To attract butterflies to your northern butterfly island bed, Home Depot Muddy Boots associate Yoseph says you’ll want to offer food, nectar, and habitat for the adults and caterpillars. These delicate visitors need protection from wind, too. Yoseph, based in Seattle, and Dinah, a Muddy Boots associate from Connecticut, suggest growing shrubs and flowers with red, yellow, orange, pink, or purple blossoms.
 
Yoseph’s Tips:

• Look for flat flower heads with small multiple florets, such as asters. These give butterflies a “landing pad” to rest, sip nectar, and pollinate the plants.

• Grow plants with short tubes, like marigolds, so the butterflies can reach the nectar.

• Choose native and naturalized plants.

Dinah’s Tips: 

“The right soil is crucial. For an in-ground garden, supplement your native soil with Vigoro or Miracle-Gro Garden Soil at a 50-50 ratio. Adding peat moss and well-cured compost is also beneficial, since our soil has quite a bit of clay in it and is quite acidic. Topping off the soil with mulch not only helps retain moisture, but also minimizes weeds. The mulch also adds a foundation of beauty to the garden that enhances the blooms.”

Crystal, a Muddy Boots associate from New York, adds, “Be sure to put down landscape fabric to prevent weeds (even with fabric, some weeds manage to escape through).”

Dinah, Crystal, and Yoseph’s plant picks:

Container plants such as fuchsias, sweet alyssum, garden sage, dianthus, and lavender

Annuals:

Ageratum

Alyssum

Marigold

Zinnia

Dinah says, “What’s great about perennials is that they come back every year, so they’re an investment in a well-planned garden. Many perennials are drought tolerant, making them virtually maintenance free!”

Perennials

Aster

Black-eyed Susan

Bee Balm

Butterfly bush

Salvia

Daisy

Echinacea (purple coneflower)

Lilacs

Sea holly

Catmint

Russian sage

Phlox

Verbena

Stella d’Oro daylily

Ornamental grasses -”Great for the back if your bed is against a fence or house, or as a center focal point for beds away from structures,” Crystal says.

Vines and vine-like plants, such as honeysuckle

Wildflowers, including Butterfly weed, Bleeding Heart, and Lupine

Herbs and vegetables, such as garden mint, oregano, and thyme

Plant selections vary by store. A Garden Center associate will be glad to help if you don’t see what you’re looking for.

Meet your Home Depot “Muddy Boots” associates, expert gardeners from around the U.S.

Image: Shutterstock/Krivosheev Vitaly

Summer means living outdoors—well, almost. When the weather is nice, we grill on the deck, lounge on the patio, and let the kids play in the yard. At the end of the day, picking up is a breeze if you have a place to store your BBQ tools, gardening supplies, chair cushions, and all those toys.  

Rubbermaid’s Rattan Storage Cube Deck Box is made of weather-resistant resin and has a 7.5 cubic foot capacity for holding the gear you need to enjoy the Great Outdoors. A detailed weave pattern on the front and sides makes it an attractive addition to your patio decor, and at 2.3′ x 2.3′ x 1.9′, it’s a great storage solution for small spaces. 

If you need more room for your outdoor supplies, choose the Rubbermaid Rattan Resin Storage Bench Deck Box.  It measures a generous 2.3′ x 3.8′ x 1.9′ and has a 12.5 cubic foot capacity.

Both the Rubbermaid storage cube and the storage bench have flat surfaces on top, so you can use them for additional seating (and stash your cushions inside, when you’re done), or for serving beverages and snacks. Lockable lids keep your items secure until you need them again. Each sturdy box comes with a 10-year warranty.

With their stylish details and neutral colors, Rubbermaid deck boxes accessorize nicely with your patio furniture. Pot up a pretty green plant or two, and put them beside your storage box to brighten a corner of your outdoor living space. Dress up a plain patio by adding a bench cushion or cushions in bold colors, or go for an earthy look with muted shades like sage, gold, rose, and taupe.

Storage can be more than useful; it can be decorative, too.

(We call them The Muddy Boots because they are our “Boots On the Ground” reporting staff, bringing you tips for your region. Why “Muddy”? Because – just like you – they aren’t afraid of a little dirt in the name of good gardening.)

As part of the Garden Club, the Muddy Boots will add local and regional information on a variety of topics throughout the year. From choosing the right plants to go with your favorite Garden Club Project to figuring out what type of vegetables grow best where you live, the Muddy Boots team will offer their unique regional insight only at the Home Depot Garden Club.

