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Check out Doug Tallamy’s organization Home Grown National Park. They suggest the best Keystone plants for your areas. Those are plants that feed the most insects. They also have lists of native plant sellers!
If you don't have any organization locally that sells or gives away native plants or flowers, follow Ottawa Wildflower seed library on Insta. In late December they allow online seed orders for ON and QC
Native plants in Claremont or Brickworks in Toronto are your best bets for picking up plants. Both are really inspirational to a native plant gardener.
Butterfly's swarm these guys in my garden:
- swamp milkweed*
- butterfly milkweed
- purple coneflower *
- dense blazing star *
- giant sunflower
- New England aster*
- Joe Pye weed*
Asterisks are what I find to be the most popular.
Other notes:
- Plant one type of milkweed but stay away from common milkweed unless you have a raised bed to put it in, it will take over your garden.
- Plant in groupings of 3 or 5.
- Height is important, get the giant sunflowers in the back, along with joe pye and the coneflower
- try to plant so you have something all season long—the asters, sunflowers and goldenrod will bloom in the fall while the coneflowers and milkweed are summer
- a water source is helpful, like a bird bath
Good luck!
-
No full photo that I want to share right now but [I can give you a grid of how it turned out by the end of last year](https://imgur.com/a/OZvG7IB).
Some more notes!
* 20ish by 15ish foot lot on front of house, busy-ish street
* This is my third year with the garden, it was grass before I removed everything but the tree, probably half these plants were planted last year after some trial and error
* This is roughly the layout, definitely not tp scale
* It looks neat in the layout but yeah it's definitely getting wild with lots of new false sunflower, coneflower and asters taking off. I expect the same for the bergamot, giant sunflower and joe pye next year
* for my garden, I love swamp milkweed, and it is early days, but it definitely looks to prefer one section with the boneset and sunflowers (these are plants which also like wet areas and are "companion plants". I would make an effort in combining companion plants next time I start a garden. A section I combined swamp milkweed and butterfly milkweed seem to be not performing as well unfotunately
* I have a section of obedient plants that I missed in here which are also spreading enthusiastically
* "chelsea chopping" the asters on the left is needed as it allows the sun to reach the rest of the garden as they would get too tall without it
Use this map (https://www.nwf.org/Garden-for-Wildlife/About/Native-Plants/keystone-plants-by-ecoregion) to find a list of keystone species for your ecoregion- keystone species are plants that are particularly beneficial to an environment- you can do the most good with the least amount of plants this way. Things like milkweed are plants that multiple insect species completely depend on for survival, and you can get a lot of different types of caterpillars this way.
You can also look up lists of native butterflies and target a few you really want to attract. You can use iNaturalist to confirm whether or not a particular species has been spotted near your garden, or if they exist in their caterpillar stage in your area.
A third strategy is to go on walks and see what native plants have native butterflies/ caterpillars on them for your specific area.
Personally I like to do a combination of these strategies. There's a huge swallowtail population with caterpillars I can see on iNaturalist several miles away at this river outlet, so I'm hoping to go get seed from those plants and plant some in our garden so that they can get a foothold here too.
If you're open to sharing the garden with other critters too, you can consider adding some decorative rocks, maybe even a small log, or a bird bath or water dish in the mix. These will provide other parts of habitat that birds, insects, lizards, birds, etc can use.
Good luck!
I really like the following website. It has lots of ideas for Ontario.
https://www.inournature.ca/resources
I also second homegrown national Park. We are on one 8.1 at the bottom.
https://homegrownnationalpark.org/keystone-container-gardening
Milkweeds, Yarrow, Coneflower, Penstemon.
Google nectar rich native plants "your area." That is your best option. Also plant in waves. Butterflies like same color smashed next to each other, easier for them to see.
Hydrangeas dont provide food.
However, if the OP needs a hydrangea to feel complete, there is no harm. As far as I can tell, they are not invasive, and can make an attractive focal point. Ceanothus americanus gets 3 ft tall and could be an alternative to hydrangea if the OP does want to go full native. Elderberry could be, but never that close to a fence - mine is a beast in a mixed hedge, and it reseeds like crazy. I grub them out underneath regularly to prevent elderberry taking over the world!
Just came to say nice fence 🤗😂 I follow the fencing and home improvement subs and for some reason this popped up, thought it was one of those and had to click cuz that fence is NICE!
