faulker042

Ratibida columnifera (Mexican hat, upright prairie coneflower, thimbleflower) with Santolina pinnata (green Lavender cotton) in the background. June 2012 Debuting in my deer resistant meadow garden this year is the US native wildflower, ratibida columnifera , commonly called Mexican hat. According to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center database, the foliage of this native has a strong smell that repels deer. But wait—there's a catch! The same database says that deer will eat this flower. Hmm... Currently growing beside my open meadow where the deer congregate each night for slumber parties, there's nary a nibble so far. I've not detected an offensive smell—but I'm not a deer! The height at this point is just over two feet, but with the see-through quality of the airy foliage, it works well at the edge of the garden. I'm sharing photos before the entire plant is at peak bloom because I'm so excited over the flowers—and in case the deer do decide to nibble th...

I'm wild about Wild Quinine ( parthenium integrifolium )  after seeing mass plantings at The Battery Gardens in New York in June 2011. In fact, I was so mesmerized by the tiny white pearl blooms that I failed to take one photo, but found a few on the gardens website ! I returned to do a bit of research and decided that this is a native wildflower to try in my meadow garden for 2012. Quinine is a perennial that blooms in summer. Seed heads can remain over the winter. zones:  3a-8b height: 36-38" light:    low to full sun soil:      medium Finding the plants is not impossible, but I decided to try seeds for next year. According to the instructions on my seed packet, it is best to plant quinine in the fall or cold stratify for two to three months.  Fall sowing has always given me good results as our weather can often turn too hot, too soon in the spring. I'm not one to pamper pots, so I prefer to direct sow into the ground.  With the moisture fr...

Keep the bees alive. Don't use insecticide. Let's give 'em something to buzz about. A variety of flowers attracts pollinators. Agastache, butterfly bush, cleome,liatris, rose campion, coneflowers, Russian sage and bee balm in bloom. June 2011. In our busy bee lives, we sometimes miss important announcements. A special thanks to  Gail at Clay and Limestone  for publicizing  National Pollinator Week (June 20-26 20110) . Pollinating is not just for bees. Ants, birds, butterflies, moths, wasps—and even wind and water are pollinators. Keeping chemicals out of the garden not only helps the insects but helps prevent pollution of our natural water sources and the air we breathe. Everyone loves hummingbirds and growing monarda (bee balm) and salvia is a great way to attract the little sippers to your garden. Other hummingbird favorites include rose campion, cleome, agastache and zinnias. The clearwing hummingbird moth  (click link for my best picture) is one of the most fasc...

With lightning speed and buzzing whoosh, the hummingbirds battle and dive bomb around the bright red hummingbird feeder. Territorial and jockeying for the best position at the feeder, one smart hummingbird sits back on a willow tree branch while three others whiz up into the air to do battle. The little one gets to sip first. Round and round the garden they go; where they stop—do you want to know? Monarda 'Jacob Cline' in full bloom with wide leaves of crocosmia 'Lucifer' not yet blooming. As I write, I watch three hummingbirds buzz by the window on their way to lay claim to two large patches of the red bee balm, monarda 'Jacob Cline' (sometimes listed as 'Jacob Kline'). Jacob is a tall, strong bee balm, easily growing taller than 3 feet if receiving ample moisture before the blooms. This is the third year for this variety. The 2010 summer heat and drought were especially tough for this bee balm, but it bounced back, tripling in width this spring! The ha...