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| Joe Pye Weed is a butterfly convention center. |
People complain about the lack of butterflies. Mosquito spraying (which we have too) is definitely part of the problem. Most plants are sold as butterfly magnets, and I have tried many of them. As a result, we often have butterflies around the gardens. More varieties are showing up now, late in the summer.
We began with Butterfly Bush, which smells like grape jelly when in bloom. Most of the plants that beneficial insects like are also good for butterflies, so I host those too. In short - anything in the carrot family is very good.
The prize-winner is Joe Pye Weed, named after Joe Pye, who used it for medicinal purposes. I planted one near the driveway, because remote locations lead to neglect and loss, perhaps to bunny bellies. The plant is tall and the flowers are not the kind we cut for bouquets, but it attracts more butterflies than anything I have seen - more in number and variety.
I am working on alternative plants in the rose garden next year. One part of the strategy is to use as many Hosta plants as possible. They grow and multiply, sending up flower spikes that Hummingbirds love. We see them routinely hovering by bird-feeders, as if cracked corn might turn into high fructose corn syrup.
"I grow Hummingbird feeders, little one: I do not fill them."
Joe Pye is a good tall plant to keep among the roses. I need to suppress or replace the ground level growth of Bermuda grass, so tall plants can share the work with wide spreading Hostas, wild strawberries, and clover.
Our Army Ranger veteran, a landscaper, began mocking my plans, since we kid each other all the time. I said, "Want some roses for the cemetery?" He takes them to his mother's grave. He grinned, enjoying the Mr. Lincolns and Easy-Does-It roses, a one-two punch in fragrance.
Another tall plant, unknown to most, is Mountain Mint. That mint clumps and spreads in place, not running riot over the garden. The ones I nurtured last year reached five feet tall this year, making the pollinating insects go wild with activity. Mints - if they grow in clumps - are also an attractive landing site for beneficial insects of all types, including butterflies.
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| All the Bee Balms are Hummingbird plants, easy to grow. Scarlet runs rampant but this one clumps. |
Monarda - Bee Balm - is another mint I like. Scarlet Bee Balm produces floppy plants that spread all over. Monarda is purple and clumping - tall stands of it. Bumble Bees love it.
Mrs. Ichabod was right about the Butterfly Garden. It is the hottest, sunniest, and most neglected. We avoid walking through the Rose Garden and cannot even see the Butterfly Garden. So I am putting hardy perennials there. Wild Ginger and Comfrey are doing well there. With Joe Pye in the Rose Garden next year, the roses can share space with the butterflies.
Toxins for Sale!
A salesman came by while I was gardening, wanting to sell me mosquito spray. He did not know which chemical it was. That would be like ordering food at an expensive restaurant. "What is it?" Waiter, sniffing, "I don't know. I can ask."
I laughed about mosquito spray. "It won't work - and besides, what do you have against insects? I like them." He was not to be deterred. Spiders. People are afraid of spiders. "Oh. come on now. They kills pests and they don't leave toxins behind."
I pointed out that our yard was toxin free, and he went merrily along, probably a devotee of Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill.
Creation Gardening at Work
The more I experiment with gardening, the more I see the interplay of all parts of God's Creation. "Plant it and they will come!" is a good motto.
I planted Parsley sparsely and forgot it. Eventually two plants grew strong and the Black Swallowtail Butterfly showed up. They love Parsley.
I should not capitalize so much, but I like it for emphasis. College students capitalize every word except Bible, especially in the Old Testament class I teach. Routinely - that is the Only word they do not Capitalize.
Time and again I have wondered when a plant's special qualities would reveal themselves. Joe Pye looks like nothing special until all the butterflies leave in a cloud from a mature plant. That is worth a summer of waiting. Bee Balm? - suddenly a Hummingbird is sipping the blooms or looking for an insect.
That is why roses are loved and appreciated so soon. They are two-year plants, too tough for rabbits and ready to bloom at once. They go in as bare root plants and bloom a month later, regain strength and bloom again.
I cut roses for the Sunday service, which was called off due to Cox being down for the morning - or possibly longer. So I took photos of them and gave them to the Army Ranger veteran. They are posted on this page.
