butterfly gardens; It's About Thyme

tel: 280-1192 March 19, 2010

In the nursery this week: "We have so many types of vegetable plants,

it's insane!" comments owner Diane Winslow. 40 varieties of tomatoes,
from cherries to beefsteak to heirloom, yellow, chocolate, red and purple;
15 varieties of peppers, 5 types of squash. It's not too late to put in
potatoes and onions. (We have 4 different kinds of both.) We also have
plenty of plants that attract butterflies and hummingbirds (see article below)...
and a fresh shipment of very colorful talavera pottery.
_____________________________________________________

Zilker Garden Festival is coming next weekend!

10 - 5 p.m, March 27, 28 click festival for

______________________________________________________

From the Kitchen of Diane Winslow. . .

Tired of spanish rice? Here's a super-simple idea to spice up this dish

that's easy... and delicious!

- Cook rice as directed
- Add juice of one lime
- 1 to 2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro

- season with black pepper to taste
That's it! Really good as a side dish with mexican food and pairs well
with black beans. (*Don't forget to add epazote to your beans)
______________________________________________________

Plenty of beautiful watering cans to choose from at the nursery at the

moment: Prices range from $23 - $29 for the colorful ones, and $34
to $39 for the steel and copper ones. (photo: Julie Blake)

_____________________________________________________

Plan your Butterfly Garden Today

by Chris Winslow

To have a butterfly garden, you need host plants, and nectar plants.

1. List of host plants (specific to species):

These are the plants the butterfly will choose as a site to lay her eggs,

providing a food source for the caterpillars. These are specific to the
species: Parsley, fennel, dill and butterfly weed are all good hosts.

The swallowtail butterfly caterpillar can readily be found on dill, fennel,
parsley and rue. Some other examples:
Monarchs: milkweed.

Red Admiral: pellitory

Gulf Fritillary: passionvine

Zebra Longwing: passionvine

Tiger Swallowtail: Texas ash

These attract mature butterflies and provide food for their larvae or
caterpillars. They will lay their eggs on these hosts. The larvae will hatch.
They will then eat the host plant until they’re ready to form a cocoon
and transform themselves into a glorious mature butterfly.

2. List of nectar plants (general):

These will provide an adult butterfly with much needed food. Unlike

the very specific host plants, the adult butterflies will be happy to visit

pretty much any of the following flowering plants:

Lantana, bougainvillea, chrysanthemum, penta, butterfly bush, purple
coneflower, rock rose, yucca, black-eyed Susan, Turk’s cap, verbena,
yarrow, Gregg’s mistflower, phlox, penstemon, monarda, buddleia,
coreopsis, sedum and shasta daisy.

For more details, follow this link to an article by Leah Mathison
on theWildflower Center website.

http://www.wildflower.org/howto/show.php?id=29&frontpage=true

Happy Gardening Everyone!

____________________________________________________

PAWS pet adoption volunteers will be at the nursery this Sunday,
10 - 2 pm with dogs in need of a fresh start and a new home.

Visit the website at www.itsaboutthyme.com Visit the
nursery at 11726 Manchaca Road, Austin, TX 78748 Tel. 512 280 1192