Have you ever visited a well-manicured public park or even a friend’s yard and were in awe at the large number of beautifully colored butterflies that seemed to flitter about? Of all the insects that inhabit our gardens, butterflies and ladybugs are the most desired. It is not as hard as you may think to attract butterflies to your garden, yet one mistake that gardening enthusiasts often make is to assume that all it takes to attract butterflies is to plant a few flowers. Adult butterflies consume nectar, which is found inside the base of flowers. Obviously, you will want to include many flowering plants into your landscape that will fulfill this need. In fact, for butterflies to take up residence in your yard, you will need to appeal to all stages of the insect’s life and needs, and not just to the adult stage.

Flower bulbs are nothing more than the portion of a dormant plant that contains the nourishment is needs to sustain its dormancy. Most everyone is family with the household onion that has long since found its way onto the tables of homes and restaurants. Other bulbs point toward the beautiful plants that are lilies, tulips, and daffodils.

If your head threatens to spin whenever you visit the gardening section of your local big box home improvement store, you are not alone. While seasoned gardeners may sneer at the lack of understanding certain gardening terms invoke in the likes of you and me, it is the truth that while some terms are vital to proper gardening, they are also easy to mix up. Two such terms are perennial and annual.  What’s the difference? Read on to find out.