Your garden bench looks lonely while only being surrounded by grass and a few boring shrubs. Down the street, your neighbor has created something magical. Their bench gets visits by hummingbirds, surrounded by butterflies, and at dusk, it glows with fireflies. What do they do?
Bring Hummingbirds Right To Your Window!
Check PriceThe difference is not luck or a bigger budget. It is knowing that even the space around your bench can become a complete wildlife ecosystem with the right plant partners. These seven strategically chosen natives do not just beautify your space; they work together to create a year-round wildlife theatre that puts you front row to daily nature performances.
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Success in Wildlife Watching from Your Bench
Many gardeners make the mistake of planting any old flowers around a seating area with a hope that some kind of wildlife will appear. However, there is a proven formula for successful wildlife benches: layered heights, overlapping blooming times, and multi-functional wildlife plants. When all this is done correctly, instead of just another pretty spot, your bench will be wildlife central station!
Let's think about creating what some ecologists refer to as 'habitat complexity' in a small area. Different species of wildlife have varying requirements in terms of what they need from their environment. For example, while at eye level some hummingbirds are drawn to tubular flowers, butterflies tend to favor flat landing platforms. Additionally, helpful insects require a particular blooming plant to show up when others are in the process of fading. With careful consideration, every plant visitor can be properly catered to.
Tall Drama That Works Year-Round Behind Your Bench
Position your backdrop plants 3-4 feet behind your bench. Joe Pye Weed (zones 4-8) makes an ideal tall anchor as it reaches 4-6 feet, has huge purple flower clusters which attract more than 40 species of butterflies. Joe Pye Weed grows from July to September, which is when monarchs need to refuel for migration.
For maximum impact, plant 2-3 Joe Pye specimens in a triangular pattern. Joe Pye's are natives that spread naturally, so this one investment creates a growing magnet for wildlife. The hollow stems provide winter shelter for beneficial insects and goldfinches feast on the seeds in the fall.
Magic of the Middle Layer: The Hummingbird Highway
Wild Bergamot (zones 3-9) will be planted in groups of 5-7 about 3 feet from your bench back. These 2-3 foot native plants create the irresistible tubular lavender flowers that attract hummingbirds. Wild Bergamot does not require constant moisture like bee balm does as it does well in averagely moist soil and grows in colonies.
Wondering when to visit the Wild Bergamot? It is best to visit them in June thru August to see the peak of the blooming season. During this time you will also see lots of hummingbirds! Each flower cluster helps feed multiple hummingbirds at once so you may be surrounded by a bunch of them. The smell of Wild Bergamot naturally repels mosquitoes, so sitting near them will be pleasant!
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Supporting Side: Monarch Nursery
On either side of your bench, plant Butterfly Weed (zones 3-9) 18 inches apart to form bright orange corridors. This species of milkweed does a double duty by feeding adult butterflies with nectar and providing the only food that monarch caterpillars can eat. Each plant can support anywhere from 10 to 40 caterpillars during a season.
Butterfly Weed is different from most other milkweeds in that rather than spreading aggressively, it builds tight clumps. Once established, the deep taproot makes it very drought tolerant. Plant these where you can see the entire lifecycle of the monarch from egg to chrysalis to emergence.
Vorderkante: Der Goldfink Diner
Starting in mid-summer all the way through fall, Goldfinches will come to eat seeds from the spiky centers of their flowers! As a bonus, Purple Cone-flowers will attract lots of beneficial insects like butterflies and bees. These flowers are in bloom during the autumn, which is when the Goldfinches will come in flocks. You should buy them in bulk and plant them in zones 3-9 in the shape of a curved line two feet from your bench in order to experience their full beauty!
To achieve the full border effect, space them 18-24 inches apart. A little trick is to leave the seed heads standing through the winter, as they will feed the birds again in the spring while self-seeding new plants! Each coneflower can produce over 2,000 seeds. That means they create an expanding wildlife restaurant!
Ground Level: The Carpet Pollinator
Use Wild Ginger (zones 3-8) as living mulch to fill in the spaces between bigger plants. This native Wild Ginger ground cover helps create a habitat for ground dwelling beneficial insects and naturally suppresses weeds. The heart-shaped leaves create a cool and moist shelter that will be used by beneficial spiders and beetles for winter shelter.
Wild Ginger has an interesting way of carpet-like growth by slowly but surely creating natural cover, while needing no upkeep. During spring, beetles and ants (instead of the more traditional flying pollinators) visit the burgundy flowers that bloom at ground level. This helps create varied habitats that support the entire food web.
The Firefly Heaven Evening Show
The last part is making a home for fireflies by mixing different heights and leaving natural ground litter. For 2 years, firefly larvae undergo underground development and need decomposing organic matter for survival. The layered plantings you provide will create ideal microclimates with different levels of moisture.
Please avoid using pesticides in this area as the firefly larvae are very sensitive to chemicals. Allow fallen leaves to pile up around the bases of plants. This “messy” approach fosters the rich habitat necessary for firefly life cycles and will guarantee the summer evening magic around your benches.
Maintenance Secrets for Long-Term Success
The first step for this system's beauty is ensuring everything's in place then minimizing intervention. Water the plants deeply during the first year and let it be for the following years. For Joe Pye and Wild Bergamot, cut them back to 6 inches in late winter but for the Purple Coneflower and Butterfly Weed, leave the standing seed heads until you see spring growth.
In order to keep your Purple Coneflower vigorous, divide it every 3 to 4 years. Wild Bergamot and Joe Pye will self-regulate their colonies. With each spring, add a light layer of compost around your plants, and your wildlife bench garden will get better and better each year.
In just two seasons, you will have built a wildlife destination that will out perform any bird feeder or butterfly garden. Your bench will become the viewing platform for a natural theater that will be ever changing, cost nothing to run, and improve with age.