Name: Crystal Location: Whitehall, NY Bio: Crystal is the mother of twin one-year-old boys, the wife of a Home Depot Receiving Supervisor, and an avid gardener. Crystal started working at The Home Depot as a cashier in 2004 while attending college and now holds a B.A. in Fine Arts, a Master’s in Art Education, and a Master’s in Special Education. “I love to vegetable garden and flower garden,” Crystal says, “and we thrive on the food we grow for the entire summer and throughout the year. I freeze and can my foods as well as dehydrate them.”

Name: Dinah Location: Glastonbury, CT Bio: Dinah has been gardening on and off since she was a child. Currently she’s exploring container gardens, and she loves growing vegetables and flowers and working in the Home Depot Garden Center in Glastonbury, CT. “In the summer, I work mostly outside with the live goods, but I work the whole department as well.” she says. At one time, she grew edibles & flowers in tiers she made, but containers are her passion right now. “I’m looking forward to seeing the results and sharing what I learn.”

Name: Melanie Location: Mansfield, OH Bio: Mel has been gardening as long as she can remember and loving every minute of it. One of her fondest memories is of planting jonquil seed heads given to her by her great aunt when she was just five. She is a 7 ½ year vet at The Home Depot, and has been a volunteer at Blendon Woods Metro Park in Columbus for over 15 years; so long in fact, that she has a tree planted there in her name! Mel loves animals and has quite a few, including a snake rescued from inside a Home Depot store!

Name: Joe Location: St Louis, MO Bio: Joe is a fairly new addition to The Home Depot family, but he has been gardening since he was 3 years old and has been a professional landscaper for 15 years. He owns and operates a landscaping company in the St Louis area. “I’m a member of the APLD (Association of Professional Landscape Designers), and certified by the NCMA in Level One retaining walls,” says Joe.

Name: Kelly Location: Mansfield, OH Bio: Kelly has been gardening “since I was old enough to stick my hands in the dirt.” She is studying to become a kindergarten teacher and still found time to help launch a community garden at her Home Depot store in Normal, IL. “It’s 100% free,” she says. “Anybody can garden, and anybody can harvest. We tell them, ‘if it’s ripe, it’s yours.’” Surplus produce is donated to local charities. As much as Kelly loves gardening, what she likes most is working with people.

Name: Travis Location: Atlanta, GA Bio:  You probably already know Travis if you are a member of the Home Depot Community. He’s known as LawnRanger there and he’s part of the team that works hard to answer your How-To questions.  He’s been a garden guy at The Home Depot since 1990. He’s also a devoted family man, sports car enthusiast, bicyclist and eternal optimist.   “I’m certified as a Georgia Green Industry Plant Professional since 1992, Home Depot Certified Nursery Consultant and Power Equipment Specialist.”

Name: Gail Location: Garden Grove, CA Bio: Gail Noble has been a Home Depot store associate for 21 years. She’s also a Home Depot Garden Certified Nursery Consultant and has been a member of the California Association of Nurserymen for over 25 years. “I also have a certification in weeds, insects, and diseases,” Gail says. “In my spare time, I work with local rescue groups for animals, including cats, dogs, chickens, and rabbits. One of my favorite hobbies is making jams and jellies with the many fruit trees and vines in my yard.”

COMING  SOON!

If you’re short on gardening space–or you have lots of room, but your soil is less than perfect– plant a garden barrel instead. It’s a great way to grow beautiful flowers or fresh veggies and herbs, whether you place it in your yard or on a patio or deck.

Use a whisky garden barrel with a drainage hole, or make a few holes in the bottom with a drill, and fill the barrel with good quality soil or planting mix. Tip: put the barrel where you want it before adding soil, plants, and water, or it will be too heavy to move later.

Then find your zone below, and check out the tips from our Home Depot Muddy Boots associates for the best plants to put in your barrel. Are you ready? Let’s get growing!

Southeast

Transition Zone

Midwest

Southwest

North

Image: Shutterstock/Ferenz

To attract butterflies to your Transition Zone garden, choose plants that provide food for caterpillars and nectar for adult butterflies. Home Depot’s Muddy Boots associate Cynthia, who is based in North Texas, recommends choosing plants that can survive this zone’s hot summers when you create your butterfly island bed.

“We have lovely Monarchs and mainly Swallowtails here in North Texas,” Cynthia says. “Our biggest concern is in keeping our plants watered and happy through the hot weather ahead.” To keep your plants going, and to conserve water that might be lost by sprinklers, she suggests using soaker hoses. It’s also a good idea to cover the ground with several inches of mulch to help retain moisture.

