It’s almost that time of year again! The weather is changing and soon every plant will be ready to start blooming. For those who garden, this is a very busy time. There are so many questions to ask! What kind of Garden do you want? What do you want to grow? How much work are you willing to put into your garden? Well, it’s time to stop worrying, because all of your gardening worries are about to disappear!
If you love looking outside in the summers to see butterflies dancing around your yard, then a butterfly garden is exactly what you need! A butterfly garden is essentially a garden or raised flower bed filled with plants that attract butterflies. To attract as many butterflies as possible you will need two types of plants, nectar plants, and host plants. The nectar plants will attract adult butterflies and then the host plants will allow an area for them to lay their eggs. Butterfly weed, purple coneflowers, and blazing stars are great nectar sources. If you need host plants you’ll want to do more extensive research depending on what types of butterflies you want to attract, since each species is attracted to different host plants. Another great way to ensure butterflies flock to your garden is to put out butterfly bait such as rotting fruit, white sugar, and even molasses, somewhere near your garden. In addition to the food, it’s a good idea to set out a puddling station. A puddling station is a semi muddy water dish with small stones in it so your butterflies can land on it and get nutrients from the mineralized water in the dish. After going to such great lengths to attract butterflies you’ll probably want to keep them around all summer. A butterfly house is a great way to make them feel safe and protect them from predators such as birds and spiders. Another way to ensure your butterflies' safety is by not poisoning them with toxic pesticides meant to repel unwanted insects. Instead of using pesticides plant plants that will naturally repel unwanted critters, but not your butterflies.
An herb garden is a great way to get the most out of your time gardening this summer! There are so many different types that can be used in so many different ways! If you want to cook with your herbs you might want to plant herbs like basil, dill, or oregano. However, if you are more interested in using them to make soap or bad them to make your drawers smell better, you should consider herbs such as lavender, lemon verbena, or rosemary. No matter what type of herbs you are planting there are some general things to keep in mind. Herbs tend to need a lot of sunlight, and they like to be in well-drained, damp soil. While a lot of fertilizer will make your herbs grow bigger, faster, the products it produces won’t be as good quality as they would be if you had to use less fertilizer. If you want to make your plants grow more that is good quality, prune them as much as possible, within reason! When planting herbs you need to decide where to start. If you want to save money you should start with seeds, but that’s more work, and if you don’t have a lot of experience with herbs, you should start with a starter plant. Even though a starter plant is more expensive than seeds if you have never worked with herbs before it might very well be worth the extra money for you.
If you want to get a great reward from all of your hard work gardenings this summer, fruits and vegetables are a great way to make sure whatever you plant will be used. The best way to start with fruits and vegetables is with something simple. Blackberries, cabbage, cucumbers, garlic, strawberries, tomatoes, zucchini, and squash are all great starters. To ensure a bountiful harvest, water your plants regularly, and make sure that you pick the fruits and vegetables once they are ripe. If you want to make sure you have something to pick at the end of the season you’ll need to keep away any animals that might eat the plants such as bugs, deer, and rabbits. To keep bugs away try planting a few herbs. The smells from your herbs will naturally repel the bugs that want to eat your fruits and vegetables. A good way to deter deer from coming into your garden is by placing deodorant soap around your garden. This can be done by cutting a hole into a bar of soap and hanging it along your garden fence or nearby trees. The deer will smell the soap and instinctively want to stay away. A similar method can also be used to keep rabbits away. Putting scented soap shavings in bags around your garden will repel hungry rabbits looking for food. If none of these methods seem to work for you you can always try planting fruits and vegetables that deer and rabbits won’t want to eat such as some types of peppers, beans, rhubarb, and potatoes. Whatever you decide to do to try to repel critters, don’t put up a fence. Fences tend not to work in this part of Pennsylvania, because the rabbits dig under them, and the deer jump over them. Don’t waste your energy on something that won’t work.
Whatever you decide to plant this year, whether it be a theme garden or a mixture of everything, the best way to make the most out of your plants is by doing your research and enjoying the fun of gardening while it lasts. I wish you the best of luck on your 2022 gardening adventure!