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virtues of violets

6/4/2022

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The mention of violets can bring to mind a sweet spring surprise or a reliable ground cover. Or perhaps you might think of violets as self-sowing, persistent lawn and garden bullies, placing them firmly in the weed category. Whatever your personal view, violets are a good example of a plant that offers more than we realize.
The humble violet happens to be the host plant of great spangled fritillary caterpillars. No violets– no food–no fritillaries! In late summer, the female lays her eggs under shrubs and other protected places near the host plant, concealing them in leaf litter. The female is thought to be able to smell the roots of the violets in these locations.
After the eggs hatch, the tiny caterpillars spend the winter under these leaves, awakening in the spring at the same time as the violet plants begin to grow. Nature’s timing is perfect!
Despite the many adult fritillaries we’ve observed fluttering through the SBG, we have yet to spot the caterpillars. But it’s no mystery why! Hiding under debris during the day and coming out to feed only at night, these elusive larvae are rarely seen.
There are 87 species of violets in North America; at the SBG, the most abundant species are the Common Blue Violet (Viola sororia) and Canadian White Violet (Viola Canadensis) .
On your next walk, pause to consider the virtuous violets–there’s a good chance that fritillary caterpillars are hiding beneath, ready for their spring buffet.
Photo: Pam Ford

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Golden ragwort

6/4/2022

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In the May garden, the classic combination of yellow and blue can bring to mind the striking colors of a Van Gogh painting. The contrast provided by a brilliant yellow cloud of golden ragwort, surrounded by blue and purple waves of Jacob’s ladder and woodland phlox, is every bit as dramatic as the bold strokes in his Starry Night landscape.
Golden ragwort, a perennial in the aster family, is valued for its ability to thrive in moist or dry conditions, in both full sun or light shade, and produce flowers from mid- to late spring. This adaptable plant naturalizes rapidly, the foliage providing an excellent semi-evergreen ground cover for those tricky areas.
A typical golden ragwort plant stands 1-2’ tall. While the basal leaves grow larger, an attractive purple stem grows from the center of the plant. The small, almost fern-like leaves on the central stalk are dramatically different from the heart-shaped basal leaves. These are typically purple on the underside, providing a glossy contrast to the bright spring green on top.
Multiple flower heads create an airy spray of golden yellow floating above the leaves. Golden ragwort functions as a host plant for the threatened northern metalmark butterfly, and the nectar and pollen of the flowers attract a wide variety of pollinators
A welcoming stand of golden ragwort can be found blooming on the edge of the SBG’s Woodland Garden. Add some golden ragwort to your palette of plants and you’ll be guaranteed a splash of spring color!
Photo: Center for Sustainable Environment, fandm.edu
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hanging around

6/4/2022

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​The ubiquitous hanging basket has seemingly become as much a part of Mother’s Day as breakfast in bed or a nice brunch out. Choices range from a single dramatic blaze of color to an artistically arranged ‘bouquet’ effect. But most have one thing in common–they feature hybrid petunias.
Petunias have been bred in a wide variety of stunning colors, and those colors, along with their tubular shape, can make them attractive to hummingbirds and butterflies. However, hybrid petunias contain very little nectar and pollen–and pollinators who visit them usually leave wanting much more!
Instead, consider choosing plants that offer both beauty and rich supplies of food for pollinators. There are many to choose from. Using the popular “thriller–filler-spiller” formula, you might choose salvia (Salvia farinacea), pentas (Pentas spp) or snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus) for your tall “thriller". Sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima), bidens (Bidens laevis) or ageratum (Ageratum houstonianum) serve as excellent “fillers”. And lantana (Lantana camara), moss rose (Portulaca grandiflora) or even bee-loved herbs such as oregano or thyme provide dramatic “spiller” power, as well as plenty of pollen and nectar.
But if you really love those baskets of petunias, go ahead and indulge! Just be sure to plant plenty of nectar-rich blooms nearby. That way, you can enjoy both a lovely display and a host of satisfied pollinator customers. Happy Mother’s Day from the SBG!
Photo: Rebecca Niver, Unsplash
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Frass Happens

