Spring is finally here, and that means it’s time for me to get my hands dirty! After the winter we had, I’m excited to get my hands on some Monrovia plants and start playing in the dirt. The plants are just now starting to arrive where I live, but my local nursery had just what I was looking for. Now that I have my plants, I am super anxious for these storms and the rain that has plagued us to go away so I can get started planting!
Monrovia Plants are Paramount for my Garden
Here’s the thing about Monrovia plants: they are tough. Really tough. These plants are high quality, which means I’m never going to be planting some spindly thing and then wondering why it’s not thriving. I have had nothing but great experiences with Monrovia, and that’s why I’m using them for my butterfly/bee/humming bird cottage border this year.
I always have a large vegetable garden, which furnishes fresh vegetables for the summer and enough to can and preserve for the winter months. Along with the vegetable garden, I like to add new shrubs and flowers to my growing cottage style garden each year, especially ones that attract butterflies, bees, and humming birds. They are all great pollinators, and they’re so good for the plant life. Bees are important in pollinating the garden and I enjoy the butterflies and hummingbirds! Bees especially need a helping hand out there. The constant overuse of broad spectrum pesticides is leading to the decimation of our bee populations, so if I can attract them to my safe, cozy garden, I feel like I’ll be helping those little guys out. Aside from the bees, butterflies and humming birds are not only pollinators, they’re beautiful!
The plants I chose to work with as my foundation plantings in my cottage border are: Southern Moon Yedda Hawthorn, Eropa Japanese Astilbe and the Laura Garden Phlox. I will also be adding some others as the season progresses and they become available. Let’s check out what my plans are!
Humming Birds and Butterflies and Bees, oh My
I have slowly been adding shrubs and island beds in between the trees around the yard part of our property to make a border of sorts. It is a rural area, therefore I wanted more of a cottage type border. While keeping the relaxed style of a cottage garden in mind, I also wanted to think about shrubs and flowers of different heights, while considering the different bloom times of each. You don’t want them all to bloom in the Spring and then have nothing come Summer. I want a show of color throughout the seasons.
I already had a Black Knight Butterfly Bush from Monrovia that was planted a couple of years ago. It is just now starting to bud out for it’s yearly showing. Butterfly Bushes are ‘THE’ plant to have to attract butterflies! The ‘Black Knight’ Butterfly Bush has gorgeous violet-purple flower spikes. These beautiful flower spikes attracts butterflies and I have also witnessed the hummingbirds having a drink from it also! Butterfly Bushes bloom continuously through Summer and make a great accent plant. They are equally at home in a cottage garden, border or a large island flower bed! Keep in mind they get about 6-8 feet tall and about 5 feet wide, so allow plenty of space. These plants are deciduous, meaning they lose their leaves during the winter months.
My Monrovia plants “Beauty Border”, as I like to call it, will begin with a foundation of Southern Moon Yedda Hawthorn. Although this plant doesn’t attract butterflies or hummingbirds, it makes a nice starting point for the rest of the garden, and it is abundantly covered in white flowers in the Spring which will attract bees. I also like that it is a nice sized plant, reaching 5-6 ft. tall and 6-8 ft. wide. It’s also an evergreen plant. This will make a nice big backdrop for the flowers in front and a pretty shrub view from the road. By the time it stops blooming, the green shrubbery will make a nice background for the summer bloomers!
After I get the Yedda planted, I am adding a Europa Japanese Astilbe plant. These plants are extremely hardy, so they are easy to grow. In late Spring, they have wonderful feathery plumes blooms in a variety of colors. Their plumes add a light airy texture to the flower garden. The leaves are also a contrast in texture to the Southern Moon Yeda Hawthorn shrub. For my cottage border, I chose the pink blooms. Astibles are also huge butterfly attractors and has always been a favorite of mine. I also know firsthand how easy they are to grow! This will be the first selection of this plant I’ve gotten from Monrovia plants, so I’m expecting great things! And hey, for everyone that lives out in the country like me – Astible is deer and rabbit resistant!
Last, but not least, I’ll be adding Garden Phlox to the bed. Garden Phlox is absolutely beautiful! Not only are the blooms dainty, they come in a variety of colors and attract both butterflies and hummingbirds. They’re the icing on the cake. I chose the Laura Garden Phlox, which is a unique shade of purple with a white star center. This is a wonderful workhorse of a plant and is a fast grower. It grows to an average of 24 in. tall and wide and is also fragrant!
My cottage border plan also includes adding some Purple Coneflowers, Black-Eyed Susans, Butterfly Weed and maybe some Lantana later this Spring, as the plants become available or I can buy plants online so I can go ahead and get them on their way! I have a fairly large area to cover and I believe they will be awesome looking in my border! If you notice, most of what I would like to plant are perennials. You get more bang for your buck with perennials because they come back each year without having to replant!
I am so excited about my “Beauty Border”. It is going to be so beautiful, and because all of my plants are coming from Monrovia plants, I know I won’t have to worry about their hardiness. I can’t wait to see my yard filled with bees and butterflies and hummingbirds. It’s going to be a fairy land of beauty! I’m thinking of moving my park bench close by so I can watch the show!
If you’ve got a green thumb, get out there an plant something. It’s great fun. If you DON’T have a green thumb, get out there and plant anyway with Monrovia plants. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at how easy it is! Monrovia brand plants are available at local garden centers and Lowe’s home centers across the country. But, if you can’t find Monrovia plants locally, you can just shop Monrovia – easy peasy!
I hope you follow along as I get my cottage border planted and growing! Do you have plans for a new flower bed or border? What plants are you planning on using?
