Add Bursting Color To Your Lawn With A Fast-Growing Ground Cover That Butterflies Love

Deciding to make the switch to a ground cover doesn't need to mean you want a boring, run-of-the-mill yard. Select one with the personality to match your own vibrant outdoor space, like 'Firewitch,' a popular cultivar of the cheddar pinks (Dianthus gratianopolitanus) species. Cheddar pinks are a unique, brightly colored flower native to Cheddar Gorge, England. This perennial has clove-scented flowers in shades of pink, purple, red, and white that butterflies love. 

This specific cultivar is from Germany and is known as 'Feuerhexe' in German. 'Firewitch'  boasts incredible heat tolerance and long-lasting blooms, proving that ground covers can thrive even in the harshest sun. 

In general, flowers in the genus Dianthus grow well in full sun and well-drained soil. This cultivar, like most cheddar pinks varieties, is hardy in USDA zones 3 through 8. Dianthus does not do well with poorly drained soil or when overwatered. These conditions can lead to crown rot, which can harm the plant.

Using 'Firewitch' for a ground cover, you can turn your outdoor space into a butterfly-friendly paradise. The bright magenta-pink flowers have a long period of blooming, giving consistent nectar for butterflies and other pollinators such as bees. It also plays well with other butterfly-attracting species, like butterflyweed (Asclepia tuberosa) and black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta). These plants will fill your garden with a variety of butterflies without requiring you to spend too much time outside. 

'Firewitch' grows single flowers with delicate, frilled petals that are inviting for pollinators to land on and open for easy nectar access. Instead of a one-and-done type of flowering ground cover, 'Firewitch' will bloom in the springtime and then continue blooming into the summer. Deadheading flowers after they are spent will help your plant, but you might also consider cutting back the entire planting after the first bloom in anticipation of a second blooming in late summer or early fall. 

'Firewitch' as a ground cover provides bright color and vitality to your lawn or garden beds. The pairing of bold, electric pink flowers with frosty, blue-green leaves is an impressive option for any outdoor space. Cultivate 'Firewitch' for a gorgeous landscaping idea that will liven up your yard without a lot of effort thanks to its quick growth and few maintenance requirements. The recommended spacing for these plants is 12 inches apart, allowing this Dianthus cultivar to neatly fill in your yard.

The foliage spreads into mats but does not display aggressive growth patterns. In areas with warmer winters, you can expect this ground cover to stay evergreen, providing visual interest in your winter garden. But bear in mind that growing this cultivar in drier climates with hot weather may result in fewer flowers to attract butterflies.