5/6/2022

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​At this time of year, homeowners may notice large, seemingly aggressive bees dive-bombing their decks or porches. These are likely carpenter bees (genus Xylocopa), the largest native bees in the US.
These gentle giants get their common name from their habit of using their strong mandibles to excavate precisely rounded tunnels inside wood. They prefer soft, weathered wood for this purpose, such as standing dead trees. If this is not readily available, some species (like our eastern Xylocopa virginica) may decide to take up residence in fence posts or structural timbers such as fascia,decks or porch railings, and become a minor nuisance. Small piles of sawdust or smears of frass (excrement) are a tell-tale sign that carpenter bees are at work! To deter them, simply apply a fresh coat of paint or stain to any exposed or weathered wood surfaces.
Inside the tunnel, the female deposits loaves of ‘bee bread’—balls of pollen and nectar-- upon which she lays her giant eggs (up to 15 mm long!). She forms partitions between each egg cell by mixing her saliva with sawdust, creating a substance very similar to particle board. Thus, each larva is supplied with ‘a room of its own’, along with all the food it will need to grow.
In spring, you’ll often see several of these large bees zooming about, buzzing loudly. They may seem threatening, but these are just territorial males who are out to impress the ladies. And rather than representing a threat to us, they’re all talk—male carpenter bees don’t even have stingers!
In our gardens, carpenter bees are generalists and may be found foraging and pollinating a wide variety of plants.
Photo: Amy Helser
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Native Ninebark

5/6/2022

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Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius)
The name of this attractive native shrub derives from its exfoliating bark, which produces a fascinating variety of shades from red to brown, making it especially valuable in the landscape for winter interest.(A fine example can be seen in the SBG’s Shrub Showcase garden.)
Ninebark grows to 5-8 ft tall and 6-10 ft wide, but can be pruned for a more bushy habit. Like most natives, it’s not fussy, tolerating a wide variety of conditions, but does prefer full sun to part shade, and is a great choice for wet areas. Deer resistant, it requires little care once established.
As a member of the Rosaceae family, its flowers are similar to those of spirea (another family member) and are very attractive to pollinators. Its glossy red fruit is popular with birds, and its brilliant fall color makes it an outstanding native alternative to barberry. Finally, it’s the host plant for several species of moth caterpillars.
If you weren’t lucky enough to snag one of our free ninebark shrubs at the SBG this weekend, check your local nursery or plant sale. Ninebark is definitely worth your while!

Photo: Pixabay

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Spicebush

5/6/2022

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We crave the bright colors of spring after a long, grey winter, and native plants are always happy to oblige. One of our hands-down favorite shrubs at the SBG is the native northern spicebush (Lindera benzoin). Unlike the showy but non-native forsythia, spicebush offers beauty and wildlife value beyond its yellow flowers. In early-spring the tiny, fragrant, long-blooming flowers line the branches. It's a dioecious plant–meaning that each plant has either all-male (staminate) or all-female (pistillate) flowers. On female plants, flowers give way to bright red berries later in summer, a high quality food for migrating birds. But how can you tell which is which?
When spicebush is in bloom, a close look at one of these blossoms will reveal all! Male flowers are larger, and each stamen has two anthers that emerge from the end of the filament. Female flowers are noticeably smaller, with white spots (stigma) at the end of the pistil.
(more photos: https://awesomenativeplants.info/…/pho…/lindera_benzoin.html)
Easily grown in full sun to partial shade, in average well-drained soils, this medium sized shrub grows 6-12’ in an attractive regular shape. Its leaves have a delightfully spicy scent when crushed. A shrub for all seasons, spicebush turns an attractive warm yellow color in late autumn. And if that weren’t enough, it’s also the host plant for the adorable spicebush swallowtail caterpillar, which never fails to delight SBG visitors of all ages. These caterpillars, which can be found feeding on the foliage, resemble cartoonish snakes with their big false eyes that are used to deter predators. The caterpillar can also protect itself by rolling up in one of the sturdy leaves.
You’ll find one of our larger specimens along the paved path of the SBG, welcoming park visitors with its cheery yellow flowers and spicy scent. Consider adding a spicebush to your home landscape!
Photo: Emmett Keegan
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Spring invasives

