I’ve lived in the city all my life.  I’m talking fast-paced, crowded, loud, apartment dwelling, city living.  Don’t get me wrong.The controlled madness of city life is something I always enjoyed.  I love the access to all sorts of activities and entertainment at my fingertips.But, I so love the color and frangrance of lovely flowers and picking up a bouquet of them before going home each night just isn’t cutting it any more.  

 Recently, I’ve wanted to make some changes in my life.Slow myself down.  Stop and smell the roses, if you will.  Things have gotten too hectic at work and I want my home (yes, apartments are “home” for many of us) to be a relaxing, safe-haven for me to return to after a hard day at work. 

When I said, “Stop and smell the roses” earlier, I meant that literally.  I am very jealous of those people who have enough room in their yards for an outstanding flower garden.   This started me wondering why I can’t have it all.  Living in the city and tending to a flower garden. 

What to do, what to do!?  Then it came to me.  I could create my own flower garden out on the balcony of my apartment.  Don’t laugh!  This is do-able!  I just needed to do a little research, get some help to convert my balcony into my Garden of Eden.   

Now, I’m like many other single people today, who carefully budget their income, and I understood what an investment transforming my balcony would be.I wanted to find flower pots and seeds that were inexpensive yet flower pots and seeds that added beauty to my balcony.  I did a lot of scientific research to find the best flowers for the climate I live in, that would grow in the blazing sun of morning and shade in the afternoon, and would re-flower each spring … oh who am I kidding?  I picked flowers, first off, because I liked their colors.  The Purple Coneflowers and Foxgloves both have beautiful shades of purple.  I made sure they both grow all summer and even into the early fall.  Luckily, they are easy to care for (the Coneflowers are even drought resistant).  After all, I don’t have a well developed “green thumb” yet.  I am just getting started. 

I found some really cool wrought iron planter brackets to place my pots into.The brackets I purchased can be hung right off of my balcony, which is made of wrought iron as well.  There is room for about five pots in it or space to just plant the seeds directly into the planter.Adjustable mounts for the flower pots I purchased are available in case I decide to add more single pots or hanging baskets in the future. 

There are so many choices out there!  I am thrilled it is springtime and I can get started on my new “garden” soon. 

A flower garden is a place of serenity where you can just get away from it all in your own backyard. There’s nothing comparable to breathing in the soft fragrances of rose, jasmine and hyacinth, with the sun and wind working together to spread warmth onto your face. Blue skies and the soft rustle of leaves in the trees can bring a little bit of comfort and paradise to your life. Imagine, then, a splash of color catches your eye: a beautiful, dainty butterfly has found its way into your floral arrangement! This unexpected, yet pleasant surprise can become a daily occurrence if you plan and plant the flower varieties just right.

The flower of the butterfly bush is most attractive to diverse types of butterflies from swallowtails to skippers. Consider the black-eyed Susan, milkweed and purple coneflower as other flower garden favorites that are bound to bring hordes of blues, coppers, skippers, hairstreaks, sulphurs, whites, brushfoots and swallowtails. In addition, the chrysanthemum, marigold, lilac, goldenrod, lavender and salvia are the flowers that the Audubon Society recommends for creating an easy butterfly garden. Aside from having treat plants, you’ll need host plants where females can lay their eggs and for caterpillars to munch on. You’ll probably want to situate these plants away from the main garden, tucked away. Most caterpillars only need one or two host plants, so you probably won’t even notice the damage. Monarchs feed exclusively on milkweed, while painted ladies prefer thistles. Give your fritillaries violets, your red admiral butterflies nettles, the zebra swallowtails the pawpaws plant, give giant swallowtails citrus plants and give black swallowtails an assortment of carrots, parsley, dill and sweet fennel. Foxgloves, sunflowers, birches, willows, wild plum, spicebush and passion vines also attract butterfly breeding.

Once the flowers for your plant habitat are in place, take other environmental factors into consideration. Your precious butterflies want a floral wonderland, but also a place that is safe from wind, rain and predators, so try adding hedges and small, dense shrubs like honeysuckle or butterfly bushes; trellises or fences covered in passion vines or hops. Generous brush piles of bark, logs, rocks and leaves allow for hiding during winter months or stormy days. Even “organic” pesticides agitate the sensitive butterfly, so keep your guests protected from any chemical sprays or dust. Be sure your butterfly habitat has at least six hours of full sunshine, with flat rocks where they can bask in the sun to warm up before taking their early morning flights. Just like humans, bachelor butterflies also want a place to drink after work: mud puddles, shallow pans of damp sand and gravel or wet dirt all make ideal gathering spots. Rotting fruit, watermelon rinds and seeds are delicious nutrients that create a true butterfly nirvana.

If you’d also like to take advantage of the hummingbird-attracting powers of the flower, a hummingbird habitat is just as simple. Usually a bright red nectar feeder is the quickest way to invite these quick, tiny creatures to your backyard. However, to keep them around at all times, they’ll need fresh water to drink and bathe in, a combination of sunny and shady perches, willow or eucalyptus tree nesting materials, as well as delicious plants, such as dahlias, cosmos, foxglove, geraniums, petunias, irises, honeysuckles, trumpet vines, azaleas, butterfly bush, hibiscus, cardinal flowers and snow angels. A flower garden can be a place of respite for you, but also an epicenter of life for colorful insects.