Adding a Butterfly Garden to Your Houston Commercial Property

Enchanting colors, peaceful butterflies soaring, and calming scents from native plantings. A commercial property might not be the first place you think of when you hear the words butterfly garden. However, sustainable landscapes, like butterfly gardens, are becoming more and more popular for commercial landscapes as they help reduce maintenance on your property and benefit the environment.

Whether you sit on the board of an HOA or manage property for a corporate office building, the addition of a butterfly garden can offer numerous benefits. Let’s explore the benefits of a butterfly garden and how to design, install, and maintain one at your Houston commercial property.

Benefits of Butterfly Gardens at Commercial Properties

Butterfly gardens are packed full of native flowers, grasses, and shrubs. They create an area that provides protection and nourishment for both butterflies and bees. These features make butterfly gardens an investment that protects and supports the local environment. Butterfly gardens improve not only the area where they are installed, but they also offer an enormous benefit to the surrounding community.

Landscapes like butterfly gardens that are truly sustainable also lower landscape maintenance costs in the long run. Butterfly gardens also require minimal resources for maintenance, which helps to cut negative environmental impacts too. Instead of gas-powered equipment, butterfly gardens require virtually no machinery or chemical applications.

Finally, butterfly gardens offer a perfect space for residents or employees to relax. The calming environment of a butterfly garden can reduce stress and be a great location for a lunch break or an outdoor meeting. If the garden is situated near offices, it can even be a beautiful area to look out on as employees work.

Design and Installation of a Butterfly Garden at Your Houston Commercial Property

So where do you start when planning for a butterfly garden? First, select the perfect location on your property. Really any space can be transformed into a great location for a butterfly garden. Ideally, the location will have full to partial sunlight.

Obviously, the main feature of this type of garden is the plantings. However, if your area allows for it, butterfly gardens can include a sitting area, a walking path, or even a water feature. Consider including these additional features to make the space more usable for your community. Depending on the size and complexity of the garden, a landscape designer may be consulted.

During installation, your commercial landscape contractor should address drainage, amend the soil, and be sure the right plants are selected for your space. When budgeting, do not forget to include irrigation, as likely drip irrigation lines will be necessary.

Suggested Plantings for Your Butterfly Garden

Just as each commercial property is unique, the plantings in a butterfly garden should be unique. The area you select to install your garden dictates what type of plantings you can include. The right plantings need to be put in the right place so they can thrive. Areas that experience more shade or high winds will likely need more hardy plantings than a sheltered full-sun location.

We are hopeful you want to attract Monarch butterflies to your commercial property as Monarchs are in decline. Milkweed is a must in your garden. This attractive plant serves as the host for Monarchs. Adult butterflies lay their eggs on the Milkweed and when the eggs hatch the larvae begin eating the leaves. This food source allows them to grow, pupate and transform into majestic butterflies.

Landscape Maintenance for Your Butterfly Garden

Because butterfly gardens are full of native plantings and attract pollinators, they require very little traditional maintenance. Chemicals should not be sprayed to eliminate weeds or to push new growth.

The goal for any butterfly garden is to be as close to organic as possible. This means that there is no pre-emergent or post-emergent weed control, so all weeding needs to be done by hand. Some perennials may need to be trimmed back or have dead flowers removed to encourage new growth throughout the season. Typically, all perennials are pruned back in late February or early March to keep plantings in optimal health.

While butterfly gardens are certainly more labor-intensive in terms of weeding, overall they require less landscape maintenance, equipment, and chemicals than an expansive lawn and traditional ornamental garden bed.

Selecting the Right Commercial Landscaping Company to Install Your Butterfly Garden

Commercial property landscaping doesn’t have to be boring or conventional. A unique and sustainable space like a butterfly garden can provide enjoyment for all that visit your commercial property. The addition of this type of garden not only creates a usable space on your property, it helps to protect the environment as well. Employees and guests alike are able to reap the benefits of this distinctive landscape feature.

Are you ready to partner with a commercial landscape management company that offers sustainable, long-term landscape solutions and recommendations? Get started by filling out our consultation form. We’ll meet to learn more about your property and work together to protect your investment.