 |
| Yarrow - Little Moonshine. |
As I wrote before, all the gardening vendors have been in a panic to offer me plants for one last horticultural adventure.
Creation Gardeners know that many plants can be started in the fall. Due to general apathy about gardening late in the season, those plants are surplus, a bargain, and easy to obtain. I am berried-up so I got a few plants that appealed to me. I have given up on using seeds, because the rabbits love sprouts and decimate them.
Yarrow
Sometimes people used the scientific name - Achillea. This is a butterfly plant that stays in bloom all summer if pruned.
Gardens with Wings -
The gorgeous flat-headed blooms of this plant are perfect for butterflies to land on to enjoy the sweet nectar. Not just for butterfly gardens, Yarrow has been an important herb throughout history in many medicinal, cooking, and cosmetics endeavors. It is a prolific seeder and can spread by creeping roots. The clumps can also be divided and replanted to maintain more control of the planting arrangements. Yarrow will grow in most conditions and has been known to help gardens by adding calcium, silica, and phosphorus to the soil. Occasionally, Yarrow can be affected by mildew but the aromatic feathery leaves with colorful blooms are a lovely addition to every garden.
Attracts: Banded Hairstreak, Lorquin Admiral, West Coast Lady, American Copper, Red-banded Hairstreak, and more
Color(s): White, purple, yellow, red, pink, gold
Sun Exposure: Sun
Soil: Tolerates drought, excellent drainage
Average Height: 18 in. - 24 in.
Average Spread: 20 in. - 24 in.
USDA Plant Hardiness Zone: 3 - 10
 |
| Butterfly Weed is related to Milkweed, so Monarch Butterflies use it for raising their young. |
Butterfly Weed, like Joe Pye Weed, has an ugly name for a beautiful and easy to grow plant. I have a few BWs here and there, because of earlier attempts to grow them. We have a persistent population of butterflies because of the expansion of herbs, pollinator plants, and plants always in bloom.
 |
| Graphic by Norma Boeckler |
I received a few more roots only in the mail. The directions said - Plant them and they will sprout. I tossed them in rainwater for about 30 minutes, and they sprouted.
I love to sit on the ground and plant. The soil itself is a constant marvel. For just a moment I felt sorry for those with other hobbies. My hobby does most of the work for me.
- Does the ship in a bottle assemble itself and pop into the glass cage by itself?
- Does the carpentry project add or reduce dimensions to make everything fit?
- Does the yarn fairy drop skeins of material from the sky and bring in elves to finish the work?
 |
| Shasta a disasta? - not when cut down. The clump grew up again, bigger than ever. |
My Shasta Daisies fell victim to a heedless weed-eater. No I didn't do that. I used trimmer to cut the electrical cord in half, which led to a sudden loss of power. I gave up weed-eating at that point. The daisies are back, with a bigger patch than before.
 |
| Joe Pye Weed - hard to obtain late in the summer - because the few, the proud, the Creation gardeners know how much they offer for so little work. |
I was sure a second Joe Pye was in the rose garden, but it also disappeared during the weed-eating. Yesterday, I saw it rising from its putative grave. Its twin was still in bloom, hosting butterflies all day. JP is THE plant to get for butterflies and easy care.
Some plants are teaching devices - teaching me not to plant them in the wrong spot again. Roses do not like being near the sidewalk. They want the best location, the most faithful water supply, the deepest good soil.
 |
| Borage increases the beneficial bug population. Nickname - Bee Bread - always in bloom and dropping seeds that grow easily and fast. |
Some animals teach the Law in all its severity. Rabbits - yes rabbits - teach that no sprout will go unnibbled, so I cannot plant most seeds and expect them to reach maturity - yarrow (nope), carrots (haha), sunflowers (nevah!), feverfew (not even with extra care). On the other hand, rabbits seem to have no appetite for Borage, so I will use it as one groundcover plant.
Creation principles will rescue plants - even an entire garden - because divine intervention is guaranteed. Even when we garden mistakenly, foolishly, carelessly, or haphazardly, God still maintains and renews all life - something most people take for granted.
 |
| Graphic by Norma Boeckler |
