Containers can be attractive to butterflies, birds and people

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Add a little extra color and motion to your summer garden with containers designed to
attract birds and butterflies. Many garden centers continue to sell annuals
throughout the summer and many of these mid-season annuals are a bit bigger,
providing instant impact.
It’s easier than you think to attract birds and butterflies and the good news is you
don’t need a lot of space to do it. Container gardens give you the ability to
attract wildlife to your backyard, patio, deck or even balcony. Simply follow
these four steps and your garden will be filled with color, motion and a season
of wildlife.
1, Provide food for birds and butterflies. Include plants with flat daisy-like
flowers like pentas, zinnias, and cosmos to attract butterflies. For
hummingbirds, include some plants with tubular flowers including nicotiana,
cuphea, salvia, and fuchsia. And don’t forget about the hungry caterpillars that
will soon turn into beautiful butterflies. Parsley, bronze fennel, and licorice
vines are a few favorites that make great additions to container gardens. You
can even create containers that will attract seed-eating birds. Purple Majesty
millet, coneflower, coreopsis, and Rudbeckias will keep many of the birds
returning to your landscape.
2, Include water for both the birds and butterflies. It’s a key ingredient and a
decorative small shallow container filled with water can be included in a large
container. Or include a free-standing birdbath within your container collection.
I used a bronzed leaf birdbath in just this way. It created a great vertical
accent, added interest to a blank wall and provided a water supply for the
birds.
3, Give them a place to live and raise their young. Add a few evergreens, ornamental
grasses, and perennials to your container garden. Use weather resistant
containers that can tolerate the extreme heat and cold in your garden. Then fill
with plants that are at least one zone hardier. Or add a few birdhouses. These
can be included in the container or mounted on a fence, post, or nearby tree.

4, Skip the pesticides, please. Nature, including the birds you invite into your
landscape, will devour many garden pests. Plus, the chemicals designed to kill
the bad guys can also kill the good bugs and wildlife you are trying to attract.
And, if pests get out of hand, use more eco-friendly products like soaps, Neem,
and horticulture oil as a control mechanism. And, as always, read and follow
label directions carefully.
And to conserve time and energy, try using one of the self-watering containers or
hanging baskets that are on the market. This helps to make it both easy and
convenient when time constraints and vacations get in the way of providing ideal
care.
So gather your family and get started planting your wildlife container garden today.

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