Insectary Gardening

Posted on May 8, 2020 by Ashland Garden Club

From Earth Easy

https://learn.eartheasy.com/guides/garden-mini-insectary/Gardening for Beneficial Insects

Tips and Suggestions for Your Insectary Gardening

Intersperse vegetable beds with rows or islands of insectary annuals. This will add decorative elements to your vegetable beds while luring beneficials toward prey.
Allow some of your salad and cabbage crops to bloom. Brassica flowers (cabbage, broccoli, brussel sprouts, bok choy) are also attractive to beneficial insects.
Include plants of different heights in your insectary. Ground beetles require the cover provided by low-growing plants such as thyme, rosemary, or mint. Lacewings lay their eggs in shady, protected areas, so providing such places near crop plants is a good idea.
Tiny flowers produced in large quantity are much more valuable than a single, large bloom. Large, nectar-filled blooms actually can drown tiny parasitoid wasps.
Members of the Umbelliferae family are excellent insectary plants. Fennel, angelica, coriander, dill, and wild carrot all produce the tiny flowers required by parasitoid wasps.
Composite flowers (daisy and chamomile) and mints (spearmint, peppermint, or catnip) will attract predatory wasps, hoverflies, and robber flies.
Grow green manure. Clover and vetch, commonly used as cover crops for soil enhancement, are also effective insectary plants.
Herbs (coriander, dill and fennel) will attract hoverflies, lacewings, ladybugs, and tachinid flies to your garden. Coriander (cilantro) is one of the top insectary plants. Caraway, chervil, dill, fennel, and parsley flowers are also valued insectary plants.

“Mini Insectary” Plants	Beneficial Predators Attracted
Achillea filipendulina (Yarrow)	Lacewings, Aphidius, Ladybugs
Alyssum	Hoverflies, Lacewings, Tachnid flies
Amaranthus (Amaranth)	Ground beetles
Anethum graveolens (Dill)	Ichneumon wasp, Ladybugs, Lacewings
Angelica gigas (Korean angelica, giant angelica, purple parsnip)	Lacewings
Convolvulus minor (Dwarf Monring Glory)	Ladybugs, Hoverflies
Coreopsis (Tickseed)	Hoverflies, Lacewings, Parasitic wasps
Cosmos bipinnatus (Garden Cosmos)	Hoverflies, Parasitic wasps, Lacewings
Digitalis (Foxglove)	Dicyphus
Daucus Carota (Queen Anne’s lace)	Lacewings, Ladybugs, Hoverflies
Foeniculum vulgare (Fennel)	Foeniculum vulgare (Fennel)
Helianthus annulus (common Sunflower)	Pirate bugs, Beneficial mites,, Aphidius, Parasitic wasps
Iberis umbellata (Candytuft)	Hoverflies
Limonium latifolium (Statice)	Hoverflies, Parasitic wasps
Lupine	Aphidius, Aphidoletes, Hoverflies
Melissa officinalis (Lemon balm)	Parasitic wasps, tachinid flies
Petroselinum crispum (Parsley)	Parasitic wasps, hoverflies, tachinid flies
Scabiosa (Pincushion flower)	Hoverflies, Parasitic wasps
Shasta Daisy	Pirate bugs, Beneficial mites

Tanacetum vulgare (Tansy)	Ladybugs, Lacewings
Verbascum thaspus (Mullin)	Dicyphus

Beneficial Predators	Prey
Aphidius (Parasitic wasps)	Aphids
Aphidoletes (Small midge)	Aphids
Beneficial mites (many species)	Thrips, spidermite, fungus gnats
Damsel Bugs (Nabidae)	Eggs of many pest insects
Dicyphus	Whiteflies, aphids, thrips, spider mites
Ground Beetles	Slugs, small caterpillars and grubs
Hoverflies	Aphids, mealybugs and others
Lacewings	Scale, aphids, mites, softbodied insects
Ladybugs	Aphids, mites
Pirate Bugs	Thrips, aphids, mites, scales, whiteflies
Tachinid flies	Caterpillars, beetle and fly larvae
Parasitic Wasps (many species)	Whiteflies, moth, beetle and fly larvae

Random Gardening Tips

Posted on April 22, 2020 by Ashland Garden Club

Sweet Williams

To Attract Butterflies: Plant these in your garden – Asters, Buddleja, Sweet William, Mexican Sunflower ((Tithonia rotundifolia), Milkweed, & Pipevine.