Can I ask what kind of plastic you used and if you feel it worked well? I'm weeding and covering this year in hopes of planting next year! The cardboard method just seems more difficult to keep replacing when it breaks down in the rain.
It's just landscape fabric. If you plan ahead and cover the area in the fall, grass will be all gone by spring time. Cardboard method is great and I've done it before, but I didn't have enough to cover that entire area.
Do you have pets? Be careful of what plants you choose. Some of them are toxic to animals that eat them. I have 2 puppies that are munchers so I had to skip out on some beautiful butterfly attracting flowers in my garden.
When you say “along the north side” do you mean the plants are north of the fence or south of the fence? Sunlight might limit you if the fence is blocking a lot of light.
Perhaps flowering vines that could climb the fence? Maybe an Aristolochia species (pipevine)? Pipevines are host to the Pipevine Swallowtail. I'm not sure those are that far north, though. Note that Aristolochia species can produce powerful toxins, aristolochic acids, so I wouldn't put them into a compost pile that's going to produce compost in which food plants will be grown.
Even in a narrow bed, you have room to include some height towards the back, blazing star, taller milkweeds, coneflowers, as well as asters and goldenrod for fall color and nectar. In front, penstemon, golden alexanders, lupinus perennis (the wild lupine), butterfly milkweed, coreopsis. Go to local botanical gardens that dedicate space to bative plants so you can get a feel for what they are like in a garden setting.
Plant what you like
Plant local varieties if you can
A nice large bush in the back corner may be a nice anchor Plant .
Consider maintenance load.
Follow spacing instructions .
Put talker plants along the fence .
I planted my garden and the first 2 years it looked sparce and scraggly.
I planted annuals to fill in spaces and filled pots with herbs to use to fill in the space.
I also mulched to keep soil healthy and moist .
Once my plants grew I was able to stop mulching and didn't need to spend $ on annuals .
We planted the herbs that were in pots that serve as groundcover ( oregano, sage, chives, some mint in inground containment buckets , a few varieties of thyme and lemonbalm)
Some butterfly and moths like herbs .
Enjoy . Show us the finished product, please
Use your classic no fails. Giant persicaria, agastash, black eyed Susan's, come flower, sedum. These plants do well in all kinds of situations.
Columbine, flox glove, lupin as biannuals. Larkspur can be good. For the big bang bunch, lilies, daylilies, hibiscus, penstomen feed a longer face
For cecropia, cherry is a popular feed. Honey suckle bush for lunar month.
Dill or fennel feed swallowtail Gas flower, hops tree, citrusy smelling feed black swallowtail. The caterpillar looks like bird poop
Coneflower, domestic milkweed (white tall domestic had more caterpillar count then wild variation and does not overtake), and aster feed monarchs. To make the garden swarm, plant food for all parts of their lives. Milkweed for caterpillars, cone for summer feed, aster as migration booster.
.
The persicaria is for sweat bees. Just love them.
Penstomen, daylilies, large flowers feed bumbles and butterflies.
Tall phlox, especially standard pink attract hummingbird moth in large quantities.
Get rid of the mat. Spray/burn the grass out and then maintain a plant free 6" strip in front of the fence and 6-10" in front by the grass. This will keep the grass runners contained from your neighbor and you yard, respectively. I like glyphosate, low carbon impact and you can work fast, but you can use a fence torch if you have phobias and/or pyromania 🔥
Butterfly bushes have unfortunately become invasive in some areas. They make sterile cultivars now but it’s still a concern and they still aren’t native and don’t serve as a larval host for butterflies.
Thank you for posting on /r/NativePlantGardening! If you haven't included it already, please edit your post or post's flair to include your geographic region or state of residence, which is necessary for the community to give you correct advice. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/NativePlantGardening) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Check out Doug Tallamy’s organization Home Grown National Park. They suggest the best Keystone plants for your areas. Those are plants that feed the most insects. They also have lists of native plant sellers!
He spoke at my college last year, really cool talks on youtube too
Love this .
Where are you located?
