Free Butterfly Garden Tips

Ladytiger

__________________
Go ahead, ask me why I am smiling!

tristarat

Thank you! I'm getting ready to start my gardening! (o:

babydoll_jen

Thanks. Spring has finally sprung.

__________________
Until you wear a gown and hold a gavel, YOU SHOULDN'T BE JUDGING ANYONE...

Ladytiger

__________________
Go ahead, ask me why I am smiling!

mlathroum

Thank you. We are getting ready to make a butterfly garden at my sons school.

Jolie Rouge

I was just coming to post this, so I will add it to your thread, okay Ladytiger ? {{SMOOCHES****


Butterfly Gardening with Kids

By Christine Beaudry

http://207.68.164.250/cgi-bin/linkrd...entid%3d103 1


The fuzzy caterpillar, Curled upon a leaf,
Spun her little chrysalis, And then fell asleep.
While she was sleeping, She dreamed that she could fly,
And later when she woke up, She was a butterfly!
(Author unknown)


Few insects fascinate like the vibrant yet gentle butterfly. Children in particular love these “flying flowers.” While butterflies appear to dance whimsically through the air, they are purposeful creatures, selective about where they feed, reproduce, experience metamorphosis and migrate. These intriguing insects offer a unique and fun learning experience; parents need only take advantage of kids’ natural curiosity and love of the outdoors to plant a beautiful butterfly garden with their children.


Designing Your Garden

You don’t need a large yard to create a butterfly garden – even a balcony will do if the conditions are right. Because butterflies are cold-blooded, they enjoy basking in the sun to warm themselves. The National Gardening Association (NGA) recommends that a butterfly garden get at least six hours of sun daily. Dark, flat stones in the garden will absorb the sun’s heat and provide a welcome resting place for butterflies to dry their wings and warm their bodies. It’s also important that your garden include shrubs or trees which can provide a windbreak for the butterflies.


Damp soil, sand or puddles attract butterflies, who need a mineral-rich water source. Visiting these sources is known as “puddling,” and is more common for male butterflies that may use the dissolved salts and minerals to make pheromones and sperm necessary for mating. Kids can help you make your own butterfly puddles: simply bury a bucket or shallow container to the rim, then fill it with sand or gravel and moisten it with water or sweet drinks.


Choosing Your Plants

Butterfly gardens need both nectar and host plants to be successful. “Nectar plants have a sweet, sugary liquid in the flower,” says Amy Gifford, an education associate for NGA. “These plants draw butterflies into the garden and are attractive to hummingbirds and butterflies because the nectar supplies the energy they need to fly.” The NGA recommends planting groups of same-color nectar plants since butterflies are attracted to masses of fragrance and color. Choose a variety of plants to maintain blooming all season, but particularly in mid to late summer, when most butterflies are active.


Host plants--often weeds, wildflowers, shrubs, or trees native to the area--encourage butterflies to lay eggs. While host plants are generally not as colorful as the bright flowers that feed the butterflies, they are necessary for breeding, to continue the egg-to-butterfly life cycle. “Carrot, dill, milkweed, and parsley are all good plants for a kids’ garden that the larvae feed on while they’re growing,” says Gifford.


There is a wide variety of both nectar and host plants for nearly all climate zones, and it’s helpful to choose plants native to your area. ”Identify a list of plants you would choose for attracting butterflies and then from there, select plants that are durable,” recommends Gifford. “Pick things you would choose for any other kids’ garden. You don’t want small delicate flowers since kids will tromp through the garden.”


Some common nectar plants are aster, black-eyed Susan, butterfly bush, butterfly weed, cosmos, lantana, lavender, liatris, marigold, phlox, purple coneflower, and zinnia. To get information on butterfly plants for your area, the NGA suggests contacting your state's National Wildlife Federation chapter, or a local botanic garden or arboretum.


In addition, gardeners should never use insecticides on plants in a butterfly garden. Chemicals designed to kill pests will also kill caterpillars and beautiful butterflies. It’s also important because you don’t want to expose children to dangerous insecticides, says Rick Mikula, the expert known as “The Butterfly Guy” and author of several gardening books including The Family Butterfly Book. “If children are playing with the plants or looking for caterpillars, they will touch the plants and then put their hands in their mouths,” says Mikula. The residue can be damaging to little bodies in even small doses. Certain plants such as marigolds, petunias and herbs can naturally repel pests.


Fun for Kids, Educational Too!

Children are naturally enthralled by the graceful, delicate beauty of butterflies, and love hands-on working and exploring in an outdoor garden. “I think the greatest part is the interaction between plants and critters,” says Gifford. “Kids are starting to understand the ecology of our natural world. Plants rely on insects, and bugs rely on plants.”


