Sitting in a meeting this morning, I was completely distracted from the topic of discussion by the view from the conference room. We were on the fourth floor of a new building on my campus, surrounded by two sides of floor to ceiling glass, overlooking Maryland Heights.
As I was gazing out the window, I saw a Monarch butterfly slowly float past the window. It swooped up and down, catching a little breeze as it went. It steered around the corner of the building and flitted away until I could no longer see it.
I saw a second Monarch about 20 minutes later. I had to stop and think for a moment. Could it be the same butterfly? It took exactly the same path as the first one. Was it just flying around the building in circles? Surely not. They must be migrating south for the winter, and this building was in their path. Every 20 minutes or so, I proceeded to see a butterfly flutter past the windows. It was such a great sight.
What does this have to do with gardening? Well, if you want to attract some Monarchs to your yard, you need to plant the right "host" and nectar plants. Milkweed is the food of choice. Any variety will do. When you're at the nursery, look on plant tags for the word "Asclepias" in the plant's name.
My favorite milkweed is "Asclepias Tuberosa", native to Missouri. Flat, bright orange flower heads cover 1-2 foot stems in late summer. They're hard to find in nurseries because they're hard to grow (I assume). But you can order them online. Once you plant them, and they get established, don't think about moving them. They have a deep taproot system that is not easily transplanted.
Ah, those very smart butterflies. While we will be battling snow, ice storms, and bitter cold temperatures in single-digits, they will be basking in the Mexican sun. There is always something to learn from nature.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Saturday, September 17, 2011
The Summer Roundup
Let me just say this was one HOT summer, and it went quick! How can we be in the middle of September already? The temperatures literally went down 35 degrees, and have stayed there for the most part.
The end of summer means clean-up time in the garden. My task list includes cutting back dead foliage and pulling out dead plants, trimming up shrubs, weeding, and tearing out the veggie patch. I also like to plant a few perennials, since this is the best time of the year to plant. And don't forget popping in some annuals here and there. I haven't yet purchased mums for my front porch, but I probably will give in to temptation and do that in the next week or two.
The tomato plants had about 30 green tomatoes left on them, all about the size of a golf ball. Their ripening has almost come to a halt, so I tore out the plants and picked the tomatoes. They are sitting in my kitchen so they can try to ripen up. My volunteer tomato plant was a bear to tear out. I wrangled with that thing for 10 minutes and finally got my arms around it well enough to drag it into the woods. There was enough foliage there to create a home for a few rabbits, and let me tell you -- it was the greenest, healthiest foliage in my garden. It hurt my heart to tear it out. But I know the first frost is coming and I needed to get it done. The amount of foliage on the one volunteer tomato was equal to the amount of foliage I pulled out for the 10 purposefully planted tomatoes.
Today, I planted some pansies. My favorite nursery is selling them for $14.99 a flat. I picked out three pairs of 6-packs -- pale yellow, orange, and a ruffled lavender. Lovely. It took me about 10 minutes to decide on the colors I wanted since they had all of them to choose from. I planted half of them in my new bed by the street. I suppose I owe everyone a mug shot of the new garden, now that it's all prettied up with mulch. I will put that on my to-do list for the next post.
I'm going to plant the other half of the flat in my neighbor's yard. She was diagnosed with Cancer last year, and her chemotherapy routine doesn't allow her to dig in the soil. Every year she plants pansies, and I know she'll miss them if they're not there. It's a small thing, but I know she will love seeing those colors going until Spring next year.
The end of summer means clean-up time in the garden. My task list includes cutting back dead foliage and pulling out dead plants, trimming up shrubs, weeding, and tearing out the veggie patch. I also like to plant a few perennials, since this is the best time of the year to plant. And don't forget popping in some annuals here and there. I haven't yet purchased mums for my front porch, but I probably will give in to temptation and do that in the next week or two.
The tomato plants had about 30 green tomatoes left on them, all about the size of a golf ball. Their ripening has almost come to a halt, so I tore out the plants and picked the tomatoes. They are sitting in my kitchen so they can try to ripen up. My volunteer tomato plant was a bear to tear out. I wrangled with that thing for 10 minutes and finally got my arms around it well enough to drag it into the woods. There was enough foliage there to create a home for a few rabbits, and let me tell you -- it was the greenest, healthiest foliage in my garden. It hurt my heart to tear it out. But I know the first frost is coming and I needed to get it done. The amount of foliage on the one volunteer tomato was equal to the amount of foliage I pulled out for the 10 purposefully planted tomatoes.
Today, I planted some pansies. My favorite nursery is selling them for $14.99 a flat. I picked out three pairs of 6-packs -- pale yellow, orange, and a ruffled lavender. Lovely. It took me about 10 minutes to decide on the colors I wanted since they had all of them to choose from. I planted half of them in my new bed by the street. I suppose I owe everyone a mug shot of the new garden, now that it's all prettied up with mulch. I will put that on my to-do list for the next post.
I'm going to plant the other half of the flat in my neighbor's yard. She was diagnosed with Cancer last year, and her chemotherapy routine doesn't allow her to dig in the soil. Every year she plants pansies, and I know she'll miss them if they're not there. It's a small thing, but I know she will love seeing those colors going until Spring next year.
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