All good things begin with a plan...

I am a firm believer that it is never too early to start planning! Especially if it's something that makes you happy, or gives you something to look forward to.

With this very first snap of cold that we are experiencing here in the Midwest, as I was preparing and bringing in all of my pots so they don't freeze, it got me thinking about what I would like to do to expand our pollinator/flower garden for next year.

Small native Green Metallic Bee covered in pollen on Lily — Metallic Bee on Tiger Lily (Summer bloomer - Perennial)

In the back of my mind, I have been thinking, this upcoming year, I will be focusing on more host plants, and more nectar plants for our flower/butterfly garden. One thing I've noticed lacking in our garden in particular, is not only the lack of variety of host plants, but also a variety of nectar plants that bloom at different times so there will always be a food source available to anyone fluttering by, no matter what month it is.

Unfortunately, my wish list is ALWAYS bigger than our bank account. So like most people, it has to be whittled down to something rational, like only my absolute favorite picks for the upcoming year. Rediculous, right?

One thing I would like to incorporate in the upcoming year, is a mulched garden that will be dedicated area just for pollinators with a little path so you can walk through. On our property, we have an area that always seems to collect water, instead of getting discouraged by this yearly mess that happens every time we getting rain, I'm going to turn it into something positive! (The reason I'm opting for mulch is because, it is biodegradable, and it will create walkways on the areas that are not being planted, I hope it will reduce the amount of weeds, AND I was told that if you contact tree services or your local electric company they may have free mulch available in abundance! I LOVE FREE! I have called a few tree services, but unfortunately because we live in such a rural area, we have to wait until they have a job in our area so they're not driving out of their way to get rid of mulch. I also learned by calling around, that they normally dispose of the mulch by dumping it into landfills. Is that not just crazy?) If I can reduce the amount of waste that goes in a landfill and it benefits us? I say heck yes! I'm patient. I'll just keep calling different ones, until we hit the mulch jackpot! We have several acres, so I can FIND things to do with free mulch! No problem!

I kinda got sidetracked, but if I can save someone some money I'd love to! (-disclaimer, they do normally want to get rid of a dump truck full at a time and it's not super pretty, or uniform looking -there's trees and twigs all of every thing, just ground up) but it's a thought and it's free!

Since we are sidetracked, I would also like to take a moment to tell you about seed sharing!!! There are many groups on facebook that swap seeds or share seeds, most often you only need to send a self addressed stamped envelope to the person who has the extra seeds, and they will share their seeds with you! This is an excellent and inexpensive way to grow your garden and try new varieties of plants Again, I love this because I love saving money! (this is a trend with me, you'll see, I try to be thrifty any way I am able to)

Ok back to garden planning. Maybe some of my ideas will spark something for you or give you a jumping off point.

Bumblebee gathering pollen on native aster — Bee on Aster (Fall bloomer - perennial)

I prefer perennials- I like to pay for, and plant things one time only (just my personal preference)

I also will choose natives over non natives, unless I absolutely love it - because natives don't require as much care (I have small children, the less fussy our plants are, and the more neglect they thrive on, the better! < I'm not quite that bad)

So, in no particular order...

I know I would like at least 2 paw paw trees. (Host plant. These are native for our growing zone. Paw paw trees are the only host plant for Zebra Swallowtails, perennial tree)

Joe Pye Weed (native, butterfly magnet and Blooms July-September, perennial flower)

Meadow Blazing Star (blooms July-October, perennial flower)

Black-eyed Susan "Goldsturm" (blooms late summer-October, months of blooms, perennial flower)

Coreopsis "Full Moon" (blooms early summer-early autumn, one of the longest flowering perennials, perennial flower)

Tulip tree (host plant for Eastern tiger swallowtail, perennial tree)

Honeyvine milkweed (host plant for monarchs, perennial vine)

Pipevine (Midwestern native Pipevine, A. tomentosa or Dutchman's Pipe Vine , Host plant For Pipevine Swallowtails, perennial vine)

Echinacea (Aka Coneflower Blooms early summer-mid autumn, pollinator favorite, perennial flower)

Yarrow (blooms early spring-summer, butterfly favorite, perennial flower)

This is by no means an all inclusive list, All of these flowers listed are described as either very beneficial or very popular with pollinators) I plan to fine tune the new garden area and wishlist all winter long until I get it just how I'd like. These are only a few to give you some ideas and maybe get you started if you're also doing some planning!

Maybe your butterfly garden is already complete?