“I have many of the plants below in a full-sun bed in my side yard, where I had to replace an oak tree,” Cynthia says. Butterflies flock to these plants, which are available in their favorite colors: pink, red, orange, purple, and yellow.

Salvia/Sage

Gallardia

Marigold

Coneflower

Tickseed

Sedum

Amaranth

Celosia

Roses, including the “‘bulletproof climber,” Lady Banks

Lantana

Zinnia

Hibiscus

To offer food for caterpillars, plant herbs like rue, dill, fennel, and parsley. Don’t worry about holes in your leaves; the caterpillars have to eat before they can turn into beautiful butterflies. Avoid using pesticides, so your winged visitors can enjoy your garden as much as you do.

Plant selections vary by store; vendor availability and weather may affect inventories. A Garden Center associate can help you find what you’re looking for or suggest alternatives.

Meet your Home Depot “Muddy Boots” associates, expert gardeners from around the U.S.

Image: Shutterstock/Yganko

Brightly colored butterflies are like flowers on wings. This summer, make a butterfly island bed and invite these beautiful visitors to your yard.

Choose a sunny spot for your butterfly bed and offer a shallow pool of water so they can drink. A saucer filled with moist sand will also do the trick. Butterflies prefer purple, yellow, red, pink, and orange flowers, especially those with sweet or pungent scents.

Depending on the size of the bed, you can include flowers, vines, shrubs, herbs, ornamental grasses, and even trees. Use our guide below to find suggestions for plants to grow in your zone.

North

Midwest

Southwest

Southeast

Transition Zone

 Image: Shutterstock/Pavel Lysenko

If you live and garden in the southwest, our Muddy Boots associate Gail recommends placing your butterfly island bed in a spot that gets at least six hours of sun each day. Gail, who is based in a Home Depot store in Garden Grove, California, likes to include plants for hummingbirds as well as butterflies.

“Where there are butterflies, you need to grow plants for (hungry) caterpillars, too, so you need to be forgiving of holes in the leaves! Reduce your use of pesticides in that area to zero, and live with the fact you will have bees coming around to pollinate, and wasps (usually nonaggressive) that will hunt the caterpillars a bit.” (Learn more here about pollinators that visit your garden.)

Gail recommends these plants for caterpillars and butterflies:

• ‘Black and Blue’ salvia
• Mexican salvia – The plants will get large, but you can trim them as desired.
• Butterfly bush, also called ‘Buddleia’ – This shrub can also get big. Prune it yearly to keep it under control.
• Milkweed – These plants are often found growing wild along roadsides and in fields. Milkweed is a host plant for the caterpillars of Monarch butterflies.
• Gaillardia
• Yarrow
• Asters
• Dill and parsley -  Let these herbs set flowers to lure swallowtail butterflies to your yard.
• Hollyhock
• Snapdragons

Meet your Home Depot “Muddy Boots” associates, a select group of expert gardeners from around the U.S.

Image: Shutterstock/Charles F. McCarthy

For gardeners in the southeast, Home Depot Muddy Boots associate Travis recommends placing your butterfly island bed in a spot that gets at least six hours of sun each day. Travis, who is based in a store in Atlanta, Georgia, also recommends growing plants that provide food for caterpillars as well as nectar for the adult butterflies. Your winged visitors will appreciate simple, open flowers in red, orange, pink, yellow, and purple, and those that have sweet or pungent scents.

Travis’s picks for butterfly island plants include tall annuals, such as:

• Zinnia
• Cosmos
• Salvia
• Aster
• Petunia (‘Wave’ petunias are a good choice because they flower abundantly)
• Verbena
• Marigold
• Lantana – “I put Lantana on the list,” Travis says, “because of its sprawling growth habit and multi-color display.”

You can also attract caterpillars and butterfly with woody shrubs. If your island bed is small, choose one for a focal point.

• Viburnum
• Blueberry
• Hawthorne
• Bottlebrush
• Buddleia

Plant selections vary by store location and vendor availability. A Home Depot Garden Center associate will be glad to help you find what you’re looking for or suggest alternatives.

Meet your Home Depot “Muddy Boots” associates, a select group of expert gardeners from around the U.S.