“Expose kids to butterflies and show them how colorful and interesting the caterpillars are,” suggests Mikula. “What’s nice for kids is most caterpillars take only two weeks to come out of the chrysalis. This allows children to see how fast the life cycle works.”


Reviewing the life cycle of a butterfly with your child is a natural teaching opportunity. The U.S. Geological Survey’s Children’s Butterfly Site lists the following stages of this insect’s metamorphosis:

Egg: the male and female components join and begin developing

Caterpillar: the primary eating and growth stage of the insect

Pupa or Chrysalis (pronounced KRIS-uh-lis): the resting stages where the caterpillar transforms to an adult butterfly

Adult: a fully-developed butterfly emerges from the chrysalis



While your family’s chance of watching butterflies develop is best if you have an inviting garden with host plants, Mikula says nine out of ten caterpillars will never become butterflies. “They will be eaten, develop parasites, or become infected before they get their wings,” he says, adding that females lay many eggs during their lives knowing only some of those eggs with develop into thriving butterflies. Because of these grim statistics, Mikula says to really expose children to butterflies, it’s best to go outside with them, bring a caterpillar home and nurture it to become an adult.


Ask your local librarian for good books about butterflies and research these creatures with your kids. Find out your children’s questions, and ask a few of your own: How do butterflies communicate? How fast can butterflies fly? Do butterflies sleep? Where does a butterfly go when it rains? How many legs does a caterpillar have?


Once caterpillars and butterflies begin visiting your garden, your family is sure to become captivated with their amazing life cycles and enchanting movements through the air. The Papago Indians had a belief about butterflies, says Mikula. “If you ever want a wish to come true, take a butterfly outside and whisper a wish to it. Since it makes no sound, it won’t tell your wish to anyone, but will take a wish to heaven, and the wish will be granted.”



For more on children and gardening, check out Ready, Set, Grow: The Benefits of Gardening with Kids

Christine Beaudry is an Ohio-based freelance writer and editor, wife, and mother of two daughters.

__________________
Laissez les bon temps rouler! Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.** a 4 day work week & sex slaves ~ I say Tyt for PRESIDENT! Not to be taken internally, literally or seriously ....Suki ebaynni IS THAT BETTER ?

Jolie Rouge

Cultivate A Cooks' Garden


Nothing kicks your cooking up a notch like growing your own herbs. And it’s amazingly simple. Whether you plant indoors or out, the tiniest effort can produce a burst of tasty leaves and spicy seeds that will give your dishes international panache.

For the beginning gardener, herbs are friendly and incredibly adaptable. To thrive, most herbs simply need a well-lit area, sufficient water and humidity, and protection from drafts and extreme temperature. Given that, herbs can flourish almost anywhere—in pots, in vegetable beds, even tucked around flowers as borders. Just be careful not to plant edible herbs near traffic or they will absorb the pollution.

The first step in creating your own Cook’s Garden is deciding where to plant.

Indoors
Grow your herbs indoors and delicious dishes will be a fingertip away. Kitchen window sills exposed to full sunlight make excellent sites for simple pots or boxes; add flourish by using hanging baskets, adding shelves, and positioning climbing herbs around the window frame. Plant a culinary spice you most often use—parsley, chives, thyme—or choose an array. Herbs love to be grouped together to benefit from the humid microclimate they create. Mints do well indoors because they require less light. And don’t limit yourself to the kitchen. The right herb can add zest to any room: try a tiny pot of peppermint in the bathroom, calming lavender in the bedroom, or lemon verbena in the entrance hall.

Balconies & Patios
An herb garden can turn a patio or apartment balcony into a private paradise, but you must maximize the small space. Think multi-tiered. Use barrels, urns, and troughs on the floor; interlocking pots on the wall, and creeping vines over the top of trellises and between bricks. If the space receives light only some of the day, try herbs that require partial shade, like chervil, parsley, sorrel, and mints. In darker spaces, you may want to use white tiles or a white wall to intensify the light. Roof plants must be protected from the wind with proper screening: rosemary and lavender are tougher than most herbs, but even they become gnarled in a high wind. And make sure you anchor everything down—including soil (a topping of gravel chips works wonders).

Backyards
Planning a garden outdoors takes substantial forethought. Before choosing a site, spend time on the land watching how the sun falls; a slope receiving direct sunlight for 5-6 hours a day is ideal. Also, mark where corners are sheltered and soil gets waterlogged. Something else you will want to consider is irrigation—you might have to install a drip irrigation system to avoid dragging a hose around. Once you pick the site, think design: formal geometric patterns like a diamond, square, or wheel bed versus an informal profusion of color and species. Either way, take care that neighboring plants don’t run each other over by considering leaf size, growth patterns, and need for light and shelter. A reasonable guide that lets Mother Nature take its proper course is one plant per square foot or ten per square yard.

One way to plan your garden is by picking a cooking theme. Here are four ideas that will turn your bare plot of land into an herbal feast.

