A Month for Everything

Before too many days and blooming Daffodils slip away in this wonderful month of May, a little Friday tidbit to share - May is ‘Gardening for Wildlife’ Month. David Mizejewski, Naturalist and Personality for the National Wildlife Federation said, "May is a wonderful time to get gardening and a great time to attract some of nature's most beautiful creatures to your yard. Taking simple steps in your garden to encourage wildlife is not only personally rewarding it also provides myriad benefits to animals and ecosystems." The hummingbird is the National Wildlife Federation’s feature species for the month and one of my favorites I love to spot in the garden.  

So let’s talk plants that can attract Hummingbirds. There is one in particular (and from personal experience) that works for us every summer. Around this purple mass, we always see Ruby-throated Hummingbirds flitting about in our gardens. One note to make - I typically don't entice our birds with feeders, just plants. Having a perfect habitat (meadow and woodland edge is helpful) but it's the flowers and the small habitats you can create very easily that naturally bring these creatures up close and personal. So what is this wonderful perennial? It’s definitely a favorite–commonly known as Catmint (Genus is Nepeta). There are several varieties but this is our prize - Nepeta sibirica 'Souvenir 'd Andre Chaudron'. For our habitat garden, it’s one of the ‘Hall of Famers’.

Hardy to zone 3-8, which means it can handle some pretty cold temps, this versatile plant is also drought tolerant, something to look for especially in habitat plantings. Want more great characteristics? It has a long bloom plus long-lasting, which means it can take a stand in your perennial borders for years to come. Our plants have grown five feet although the catalogs may say 2-3'. It depends on your site conditions but give it plenty of room to grow and spread. It is robust enough to smother out even the toughest of weeds. Keep transplanting it in different areas to create your own purple wave effect.  

So as we engage in our gardens during this month of May, find your perfect plant that attracts wildlife (the right kind of wildlife that is) in your garden habitat. This reminder from Wildlife Habitat Canada rings true. “Without habitat, there is no wildlife. It is that simple.”

Quoted excerpts by David Mizejewski from http://www.amerinursery.com/blog-4874.aspx

Top Image of Daffodil s in bloom in the May Garden -Image by Ann Bilowz©
Bottom Image by Greg Bilowz© Nepeta sibirica 'Souvenir 'd Andre Chaudron' (in the backdrop) in our summer garden habitat for the birds 

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. Like our fan page https://www.facebook.com/abilowz follow on twitter https://twitter.com/annbilowz or subscribe to the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

Pink Diamond

 

Certain that everyone is out enjoying yet another beautiful May morning, today’s post is simple. It’s a favorite from our garden. This Rhododendron ‘Weston’s Pink Diamond’ has been showing off its pinkness for over a week. I’ve included two past archives on the Rhododendron ‘Weston’s Pink Diamond’ in case there’s some interest in a stunning Rhododendron. http://blog.bilowzassociates.com/2011/05/simply-colorful.html
http://blog.bilowzassociates.com/2010/05/extend-pizzazz.html

But before I go, I take pause and reflect on these simple words from Thomas Campbell. “To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die.” Today’s image is chosen in remembrance of 1st Lieutenant Ryan Patrick Jones who was killed in Iraq six years ago, May 2nd, 2007. Let your name and your smile continue on as the Westminster Post Office, in the town you called 'home', is renamed in your honor today. You were truly your Mom and Dad’s shining diamond. 

Image of a Rhododendron ‘Weston’s Pink Diamond’ this AM by Ann Bilowz© 

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. Like our fan page https://www.facebook.com/abilowz follow on twitter https://twitter.com/annbilowz or subscribe to the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/

Wednesday's Rose Tidbits

 

Many, many Rose questions lately so let’s get to the point. No pun intended. We’re talking Roses of course. Speaking of thorns, would you plant your money on a Rose if it was thornless or not? So I asked Fred from Roseland Nursery, +http://www.roselandroses.com/ (a Rose lover’s delight shopping stop) his thoughts on this Rose matter. “People who buy Roses typically don’t choose them because they do or don’t have thorns.” I tend to agree with him. What makes a Rose special can vary and be personal of course. From a growing standpoint, you should always look for disease resistant Roses and its hardiness to your zone. But other factors might be its habits (climbing or spreading), fragrant or not, blossom type and if its color is light or bold. The list can go on. But that covers a few.  

Should thornless be critical, let it be searched and be found. One of the thornless Roses that Roseland has on their list, Zephirine Drouhin sounds like the perfect Rose for a trial in our test garden. Fred stated the two reasons people buy this particular Rose – it’s old and it grows well with less sunshine. Good to know and one worth trying. Zephirine Drouhin’s characteristics straight from Roseland’s website: Long blooming, thornless, and very profuse. Climber. Grows 15 to 20 feet, performs well in shade. Rich dark green foliage. Mildew resistant. Zones 5 – 9. Perfect in my book although I must find a spot for another climber Rose. There were two other thornless listed on the Roseland site. Brother Cadfael and James Galway, so take a look if Pink is your color in that thornless category.  

I also asked Fred about using banana peels when planting your Rose. Fred chuckled and said, “I never heard of putting banana peels. I guess it could probably work. But a good balanced fertilizer is what you really need. And if you compost your banana peels, well, won’t the banana peel nutrients eventually end up in your soil mix for all of your plants?”

One more Fred tidbit - the lighter color and more fragrant the Rose, it’s more likely to be devoured by Japanese Beetles. As Fred said, it’s probably why I like my ‘Hot Cocoa’ Rose so much. (Image above.)

So when in doubt, always best to ask the pros. That would be the Rosarians found in any of your regional Rose Societies. Should you be native to Massachusetts, on Saturday, May 11th Roseland Nursery will host three members of the New England Rose Society to answer questions and help you make the best rose selections for your garden. Sounds like a great Rose trip and a chance to chat with some local Rose experts. 

To end on a light note, I couldn’t pass up this Eleanor Roosevelt quote. “I once had a rose named after me and I was very flattered. But I was not pleased to read the description in the catalogue: no good in a bed, but fine up against a wall.” 

Image of a Floribunda Rose (Rosa) 'Hot Cocoa' in bloom last summer by Ann Bilowz©  

A past archive if you are interested in ‘Hot Cocoa’ http://blog.bilowzassociates.com/2012/06/hot-cocoa-anyone.html

If you like this blog, hope you check in daily. Like our fan page https://www.facebook.com/abilowz follow on twitter https://twitter.com/annbilowz or subscribe to the blog to receive posts daily via email or a feed. Either way, we hope you follow the postings somewhere in cyberspace and share it with your gardening friends. Contact me direct at annbilowz@gmail.com You can now follow with visuals on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/bilowzassoc/