Here is what's in the works now: a butterfly garden for Momma. Here are the main ingredients:
- Wild Romance Aster (3)
- Butterfly Blue Scabiosa (3)
- White Obedient Plant (3)
- Black Knight Butterfly Bush (1)
- Jacob Cline Monarda (3)
- Billberry Ice Tradescantia (3)
- Flagstone Bricks (31)
- Portage Stones (4 or 5)
- Dirt and Mulch
- Stray Arbor Day Foundation Trees (4)
- Stray Bulbs, including Fox's Grapes
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Ruth is always telling us she wants to go to Buffalo to see the butterflys...
Butterfly Bush note:
Cut back all flowering stems close to the base in early spring, as new growth begins.
Scabiosa columbaria 'Butterfly Blue'
Care and pruning of Butterfly Bush...
http://www.mountainvalleygrowers.com/mvv2-94.htm
"The important thing to remember is that these are tough plants. There is almost nothing wrong you can do. You can prune anytime. If you prune hard during the growing season the worst that can happen is you will cut off your flowers for a while. But, they grow fast and more flowers quickly replace those that are lost. The normal life cycle of this bush is to go dormant in zones 5 and 6. At this point the canes above ground are dead. They can then be pruned to the ground. This is usually sometime after frost. If you are in a marginal zone 5 area, it is a good idea to apply a three to six inch layer of mulch covering the crown. "
Care of Asters...
http://www.colostate.edu/Depts/CoopExt/LARIMER/mg011006.htm
"To a certain extent, the gardener can control the height and shape of an aster by pruning. Gardeners can pinch asters like mums, regularly removing little bits of new growth until the first of July. However, an easier approach is to cut the aster back by one half in mid-June. At this time, the aster can be shaped. Outer stems can be cut lower than inner ones to produce a nice mounded plant. This shaping tends to encourage bloom near the base of the aster and discourage ugly brown stems. Although this pruning may sound extreme, it tends to delay flowering by only a few days and produce a much prettier plant."
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