25 Flowers to Attract Butterflies to Your Garden

Butterflies bring life and beauty to a garden. Entice them to visit your backyard by adding some of their favorite flowers in shades of orange, red, yellow, pink, and purple, planted in masses to help butterflies find them more easily.

Butterflies must land in order to feed, so the best butterfly garden flowers include those with flattened tops or tubular-shaped flower clusters. A successful butterfly garden should include host plants for butterfly larvae (caterpillars) as well as nectar-producing plants for the adults.

Butterfly bushes (Buddleia davidii) are large, fast-growing shrubs whose flowers are irresistible to butterflies. Buddleias are easy-care plants that attract butterflies, but they’re invasive in some areas. Look for sterile cultivars which don’t set seed and therefore don’t run wild.

These fast-growing deciduous shrubs are suitable for planting in perennial borders, cottage gardens, island beds, or wherever their loose, somewhat messy growth habit won’t detract from a particular garden design you’re trying to achieve. Consider adding a few flowers that attract butterflies to round out the space and invite even more pollinators.

Phlox (Phlox paniculata) is a low-growing, spreading plant that forms a blanket of blooms all summer. Perennial varieties are great for a year-round groundcover.

Most garden phlox will grow in USDA hardiness zones 4 to 8. For best results, do a soil test before planting, to see what amendments, if any, you may need (soil test kits are available from garden centers, or your local county extension service may be able to test a soil sample for you.).

Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) is one of the best flowers for attracting butterflies. It adds a flashy touch of color to the late summer landscape. Plant echinacea among a low growing perennial bed where showy flowers will stand above the rest.

The plants are consistently winter hardy throughout the country, standing up to harsh Minnesota winters, as well as mild Florida ones. Echinacea plants are drought-tolerant once established, making them well-suited to today’s water-conscious plantings. They make a great choice for rain gardens, adapting easily to the wet-dry soil cycles that typify these plantings.

Lantana (Lantana camara) produces profuse color, showing off clusters of tiny, eye-catching blooms in a variety of hues. Typically grown as an annual, it's an excellent low hedge or accent shrub that you can also train as a standard. It attracts butterflies and tolerates heat.

Lantana care is pretty simple. Water newly planted lantana regularly to ensure healthy root development. While established plants are drought tolerant, they stage the best show when they receive roughly one inch of water per week, either through rainfall or irrigation.

This statuesque plant adds strong architectural interest to your flower border and attracts butterflies by the dozen. Because perennial foliage usually declines after the plants bloom, choosing a late-season bloomer such as Joe-Pye weed (Eutrochium purpureum) ensures you have lush, beautiful foliage all season long. The variety called 'Gateway,' shown, reaches up to six feet in height.

Blue star (Amsonia hubrichtii) is a perennial that can reach two to three feet in height. It gets its name after its blue, star-shaped blooms that open up in spring.

Use in masses or as a specimen plant, or in a mixed perennial border in the middle to back of the border or in a rock garden. Blue star performs best in partial shade in a moist, loamy, well-drained soil, and also tolerates full sun if provided with enough moisture.

Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia) is one of the great wildflowers of North America and was one of the first to become a domesticated garden flower. Its showy golden yellow flower head with black centers are a visual delight.

Pot marigolds' (Calendula officinalis) blooms last up to eight weeks in the summer and are a quick-to-grow plant.

The blazing star (Liatris spicata) is an interesting perennial which produces 1 to 3 foot-tall spikes of bright purplish-pink or white flowers in late June to early fall. It is an ideal plant to grow in a butterfly garden.

Heliotrope (Heliotropium arborescens) has a sweet, pungent scent that some liken to the smell of cherry pie. 'Dwarf Marine' features a royal purple color. It is large flowered yet compact and has attractive, dark green foliage and a bushy habit.

Lavender (Lavandula spp.) is a perennial favorite for gardeners and butterflies alike, producing tall, fragrant spikes of purple blooms. Hailing from the Mediterranean, it's drought-resistant and can take the heat.

The only food source of Monarch caterpillars and a preferred source of nectar for many butterfly species, including the adult Monarch, there are over 100 varieties of milkweeds in North America. Hardy Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), shown here, is a good choice for Zones 3-8 but prefers moist conditions till well established.

A type of milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa), drought-tolerant butterfly weed isn’t picky about growing conditions. Give it a sunny spot, and you’ll be on your way to a flowery summer. Butterflies, bees and other pollinators can’t resist these bright orange blooms. This perennial pushes through soil in late spring, well after other plants are up and at ‘em. It’s a good idea to mark clumps with a stake to avoid early season digging in that spot. Hardy in Zones 3 to 9.

Flossflower (Ageratum) is an annual that is a member of the aster family. The plants grow easily from seed and with enough water and a little shade, will bloom from midsummer to frost.

This delightful cosmos (Cosmos atrosanguineus) boasts dark maroon flowers that — as you might guess — are chocolate-scented.

Agapanthus comes to life in late summer. It features large, elegant, deep blue bell-shaped blooms that are clustered together on tall, sturdy stems. These showy flower heads stand well above the plant's foliage.

Aster is an herbaceous perennial that comes in a wide variety of colors. Its daisy-like flowers bloom in late summer and autumn in a sunny site.

Salvia produces fragrant foliage and tall spikes of flowers, usually in shades of purple or white. Its nectar attracts butterflies and hummingbirds.

Sea holly (Eryngium tripartitum) has blue green stems with masses of small, metallic blue flower heads on tall, 4-foot stems. Sea holly is a delight to butterflies and a tough plant that is very tolerant of drought.

Hollyhocks (Alcea rosea) a favorite for cottage gardens because of their loose, carefree look and beautiful, large blooms that attract bees and butterflies.

Cheerful, colorful sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) attract both bees and butterflies to the garden. These classics can grow as tall as 14 feet while shorter varieties only reach a foot tall. These heat-tolerant and pest-resistant annuals are excellent choices for wildlife or pollinator gardens.

Sedum has thick, succulent leaves that withstand drought and rainy weather. The flower buds form early and remain attractive well into winter. Low-growing types are perfect for rock gardens, while taller varieties thrive in perennial borders.

Goldenrod (Solidago) is a perennial with bright yellow flowers that add color to a late summer garden.

Allium, a member of the onion family, produces large, beautiful blooms on tall stems. Plant these bulbs in the fall for a spectacular spring show. They add an exotic touch to cottage gardens; plant toward the back of the bed.

This stunning American wildflower loves moist, shady woodland areas and attracts butterflies and hummingbirds from miles around. Lobelia cardinalis is hardy in Zones 3 to 9 and blooms in late summer. Use them in rain gardens and along rivers, ponds and springs.