There are many reasons why you should fill your garden A stunning plant that will attract butterflies A good idea. Apart from their beautiful intricate wings, butterflies serve an important function by acting as pollinators for your garden. They do this by capturing pollen from the flowers they feed on and transferring it to other flowers through their legs and wings. This pollination is essential for a healthy outdoor environment. And if you want your yard to be a butterfly haven, you need to plant a beautiful perennial known as sheep’s ear (Stachys byzantina).
Known for its green leaves that are covered in hairs and resemble the shape of an actual sheep’s ear, this plant is hardy and able to grow comfortably in USDA hardiness zones 4 through 8. It grows relatively low to the ground, usually reaching about 2 feet in height when fully mature. As a perennial, you can rest easy knowing it will continue to grow in dense clumps year after year.
However, foliage isn’t enough to make your yard a butterfly magnet. If you are planting common lambswool, it is important to understand that you will not get butterflies in your first season. This is the time when it is establishing its foliage. In the second season, expect small, lavender-like flowers to emerge from the leaves during summer. This is what will attract butterflies to your garden.
Plant flowering lamb’s ears for a butterfly-friendly garden
Similar to Liatris, Another simple flower that will attract butterfliesA sheep’s ear does not require attention after it is planted in the ground. They are best grown in spring once the chance of frost has passed, and can be sown either directly into the ground or into containers. If you’re planting in the ground, do it in rich, well-draining soil in a spot with plenty of morning sun, but some afternoon shade. Mature sheep’s ears are very drought-tolerant, so they will do well in dry areas.
Common sheep’s ear is not the only type of sheep’s ear that blooms and attracts butterflies. Wood Betony (Stachys officinalis) grows exceptionally tall and has large tuber-shaped purple flowers that are perfect for butterflies to draw nectar from. Cotton Ball (Stachys byzantina “Cotton Ball”) is another unique flowering cultivar, its blooms look like cotton balls attached to long stems. Butterflies will still be drawn to this variety, but its flower shape is more suited to pollinating bees.
If you want to establish a large bed of foliage, Cut off the lamb’s ears Flowers in that second season channel the plant’s energy into leaf production. Once you get it to the size and area you like, let the plant grow its annual flowers to keep butterflies fluttering in your yard.
