Hi. My two objectives for my garden are for it to look nice and to provide a habitat for bees, butterflies and birds.
I just read that animals such as butterflies are very particular about their habitat and that a cultivar of a plant might be off from the original version just enough for them to reject it.
If that's true (and I assume it is), what should I do? Should I avoid all cultivars and just order seeds from wildflower websites? How can I possibly determine which cultivars are close enough to the original and which aren't? I'm sure nature's food chain demands precision as it developed a perfect balance over millions of years. As unique and unusual as some cultivars look to us, they probably look weird and unacceptable to the animal and insect world.
If I have to reject all cultivars then I might as well throw away pretty much all of my plant books and magazines and just stick with the local native selections, which would be extremely limiting, right? I can't have a beautiful garden that doesn't provide a good habitat for the bees and butterflies. I'm trying to help solve the country's bee and butterfly crisis. Please help!
