Tag: Butterflyweed
Name My New Border!
All my beds and borders have names, though most are rather pedestrian. There’s the Sidewalk Border, the Driveway Border, the Patio Border, etc. The most evocative name I’ve come up with is the Left Bank Border, for the area north of the ‘Donald Wyman’ crabapple on the far side of the driveway. Now I have …
Situation Grim But Not Hopeless for Monarch Butterflies
Scientists have just released this year’s report on the number of Monarch butterflies overwintering in Mexico. Those numbers, measured in the amount of land occupied by Monarch colonies, vary from year to year. The last three years, however, have all been at historic lows. There was an increase over last winter, from 0.67 to 1.13 …
More Garden Space for Me!
So I have some exciting news! You may remember last October I wrote about how the city forestry crew had taken down a dying maple on the parkway west of the driveway. It turns out the city will NOT be replacing that tree (something about too close to the driveway). This creates a new space …
Are All Milkweeds Good For Monarchs?
There was an interesting article in the New York Times on Monday about Monarch butterflies and milkweed. The takeaway is that planting Tropical Milkweed (Asclepias currasavica) may do more harm than good, according to several researchers. Milkweeds, of course, are the only plants that are eaten by the caterpillars of Monarch butterflies.Changes in farming practices …
If Orange is the New Black …
If orange is the new black, then at this moment my front garden is very fashionable. For now the blues of early June have given way to an orange July. Orange is supposed to be a difficult color – too bright, too strong, so you’re not supposed to have too much of it. But I …
Plant Milkweed, Before It’s Too Late! I Mean It!
I don’t want to put a damper on anybody’s holiday. The New York Times didn’t ask me if now would be the best time to run another article on efforts to halt the rapid decline of Monarch Butterflies. But they did run it today, and people should read it. Actually, the issue was presented in …
Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day: July 2013
Is it already the middle of July? Hard to believe, and yet it must be, because the mid-summer flowers are blooming their hearts out. I’m actually pretty happy with how the garden looks right now. Let’s cover the highlights, starting at the sidewalk border. The Monarda didyma ‘Raspberry Wine’ is at its peak, and I’d …
It’s Spring. Do You Know Where Your Perennials Are?
When I was growing up in the late Mesozoic era, TV stations used to demonstrate their civic responsibility by running a particular public service announcement. The one I have in mind usually had a still shot of some teenagers on a dark street, obscured by shadows. And there would be an announcer, asking more in …
More Plants Arrive!
This time of spring is better than Christmas, Hannukah, and all the other holidays rolled into one. Just like during the holiday season, delivery vans periodically pull up to the house. What’s better is: 1) all the boxes are marked “Live Plants – Fragile”; and 2) it’s all for me!!! Just in time for this …
Sending for Reinforcements: New Plants for Spring and Favorite Catalogs
Yesterday the letter carrier brought tidings of great joy: two of my favorite gardening catalogs, Prairie Nursery and Forestfarm. Their arrival, along with several others of their kind, means that it is time to put in my orders for spring. And so here’s my intended line-up – it’s easy to tell I am focusing on butterfly …
gardeninacity 