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  Color,

Fragrance

& Flutter

One of the wonderful things about taking an organic approach is how ALIVE your garden becomes: butterflies flitting flower to flower, the gentle hum of bees foraging for nectar and pollen, the chatter of birds nesting in trees and shrubs. 

 

Welcoming these creatures into your landscape is a win-win situation: you provide habitat for birds and declining pollinator populations, and receive in return color, song, movement, even allies in your battle against insect pests. 

Phantom is a virtual aviary during spring and summer, with birds nesting in trees, shrubs, hardware displays!  Even a recent tree delivery had to be delayed, so that a mother robin might first fledge her young.

Thanks to our assortment of plants, wetland area and organic approach, Phantom has been declared a Certified Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation -- and we can help you do the same.  Just stroll around our yard and see which plants are attracting butterflies, bees, hummingbirds, moths, and incorporate a few of your favorites into your landscape.  Provide some shrubs for cover and a source of water, and soon you'll be welcoming in all sorts of winged wildlife.

 

Butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii) will attract other interesting visitors, such as this hummingbird moth, left.  Other shrubs to consider for your wildlife garden: viburnums (Viburnum spp.) which provide both fruit and cover for various songbirds; the highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum), which serves as an excellent nectar source for the Monarch butterfly, and as the host plant for the Brown Elfin and the Spring Azure; summersweet (Clethra alnifolia), a fragrant favorite of bees.

This yarrow (Achillea 'Moonshine') is certainly popular with the butterflies.   Other perennials to consider are coneflower (Echinacea spp.), coral honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens), and bee balm (Monarda spp.), which will draw both bees and hummingbirds to its sweet nectar.

 

*All photos taken at Phantom, by Kathy Dunn & Luanne Panarotti

Organic from the start, sustainable for the future...a growing legend.