Butterfly gardens

A beautiful flower garden that will attract butterflies.

A flower bed or garden can be eye catching and, with the right kinds of plants, can attract some of nature’s most colorful creatures. Planning, planting and tending a butterfly garden are great ways for youth to create an outdoor classroom with lots of possibilities for learning. Here are a few tips to help get started.

Location is very important.  All insects are cold blooded and cannot internally regulate their body temperature.  Butterflies will readily bask in the sun when it is warm, but few are seen on cloudy days.  It is a good idea to leave open areas for butterflies to sun themselves, as well as partly shaded areas with trees or shrubs for shelter when it’s cloudy or too hot. 

Butterflies like puddles. Males of several species congregate at small rain pools, forming puddle clubs. Permanent puddles are easy to make.  Bury a bucket to the rim, fill it with gravel or sand, and then pour in sweet drinks or water

Different types of butterflies have different preferences of nectar color and taste. A wide variety of food plants will give the greatest diversity of visitors. Try staggering wild and cultivated plants, as well as blooming times. Groups of the same plants are easier for butterflies to see than single flowers. Aster, butterfly weed, purple coneflower and verbena attract many species of butterflies.  Overripe fruit is attractive to butterflies as well. 

Water your garden with soaker hoses whenever possible. Overhead watering can wash nectar from the flowers and reduce the amount of available food.

Another way to attract butterflies to your garden is to offer food plants for females to lay their eggs. Some females are picky about the host plants where they will lay their eggs. To attract a particular type of butterfly, you may need to know the plant needs for the adult and the larvae or caterpillar. 

Butterfly gardens are a great source for learning about your own backyard environment.  They also offer enjoyment, photo opportunities and an outlet for artistic talent. By creating a garden habitat, you can help conserve butterflies by providing food, water and shelter to some of nature’s most enchanting creatures.  

Last of the season's classes!

These are the last of the spring's classes.  To sign up, go to Hardin County, KY Extension Office.  In the upper right corner, click on "Register for Classes"

Sweet Potato varieties

How to Grow: Sweet Potatoes* - May 7  This southern staple can be grown successfully in Kentucky.  Learn the tips and tricks to harvesting full-sized flavorful roots.  Hardin County Extension Office beginning at 6:00 p.m. $5

Make your Own Mosaic Pot – May 20 and 22  In this two-part class, you will decorate an 8-inch terracotta pot and saucer with mosaic tiles in the first class. Then, come back the next day and learn all about grouting. All supplies are included. Class size is limited to 25. Hardin County Extension Office beginning at 6:00 p.m. $35.

Payment for each of the Gardener’s Toolbox classes are required TWO WEEKS prior to the class date.  You will be registered on a first pay, first registered basis.  Cancellations will be fully refunded TWO WEEKS prior to the class date. Please let us know as early as possible if you have to cancel, we probably have others on a wait list.

Autumn in the KY Garden

Autumn in the Kentucky Garden

Autumn is a beautiful time in Kentucky gardens, but it can also be a messy time. The season brings piles of leaves from our trees and spent shoots from our flower beds.


The way we address this yard waste can have a significant impact on our gardens and the environment. Gardeners commonly rake up and bag leaves to be hauled away to yard waste dumps.


This option, while tidy, uses a lot of energy, both yours and the energy to transport the leaves and mixed garden waste.


Mulching leaves and yard waste is another option. Why not use this bountiful resource to enrich your lawn and garden and create less waste and air pollution?


A very simple technique with leaves is to rake them into a line and mow over them with your lawn mower.


The mower will chop the leaves into pieces small enough to fall between the blades of grass in your lawn. The chopped leaves will break down out of sight and provide nutrients to your lawn and improve the quality of your soil.


For larger items like spent flower stalks, composting is a simple, easy and environmentally friendly option. Proper composting produces no odor and provides you with a generous amount of nutrient-rich organic compost for your garden which reduces or eliminates the need to buy fertilizer.


Composting also eliminates the need to transport garden waste, making composting a triple-win situation for your garden, wallet and the environment.


The speed of compost production is influenced by the size of the material placed in the bin, so the more you can chop up the garden debris, the quicker you will have usable compost. Many options for compost bin design and construction are well suited to any location and budget.


Turning leaves into mulch has many benefits. The mulch helps retain moisture in the soil and insulates plants from extreme winter temperatures. The decomposed leaves become an excellent conditioner for warming spring soil helping to attract worms and other beneficial microorganisms.


For more information on mulching and composting, contact the Hardin County Cooperative Extension Service via email: Amy.Aldenderfer@uky.edu, webpage: www.hardinhort.org. or phone: 270.765.4121

Welcome to the new year! I'm looking forward to sharing the bloomin' happenings around here in E'town and what's happening on the local garden scene.

Today: It's snowed about 3 inches today and it's SO pretty to look at. I do have to drive home in it. I've been told that it's slick in the county but the city is looking good. (Hurrah!) I should get off of here and go HOME!