Building a Butterfly Garden: First Things First!

Along with the increased interest in the use of native plants for landscaping, butterfly watching has come right alongside it and has become a popular pastime. By choosing the right plants, anyone can create a butterfly garden, whether it be in a space as small as an apartment window box or a large garden that will attract a wide variety of butterflies. (Among other friendly creatures!)

Before planting the garden it is best to educate yourself about the life cycle of the butterfly, the conditions it likes best, the food that it likes and the best location for your garden.

Life cycle Butterflies go through 3 life stages (egg, caterpillar, and cocoon) before they reach the 4th, or adult stage. Eggs are usually laid on the host ( food source) plant and will hatch in as little as a few days or as long as 2-3 weeks. The larvae (see Monarch larvae at left) hatches out of the egg and begins to feed on the host plant. The larvae (caterpillar) will continue to feed on the host plant, shedding its skin as it grows to full size. When full size is reached, it begins to pupate, or form a cocoon. It may hang by what appears to be a small thread, or it can attach itself to a small branch or leaf.

Location It is best to select a sunny location with well drained soil that will support a variety of plants. It also gives an opportunity for the butterflies to sun themselves. Try to keep it out of the wind. Find some large stones or a flat-shaped fieldstone boulder (you may need help getting it there!) that will provide a good basking spot, and will also hold heat when it starts to cool down later in the day. If you can, provide a water source for them. Something as simple as moist earth or a mud puddle works great. You can buy a piece of drip irrigation line and attach it to your hose to keep the ground moist with a slow dripping action.

Next week look for a list of plants you can use to create a your own butterfly garden!

Perennial of the Year: Geranium ‘Rozanne’

Each year, the Perennial Plant Association picks a perennial plant that it feels has the outstanding qualities to be voted Perennial Plant of the Year. This year the award goes to Geranium ‘Rozanne’(see photo at left). I noticed that some sources list it as a zone 4 plant, and others as a zone 5. With the global warming, Northfield is on the border between both zones 4 and 5, depending on who’s zone map you are looking at. (I like the one put out by the National Arbor Day Foundation, because it uses the most recent data). I would recommend you start out with a trial plant to see how it performs over a couple of winters. If you don’t know your climate zone, go to our home page and enter your zip code on the Arbor Day box at the bottom of the page. One source I checked out called it the next best thing to an annual, because if it’s long blooming period. The description below is from the Perennial Plant Association.

The Perennial Plant Association has awarded the title of Perennial Plant of the Year® to Geranium ‘Rozanne’. Donald and Rozanne Waterer discovered this strong performing hardy geranium in their garden in Somerset, England in 1989. It has 2 ½ inch, iridescent violet-blue, saucer-shaped flowers with purple-violet veins and radiant white centers. Bloom time is from late spring to mid fall.

• Size – 20 to 24 inches tall and 24 to 28 inches wide
• Light – Best in full sun to partial shade, afternoon shade is advisable in hot climates
• Soil – Prefers moist, well-drained soil
• Uses – Geranium ‘Rozanne’ may be used as a dynamic ground cover or as an attractive specimen plant. It is a good companion plant to Shasta daisy, perennial salvia, speedwell, hostas, and short ornamental grasses. Rozanne’senergetic habit makes it a worthy tenant of patio containers, window boxes,and hanging baskets.
• Unique Qualities – The large violet-blue flowers with purple-violet veins and small white centers offer non-stop flowering through the growing season. It has one of the longest flowering periods of any of the hardy geraniums.

I’m sure most of you have heard of theOld Farmer’s Almanac

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What most of us think of when Farmer’s Almanac is mentioned is long range forecasts. But it also contains a lot of other information, such as gardening tips, tide tables, moon phases, astronomy and articles on farming. It has been around for over 225 years, making it the longest running periodical ever.

According to the Almanac, May 2008 wil l be wetter than usual, but with the exception of some of August, we are in for a dry summer with about average temperatures. The fall is predicted to start out very warm.

You can also check out the weather history on any given day all the way back to 1946. http://www.almanac.com/weatherhistory/

This is a fun website to Poke around” on. I like to check out their fishing advice!! It has something of interest for everybody. Have fun!!

Avg. Temperature: 55° (avg.)
Precipitation: 4″ (1″ above avg.)
May. 1-3: T-storms, very warm
May. 4-8: Showers, cool
May. 9-12: Sunny, warm
May. 13-16: Rain, chilly
May. 17-20: Sunny, warm
May. 21-25: Heavy rain, then sunny, warm
May. 26-31: Scattered t-storms, very warm