Tomato Tip: Help tomatoes pollinate by flicking each bloom with a fingernail during the driest part of the day, two or three times per week. Shake big plants to spread their sticky pollen.

SALVIA guaranitica

Deer Problems: Are critters causing trouble in your garden? Try deer-and rabbit-resistant perennial flowers including, agastache, artemisia, lavender, monarda, ornamental oregano, Russian sage, salvia, & yarrow.

Iris Care: In the spring when tulips are blooming in your neighborhood apply a light application of low-nitrogen fertilizers (6-10-10). Apply a second light application about a month after bloom; this will reward you with good growth and bloom. Avoid using anything high in nitrogen. After tall-bearded irises stop blooming, cut off spent flower stalks to promote new rhizome growth.

Rhododendrons: Immediately after bloom, prune rhododendrons to control size and shape. Cut each stem back to just above a rosette of leaves. Most varieties of garden-scale rhododendrons aren’t harmed by hard pruning.

User:Bernie Kohl / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)

Forget-me-not

Annual Flowers: If you like color & can embrace a little chaos, sow reseeding flowers including: Blue Honeywort, Forget-me-not, Golden Feverfew, Love-in-a-mist, Sunflower & Sweet Alyssum. These unfussy, drought-tolerant annuals will cheerily pop up for years to come.

Mulch: Maintaining a 3” layer of organic mulch throughout the garden prevents crusting & cracking of the soil surface, holds in moisture, encourages earthworms, moderates ground temperature, & prevents weeds from germinating.

Potted Plants: Feed potted specimens at least monthly with liquid fertilizer; They need it because increased summer watering washes nutrients out before plants can use them.

April: Vegetable Gardening

Posted on April 13, 2020 by Ashland Garden Club

Vegetables you can plant in April (NOTE: May 15th is the last average frost date in Ashland, of course this depends on your elevation)

Beets: Plant in two week intervals through June

Broccoli: Early varieties plant April to mid-May.

Brussels sprout: April through May. In late June start seeds for August transplanting.

Cabbage: April through May 15th

Bush beans: April 15th through July

Pole Beans: Wait until May! Plant through June

Carrots: Direct seed until June 15th

Cauliflower: Direct seed until May 31.

Chard: Direct seed until May 30th, then again in August/September for winter harvest

Chives: All month

Collards & Kale: All month, then again mid-July through September for October and winter harvest.

Leeks: Plant through May for winter harvest

Lettuce & Endive: Starts can be planted all month.

Onions: Plant by April 30th

Peas: Plant enation-resistant varieties up until May 15th

Radishes: Direct seed by April 15th

Rhubarb: All month

Spinach: Slow bolting varieties ( New Zealand Spinach) April 15 to 30th

Wildflower Seed balls For Butterflies

Posted on April 11, 2020 by Ashland Garden Club

What are seed balls?
Introduced in the 70s, seed balls are a form of “guerilla gardening” whereby seeds, soil and clay are mixed together into tidy germination bombs that are said to have an 80% higher success rate than simply broadcasting seeds onto soil. Adding red potters’ clay to the mix protects the seeds from being blown away by wind or consumed by insects or birds. Generally, seedballs don’t require watering and you should NOT bury or plant them. Simply toss them in a vacant lot, your front yard, or a wildscape situation like a ranch or roadside. Wait for the rain to melt away the clay casing, and nature will do the rest.

Texas Butterfly Ranch Seed ball Recipe

3 parts local soil or potting soil
1 – 2 parts red potter’s clay powder, also known as “terracotta powder” at pottery supply stores
1 part native wildflower seeds
Water, as needed.

Newspaper and cookie sheets for drying seedballs, and Stainless steel bowls or pots for mixing

Assemble ingredients.