I never heard of this plant,but this is a nice review==i learned something new today==thanks
Oh nice
I live in zone 11 which is hard to find plants for since we are tropical. The Monrovia site plugs in to your zip code and suggests plants suited for your area, which is great.
Yes we have our garden and bedding in. I hope it is not early.
oh pretty. Thanks for sharing.
I should share this with her! Good ob.
I am not a gardener but should try to be more. My sister recently moved into the area from out of state and is in her first house that she bought and has been going full steam wiht the passion for her garden in the yards.
love spring, the flowers, my garden, butterflies all the above
I love that it attract butterflies
Ooh, you picked some gorgeous plants! I think I might have to hunt down some Garden Phlox this year. It’s so pretty! I’ve just had plans of adding some more roses and dahlias this year.. been trying to figure out some pretty fast growing / always green plants.
Beautiful set up as i have never heard of some these plants. Thank you for the information.
If only I didn’t have a black thumb
I love the Spring and Summer Flowers, I plant Plumeria in the early Spring, I need to get out there and tend to them….they have such a wonderful smell when they bloom. I will look into getting some of these Plants that you have mentioned.
Thanks for the Post, and the Pictures!
Thanks for the great plant ideas. I love planting very colorful plants that will look great and also attract birds and butterflies. Hummingbirds and Orioles are my favorites
Your garden sounds beautiful. If I had a yard I would have a big garden, but unfortunately I don’t.
I love to plant plants that attract bees and butterflies!
Your butterfly/hummingbird garden will be beautiful. Butterfly bushes are my favorite because I live in Zone 9 and they are unfazed by the heat or a little drought.
Such beautiful plants! It will soon be time for me to start planning what flowers and other plants I’ll put in my garden!
Love Monrovia plants here in Ca they always have great selections and they always do wonderful . These are so pretty you planted.
These look like very high quality plants They will bring a life-time of pleasure!
I love what you picked out here, I wish a had my own yard to do such things with,, I would love to be able to do some gardening and planting of my own.. thanks for share
I love all your gardening ideas. I think I will try some myself. Thank you
It is going to look so beautiful when you are done.
Monrovia is a very well known planting company-it always has been a never fail for me- your selection of plants will add alot of beautiful color and verity species, should be able to attract lots of butterflies too. Thanks so much for sharing. I love your ideas.
I have a black thumb, my hubby is the gardener in our family. I will have to share this with him.
I have never heard of this plant before!
I do have plans for a flowerbed but need to put gutters up since we have had a lot of rains and need gutters. I would like to plant some Vinca or heat hardy plants in mine.
Thanks so much for sharing the information on Monrovia Plants for a Beautiful Cottage Border! #LetsGarden! Sounds like you have everything all figured out for your garden! That’s wonderful! Out front I have a 3 tier flower garden and I’ve been trying to get perennials as well for our front, however, the neighbor’s cat goes into my garden and does his business and with the rough winters, they don’t seem to want to come back! I’ve bought perennials for 2 years straight and they don’t come up the next year! I get so upset! I do, however, have snap dragons in the pink coloration and portulackas (spelling??) coming up in different colors every year out front! We do need to get dirt this year to put into the flower beds because for some reason, they have really sunk down in! So, I’ll have to wait until the hubby gets dirt in order to start planting! The “norm” around my area is that it’s generally ok to plant flowers after Mother’s Day. That’s when the chance of a frost goes down quite a lot! I have some time yet to get it figured all out! Thanks so much for sharing Monrovia Plants with all of us and your plans on planting your garden with all of us! I truly do appreciate it! Thanks again! Michele
we don’t have enough water in California to have very many plant’s but those look like some nice one’s.
i got 40 tree dug up and then now planter are made pot are getting filled
never heard of monrovia i’ll have to check them out .i love flowers.i have a butterfly bush have never seen a butterfly near it.
i love astilbe and Phlox! i can’t wait to get started gardening!! those plants look so pretty
That’s pretty. Adding plants really spruces up the look of a house.
This is what I need.thanks so much for sharing.
This is inspiring me to get out in my yard and make some changes for the spring/summer.
I love butterfly bushes- such a great return on your money!!
Beautiful! I wish we had humming birds in New Zealand. I love all of the plants especially the Butterfly Bushes
We love to garden and to add plants. After seeing English gardens while in England always trying to replicate them. Will have to check planting zones to see if we can plant Monrovia.
Would love to have a Butterfly Bush. I had one years ago and loved it!
That tree with the purple flower blooms is so pretty!
Thank you! It is a redbud tree.
I love the pictures you took. They are lovely. Also, I did not know that you could buy plants online. That’s pretty neat!
Beautiful garden! I am so jealous! I love all the Monrovia flowers and plants.
Wonderful! So nice and here in NM I am working on adding more plants to my little space this year. I have a large Trumpet Vine along the back rock wall and the Hummingbirds love it. Thanks for sharing.
You mentioned a rural area- I immediate noticed the LARGE yard. Wonderful! What you’ve done so far does look great! I love landscape that provides some blooms.
I have never heard of these before. I will definitely have to get some of them. I always struggle with planting flowers and they never take and just die off. I would love to put some of these around my back deck
I’ve never heard of this brand but the plants look beautiful! I just spent about $100 yesterday at Home Depot buying plants and garden stuff.
Wow, what a great garden. I guess this is what you call having a green thumb/
I will have to do more research into this plant!
Suzanne says
I’m not much of a gardener, but I would love to have a couple of Butterfly Bushes. I’ll have to check out the Monrovia brand.
This was interesting. I’ve never heard of Monrovia Plants. Great information!
Makes me wish I had a garden. Lovely pictures.