Flower power for pollinators

Review of the butterfly garden, part two

July 2025

I've already reviewed the butterfly activity last summer in the new butterfly garden and that was based on only a few species of flowers. It shows that even a few flowers in a small space can attract butterflies.

Tropical milkweed

I brought these with us to the new house as plants, but they can easily be grown from seed. Yates' version is called Asclepias Silky Mix. They took time to start flowering, but once they did, they kept going and going. There are still a few flowers out now. The monarchs showed a real preference for these and they are a must-have plant if you want monarchs but don't have the space for the larger swan plants. They can grow happily in pots and come in orange, orange/red or yellow flowers.

Strawflowers

These were a new flower for me and bought as seedlings from Moths and Butterflies of New Zealand Trust (MBNZT). They have been wonderful. They flowered quickly and one of them is still going now, well into winter. They are an annual and I let the later flowers go to seed, partly to see if they were something the birds would eat over winter and partly because I hope they will come up again in spring. I will definitely grow these again. They are such a cheerful flower and were a hit with all the pollinators, as well as with my husband, who is not usually a flower fan.

Ageratum

These I grew from seed and so many germinated, I had more than I had room for in the pilot garden, so they went into pots and were planted up into the shadier parts of the border as well. These have also performed in the garden, flowering over a long period and attracting the blue butterflies. Whilst this is an annual species, they are still flowering now - one of the benefits of living in a milder area of the country. A definite for next summer as well.

Echinacea

These are a perennial flower that die back over winter and have a reputation as a butterfly flower. These were brought from the old house too. They transplanted successfully and have done really well in the pilot garden, flowering for a long period. I didn't see butterflies on them, but the bees loved them so I'll be growing more for the garden expansion.

Zinnias

These were bought from MBNZT as seedlings and so it is no wonder that the monarch butterflies loved them. I think that is to do with the colour and their height. I must admit that the bright colours were just a bit too gaudy for my taste, but if that's what the butterflies like, I'll have to live with the colour and balance them with the colours of the adjacent flowers. These are the full height zinnias and not the miniature ones you get from garden centres.

Dahlias

FAIL. A big fat fail. These were also seedlings from MBNZT, but I only managed to save one of the six I bought and planted it in a pot, where it was a lot happier. The ones in the garden all died. Open dahlias are such great butterfly flowers and will grow in Auckland, so I'll probably try again with tubers, or put them in pots from the start. I have to admit that the one in the pot also died in the end, so I hope this isn't a sign of things to come. I have never successfully grown dahlias, even in raised beds, but with Dahlia Haven only a few kilometres away, there's no excuse for it being the Auckland clay soil.

Cosmos

Cosmos was a consistent winner at my old house, flowering over a long period and attracting butterflies and bees. In the winter the goldfinches would visit to take the seeds. In the pilot garden, the cosmos I grew from seed didn't bush out as I would have expected and flowered for a shorter period. Perhaps it is the type of cosmos I have, but it just didn't like it. Their light colours didn't work next to the strong coloured zinnias either, so I think I'll need to forego any whites/pastels in the beds in the future. No interest from the butterflies either, but the bees were happy with the flowers.

Buddleia

These were all grown from cuttings and did flower this summer, but low to the ground. The cuttings I couldn't plant into the garden went into pots and they'll go into the enlarged garden. They will need to put on some height to be effective for more than just the blue butterflies. These are a butterfly staple and at the old house I had a couple, even though they take up a fair bit of room.

Liatris

FAIL. None made it from MBNZT seedling stage into the garden. I've never been able to grow them from seed either. These might be another species that just don't like me. Again, they grow fine in Auckland so its a 'me' problem, not an Auckland problem. They are perfect for butterflies and other pollinators, but I'll have to take other people's words for it, because I have no first hand experience.

Salvias

I love salvias. They never let you down unlike other plants (I'm looking at you, liatris). There is an existing large purple autumn sage in the sundial garden, maybe Armistad? We also bought some Waverley salvias from Auckland Botanic Gardens and invested in a couple of Black and Bloom salvias for the garden too. They have fed the bees for months and months, with both honey and bumblebees piercing the tops of the flowers to get to the nectar. These aren't the types of salvias for butterflies, but the other pollinators are loving them. Even better, the silvereyes feed from them too.

Heliotrope

This is a plant I will definitely grow more of. I bought some straggly versions from the old house in pots, but it was the new "small" plants in a punnet that I bought from one of the hardware stores that flowered for months, attracting bees and blue butterflies, as well as providing a lovely show around the base of a planted lemon tree. En masse they produce a notable perfume. Mine have done their dash, partly because I tried to transplant them into the garden and they are not having it, but the heliotropes at Auckland Botanic Gardens are still going even now in mid-winter.

Trailing Lantana

I went looking for this after visiting a potential property last year that had this planted on a sunny retaining wall (the only garden it had) and yet there was a very happy yellow admiral feeding. Broccoli's Nursery have three different colour ways and I have White Lightning flanking the front door in pots, lavender purple trailling from a pot in the sundial garden and what's called raspberry swirl in the butterfly garden as a ground cover. I haven't seen an admiral on it, but the blue butterflies fed from it. I imagine it'll make more of an impact as it spreads. This is not the banned lantana, but a less thuggy relative.

Gaura

I've had tall gaura in the old garden and grown a shorter version successfully from seed for the new garden. It is such a great flower, giving movement and height in a small space. Bees love it. Whilst I'm planning on moving away from white flowers (see Cosmos above), I think this will have to be the exception to the rule.

So, with just a few types of flowers this year, I managed to bring in butterflies. The expanded borders and new garden beds will mean a lot more room for other types of flower. All the flowers above flower over a long period of time, which is great for a limited space, but the idea in this garden is to have nectar on hand for butterflies, bees and birds all year, which means a wider range of flowers. I'm not super-knowledgeable about plants, so I may not get it quite right for the next year - once everything matures enough to flower, I'll keep an eye on what flowers when and plug any gaps in the nectar calendar. I already have a stash of plants ready to put into the ground in spring. I can't wait!