Gaura or Wand Flower

Gaura is commonly called Wand flower because of the way the flowers look when blowing in the breeze. It is a good plant to choose when you need a low maintenance plant with nice color.

So far these seem to do well with Crape Myrtles.

Using Day Lillies in Your Garden

Day Lillies can be beautiful when in bloom, but most of the time they are are just green foliage. 

The best way to get the most of using them in your garden is to plant them with a long blooming annual, like Sweet Alyssum, Begonias, Petunias, Snap dragons or another colorful annual or perennial.

Photo:Courtesy of Lowes

Butterfly Gardening

Butterfly gardening is the art of growing flowers and plants that will attract butterflies.

Butterflies are attracted to flowers that have nectar instead of pollen, like Honeysuckle, Milk Weed, Summer Lilac, Valerian, Daisies, Purple cone-flower, Yellow Sage, Pentas, and of course  Butterfly Bush and Butterfly Weed.

 If you own cats rethink your plans, because it would be a shame to attract these lovely insects to their death.

The design your butterfly garden is a matter of personal preference. Typical points to consider are the size of your garden and the types of flowers and plants you want to grow.

 A birdbath will look attractive and keep the butterflies up off the ground, away from stray cats or mischievous puppies. A shallow dish on a post or hung in a tree will do just as well.