Mix soil, clay and wildflower seeds together in bowl. Mix well.
Add water to attain dough-like consistency, much like tart or pie dough
Pinch off or use spoon to grab gumball-sized amounts of the mix. Roll between your palms to get round form. Drop onto newspaper covered cookie sheet to dry.
Sprinkle generously with red chile pepper. Let set for 24 hours.
Once the seedballs set up, usually after 24 hours, store them in paper bags for later use or toss them right away. Remember to use only native seeds for wildscaping situations.

SOURCE

http://texasbutterflyranch.com/2011/12/20/happy-winter-solstice-celebrate-with-

seedballs-a-recipe-and-step-by-step-directions-on-how-to-make-them/

Photo: Herder3 / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)

How to Prune a Phormium (New Zealand Flax)

Posted on March 21, 2020 by Ashland Garden Club

YouTube video by The Gardening Tutor – Mary Frost

In Love with Lavender

Posted on March 4, 2020 by Ashland Garden Club

Why we Love Lavender:

Scent/Fragrance
Color
Easy to Grow
Flowers can be enjoyed fresh or dried
Flowers can be used in crafts, cooking & medicinally
Thrives in poor soil
Drought tolerant
Attracts pollinators
Deer and rabbit resistant

Lavender has its roots in the Mediterranean Counties. So think in terms of full, intense, hot sun and rocky stony soil that’s not especially nutrient rich, but has good drainage. Southern Oregon has ideal conditions for growing lavender.

Most garden centers offer three major species of lavender:

Lavandula stoechas (aka: Spanish Lavender) – Can be recognized by it cone-like spikes, it is usually the first to bloom in late March or early April. It has a strong camphor or piney scent. This pollinator friendly is not used in cooking, crafts or in oil production, but because it is the first to bloom, it has a place in the garden; it looks nice planted in mass and provides an early food source for bees and pollinators. If pruned it may re-bloom in August or September. Not as cold hardy as English or French lavenders.
Lavandula angustifolia (aka: English Lavender) – English Lavender is the scent most people associate with lavender. Its colors range from white, pick, blue to deep purple. English Lavender is used for fresh cut flower, dried flowers, potpourris, cooking, and for oil distillation. English lavender can range in size from dwarf (12 inches), semi-dwarf (20 inches) and tall (46 inches). Plants bloom May though June and are cold hardy. Some varieties will re-bloom if pruned after flowering.
Lavandula X intermedia (aka French Lavender) – French Lavender is a hybrid of L. angustifolia and L. latifolia. French Lavender blooms in mid-summer. It is one the tallest of the lavenders and its long strong stems are good for using in crafts. French lavender produces more oil than L. angustifolia, but the quality is not as fine. Plants are cold hardy.

Guide to Growing Lavender

FULL SUN – 6-8 hours of sun or more. Less than six plant may become spindly and leggy and with fewer blossoms and less scent.
GOOD DRAINAGE- Lavenders tolerate poor soils, but they must have good drainage. In areas of clay amend the soil to improve drainage. Or build raised beds, or berms using compost, sand and decomposed granite to produce optimal soil for lavenders.
Water Infrequently – Lavenders are drought tolerant meaning they prefer dry conditions. Once the rains ends, water once in June, then every two weeks when temperatures reach high 90s-100s. Scratch the soil’s surface, or use a water gauge to determine if the lavender needs watering. (Note: first year water more frequently until roots are established)
Pruning – Harvesting flowers is not the same a pruning. Prune lavenders at least once a year to maintain size and shape. To prune cut back about 1/3 of the plant.
The best time to harvest lavender is when the bottom flowers of each stem are just beginning to open. This is when the lavender is at its most vibrant and fragrant. Cut the flowers at the base of the stems near the foliage.

Mark your calendar:
Southern Oregon Lavender Festival
June 19th, 20th, and 21^st, 2020

The following are some of the Lavender varieties developed, or identified, by Oregon Lavender growers:

Betty’s Blue,
Buena Vista,
Melissa,
Premier,
Royal Velvet,
Sachet,
Sharon Roberts,
Ana Luisa,
Jennifer
Goodwin Creek

Article by: Rosenelle Florencechild, Jackson County Master Gardener, and JCMG Lavender Garden’s Manager & Head Gardener

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Category Archives: Gardening Tips