Scabiosa or Pincushion Plants for Butterfly Gardens
Scabiosa, also called pincushion plants are excellent perennial flowers for Butterfly Gardens.
Which butterflies love Scabiosas?
Many small butterflies like Cabbage Whites, Skippers and Sulphur are attracted to this plant.
I have also seen the occasional Swallowtail and even a Monarch stopping by for a quick “meal”.
Varieties
What I love about Scabiosa are the lovely flowers that bloom all summer. The cute little flowers centres resemble pincushions on top of their long green stems.
The one pictured above (in my garden) is a mauve/lilac variety and is very hardy and easy to grow in Ontario.
You can find a variety of colours in Scabiosa plants, from white, purple (seen above), hot pink and blues.
I have tried various colours, but the mauve/lilac coloured variety seems to be the hardiest one of them.
There are perennial scabiosa plants and annuals. Make sure to pick up a perennial scabiosa if you want to enjoy them year after year. Annual scabiosa plants will die off in the winter.
Where to plant Pincushion flowers & soil conditions
They are not very fussy when it comes to soil conditions, but seem to do better in dry and enriched soils.
As with most plants for butterfly gardens, Scabiosa plants love sunny spots.
If there is too much shade, wet or humid conditions, Scabioas may develop mildew.
Care
Scabiosa does not require extra fertilizer. Also watering is only needed in a drought when there is no rainfall.
My plants have been doing well, despite the fact I am spending little to no time caring for them.
My Scabiosa plants have self-seeded and I have replanted some of them in various beds in my gardens.
If they ever take over your flower bed, only pull and remove.
The root system is relatively shallow and does not spread, so control is not a problem with Scabiosa plants.
This plants gets a big thumbs up for easy butterfly gardening!