Common name: Anise-Scented Saliva
Family: Lamiaceae
USDA Zone : 7-10
Deep purple flowers nestled in a black calyx atop 3′ black stalks with lush green foliage. Attracts bees and butterflies. Deer-proof plant. Showy Flowers. Great for container growing. Full sun to part shade. Medium moisture. Blooms mid-summer until frost.
Submission and Photo by: Carlotta Lucas
The following is a summary of Wild Birds Unlimited owner, Laura Fleming’s, talk on “Birds in the Garden”
There are 4 key elements to attracting birds to your yard.
Photo from Wild Birds Unlimited – Nature shop
Water: it’s VERY crucial to birds, so providing a birdbath with fresh water, or a saucer of water on the ground is very beneficial in attracting birds to your yard.
Shelter & Nesting Spaces: Different types of birds need different types of habitat, so planting a variety of plans in your gardens encourages birds of all kinds to visit your garden. By planting a mixture of deciduous and conifer large trees, small trees and shrubs in your yard provides natural shelters and nest building areas. Birds are attracted to edges where they can escape, so a plant hedgerow and/or a variety of small & large shrubs & trees on the perimeter of your yard.
Read here: Plants for Birds
Food: Many kinds of flowers and grasses provide food and also nesting building materials. Some natural food sources in your yard should be: Seed-producing flowers, berry-laden shrubs, a healthy insect population living in leaf litter and fruit trees. Be a messy gardener; leave leaf litter and dead trees (snags) in your yard to enhance your bird habitat. Supplement food sources with bird feeders. Different birds like different foods so supply a variety of foods in many feeders throughout your yard; hanging at a different heights.
* Read here: Seed Preference Guide
Submitted by: Carlotta Lucas
A nice gathering of garden club members met in N. Mountain Park’s greenhouse last Tuesday for a seed planting workshop. Their focus was planting containers of native wildflower seeds, so that by May 11th these wildflower pollinator plants would be ready to sell at the club’s annual plant sale.
Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’
Common Name: montbretia
Type: Perennial Bulb
Height: 2-4 feet
Spread: 1-2 feet
Bloom Time: June to August
Bloom Description: Scarlet red
Sun: Full sun -Part shade
Water: Medium amount, but regular watering
Maintenance: Medium
Attributes: Showy Flowers, Attracts Butterflies & Hummingbirds, Deer Resistant,
Use: Cut Garden, Mass plantings, Pool-side planting, Borders, Containers, Contemporary Garden, Cottage Garden, Hummingbird Gardens.
USDA Zone: 5-9
Bee Balm
Bee Balm (Monarda bradburiana: Perennial USDA Zone 5-8, Blooms May, Full Sun -Part Shade.
Zinnas: Annual USDA Zone 2-11 , Blooms June –Frost, Full Sun
Zinna
Hostas: Perennial USDA Zone 3-8, Blooms May, Part Shade to Full Shade.
Pineapple Sage (Salvia elegans): Perennial USDA Zone 8-11, Blooms August –October, Full Sun. Deer resistant!
Hibiscus
Hibiscus, aka:‘Hardy Hibiscus’: Perennial USDA Zone 5-9, Blooms July – Sept., Full Sun.
Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’
Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’–aka: Montbretia: Perennial USDA Zone 5-9, Blooms June –August, Full Sun-Part Shade. Deer resistant!
Salvia Amistad, aka: ‘Friendship Sage’: Perennial USDA Zone 8-10, Blooms July – Frost, Full Sun. Deer resistant!
Hot Lips Salvia (Salvia microphylla): Perennial USDA Zone 8-10, Blooms June – Frost, Full Sun. Deer resistant!
Hot Lips Salvia
Scarlet Sage (Salvia splendens): Perennial USDA Zone 10-11, otherwise an annual, Blooms June –Frost, Full Sun – Part Shade
Alstroemeria: Perennial USDA Zone 8-10, Blooms June – Sept., Full Sun with afternoon shade.
Plant Name: Salix purpurea ‘ Nana’
Common Name: Dwarf Purple Willow
Plant type: Deciduous shrub
Height: 6 ft
Spread: 6 ft
Blooms: April – May
Flowers Color: White, Green
Exposure: Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil Requirements: Lean, well-drained
Water Needs: Evenly Moist, somewhat drought tolerant when established.
Attributes: Prized for it’s blue-green foliage and deep purple stems. Quick growing. Deer resistant. Showy flowers attracts butterflies & hummingbirds.
Note: Can be kept smaller with winter pruning to the ground. Tolerates Black Walnut.
Uses: Pollinator garden, Good for wet areas, Beds and borders, Foundation planting, Rain garden. Whips used in basket making. Pond and Creek-side plantings.
Native to: Europe and Western Asia
USDA Hardiness Zone: 3a-8b