From: http://www.xerces.org/native-bees/ Bumblebees are the only bees native to the US that are truly social. They live in colonies, share the work, and have multiple, overlapping generations throughout the spring, summer, and fall. However, unlike the non-native, European honeybees, the bumble bee colony is seasonal. At the end of the…
We briefly discussed giving away wild flower seeds at our last meeting.
From Ed July 4. This morning while I was setting up the sprinkler in my vegetable garden and walking past the birdbath, there was a huge ruckus in my northernmost prairie bed (the one with the cup plant). Moments later a deer cleared the fence at the rear of the…
An e-mail from Betty. “I’ve been working on this bed at our sailing club for about three years and can tell lots of stories about it. This year it’s finally starting to look pretty good. Can anyone suggest how to get ride of the clover and weedy alfalfa type plant…
Did you find any exiting plant at the plants sale to add to your garden?
From Scott Woodbury MSD is encouraging the use of rain gardens. Still no utility break for them, but there is a break for permeable paving. Unfortunately permeable paving is expensive. MSD seems to be on the fence about using drainage pipes (called underdrains). One camp believes that water can not…
By Larry Hummel Build brush piles. Before we had this property I had no idea how many critters used brush piles. Birds use them for cover and food and reptiles have the same uses for them. Turkeys nest in them and mammals use them for a variety of purposes. Branches and…
By Susan Orr Until 8 years ago I had never gardened. Today we have over 100 species of native plants, shrubs, and trees in the yard. It has been an exciting adventure and begun for two reasons: first, to attract a greater variety of birds to our yard, second, to…
From Wildflowers in the Home Landscape, University of Missouri Extension Sheet g6660 Woodland wildflowers have these basic needs: light shade, adequate moisture, soil high in organic matter, well-drained soil, and a leaf mulch or other organic mulch that persists throughout the year. Shade – Most woodland wildflowers do not grow…