Image: Shutterstock/Beata Becia

If you garden in the Midwest, our “Muddy Boots” associate Kelly, from the Home Depot store in Bloomington-Normal, IL, has some great tips for making a butterfly island bed:

“It’s all about creating an oasis for native butterflies (and don’t be afraid of the other natural pollinators attracted to the same things, like bees and hummingbirds)! Butterflies are cold blooded and need heat to fly. Dark colored rocks or other heat storing garden fixtures that heat up in early morning or late afternoon can help extend butterfly visits. More activity = more butterflies!

“Butterflies also need shelter from the wind that is very common in the Midwest. Planting near a fence, row of evergreens, or including a taller feature like a cherry tree or bushier plants can help protect butterflies.

“Providing food for caterpillars can increase the amount of butterflies in your garden. Be sure to plant enough food plants for caterpillars and yourself.”

For caterpillars, plant:

• Black Swallowtail: Carrots, Parsley, Dill
• Tiger Swallowtail: Cherry (Plant 2 different types to increase production of cherries), Birch, Tulip tree, Poplar, Ash, Apple (The same environment that caterpillars like also fosters coddling moths, so do not expect edible apples from a tree in a butterfly garden.)
• Monarch Butterfly : Milkweeds, Butterfly Weed
• Great Spangled Fritillary: Violets
• Buckeye: Snapdragons
• Morning Cloak: Willows, Elm
• Viceroy: Pussy Willow, Plums, Cherries
• Red Spotted Purple: Willows, Poplars

For adult butterflies:

Annuals:

• Cosmos
• Marigolds
• ‘Wave’ Petunias
• Verbena – Very easy to fit in amongst other plants with a trailing habit. Try planting in a simple concrete planter to create a butterfly food and heat “rest stop.”
• Zinnia

Herbs:

• Chives
• Catmint – Be prepared for neighborhood cats to also enjoy this plant!
• Lavender – Try ‘Lavender De Provence,’ sometimes labeled as English Lavender ‘Provence.’ 
• Mint – Available in many flavors. Plant in a 1″ diameter or larger pot, to avoid spreading.
• Parsley
• Dill

Perennials:

• Bee Balm – Native to the Midwest; also attracts hummingbirds.
• Black Eyed Susan
• Butterfly Weed – Native to the Midwest and attracts hummingbirds.
• Phlox – Several varieties bloom at different times across the seasons. Native Phlox has a very beautiful scent and blooms in mid-spring with light robin’s egg-blue flowers. Garden Phlox and Creeping Phlox bloom in summer and early fall with a range of colors but do not typically have strong perfume.
• Purple Coneflower
• Red Valerian
• Sunflower
• Goldenrod
• Sedum -  Try “Autumn Joy” or “Black Jack” for its dark, almost black-burgundy leaves.

“Also, never EVER use pesticides in a butterfly garden,” Kelly says. ‘Both caterpillars and butterflies are extremely vulnerable to them. Both are also very vulnerable to bacterial insecticides like Bacillus thuringiensis.

“Hang a hummingbird feeder and plant hummingbird friendly plants such as Bee Balm and Butterfly Weed to enjoy some crossover usage from your plants. Avoid attracting other birds to your butterfly garden as many desirable birds eat butterflies!”

Plant selections vary by store; vendor availability and weather may affect inventories. A Garden Center associate can help you find what you’re looking for or suggest alternatives.

Meet your Home Depot “Muddy Boots” associates, expert gardeners from around the U.S.

Image: Shutterstock/StevenRussellSmithPhotos

Butterflies bring movement and color to our gardens. Welcome these winged visitors to your Southern garden with an island bed filled with plants for the caterpillars and adults.

Begin by offering your butterflies the essentials:

• A few flat stones or pavers, so they can rest and warm themselves in the sun.

• A spot for “puddling” where they can drink water and extract minerals. To make a “puddle,” fill a shallow pan with coarse sand and put it in your island bed. Keep the soil moist.

• An pesticide-free zone. Avoid using chemicals where butterflies visit.

• Nectar plants for adult butterflies and foliage and other food plants for caterpillars. Use flowers that bloom in succession, and plant in masses of color to help the butterflies find them. Red, yellow, pink, purple and orange blossoms with short tubes or flattened flowerheads are best.

Butterflies For Southern gardens:

Swallowtails – Pipevines, Zebras, and other swallowtails are big, beautiful butterflies that are easily recognized by the “forked tail” on their hind wings. The Giant Swallowtail is the largest of all North American swallowtails. Swallowtails visit garden flowers and native plants such as Dutchman’s pipe (sometimes called pipevine), wild ginger, and milkweed.

