Butterfly & Bee Friendly Garden- Video teaser!

Butterfly & Bee Friendly Garden- Summer Plant Ideas

Hello lovely people! I'm back blogging... sorry it's been a while I had quite the opportunity of a lifetime thrown at me back in May which I could not turn down... I've been setting up my very own Garden Boutique. It's been such a hectic but fabulously busy time and I apologise for the lack of blogs however I know you will all understand that I've completely focused all my attention on getting setup & the business going.

Thank you so much for bearing with me, and also thanks to those who have followed my little updates on Twitter and the much support and love you have given me during this busy and exciting time :)

Anyway, enough of my waffle... Lets get to it!

The butterflies are fluttering about like mad this year, the bees are busily buzzing away, so let me give you a few plant ideas that can help encourage more of these beauties into your garden during the summer

I've given a snippet of some of the varieties that I show in my full butterfly & bee garden Vlog below, for more butterfly magnet and bee buzzing varieties check out my video at the end of this blog

Echinacea Cleopatra 

A ray of sunshine, this Coneflower is wonderful to watch as it bright yellow, daisy-like blooms with a slightly 'pin cushion' centre turns into a textural, cone shaped flower centre. The now lemon yellow petals elegantly weep away as this gorgeous cone emerges, showing off the bloom in its full glory and most importantly inviting those beautiful bees in to land & feast here. 

When watering at work, I have found that butterflies are also drawn to take a seat and have a 'drink' from this beautiful cone flower variety too. A good all rounder for the butters and bees as well as a great summer garden performer ideal for borders or containers, middle of the border and a beautiful cut flower too.

Verbena bonairiensis 'Lollipop'

A staple for any gardener wishing to attract more butterflies and pollinators into their garden. This variety is a shorter, more compact version of Verbena b. with more flower power! 

A much deeper and vibrant violet purple than the standard Verbena b. and tends to be a little sweeter in scent (easier for us humans to pick up the scent!) and the butterflies absolutely love it! 

They have been fluttering over mine all day, every day since it burst into bloom... such a wonderful sight to watch, a definite winner for me and my favourite plant in my selection.

Tip: this Verbena looks absolutely stunning alongside the sweeping and swishing grass Stipa tenuissima, so relaxing to watch the grassy movement in the breeze next to the powerful and pretty purple of the Lollipop Verbena.

Penstemon 'Phoenix Pink'

A relatively new variety, this striking pink Penstemon has super flowers that are a little larger and wider than some other varieties. I love the intense pink edge of each bloom that creates and ombre effect as it fades to a creamy pink at the base of each tubular flower. 

The powerful pink edges become lighter too as each bloom matures, another beauty to watch transform. Now this one is more geared up for the bees, I've seen honey bees, bumbles, varying other buzzy flying insects diving into these deep trumpet blooms busily burying away! Early-mid summer flowering perennial plant that provides you with a fantastic flower show and the buzzies with a pollen/nectar rich haven.

Want a few more ideas? I have a few other different and gorgeous perennials that I recommend in my video below (alongside the above beauties) 

Take a little watch for more ideas to get your garden fluttering and buzzing this summer

Happy Gardening!

Lottie x