![ItsAboutThyme_logo[1] by you.](https://farm3.static.flickr.com/2453/3680390926_a47790c3da.jpg?v=0)
It's About Thyme tel: 512-280-1192 March 25, 2011
Nursery Notes: As you can see from the above photo, the nursery was
ablaze with glorious colors last Sunday. Since then new shipments have
arrived: new native perennials in 4" and gallon pots - blackfoot daisy,
lantanas, salvia, coneflowers, verbenas and grasses - $2.50 for 4 " pot, $7.99
for a gallon. New selection of yuccas and agaves starting at $9.99. New
citrus: 5 gallons for $39 to $49, including - lemons, oranges and calamondin.
Welcome back George Carter, who flew in from New Zealand yesterday,
and will be helping Chris at Zilker over the weekend. Thanks to Caroline
Gang for their wonderful music on Friday evening.
_________________________________________________________
Free Lecture this Sunday (March 27) at 2 p.m., The Perfect Sustainable
Sunday Brunch presented by national award-winning cook DeAnne Pearson.
'Basically, I will be taking local foods from the farmer’s markets," writes DeAnne,
"and demonstrating the benefits of using fresh and local foods with little, or no
prep time. Come on out. Of course, there will be samples!" More info at:
deanne's blog [Next Sun: ‘An Intro to Composting Worms’ by Cassandra
Truax. Learn how to start a worm composting bin, and how to make worm tea.
Composting worms are a valuable addition to any organic garden. FREE!]
__________________________________________________________
54th Zilker Garden Festival this weekend; flowers, music, herbs, talks... and
It's About Thyme in its usual prominent spot near the front gates. Please drop
by and say hello to Chris. Adults $7; 10 - 5 pm. Worth noting: Japanese Garden
Lecture: 2:30 p.m. Sat; complete details at zilker
__________________________________________________________
Heirloom Seeds or Flinty Hybrids? An article from this week's New York
Times has created some healthy debate between gardeners young and old about
seeds. George Ball (Burpee) comments: “Today, greener-than-thou gardeners
crusade for heirloom seeds while unjustly condemning hybrids. Increasingly,
their anti-science credo has hardened into a Luddite fundamentalism.” More at:
____________________________________________________________
Central Texas Gardener on KLRU this week: Eric Pedley (East Austin
Succulents) with design ideas and propogation techniques, and the rooftop
gardens of designer: Patrick Kirwin. Saturday, noon and 4 p.m. Sunday 9 a.m.
A monarch caterpillar munches on some milkweed at the nursery photo: Julie Blake
How to be a Good Butterfly Host
by Chris Winslow
Happiness is a butterfly which when pursued, is always just beyond your
grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you
– Nathaniel Hawthorne
– Nathaniel Hawthorne
The triple curled parsley that I planted last fall has now reached a height of
three and a half feet and has hundreds of beautiful blooms.
And busy eating the foliage is the caterpillar or larvae for the black swallowtail
butterfly. Soon these multi-colored caterpillars will find a quiet place to form
a chrysalis and begin their metamorphosis into adult butterflies.
Plants such as the triple curled parsley are a food source for the larvae stage
of butterflies. They are called ‘host’ plants. By planting the right hosts, you can
attract the types of butterflies that you would like to see in your garden.
For black swallowtails, the curled and flat-leaf (Italian) parsleys work well. The
butterflies seem to track them down, even if I have them growing in pots in
the greenhouse.
Other host plants for this butterfly species are dill, fennel, and rue (Ruta
graveolens). For monarch and queen butterflies, try planting butterfly weed
(Asclepias tuberose). This tropical milkweed grows to a height of 2 to 4 feet,
and has beautiful orange and red flowers.
Besides being a host plant, milkweed also attracts butterflies because of its
abundance of nectar. Nectar plants act as fueling stations or pit stops for many
different species.
Other great nectar plants commonly found in our central Texas gardens are
lantanas, butterfly bushes (Buddlea), pentas, mistflowers (Eupatoriums),
mealy sages, Turk’s caps, and wild bergamot.
The list of host and nectar plants is long and includes many native and adaptive
species that thrive in our region with little care. Many add beauty with water
conservation in mind.
Why not add a few of these drought-hardy species to your garden and be
a good Lepidopteral host to these marvels of nature.
Happy butterfly gardening everyone!
__________________________________________________________
