Garden Plans for Birds & Butterflies

Tuck this little 11x11-foot garden anywhere in your yard and you'll be amazed by the number of butterflies it attracts. It's packed with cosmos, zinnia, black-eyed Susan, butterfly bush, and other sure bets for butterflies.

This big garden plan is packed with plants that will attract scores of butterflies and hummingbirds to your yard. Garden size: 12 by 20 feet.

Make room in any garden for one or two plants that will attract birds or butterflies. Here, purple coneflower, sedum, and iris provide for your winged friends. Garden size: 14 by 6 feet.

Free Garden Plan
Our free Planting Guide for this garden includes a larger version of the illustration, a detailed layout diagram, a list of plants for the garden as shown, and complete instructions for installing the garden. (Free, one-time registration allows unlimited access to Planting Guides for all garden plans.)

Including native plants in your garden creates habitat for all sorts of desirable wildlife. This prairie-inspired plan includes native grasses and wildflowers that will become a magnet for birds, butterflies, and other fun-to-watch critters. Garden size: 20 by 8 feet.

You don't need a large yard to attract birds and butterflies. This compact garden includes wildlife favorites like bee balm, sedum, and butterfly bush. Taken together, these plants provide both food and shelter for visiting creatures of all sizes and types. Garden size: 9 by 6 feet.

This island bed is well-stocked with top picks for attracting butterflies. The blooms offer nectar to adults, while leafy food sources, such as parsley, nourish the larvae. Rocks are convenient perches for butterflies to sun themselves on, and a birdbath provides water. Garden size: 24 by 9 feet.

Many bees and butterflies enjoy fragrant flowers as much as we do. This plan includes favorites such as dianthus, phlox, and nicotiana. Garden size: 22 by 6 feet.

Clay-rich soil is notoriously difficult for many plants. Don't let clay be a problem: Enjoy this beautiful garden and the wildlife it will attract -- no matter what kind of soil you have. Garden size: 18 by 7 feet.

Water is a surefire way to attract all kinds of garden visitors. This plan, which is centered around a pond, also offers a restful vista for human inhabitants. Garden size: 34 by 24 feet.

Filled with drought-tolerant plants such as lavender and Russian sage, this garden is a favorite of both birds and people since you won't spend hours lugging around a hose to keep it lovely. Garden size: 33 by 24 feet.

Birds and other friendly creatures will find this late-season garden irresistible. The birdbath offers water, while plants such as black-eyed Susan and sedum provide food for both birds and butterflies when many plants are slowing down. Garden size: 16 by 10 feet.

These beautiful nectar-rich plants will bring a multitude of hummingbirds, butterflies, and honeybees to your yard. Garden size: 9 by 5 feet.

Give the birds and butterflies a drink of water before they feed from canna, daylily, and black-eyed Susan. Arborvitae provides year-round interest as well as a hiding place for birds out looking for food. Agave and iris provide interesting foliage all summer long. Garden size: 23 by 12 feet.

This prairie-style garden is filled with low-maintenance plants that provide flowers and seeds for a host of birds and butterflies. Garden size: 12 by 30 feet.

This charming garden will attract birds and butterflies all the way through fall, even though it takes up just a corner of your yard. Garden size: 9 by 10 feet.

Thanks to easy-growing favorites like borage, yarrow, bee balm, and verbena, you'll have butterflies and hummingbirds visiting your yard all summer. Garden size: 12 by 12 feet.

This container garden, which easily fits on a deck, patio, or balcony, offers three solid plant choices for butterflies. Garden size: 3 by 3 feet.

We often think of flowers, fruits, and seeds for birds. But this garden gives them a place to nest and hide out from predators. Garden size: 10 by 12 feet.

Here's another colorful plan that helps give shelter to birds. It also provides privacy from neighbors. Garden size: 18 by 5 feet.

Enjoy the soft romance of a cottage garden while inviting birds and butterflies into your landscape. Garden size: 4 by 44 feet (in an L shape).

This large plan is big enough to provide for wildlife throughout the year. Trees and shrubs provide cover, a spot to nest, and delicious fruits. The perennials in this plan offer tasty seeds. Garden size: 24 by 23 feet.

Here's a garden plan that solves two problems. First, it eliminates the need to maneuver a mower around your mailbox post. It also offers food to birds and butterflies. Garden size: 15 by 11 feet.

This front yard plan has enough variety and fragrance to attract a legion of welcome wildlife. While the flowers offer nectar and other food source, small shrubs such as witchhazel, honeysuckle, and lilac provide the shelter and perching opportunities that birds love. Garden size: 22 by 38 feet.