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  • From: "Tradingpost" <tradingpost@gilanet.com>
  • To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Livingontheland] Perennial Gardening News
  • Date: Mon, 17 Jan 2005 09:53:58 -0700

Perennial Gardening News
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In This Issue:

- Designs for Butterflies
- Hummingbird Feeders
- Weed Wars and Your Ally, Mulch
- Cilantro
- Snapdragons
- A note to forum members



Designs for Butterflies
Gardening for butterflies is a suspenseful art, a bit like holding a
picnic and wondering if your invited guests will show up.
Butterflies are choosy insects. Any gardener can have aphids, but
Red Admirals, Painted Ladies and Tiger Swallowtails insist that
certain conditions be met.

Ample sunshine is the foremost consideration. Butterflies avoid
shady areas. Ideally, your garden should have a southern exposure.
Butterflies use early morning sunlight for basking on sun-warmed
rocks, bricks or gravel paths. As morning temperatures rise, they
begin visiting their favorite nectar flowers, but always in sunlit
areas of the garden.

>>Continued>>
http://gardenguides.c.topica.com/maac0ESabcNeycfOhqHeafpOkb/




Hummingbird Feeders
The best way to feed hummingbirds is to offer them nectar-producing
flowers, but hummingbird feeders can act as a supplement and lure
birds to spots where you can easily watch them. Hummingbirds are
entranced by sugar-water in colorful feeders—after all, no flower in
nature has such vast amounts of sweet nectar. Yet hummingbird
feeders can become hazards to the birds unless they are responsibly
tended. Here are a few suggestions:

When you purchase your first hummingbird feeder, choose one with a
small reservoir for sugar-water. You will have to fill this more
frequently, but the sugar-water supply will be fresher. As
hummingbirds find your feeder and make it a popular stop, add more
feeders or a larger feeder, selecting models that are easy to clean.
Feeders with multiple sipping ports and perches can accommodate many
birds at once.

>>Continued>>
http://gardenguides.c.topica.com/maac0ESabcNWScfOhqHeafpOkb/




Weed Wars and Your Ally, Mulch
A weed is any plant growing where you don't want it to. Some weeds
are worse than others, but in general, gardeners don't want any
weeds in their flower beds. Weeds compete with annuals for light,
water, and nutrients, resulting in weaker annuals. And weeds make
your flower bed look messy.

Luckily, weeds are easier to control in plantings of annual flowers
than they are in other garden situations. Pulling out annuals at the
end of the season gives you the perfect chance to deal with weeds in
an open area and to treat them more aggressively so that they'll
never dare to return. In addition, if you grow annuals close
together -- jowl-to-jowl, so to speak -- the flowers can shade the
weeds and cause them to die from lack of light.

>>Continued>>
http://gardenguides.c.topica.com/maac0ESabdnxzcfOhqHeafpOkb/




Cilantro
For a couple of herbs, coriander and cilantro sure do cause a lot of
confusion. There's really no need for the fuss because they're just
two parts of the same plant: cilantro is the pungent leaf and
coriander is the citrusy seed. Cilantro is the staple ingredient in
salsa and other Mexican dishes. Coriander is used whole or ground in
curries, Oriental dishes, and savory baked goods.

For a long season of harvest, sow cilantro after all danger of frost
has passed, and continue sowing every 2-3 weeks. Cilantro will grow
in almost any soil as long as there is planty of sun and moisture.
If you're short on space, it will thrive in pots on your deck or
patio.

Cilantro Seeds
http://gardenguides.c.topica.com/maac0ESabdnOBcfOhqHeafpOkb/




Snapdragons
If you want to attract children to your garden, plant snapdragons!
These colorful and lightly fragrant flowers are a particular
favorite of children, who like to pinch the tiny cheeks of the
individual blossoms and make the "dragon mouth" open and close.

It's time to order snapdragon seeds because they should be planted
as early in spring as the soil can be worked. You can plant them
again in late summer for fall blossoms. We have two types:

Dwarf snapdragons grow to a height of about 6" and are perfect for
the front of the border. They are also a good choice for containers
and hanging baskets.

Tall snapdragons grow 2 to 3 feet tall and make wonderful cut
flowers.

Snapdragon Seeds
http://gardenguides.c.topica.com/maac0ESabdnPScfOhqHeafpOkb/






  • [Livingontheland] Perennial Gardening News, Tradingpost, 01/17/2005

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