And the monarchs came! Last fall at our WI cabin, I scattered milkweed seeds from native milkweed that had sparsely grown in what I call the "loop" in the center of the circular driveway. It's a native area anchored by three Hop Hornbeam (Ostrya virginiana) trees. There's lots of advice on how to collect milkweed … Continue reading I Planted Milkweed…
Tag: hummingbird
Hummingbird Nectar
Once you've filled your yard with pollinator friendly plants and a hummingbird feeder, you need to make some nectar to put in the feeder. It couldn't be easier! Recipe: 1 part granulated sugar 4 parts water Bring to a boil and boil for 2 min (longer can make it too concentrated). Cool before filling feeder. … Continue reading Hummingbird Nectar
August, Oops, September Garden Update
A while back I thought I was getting caught up, but then sending twins off to college this fall proved to be quite a time consuming effort! So the garden has been a bit on auto pilot for a little while now. Thank goodness it got off to such a good start this spring. Here's … Continue reading August, Oops, September Garden Update
August Garden Surprises
I took a walk around the yard today just checking everything out. It must have been a while I'd done that, since I had quite a few, luckily mostly pleasant, surprises. This Rose Of Sharon has always grown in the shadow of surrounding trees which are no longer there. I never understood why it was … Continue reading August Garden Surprises
Gardening: All in the Family
For as long as I can remember my mom had vegetable and flower gardens, sometimes big, sometimes small. So did my grandparents. All this interest in growing things rubbed off on me and hopefully I'll pass it on to my kids. With that in mind, I had my mom and daughter take us on a tour … Continue reading Gardening: All in the Family
White Line Sphinx Moth
The other night I was outside helping grill around dusk. Right next to the grill, I have planters with geraniums, petunias and coleus. Flitting around the petunias that night was this hummingbird-dragonfly-bug-like thing. Its wings were beating so fast, I really couldn't get a handle on what it was. All I could really tell was … Continue reading White Line Sphinx Moth