5/6/2022

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The first flush of bright green that we see along roadsides and woodland edges is a welcome foretaste of lush growth ahead. But things are not always what they seem…
Which plants are leafing out now? The earliest to the party are often non-native,invasive plants, who are able to crowd out native woodland plants by their early and vigorous growth habits. (Amur honeysuckle, Chinese privet and Japanese barberry are a few of the most common offenders in our area.) Such plants were first cultivated in this country for their pest- and disease- resistant qualities. This may sound like good news for home gardeners, but those same qualities are bad news for the ecosystem.These plants aren’t recognized as food sources by pollinator larvae, and their seeds and fruits are often of dubious nutritional value for our birds and other wildlife (which spread them far and wide).
Native shrubs and plants will soon begin to blossom–a spring showcase of healthy native flora.Why not give them a little help and consider removing invasives from your landscape?
For more information and a list of invasive plants in Pennsylvania, visit:
https://www.dcnr.pa.gov/…/InvasivePlantF…/Pages/default.aspx
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Too mulch...too soon

5/6/2022

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Truckloads of mulch–another harbinger of spring? Landscapers and homeowners often hurry to cover every inch of their planting beds with a thick layer of wood mulch. But this yearly ritual could actually be harmful for plants and their pollinators.
Adding several inches of mulch is a good way to conserve moisture and control weeds in planting beds. But if layers are continually added year after year, it can build up to the point at which water can’t readily penetrate–actually hindering the plant from receiving the moisture it needs. Mulch can also harbor pests and diseases, especially when piled too close to a plant’s trunk (the ubiquitous ‘mulch volcano’).
Additionally, the practice has a harmful effect on pollinators. 70% of our native bees are solitary, ground nesting bees, making their homes in shallow tunnels beneath the soil. These bees cannot dig through mulch; even an inch or two is as impermeable as pavement to them. Instead, they must search for bare earth in which to construct their nests. The pupae overwinter in these tunnels, emerging in spring to begin their essential work of pollination. If a layer of mulch is dumped atop their homes before they can emerge, they’re in trouble!
If you already have several inches of mulch on your beds, consider raking it instead of adding more. This will freshen its appearance (and save you some money as well!.) Even better, choose to put down a layer of compost. It looks equally tidy, and will nourish your plants–and their pollinators, too!
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Doppelgangers

3/29/2022

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Although it's still a little too early to do much work in the pollinator garden, you can profitably scratch your gardening itch this week by addressing early spring weeds.
One of the biggest offenders in our area is garlic mustard (Alliaria petiola), shown in the photo. This pernicious weed is native to Eurasia and was introduced in the mid 1800s. It has triangular, toothed leaves and tall stalks which produce small white flowers. It spreads its seeds far and wide by the wind and gains a foothold on roadsides and in fields and disturbed areas by emerging earlier in spring than many native plants. By the time native species are ready to grow, garlic mustard has blocked their sunlight and outcompeted them for moisture and vital nutrients. Additionally, garlic mustard is allelopathic, meaning that its roots release chemicals that inhibit or prevent the growth of surrounding plants. Needless to say, this is a plant you don't want in your landscape. Fortunately, it's fairly easy to pull, especially when it's first emerging in the spring.
By contrast, its lookalike golden ragwort (Packera aurea) is a lovely and obliging native plant. In early spring its leaves look quite similar to garlic mustard, but are more oblong and often have glossy purplish undersides. A central stalk with fat purple buds will emerge from the basal leaf cluster, eventually erupting into a cloud of yellow blooms. It's a carefree and rewarding groundcover for your garden--both for you and your pollinator friends!
Author, photo: Lisa Schneider
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Put down that rake!

3/29/2022

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The first warm, sunny days of spring are almost irresistible, luring gardeners out to begin tidying up the landscape for the growing season. But have you noticed how a balmy day in the 60s is closely followed by one in the 40s? Pollinators know this, too! Many are still waiting, as chrysalides or larvae, beneath the protective cover of fallen leaves and plant canes. It's best to wait a few more weeks, when temps will be consistently warmer.
(If you're just itching for a clean-up job, try tackling those emerging early-season weeds like garlic mustard!)
​Author: Lisa Schneider

Image of great spangled fritillary: Ivabalk, Pixabay

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