I’m Libby Breitenbaugh, and I garden in Zone 8a in Irmo, South Carolina. I’m sharing a few photos from summer 2022. I have been gardening for over 30 years. I previously shared photos of the butterfly garden I started in 2016 (Libby’s Butterfly Garden in South Carolina). When I began gardening for wildlife, my butterfly garden slowly transformed into a bird-, bee-, and butterfly-friendly garden. I also incorporate herbs and vegetables in my garden. I stopped using chemical pesticides and opted for natural alternatives. Since doing so my bee population has doubled. I also compost my kitchen scraps and yard trimmings. My garden consists of natives, perennials, and annual plants. I have both nectar and host plants, and I always include milkweed for the monarchs. You can have a beautiful garden that supports backyard wildlife. My garden supplies shelter, food, and water for my all my visitors. I also enjoy taking photos of my garden and all its visitors.
Clematis ‘Henryi’, Zones 4–8
Bumblebee on Salvia farinacea (Zones 7–10 or as annual)
This garden path is lined with lambs’ ears (Stachys byzantina, Zones 4–8), with the rest of the bed filled with colorful flowers including coneflowers (Echinacea hybrids, Zones 4–8) and Salvia ‘Vista’ (Zones 9–11 or as an annual).
This garden urn is overflowing with petunias (Petunia hybrids, annual), with an upright spire of Cordyline australis (Zones 9–11) and a trailing curtain of golden creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia ‘Aurea’, Zones 3–9).
A bright male American goldfinch hangs out on a zinnia (Zinnia elegans, annual) flower.
A monarch butterfly fuels up on at a butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii, Zones 5–9).
Beautiful pathway through the gardens
A pipevine swallowtail butterfly on a zinnia
A female ruby-throated hummingbird gathers nectar from a pentas (Pentas lanceolata, Zones 10–11 or as an annual).
These phlox look like they might be the ‘Fashionably Early’ (Phlox hybrid, Zones 4–8) hybrid phlox, which bloom earlier and stay shorter than the traditional garden phlox (Phlox paniculata, Zones 4–8).
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