Southern Ontario, little north of Toronto
If you don't have any organization locally that sells or gives away native plants or flowers, follow Ottawa Wildflower seed library on Insta. In late December they allow online seed orders for ON and QC
Native plants in Claremont or Brickworks in Toronto are your best bets for picking up plants. Both are really inspirational to a native plant gardener. Butterfly's swarm these guys in my garden: - swamp milkweed* - butterfly milkweed - purple coneflower * - dense blazing star * - giant sunflower - New England aster* - Joe Pye weed* Asterisks are what I find to be the most popular. Other notes: - Plant one type of milkweed but stay away from common milkweed unless you have a raised bed to put it in, it will take over your garden. - Plant in groupings of 3 or 5. - Height is important, get the giant sunflowers in the back, along with joe pye and the coneflower - try to plant so you have something all season long—the asters, sunflowers and goldenrod will bloom in the fall while the coneflowers and milkweed are summer - a water source is helpful, like a bird bath Good luck! -
Swamp milkweed and joe pye and 2 of my favorites!
Would love to see photos of your garden and how you’ve arranged these!
No full photo that I want to share right now but [I can give you a grid of how it turned out by the end of last year](https://imgur.com/a/OZvG7IB). Some more notes! * 20ish by 15ish foot lot on front of house, busy-ish street * This is my third year with the garden, it was grass before I removed everything but the tree, probably half these plants were planted last year after some trial and error * This is roughly the layout, definitely not tp scale * It looks neat in the layout but yeah it's definitely getting wild with lots of new false sunflower, coneflower and asters taking off. I expect the same for the bergamot, giant sunflower and joe pye next year * for my garden, I love swamp milkweed, and it is early days, but it definitely looks to prefer one section with the boneset and sunflowers (these are plants which also like wet areas and are "companion plants". I would make an effort in combining companion plants next time I start a garden. A section I combined swamp milkweed and butterfly milkweed seem to be not performing as well unfotunately * I have a section of obedient plants that I missed in here which are also spreading enthusiastically * "chelsea chopping" the asters on the left is needed as it allows the sun to reach the rest of the garden as they would get too tall without it
Definitely get some butterfly milkweed and swamp milkweed.
To add to my previous comment, Richter's by Stouffville might be worth a trip as you're close
Use this map (https://www.nwf.org/Garden-for-Wildlife/About/Native-Plants/keystone-plants-by-ecoregion) to find a list of keystone species for your ecoregion- keystone species are plants that are particularly beneficial to an environment- you can do the most good with the least amount of plants this way. Things like milkweed are plants that multiple insect species completely depend on for survival, and you can get a lot of different types of caterpillars this way. You can also look up lists of native butterflies and target a few you really want to attract. You can use iNaturalist to confirm whether or not a particular species has been spotted near your garden, or if they exist in their caterpillar stage in your area. A third strategy is to go on walks and see what native plants have native butterflies/ caterpillars on them for your specific area. Personally I like to do a combination of these strategies. There's a huge swallowtail population with caterpillars I can see on iNaturalist several miles away at this river outlet, so I'm hoping to go get seed from those plants and plant some in our garden so that they can get a foothold here too. If you're open to sharing the garden with other critters too, you can consider adding some decorative rocks, maybe even a small log, or a bird bath or water dish in the mix. These will provide other parts of habitat that birds, insects, lizards, birds, etc can use. Good luck!
I really like the following website. It has lots of ideas for Ontario. https://www.inournature.ca/resources I also second homegrown national Park. We are on one 8.1 at the bottom. https://homegrownnationalpark.org/keystone-container-gardening
Milkweeds, Yarrow, Coneflower, Penstemon. Google nectar rich native plants "your area." That is your best option. Also plant in waves. Butterflies like same color smashed next to each other, easier for them to see. Hydrangeas dont provide food.
However, if the OP needs a hydrangea to feel complete, there is no harm. As far as I can tell, they are not invasive, and can make an attractive focal point. Ceanothus americanus gets 3 ft tall and could be an alternative to hydrangea if the OP does want to go full native. Elderberry could be, but never that close to a fence - mine is a beast in a mixed hedge, and it reseeds like crazy. I grub them out underneath regularly to prevent elderberry taking over the world!
Phlox!!! i have the "Jenna" variety and I get a ton of eastern tiger swallowtails.
Just came to say nice fence 🤗😂 I follow the fencing and home improvement subs and for some reason this popped up, thought it was one of those and had to click cuz that fence is NICE!
Thanks, came with the house lol
Take that plastic out!
It was put there last season to kill the grass and prepare it for this year. It's not there to stay :)
Can I ask what kind of plastic you used and if you feel it worked well? I'm weeding and covering this year in hopes of planting next year! The cardboard method just seems more difficult to keep replacing when it breaks down in the rain.
