You can mail order butterfly milkweed from Prairie Moon Nursery, and they will supply you with a root that looks like a scrawny carrot. The advantage of planting rootstock is that you will get a decent sized plant the first year. If you plant butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) from seed, it will only get about 10 inches high the first year. With regard to purple coneflower, we have more of these than we need-they like our yard, and they volunteer all over the place. If you can get to Madison this spring, I will dig some up for you. The advantage of this approach is that you will be starting with an established plant, and you should see some three foot stems, with lots of flowers, the first year.

I just picked up my butterfly weed at the local Fred's dollar store. I can't say for sure about Iowa, but most everything on your list is easily available in my area. You'll probably want to grow the dill from seed; it's easy and cheaper than buying the plants.

Good luck, and let us know how it goes :)

There are lots of nice native plants. I would avoid butterfly bush. It is invasive in many areas.

***There are lots of nice native plants. I would avoid butterfly bush. It is invasive in many areas***

It really isn't a problem here in the cold state. ;-) They die back to the ground ever winter, and I've never seen any great influx of seedlings, either.

Tilly, if you tell me what general region of Iowa you're from I might be able to help you (assuming it's my part of the state, of course). There's also an Iowa gardening forum here on Gardenweb, too...they seem to have long-running thread on "favorite greenhouses."

My new favorites now that I live near the "Great Lakes" (ha!) region are Tofts in Spenser, Fergusons and Courtyard in Okiboji, and Thistledown and Prairie Peddlar near Odebolt.

Becky

Here in PA we get cold winters too and Butterfly Bush dies to ground. But back it comes. The problem is that is self sows freely. So here we are beginning to see Butterfly Bush freely growing in roadside areas where nobody has planted it. While I am not aware of it being on a noxious/invasive weed list status anywhere, there are states considering that I am led to believe. There IS a variety of Butterfly bush that has been hybridized to remain smaller and reportedly does not self seed. There are other plants that will attract butterflies...none as freely as butterfly bush, but almost as good. I wonder if New Jersey Tea will grow in your area?

As to the Black Eyed Susan/Echinacea/Lavendar debate. I think the regular birds will love the coneflower/black eyed susans for the seeds (they don't find the Goldsturm strain all that attractive)....but butterfly and hummingbird would prefer lavendar. The coneflowers aren't big nectar producers...that center cone is pure seed. And butterflies and hummers like the nectar.

My one butterfly/hummingbird area due to be installed in the fall (while not strictly native!) is done for LOW water, hot sun...it contains Gaura Whirling Butteflies, Agastache Sunset, Pirovskia Little Spire, Lavendar Hidcote strain. The color blend is gorgeous. It is virtually carefree. Fragrant...and plants that butterflies love without the selfseeding invasive issues of butterfly bush.

For butterfly weed (asclepias)....plant plenty. Although it spreads...it is both larval food source for Monarch's and nectar source for butterflies. So if you only have a little and a lot of monarch's, the caterpillars may decimate your plants each year and you won't get much in the way of flowers.

Robin