Tag: Butterfly Host Plants
Wild Senna Prospers in Part Shade
It was way back in the fall of 2016 that I planted Wild Senna (Senna hebecarpa) in a corner of the Sidewalk Border. I was excited about this member of the Pea Family (Fabaceae) because of its unusual flowers and foliage, because it was highly attractive to bumblebees, and because it is a host plant …
How To Get Monarch Eggs On Your Milkweeds
If you grow Milkweeds to attract Monarch Butterflies, do you ever wonder why some plants get lots of Monarch eggs and caterpillars while others are ignored? This is the question, more or less, that some scientists tried to address with research published in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution.
If the Goatsbeard Fits, Plant It
A single Goatsbeard (Aruncus dioicus) goes a long way. It’s a big plant – ours grows about 5 feet tall with a 4 foot spread. It’s a perennial but looks more like a small shrub. But if you have the space in a spot that’s moist and shady, this plant has a lot to offer. …
First White Turtlehead Blooms
So not every bloom in the garden is yellow. For instance, I’ve got a single White Turtlehead (Chelone glabra) blooming in the Front Island Bed. This is my second effort to grow White Turtlehead, and I hope this time it settles in for the long haul.
Iron and Purple Fuzz
I planted Prairie Ironweed (Vernonia fasciculata) all the way back in 2010, but it wasn’t until the last couple years that it started to be a real presence in the Driveway Boarder.
Butterflyweed and Some Monarch Numbers
The Butterflyweed (Asclepias tuberosa) is blooming. We have several species of Milkweed in the garden, but A. tuberosa is the first of these to bloom.
Golden Alexander in Retreat
Golden Alexander (Zizia aurea) is in bloom right now, and one thing I’ve noticed is that it’s not where it used to be.
A New Tool for Wildlife Gardeners
Native Plant Finder is an online resource for people who want to attract more wildlife to their gardens. The website is sponsored by the National Wildlife Federation, with support from the University of Delaware and the US Forest Service. It draws on the work of Douglas Tallamy, author of Bringing Nature Home and Professor of …
More Plants!
I got home from work today to find two boxes waiting on the steps for me. Both contained plants. One was from Prairie Nursery in Wisconsin, the other from Prairie Moon Nursery in Minnesota.
A New Source for Unusual Seeds
Within a few days of each other, two gardening friends mentioned the same company as a source for different plants we had been discussing. It’s a grower and retailer called Outside Pride, and their website is here.
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