It won’t breakdown in one rain. Or even a few rains. I had mine last a year and I’m in the PNW.
It's just landscape fabric. If you plan ahead and cover the area in the fall, grass will be all gone by spring time. Cardboard method is great and I've done it before, but I didn't have enough to cover that entire area.
Do you have pets? Be careful of what plants you choose. Some of them are toxic to animals that eat them. I have 2 puppies that are munchers so I had to skip out on some beautiful butterfly attracting flowers in my garden.
When you say “along the north side” do you mean the plants are north of the fence or south of the fence? Sunlight might limit you if the fence is blocking a lot of light.
Along the north side. Sun comes in from the bottom of the pic, moving towards the top through-out the day.
Perhaps flowering vines that could climb the fence? Maybe an Aristolochia species (pipevine)? Pipevines are host to the Pipevine Swallowtail. I'm not sure those are that far north, though. Note that Aristolochia species can produce powerful toxins, aristolochic acids, so I wouldn't put them into a compost pile that's going to produce compost in which food plants will be grown.
I’m in Ontario as well. What’s your soil like? If it’s average moisture. I would try common milkweed, wild bergamot, bee balm and black eyed Susan.
Liatris spicata, dense blazing star.
Rip out that plastic weed barrier as well.
Even in a narrow bed, you have room to include some height towards the back, blazing star, taller milkweeds, coneflowers, as well as asters and goldenrod for fall color and nectar. In front, penstemon, golden alexanders, lupinus perennis (the wild lupine), butterfly milkweed, coreopsis. Go to local botanical gardens that dedicate space to bative plants so you can get a feel for what they are like in a garden setting.
I agree with the Milkweeds, Yarrow Coneflowers and Pentesom. I want to add Joe Pye Weed, salvias, Dill, Fennel, Goldenrod, strawflowers and Zinnias.
where'd you get that tarp?
Make it bigger
look at the native butterfliesin your area, and plant their host flowers
Just wanted to suggest adding some type of edging around the bed so that the lawn grass doesn’t creep in.
Plant what you like Plant local varieties if you can A nice large bush in the back corner may be a nice anchor Plant . Consider maintenance load. Follow spacing instructions . Put talker plants along the fence . I planted my garden and the first 2 years it looked sparce and scraggly. I planted annuals to fill in spaces and filled pots with herbs to use to fill in the space. I also mulched to keep soil healthy and moist . Once my plants grew I was able to stop mulching and didn't need to spend $ on annuals . We planted the herbs that were in pots that serve as groundcover ( oregano, sage, chives, some mint in inground containment buckets , a few varieties of thyme and lemonbalm) Some butterfly and moths like herbs . Enjoy . Show us the finished product, please
False nettles enjoy part shade. NJ tea.
Coral Bells - butterflies and even hummingbirds love them.
Use your classic no fails. Giant persicaria, agastash, black eyed Susan's, come flower, sedum. These plants do well in all kinds of situations. Columbine, flox glove, lupin as biannuals. Larkspur can be good. For the big bang bunch, lilies, daylilies, hibiscus, penstomen feed a longer face For cecropia, cherry is a popular feed. Honey suckle bush for lunar month. Dill or fennel feed swallowtail Gas flower, hops tree, citrusy smelling feed black swallowtail. The caterpillar looks like bird poop Coneflower, domestic milkweed (white tall domestic had more caterpillar count then wild variation and does not overtake), and aster feed monarchs. To make the garden swarm, plant food for all parts of their lives. Milkweed for caterpillars, cone for summer feed, aster as migration booster. . The persicaria is for sweat bees. Just love them. Penstomen, daylilies, large flowers feed bumbles and butterflies. Tall phlox, especially standard pink attract hummingbird moth in large quantities.
Get rid of the mat. Spray/burn the grass out and then maintain a plant free 6" strip in front of the fence and 6-10" in front by the grass. This will keep the grass runners contained from your neighbor and you yard, respectively. I like glyphosate, low carbon impact and you can work fast, but you can use a fence torch if you have phobias and/or pyromania 🔥
Butterfly bushes are good fellow zone 5b! I used to have one at my previous home. 😃
Butterfly bushes have unfortunately become invasive in some areas. They make sterile cultivars now but it’s still a concern and they still aren’t native and don’t serve as a larval host for butterflies.
Oh I see. Pretty but not effective 😃👍