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Sunday, February 8, 2009

Butterfly Garden




After the excavation of the patio location, we had a very large pile of dirt just to the north of that spot. It sat there until right before we finally built the patio. After it was removed and the patio constructed, a very hard packed, but nicely shaped, dead spot was left. I convinced Doyle that the shape would make a nice flower bed. So my tiller loving (hating) husband got to work making that hard earth into something I could plant into. We had an unusual number of butterflies this year and the idea was born to make it a butterfly specific bed. I edged it with river rock and this coming spring the edge of lawn will have a much nicer margin. It always takes a season to re-establish that pretty line after tilling. I do keep the grass killed off about 8 inches from the rock. This helps to keep grass out of the flower beds. It is also much easier to mow around if I can put the mower tire in the dirt spot and follow the pattern. I have butterfly bushes, coriopsis, daylillies, worm wood (artemesia) and an old fashioned bleeding heart. Keeping the buttercups out is a chore but I have found so far that simply trimming them works pretty well. They must spread by runner contact. I did weed cloth this new bed because that is what I learned to do after many years of starting over when the grass won out. I also added 4 inches of super fine bark mulch and watered the heck out of it all summer long. Hopefully all of it comes back this year. There is also a young Stanley Plum planted here. I even got 5 plums off of it this year, next season ought to be a good one. Seems to take 3 years or so around here. Keep your fingers crossed that spring is on it's way! (I am kind of tired of the cold:D)

6 comments:

  1. I go away for a few days......
    Girl you have been busy!
    Thanks for sharing all the beauty ID has to offer!

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  2. ok you know way more than I do Heather when it comes to yard stuff. I'm tellin' ya...you're gonna have to help me this spring!! lol

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  3. You two are too sweet. If you look closely you can see many flaws, I just use the setting on the camera that doesn't show those as much. Both of you have pretty homes to decorate, I disguise the home with the yard. Have a great day! Thanks for always being so nice and leaving comments. Makes me feel like someone reads.

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  4. It looks like you've got a great start to your butterfly garden! If you want another plant to put in that is a butterfly magnet go for gaillardia. We had masses of butterflies all over ours last year, my daughter loved it!

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  5. Shhh, Don't tell anyone this.... Weeds are good for butterfly gardens, yes they are a lot of "weeds" are in fact host plants for butterflies. I read you didn't like weeding, now in your butterfly garden just do the basic weeding nothing heavy. I'll give you an example the NC Botanical Gardens in Chapel Hill, lots of docents and no weeds one visit on a nice day might get 4-5 species of butterflies, then drop in on my garden maybe 20 species in a single walk. Hands down lay off the weeds and don't pick off caterpillars.

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  6. I have to laugh at your tiller loving (hating) husband comment. I know the feeling. Tell him kudos from your blog friends for digging it all up!!

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Thank you for your ideas, suggestions or greetings. I love to hear from you and read them all.
-Heather

About This Blog

We started this blog in Feb. of 2009 to help us stay motivated and to track our progess in the garden. We live on 5 acres surrounded by Idaho farmland. We have wildlife galore and are attempting to attract more in the bird catagory. This is our journal. Welcome!

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