Monarchs – Its familiar orange and black wings make the Monarch one of our most popular butterflies. Females lay their eggs on milkweed plants–a good reason to leave a few ungroomed or weedy patches around your yard. Each fall, migrating monarchs journey to Mexico for the winter.

Fritillaries – These butterflies are typically orange, sienna and brown in color, with dots and lines on their upper wings. The Great Spangled Fritillary, which boasts a wingspan of almost 4 inches, ranges from the southern U.S. to Canada.

Buckeyes – You’ll spot buckeyes by the two large, blue eyespots on their wings, which help deter predators by making them think the spots are a bird’s eyes, rather than a butterfly’s wing markings. Buckeyes are common in the South, but don’t appear to venture into the northwestern U.S.

Sulphurs – As you’d guess from the name, Sulphurs are brilliant yellow butterflies. They’re small to medium in size and frequent fields and patches of weeds or grass, where they lay their eggs. The Cloudless Sulphur is a bright lemon-yellow color, while its smaller relative, the Clouded Sulphur, is pale yellow.

And many more – Look for a field guide to butterflies in your region to discover other fascinating and beautiful species.

A sampler of plants To Grow In your butterfly island bed:

Trees

Citrus, willow, oak, redbud, pear, dogwood. Find tree planting tips here.

Herbs

Dill, parsley, rue, yarrow

flowers and other nectar plants

Lantana, sunflower, coneflower,  ageratum, aster, daisy, marigold, zinnia, pansy, passionflower, milkweed, pentas, red clover, hibiscus, verbena, snapdragon

Shrubs

Abelia, summersweet, azalea, blueberry, butterfly bush, viburnum

Dress up your island butterfly bed with an ornamental butterfly house. It’s easy to build from a kit and makes a fun family project.

Image credit, Buckeye butterfly: Shutterstock/StevenRussellSmithPhotos

Butterflies bring movement and color to our gardens. Welcome these winged visitors to your Pacific Northwest garden with an island bed filled with plants for caterpillars and adults.

Begin by offering your butterflies the essentials:

• A few flat stones or pavers, so they can rest and warm themselves in the sun.

• A spot for “puddling” where they can drink water and extract minerals. To make a puddle, put a shallow pan filled moist, coarse sand in the island bed.

• An pesticide-free zone. Avoid using chemicals anywhere butterflies visit.

• Nectar plants for adult butterflies and foliage and other food plants for caterpillars. Use flowers that bloom in succession, and plant in masses of color to help the butterflies find them. Red, yellow, pink, purple and orange blossoms with short tubes or flattened flower heads are best.

Butterflies For Pacific Northwest gardens:

Western Tiger Swallowtails – Swallowtails are big, beautiful butterflies that are easily recognized by the “forked tail” on their hind wings. Western Tigers are often found on garden lilacs, which they find irresistible; they are bright yellow butterflies with black, tiger-like stripes.

Painted Lady – Painted ladies have orange and brown splotches on their wings and splashes of pink on their fore-wings that give them their name. American Painted Ladies have two blue “eyes” on the underside of their hing wings; they can tolerate cold climates and range into Canada.

Mourning Cloak – This butterfly takes its name from its somber brownish-maroon wings, which are edged with off-white. In the sun, the upper wings reveal blue dots and an iridescent sheen. Adults will dine on rotting fruit and meadow flowers. You may hear Mourning Cloaks make a clicking noise if you surprise them while they’re perched on a tree or shrub.

Spring Azure -  Sometimes called the Common Blue, Spring Azures are among the first butterflies to appear each spring. Their wings are powder-blue and silvery gray. In the larvae stage, Spring Azures secret honeydew, a sweet liquid that ants drink; ants will protect the larvae as a food source.

And more – Look for a field guide to butterflies in your region to discover other fascinating and beautiful species.

A sampler of plants To Grow In or Near your butterfly island bed:

Trees

Flowering dogwood, Kousa dogwood. Mourning Cloaks also like tree sap. Find tree planting tips here.

Herbs

Mint, borage

flowers and other nectar plants

Rose, verbena, lavender, dianthus, Shasta daisy, aster, daylily, salvia, coneflower, zinnia

Shrubs

Abelia, clethra, rhododendron, forsythia, butterfly bush, lilac

Dress up your island butterfly bed with an ornamental butterfly house. It’s easy to build from a kit and makes a fun family project.

Image credit, Spring Azure butterfly: Shutterstock/Johannviloria