My native pollinator garden continues to amaze. I saw eight different kinds of butterflies this morning and decided to pick a bouquet of their favorite flowers. My husband, not a gardener at all, has even noticed the butterfly brigade. I am certain Gertrude Jekyll would be appalled by the color scheme, but I am enjoying the melange of colors and butterflies. I am carrying my phone around to take pictures – a comedy in itself. Chasing butterflies through the garden at my age.
The vase is the remaining half of a pair of Dansk candle holders from the 1970s. It’s friend is lost to history. The Blue Willow plate a recent acquisition. The flowers are: pink powderpuffs, Sunshine Mimosa (botanical name changed too many times); orange firecrackers are from the Firebush (Hamelia patens var patens); red and yellow flowers Gallardias (Galllardia pulchella); red spikes courtesy of Tropical Red Salvia (Salvia coccinea); blue flowers from Porterweed and a few sprigs of Parsley for the foliage.
The Black Swallowtail Butterfly lays eggs in Parsley and Fennel, along with other plants. My pot of Parsley and herbs has eggs and two stages of caterpillars right now. The lower photo is the Black Swallowtail, I am hoping to watch the caterpillars progress.
The Shrub Queen 
There’s time for a restricted colour palate and there’s a time for exuberance. I love all your bright colours together. Exciting to follow a swallowtail. We have them here too, but not the black ones – the caterpillars look identical.
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Exuberant is it here. There are a few kinds of Swallowtails here, some of their friends are probably in your garden.
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Who knew there were so many family scissors stories!! Love those salvia spikes shooting upwards like early firecrackers. And nothing goes better with blues than oranges and pinks.
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Thank you, its funny after all our parents passed I ended up with a plethora of scissors and umbrellas.
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Wonderful Queen
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Thank you, Flower
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Oh your bouquet is a beauty and I am sure your butterflies love the flowers in your garden especially the salvia!
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Thank you, the Salvia is a favorite.
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Bright colors…butterflies certainly do love them. I’ve got lots of bare parsley stems but have not yet seen what is enjoying them. đŸ™‚
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There are huge Yellow Swallowtails as well. The birds and lizards enjoy the caterpillars as well.
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Oh, your majesty, Miss Jekyll won’t mind your happy color mash up. At least she won’t say anything about it as she’s been keeping her comments to herself since 1932. I love the bright colors and butterflies!
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Thanks, I left my flower color progression drama years ago, they can be so uncooperative.
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What a beautiful swallowtail. Our tiger swallowtails are numerous right now, wonderful to see. Ha, I’d love to see a video of you chasing flutterbutts in your garden! They must like the buffet you offer.
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I guess they like the buffet. Although last year there was nearly nothing and this year a seeming smorgasbord in comparison. Hopefully, my husband does not know how to make videos on his cellphone..
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đŸ™‚
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I put more faith in butterflies than Gertude Jekyll when it comes to plant choices. Despite my own efforts to attract them, butterflies are currently light in my garden (although I have to shoo away the bees before bring flowers in the house). Maybe the Zinnias will bring them in but those are still seedlings…
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Kris, get a Firebush! I am pretty sure they will grow there and the butterflies love them.
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I know this is about the flowers, but the blue willow got my attention. I still have my red willow that I got while in college. It is quite rare. The old lady who gave it to me disliked the blue, but got it at a time when the pattern was very trendy.
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I love the Willow china, too. That piece is marked Occupied Japan, which is kind of rare and why I bought it.
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Mine is newer than that, 1957.
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Ooh, I would sacrifice my parsley if it meant swallowtails in my garden! đŸ™‚ I have only seen a swallowtail two or perhaps three times here. I kept a butterfly diary a few years ago and was out chasing butterflies with my camera all summer! đŸ˜‰ I love your colour scheme – it was the first thing I noticed. Red, pink and orange are wonderful together and a splash of purple makes them even better. I am wondering what the green flowerless spikes are on the left?
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Well, I have a gigantic parsley that will soon succumb to the heat – so I really don’t mind. We also get huge Yellow Swallowtails. I will continue to try and take pictures, don’t hold your breath! The green flowerless spikes are holding the purple flowers, the Porterweed. I love the texture, Floridians think I am weird for using them in flower arrangements. I like the colors too, but it is a mad mix. I just added a Red Plumeria!
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Ah yes, now I see. Thanks! I must go and google them now – fascinating texture.
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Cheerful and lovely vase. Glad you’re keeping the butterflies happy. Great shots.
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Thank you, I am enjoying the butterflies.
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Mother Nature says those colors go together just fine đŸ™‚ I think it’s lovely. Thanks for the info about parsley and fennel. I have things to attract butterflies, but am lacking on habit for caterpillars. (I planted a butterfly weed last year for that purpose, but it’s slower than Christmas).
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Gertrude was gardening in a different climate, pastel colours would look wishy- washy under your bright light. I love your vibrant colour combination and I love to imagine you chasing butterflies round your garden. What a beauty you caught.
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So true, it seems many of the tropical plants are more vibrant colors or white? I was never particularly fond of orange, but am embracing it now. The butterflies have been fun, I found a black, cobalt blue and orange one yesterday – an Atala I had planted larval food for.
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What a vivid, colourful arrangement! You do get those lively colours in Florida.
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My garden is really lively!
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