Plant More Natives In 2012

The critters will thank you!

Hover Fly on Spiderwort

I plant natives because it makes sense for the difficult conditions in my garden~ (You know that shallow clay soil that's sticky wet all winter and dry as concrete all summer.) After the drought last summer and fall and an already saturated 2012,  planting Central Basin natives makes even more sense to me.

late spring border of mostly natives with native friendly exotics

They never let me down and more importantly, they never drown. (Not The Climate For Xeric)

Downy Woodmint/Blephilia ciliata

I plant natives because they provide habitat for birds, butterflies and other wildlife. (Gardening For Wildlife)  But, not just any old native plant makes the  Clay and Limestone cut.  They also  have to be tough, attractive and make me smile. 

I've already started on my list~This past week I planted Dodecatheon meadia/Shooting Star, found Hydrangea quercifolia/Oakleaf Hydrangeas on sale,  bought a marvelous native 
Rhamnus caroliniana/buckthorn,  decided to try an Neviusia alabamensis/Alabama snow-wreath and I haven't even gotten to the summer and fall blooming perennials! (earlier post)

Join me and let's make 2012 the year we plant more natives.  The critters will thank you, but, I pinky swear, that you'll be even happier than the bees. 

xxoogail


Gail Eichelberger is a gardener and therapist in Middle Tennessee. She loves wildflowers and native plants and thoroughly enjoys writing about the ones she grows at Clay and Limestone."

It's Spring and This Gardener's Thoughts Are On Pollinators!

Phacelia bipinnatifida with a good friend

I can't help it! My thoughts almost always go to pollinators.

Golden Ragwort with friend this week

You can't blame a gardener for getting excited. The bees have been out and about since late winter; and, now the beetles, hoverflies, skippers and the butterflies are here.

Hover Fly enjoying kale flowers

The garden centers are fully stocked and as a certified plantaholic~I have to remind myself every time I visit a nursery to honor my garden rules for plant acquisition!

• Will they survive the difficult conditions at Clay and Limestone?
• Is this plant a nectar or pollen source for pollinators?
• Is it a host plant for pollinators?
• Is this plant available locally, therefore, more likely to survive the extremes of the Central Basin?
• Will this plant add to the diversity of my pollinator friendly garden?
• Is there a native plant that makes more sense then that seductive exotic?

Pollinators are important in the food web

Let me be perfectly honest! Even though the preferred plant in my garden is a native that is endemic to the Central South/Cedar Basin, I have garden friendly exotics snuggled right next to them. I truly cannot imagine gardening without spring bulbs, herbs, lantana, native wildflowers from the Southeastern USA, zinnias, and my beloved daylilies.

My thoughts are almost always on how I can make my garden pollinator friendly, lovely to look at and fun to visit.


xxoogail



PS If you want to attract pollinators to your garden:

• provide nesting sites for a variety of visitors, some bare ground (ixnay on the plastic landscape cloth), decaying logs and even special bee houses
• plant large swathes of pollinator friendly plants and host plants
• plan for bloom from late winter to late fall
• bee sure to include water

PPS. Because it bears repeating~ Never, never, never, ever, use pesticides in your garden.

PPPS! I've been meaning to link to Clare/Curbstone Valley's wonderful posts on bees and bee keeping. Go here to see her most recent one.


This post is part of a series on native pollinators in the garden~ Earlier posts and their links are listed below for your convenience.

Part I~Now Is The Time To Bee-gin Thinking About Bees ( here)
This Is The Place To Bee ( here)
If You Could Plant Only One Plant In Your Garden~Don't (here)
Must Bee The Season of The Witch (here)
Go Bare In Your Garden (here)
We can't All be pretty Pollinators (here)
Eye, Eye Skipper, Big Eyed Pollinators (here)
What's In Your Garden (here)
Carpenter Bees (here)
Got Wildflowers?(here)

Other bee posts you might want to read~
Count Yourself Lucky To Have Hoverflies (here)
Bumblebee Hotel (here)
Still Taking Care Of Bzzness (here)
My Sweet Embraceable You (here)

This post was written by Gail Eichelberger for my blog Clay and Limestone Copyright 2011.This work protected under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Please contact me for permission to copy, reproduce, scrape, etc.