Salad Bowl Garden

Make your own salad bar by following the style of 16th century dining, when a salad could boast 50 different kinds of leaves, seeds, buds, and flowers. Choose leaves with a mild flavor like lettuce, blanched endive, and summer purslane for the bulk of your garden, adding in the stronger bites of arugula, spinach, and rape cabbage. Then throw in salad herbs like coriander, lemon balm, curly parsley, chervil, sorrel, fennel, mint, thyme, lovage, tarragon, and seeds of sunflower or sprouted fenugreek. Nasturtium will give a sharp peppery zest to salad while common chives add a mild onion tang. Try our Field of Greens Salad with fresh herbs, blue cheese, and pecans.


Pizza Pie Garden

Kids will love to nurture their own pizza pie garden, especially if they can taste the fruits of their efforts. Consider a circular design divided into 8 (slices) with brick paths in between. Then plant tomatoes as pizza’s mainstay, surrounded by favorite seasonings, such as basil, oregano, rosemary, dill, parsley, and thyme. The scent alone will inspire you to throw around some dough, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised to discover that the combination of plants have their own built-in dynamic. Basil protects tomatoes from insects. And parsley keeps away hornworms, which feed off tomatoes and can destroy your crop. Try our recipe for Pronto Pita Pizza with fresh herbs.


Global Spice Garden

If you’re a gourmet cook, plant globally. Choose a circular or rectangular-shaped plot and mark off "international borders" with flags or symbols of each country or region. Then plant:

French (herbes de Provence): basil, fennel seed, lavender, marjoram, rosemary, sage, summer savory, and thyme

Thai: garlic, chili pepper, tamarind, lemon grass, ginger, basil, cilantro, and mint

Moroccan: saffron, cumin, paprika, cardamom, cassia, and nutmeg

Mexican: annatto, avocado leaves, bay, cinnamon, epazote (for refried beans), garlic, hoja santa, onions, serranos, jalapenos, and for salsa—cilantro and cayenne in pots with tomato or tomatillo plants

Indian (garam masal): cinnamon, bay, cumin, coriander, cardamom, peppercorns, cloves, and mace

Middle Eastern: aniseed, all-spice, caraway, cardamom, cassia, coriander, clove, cumin, dill, fennel, fenugreek, ginger root, nutmeg, saffron, sumac, and others.

Romantic Tea Garden

Nothing is more relaxing than sitting back in your own tea garden and sipping from a pot or pitcher of homegrown herbal tea. Choose a quiet site, install a comfy bench and table, and plant tea herbs around in concentric circles. If you find herbal tea too bland, mix with China tea, or add the dried leaves of raspberry, strawberry, or lady’s mantle. Some delicious tea herbs to plant include: rose geranium, hibiscus (refreshing as iced tea), mint, ginger, chamomile, and lemon verbena.

__________________
Laissez les bon temps rouler! Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.** a 4 day work week & sex slaves ~ I say Tyt for PRESIDENT! Not to be taken internally, literally or seriously ....Suki ebaynni IS THAT BETTER ?

Jolie Rouge

Gardening 101

Whether or not you think you have a green thumb, the pleasure of planting seeds or flowers and watching them grow can't be beat! Starting a simple garden can be fun for the whole family, when you get your kids involved. As long as you know some basics and can go to a reliable resource for more detailed information, you'll be on your way to a summer full of gardening fun. We'll go over some of the basic principles you need to know to get started on your own garden.

1. Determine your soil type.

Before you pick out plants or sketch out your garden, you need to dig up some soil and see what kind of environment your plants will grow in. Is the soil sandy, dense, or does it feel like clay? Look in a gardening book to see which kinds of plants grow best in your soil type. Or, take a soil sample to your local gardening center and ask for their advice.

2. Consider your plant hardiness zone.

Climate is king. Do pick plants that are hardy enough to withstand the cold weather typical of your region. There are eleven hardiness zones in the United States?determined by the USDA and based upon the average minimum temperature of the area. You can find out which hardiness zone you live in by asking at your local gardening center, or by searching on the Web.


3. Sketch a planting plan.

It's easy to get excited about your gardening project and you may want to just get started. But it's best to first evaluate the landscape where your garden will grow. Anchor your plan with a few larger plants and then work outwards from there. Add plants of different color, shape, and size in a way that will be aesthetically pleasing to you. Remember plants will grow in size—some considerably—over time. Take this into account when sketching your plan.

4. Go to a reputable nursery.

Your garden will only be as successful as your plants are healthy. Give them the best possible start by purchasing them from a reputable nursery or seed catalog. Ask your friends for recommendations, or even call your local horticultural society for suggestions.

