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| Fever Few - the tinier the flower, the bigger the role for beneficial insects.But what about the giant Sunflowers? - you demand, like a journalist in the White House. Each Sunflower is a suburb of tiny flowers, aka a compound flower, and perfectly designed for beneficial insect, bird, squirrel, and human food. |
We all have this strange interim between the harsh cold of winter and the unfettered abundance of spring. Daffodils and some other bulbs are the first signals of spring, but never enough for a complete breakout.
I have some tasks to get done, including the removal of all the dead stalks from last year - primarily Joe Pye but also Bee Balm. I support my reluctance with pleas for their beneficial influence on garden ecology, Some bees winter in them, just like the poor in North Dakota, who go to South Dakota for the winter. Who wants to garden in cold, damp spring?
But now the excuses are over, because the plants are no longer kept beneath the soil from cold and grey skies. Joe Pye, with the tallest hollow canes, has green sprigs pushing through the leaf mulch. Bee Balm - a mint - has lots of distinctive shoots popping up among the dead stalks.
Jessica Walliser warned gardeners about Fever Few plants spreading by seed, and I hoped it would. That seems to be a low growing contagion in the garden, and I hope her fears are realized. The plants are a beneficial insect magnet and provide a tea for migraines (never needed it).
I wanted worthwhile, low-growing plants to fill in between the roses and other flowers. And I also want lots of pollinator plans, which attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
As I wrote before, we have the perfect porch with good seating. We look out over the rose garden, facing East. In the morning sunshine it is a good place to drink some cold water and watch Creation at work in the garden. Birds settle in to look for insects; rabbits come out of their bunkers.
In the afternoon, Ranger Bob, Sassy, and Mrs. Ichabod enjoy the shade with me. Sassy gets her treats and takes up her security post. We drink pour-over coffee and share crackers with Sassy. Bob asks me about strange plants (or their remains) and suggests things that would make Jessica Walliser faint. He learned landscaping using toxic chemicals. I use rainwater, leaves, and Peat Humus (Stinky Peat).
Today will mean putting Stinky Peat as mulch on the base of each rose. That might also include wood mulch on top of that layer, later. However, I first want to have a miniature compost pile on each plant, to build the root base every rose needs. The strongest rose, an Easy Does it, burst out of its winter doldrums first this year.
I am letting Creation decide more about the plants. The weather has been to volatile to count on roses producing well, so I am filling in with bulbs and herbs.
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| Joe Pye - none dare call it weed. This easily grown plant attracts insects and the ultimate insects - the butterflies. A garden full of pollinator plants is the best movie theater in town, with a cast of thousands and a cost of pennies. Pennies? - that is what I tell Mrs. Ichabod. Besides, the roses need protection via the beneficial insect plants. |
