The weekly gardening newsletter from Garden.org.

May 15, 2021 - Issue #513 Read in Browser


There is no gardening without humility. Nature is constantly sending even its oldest scholars to the bottom of the class for some egregious blunder. — Alfred Austin

ARTICLES TO READ


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Growing Vegetables in Containers

If you don't have room for a garden, or only want to grow a few vegetables, planting in containers is the best way to go. Almost any vegetable can grow in a container and with a little care can produce abundantly. Here's how to get started.
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Growing Mint

The mint family offers a tremendous diversity of refreshing scents and flavors for cooking, beverages, and potpourris. Bumblebees and other pollinators are attracted to the delicate flowers that appear in mid- to late summer. Some varieties sport variegated foliage for added interest in the herb garden.
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Meet the Asian Pears

Like apples, Asian pears ripen on the tree and have a crisp, firm texture. But like pears, they have juicy, white flesh and pear flavor and fragrance.
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Planting a Window Box

Combine flowering plants and those with attractive foliage in window boxes to add color to decks, window sashes, and porch rails.

SPONSORED BY JUNG SEED


Icecap Shrub Roses are easy-to-care shrub roses. The plants are compact, only growing 2 1/2 feet tall and 3 1/2 feet white, but their flower power is tremendous. Excellent rebloom and disease resistance mean a nearly endless supply of the cuplike blooms from spring until fall. From the combined efforts of famed Knock Out breeder William Radler and Meilland International. Grown own root. On sale for $15.57 while supplies last!

POLLINATORS IN THE GARDEN


By Carole McCray

How do you define a pollinator?  It can be any of these: birds, bees, butterflies, moths and even some other animals are pollinators by transferring pollen for production to fruits and vegetables. You can help to preserve pollinators that are on the decline by planting a variety of plants.  Here are some to consider:

How do you define a pollinator?  It can be any of these: birds, bees, butterflies, moths and even some other animals are pollinators by transferring pollen for production to fruits and vegetables. You can help to preserve pollinators that are on the decline by planting a variety of plants.  Here are some to consider:

Bee Balm, Monarda spp. attracts hummingbirds to the garden.  A bonus of the plant is that bee balm's leaves make a nice bergamot tea.

Black-eyed Susan, Rudbeckia spp. is often seen in a meadow garden. The plant loves full sun and a well-drained soil. Black-eyed Susans will bring lots of pollinators, and it also is a beautiful cut flower.

Cilantro, Cilantro sativum is an herb.  Honeybees, syrphid flies and parasitic wasps are frequent visitors to this herb's lacy white umbels.  In hot climate zones, a second crop will provide late-season nectar for pollinators.  I have found in my herb garden several plants are needed to ensure we enjoy the culinary uses of the herb since the pollinators like cilantro as well as we do.

Coneflower, Echinacea spp. attracts bumblebees, honeybees, butterflies, moths and flies.  Leave cutting back coneflowers until spring, and you will find birds enjoying the coneflower's seeds through late fall and winter.  

Cosmos, Cosmos spp. comes in many lovely colors: white, soft pink, deep burgundy and orange. Pollinator friendly, cosmos is pretty in a bouquet and even pairs nicely planted alongside vegetables. It is known to attract many beneficial insects such as lacewings.

Milkweed, Asclepias spp. is a nectar source for the Monarch butterfly and a food source for its larvae. It also attracts bumblebees, fritillaries and swallowtails. Milkweed prefers moist soil.

Sweet Alyssum, Lobularia maritima, will attract syrphid flies whose larvae consume aphids. Many types of bees are attracted to the flower's low-growing scented blooms.

Zinnia, Zinnia spp. has an array of colorful flowers, and are liked by butterflies such as Monarchs, Painted Ladies and Swallowtails. Zinnias are a favorite cut flower of gardeners for striking bouquets.

The habitat you can create for attracting pollinators might be a small or a large garden; even creating a window box or a container garden can be your part in preserving pollinators that are declining.

About Carole McCray

Carole has been writing for nearly 20 years. A recipient of the Garden Writers Association Award for newspaper writing, her monthly syndicated column reached almost 1,000 newspapers across the US and Canada. We're delighted to have her join our newsletter with semi-regular articles for your enjoyment, inspiration and education.

LOVELY PHOTO BY CALIF_SUE

Poppy (Papaver 'Sugar Plum')

Poppy (<i>Papaver</i> 'Sugar Plum')

LOVELY PHOTO BY NMUMPTON

Echinopsis Hybrid (Echinopsis 'Los Angeles')

"A very prolific bloomer in spring in Phoenix"
Echinopsis Hybrid (<i>Echinopsis</i> 'Los Angeles')

LOVELY PHOTO BY MACROCENTRA

Echeveria (Echeveria setosa var. deminuta)

Echeveria (<i>Echeveria setosa var. deminuta</i>)

LOVELY PHOTO BY LAURIEMORNINGGLORY

Shasta Daisy (Leucanthemum x superbum 'White Breeze')

"Great flower for informal garden. Slow spreader; carefree!"
Shasta Daisy (<i>Leucanthemum x superbum</i> 'White Breeze')

LOVELY PHOTO BY SUNKISSED

Shell Ginger (Alpinia zerumbet)

Shell Ginger (<i>Alpinia zerumbet</i>)

LOVELY PHOTO BY CORBER

Jelly Bean (Sedum x rubrotinctum)

Jelly Bean (<i>Sedum x rubrotinctum</i>)

LOVELY PHOTO BY PEGGY8B

Texas Mountain Laurel (Sophora secundiflora)

"In my front yard, Temple, TX."
Texas Mountain Laurel (<i>Sophora secundiflora</i>)

THE NUMBERS FROM LAST WEEK


965 members joined.
5,071 posts written in our forums.
1,209 photos posted to the plant database.
1,138 plants added to personal inventory lists.

Though I do not believe that a plant will spring up where no seed has been, I have great faith in a seed... Convince me that you have a seed there, and I am prepared to expect wonders. Henry David Thoreau
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