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Hello Great Gardeners,
June is National Pollinator Month!
Without pollinators, the human race and all of Earth’s terrestrial ecosystems would not survive. Over 80 percent of the world’s flowering plants require a pollinator to reproduce.
Around the world, pollinators are declining due to factors that threaten all biodiversity. Loss of habitat is the principal reason, followed by improper use of pesticides, pollution, and invasive species.
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As always, if you have any questions, comments or suggestions, hit reply. I would love to hear from you. Have a great-gardening day.
Sincerely,
Holly
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https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/national/plantsanimals/pollinate/gardeners/?cid=nrcsdev11_001102
Here are seven ways to make your garden a haven for native pollinators:
- Use pollinator-friendly plants in your landscape. Shrubs and trees such as dogwood, blueberry, cherry, plum, willow, and poplar provide pollen or nectar, or both, early in spring when food is scarce.
- Choose a mixture of plants for spring, summer, and fall. Different flower colors, shapes, and scents will attract a wide variety of pollinators. If you have limited space, you can plant flowers in containers on a patio, balcony, and even window boxes.
- Reduce or eliminate pesticide use in your landscape, or incorporate plants that attract beneficial insects for pest control. If you use pesticides, use them sparingly and responsibly.
- Accept some plant damage on plants meant to provide habitat for butterfly and moth larvae.
- Provide clean water for pollinators with a shallow dish, bowl, or birdbath with half-submerged stones for perches.
- Leave dead tree trunks, also called “snags,” in your landscape for wood-nesting bees and beetles.
- Support land conservation in your community by helping to create and maintain community gardens and green spaces to ensure that pollinators have appropriate habitat.
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Rose Mallow 'Luna Red'
(Hibiscus 'Luna Red')
A wonderfully compact, bushy plant with gigantic 8″ bright burgundy red flowers! It features dinner plate-sized, five-petaled, hollyhock-like flowers.
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It makes it an excellent choice for smaller gardens or large patio containers.
Bloom Time: Mid-Late Summer
Grows: 2-3 Feet Tall x 2-3 Feet Wide
Exposure: Full Sun
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Swamp Sunflower
(Helianthus occidentalis):
A native perennial with gray-green basal leaves. Orange-gold flowers are born atop well branched red stems. Loved by pollinators.
Bloom Time: Blooms late summer to fall.
Grows: 2-4 Feet Tall x 1-2 Feet Wide
Exposure: Full Sun
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Butterfly Weed 'Hello Yellow'
(Asclepias 'Hello Yellow')
An essential food source for the monarch butterfly larvae. Has beautiful golden yellow flowers.
Bloom Time: Mid-late summer
Grows: 18-24 Inches Tall x 18-24 Inches Tall
Exposure: Full Sun
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Hay Scented Fern
(Dennstaedtia punctilobula)
Is commonly called hay-scented fern as the fronds release a fragrance reminiscent of freshly mown hay when brushed with a hand, crushed or bruised.
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Hay-Scented Fern will spread quickly to form colonies that can cover a large expanse.
Grows: 18-24 Inches Tall X 24-36 Inches Wide
Exposure: Shade/ Pt Shade
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Baby Joe Pye Weed
(Eupatorium dubium)
A compact Joe Pye Weed with showy, mauve-purple, dome-shaped flower heads that bloom from late summer to early fall. Provides spectacular late summer color and vertical interest to borders and naturalized areas. A wonderful addition to meadows, native gardens, and in stream margins.
Blooms: Late summer to early fall
Grows: 3-4 Feet Tall x 2-3 Feet Wide
Exposure: Full Sun
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Bagworms look like miniature pine cones that hang from the branches of trees and shrubs. Many people do not realize they have them until the damage has already begun.
The best way to get rid of bagworm cocoons is to handpick them off the infected tree and dispose of them in the garbage.
Insecticides can only be used in the larval stage, usually at the end of June or when Japanese Lilac Tree's are in bloom. Any other time and the insecticide may not work.
We recommend using Captain Jack's Dead Bug Brew.
Bagworms prefer juniper, arborvitae, spruce, pine, and cedar and may live on other trees and shrubs, including deciduous. Heavy infestations over several years, especially when coupled with other stresses, can lead to plant death.
Click Below For A Great Article From The OSU BYGL About Bagworms
https://bygl.osu.edu/index.php/node/1795
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The heat of summer has caused quite a bit of damage to our plants, trees and lawns. Currently you might notice that many of the leaves have edges that are brown. This is called “Leaf Scorch” and is a condition caused by the hot temperatures we just experienced. This is not caused by disease or insects, but by the environment. Conditions such as drought, high temperature, winds, and improper watering will allow the plant to suffer. During these conditions, not enough moisture has reached the outer leaves and the exposed leaves have dried out and scorched.
Leaf Scorch is characterized by a yellowing along the edges or veins of the leaf. As the leaves turn brown in those areas, it becomes the most noticeable and, it is at this time that the leaves will not recover. It is most severe on the outer leaves, especially those that face the sun.
What can you do?
Once leaf scorch has occurred, there is no cure. The leaves that have already turned brown will not recover, BUT as long as you water properly, the rest of the plant should survive. Deep watering is recommended – a slow, deep soaking of the soil at the roots. During hot weather, watering the roots of each plant may need to occur every two to three days. When the weather gets cooler, you may water less. This is very important for the plant, especially for the young trees who are still establishing their root systems. Deep watering helps to prevent leaf scorch by making sure the plant will receive enough moisture for even those outer leaves.
Unfortunately, over-watering can be just as bad. Test the soil to see how it is. Early morning watering is the best time, before the water will be evaporated by the heat of day. Mulch can also help retain moisture at the roots.
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