It is winter in my butterfly garden. One, and maybe the only, downside to butterfly gardening is the way I have to leave my gardens in winter. It is not that big of a deal for us, but it could be a draw back in areas people might like to entertain all year. I leave all of the stems and branches because they may have chrysalises on them all winter. Also, the chances of having plants like Lantana return are better if you leave them uncut through the winter. Otherwise cold air will go through the hollow shaft to the roots. Several types of Lantana will return in my area (Atlanta), year after year. Mrs. Huff is one of them and she can grow to be very large. Always give her plenty of room to spread out.
After a couple weeks of warm enough weather for butterflies to emerge in the spring, I will trim and rework my butterfly gardens. It is mid February and a good time to start some seeds indoors if you want o go that route. This year I plan to grow Zinnias, Zinnias, and more Zinnias. They butterflies love them and they are easy to grow from seed and very economical. Once the flowers have faded, the song birds will enjoy the seeds the Zinnias set.
