether you’re starting a new garden or adding to an existing one, we have everything you need to attract butterflies. Shop our butterfly-friendly plants here!

Do you need help creating your butterfly garden? Ask our experts!

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