The butterfly house opens this weekend and there should plenty of fun for anyone interested in spotting these flying masterpieces. This year the house is filled with a larger variety of butterflies, all native to this region. There are large ones like the swallowtails. Six different swallowtails will make an appearance this year – the…
Have you ever purchased or grown corn-on-the-cob that had a large caterpillar at the top of the ear as you pulled back the husk in preparation for cooking? This is a corn earworm and is the larval stage of the earworm moth which lays eggs on developing corn silks during the night. When the egg hatches,…
Have you ever noticed most of our theme gardens that feature perennials are in sunny spots? The Sarah Lee Baker perennial, sensory, butterfly, hummingbird, sunken, fragrance, Matson, border, and colonial gardens as well as the wildflower meadow all enjoy long exposures to that glorious fireball in the sky. Many of my good friends can be…
Well the summer heat was turned on last week, so I decided to do my best magic trick by disappearing into the shade. I’m not very good at magic, so I decided it is time to learn from the masters. I headed for the Hydrangea Garden. Besides, it’s pretty shady there which always helps me…
The beautiful thing about this Garden is something is always in bloom; something is always interesting to see. Of course, each part of the garden has its moment when it is at its best. The Rose Garden is bursting with color right now. Mirror Lake is ablaze in April when the azaleas are blooming. The…
There is something dangerous in the Garden. I’m not talking about the gardeners, although I think they are very dangerous too. At least for me they are. I’ve heard they can be nice to people visiting, but I’ve never had that experience with them, so I can only tell you what I know. No the…
Have you ever considered giving your houseplants a “summer vacation”? It can be quite beneficial for many houseplants to be set outside for the summer. This enables them to recover from the low light levels and often hot, dry air that they experienced during the winter months. Once the night temperatures stay consistently above 55…
I think I’ve found a pretty good spot to hide from the gardeners. It is a little counterintuitive because I am hiding in the Garden’s most popular spot at the moment – the Bicentennial Rose Garden. Why? Because most people are dazzled by the overwhelming rainbow of colors that is about waist high. Why should…
Spring in the Garden can get very crazy. Flowers are blossoming, people are coming, lots of things are happening. That is great for the visitors and the beloved plants, but for those of us who have the misfortune of being labeled a weed, it can get a bit scary. The gardeners seem to be extra…
Spring flowering bulbs are one of the true joys of this time of year. In order to keep them as healthy as possible here is a simple three-step procedure for proper care. Remove the spent flowers so that the plant’s resources will go into bulb growth and energy for bloom next year rather than into…