5. Watch your garden grow!

You've invested a lot of sweat equity in your garden, and now you get to enjoy the benefits of your hard work. Keep your garden beautiful by weeding regularly, watering when the weather has been dry and hot, and eventually pruning the plants that begin to overpower your garden. Remember: foliage that is close to the ground is the perfect nesting ground for pesky bugs and mosquitoes. When working in your garden, consider using OFF!® Botanicals™ Insect Repellent for pleasant and gentle bug protection.


Learn how to cultivate your own Cook's Garden, full of delicious herbs you can use in cooking. For decorative pots to accent your house and patio plants, click here. With just a little perspiration and a handful of advice, you can be in full bloom all year long!

These five basic steps will get you started. For detailed information, particularly for regional guidelines and recommendations, get help from a local gardening center. The more you know, the more confident you'll feel. And when you're confident and comfortable in your garden, you'll enjoy gardening a whole lot more!

__________________
Laissez les bon temps rouler! Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.** a 4 day work week & sex slaves ~ I say Tyt for PRESIDENT! Not to be taken internally, literally or seriously ....Suki ebaynni IS THAT BETTER ?

Jolie Rouge

Herbs Everywhere

No matter how large or small your garden, there are herbs to be grown, and planting basil is a good place to start.

Easy Basils

Grown for centuries, basil (Ocimum basilicum) needs most of the day's sun, ample water, and more fertilizer than most other herbs. Overfeeding and overwatering turns most herbs into leafy, rather tasteless plants, but not basil. Most herbs are best harvested early in the morning when their volatile oils are at their peak, but even a late-day picking of basil will be quite aromatic. Basic basil and its relatives, such as lemon basil, thai basil, and purple basil, need the same soil as tomatoes and are a good companion for them. Some say this relationship benefits both – basil gets a bit of shade as summer drones on, and the tomatoes seem to attact fewer pests with a basil barrier.


Herbs in the Garden

We often think of an herb garden as a place where a variety of plants grow in harmony, separated from others with greater needs for water, fertilizer, and pesticides. This notion of splendid isolation may work well some places, but in our region it's likely to fail if the seasons of individual herbs aren't considered.

Rosemary and chives are year-round performers, but basil, summer savory, sage, and thymes perform best in the spring-to-summer season. Garlic, parsley, cilantro, and dill are planted in fall for spring harvest because they cannot tolerate our summers.


Best Container Bets

Herbs make terrific container plants, and a shallow bowl full of parsley and chives on the deck outside my kitchen door stays clipped for kitchen use. If you have had trouble with soiled leaves, wet beds, or herbs so stressed they taste bitter, consider container growing. It's also an excellent way to maintain perennial herbs – you can enjoy them most of the year and protect them from drought, heat, or cold as needed.


Garden Reminders:


Add Garden Stakes Early

Dahlias, tomatoes, and gladiolas need stakes or cages to support their huge summer growth. It's very important to get the stakes in place at planting time or very shortly thereafter. Don't damage the roots you've worked so hard to nurture by slashing through them with stakes added too late.


Repot Now

Houseplants vacationing outdoors for the season really get growing in the warm, humid conditions of our region's April and May. Repot them now so they can take advantage of new soil to establish new roots. To maintain their current size, prune the roots and repot in fresh soil in the old pot.


Keep Planting

Don't panic – it's not too late to plant vegetables for summer harvest. Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and squash can be transplanted for several more weeks. Hurry up for bush and pole beans, then get the butterbeans and yardlong beans into the garden. Plant weekly for extended harvest.


Prune Spring-Blooming Shrubs After Flowering

Fertilize flowering shrubs like azalea, weigela, and kerria soon after they finish blooming, and do any necessary pruning within one month of the last flowers. If you prune too late, you'll interrupt their bloom cycle and likely eliminate next year's fabulous flowers. Prune only once, but to encourage growth, fertilize again in July.


Tend to the Lawn

After the grass greens up, and you've mowed a few times, take a good look at the lawn. Reseed or sod any dead spots, pull up any major weed patches, and fertilize the grass. If thin spots are common, use a compost topdressing. A slow-release formula works best for all lawns in hot weather.

__________________
Laissez les bon temps rouler! Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.** a 4 day work week & sex slaves ~ I say Tyt for PRESIDENT! Not to be taken internally, literally or seriously ....Suki ebaynni IS THAT BETTER ?

Jolie Rouge

To make plant identification tags : use the small terracotta pots and hang them upside-down from a cut wire from a metal coat hanger. Paint them and write the name of the plant/flower on it. Make an "S" hook out of remaining piece of coat wire and insert it into the pot, but string a bead inside to hold the wire from coming out. One can also just bend the wire sideways so it won't slip out of the hole.


Cute, cheap, durable

__________________
Laissez les bon temps rouler! Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.** a 4 day work week & sex slaves ~ I say Tyt for PRESIDENT! Not to be taken internally, literally or seriously ....Suki ebaynni IS THAT BETTER ?