"The greatest gift of the garden is the restoration of the five senses."

~Hanna Rion

(Silly)

Plumbago auriculata, previously known as P. capensis, is more suited for larger areas, or trellised on a wall or side of a building where it can grow and not suffer the outrage of continual clipping. The most common flower color is a periwinkle blue. Other colors are a darker shade of periwinkle, and white.

I highly recommend incorporating Plumbago into a landscape scheme for its ability to attract a variety of butterflies, especially hairstreaks, swallowtails, and one of the smallest butterflies in the world, and being the smallest butterfly in North America, our own Western Pygmy Blue.

-Google

Plumbago auriculata, Plumbago

  

This plant is very drought tolerant once established, but will adapt to moist conditions too. Plumbago is a big, mounding plant. A great candidate for slopes, it will form a large ball of a blooming plant that is a beacon to any self-respecting, nectar sipping butterfly.

Alta Laguna Park in Laguna Beach, California features several throughout its grounds. I have many fond summer memories as Parks Gardener there of watching hairstreaks, swallowtails, and the diminutive Western Pygmy Blue dance and flit about the tops of the plumbagos, floating from flower to flower. 

Plumbago care

Likes full sun. Will bloom --albeit sparsely-- in shadier areas.

Nothing bothers this plant. Plant it, water it, establish it, and then let it go; it will grow. Average watering the first season. After that, whenever the spirit moves you. Will flower more profusely when kept a bit on the dry side.

Fertilize regularly throughout the growing season until it reaches the size you want. After that, a feeding once or twice per year will keep it looking vibrant and perky.

As for trimming, it's best to leave it to its own devices. Let go and let it grow. Slopes and large areas are perfect for Plumbago. If planted against a wall, fence, or smaller area, refrain from routinely clipping it back. Flowers are formed on the ends of branches. If they are continually cut back during the growing season, all you'll get is a green shrub. If that's the case, then save yourself the hassle and plant a more compact grower that will give you all the green you want in a tidy package.

I cut Plumbago back hard in the late spring in areas it needs to be contained; I mean real hard. It grows back fast and fills with blooms by early summer. I would give them about three hard cuttings per year, depending on how fast they grow. Yeah, no flowers then, but Plumbago recovers fast. Really, the best place for it is where it has room to breathe, or it's not a hassle and is worth the little bit of sweat equity to prune it back on occasion.

To wrap it up, don't overlook its stellar qualities for inclusion into areas that may have plenty of room for it. And if you like to putz around the garden, feel free to grow Plumbago where you wouldn't mind clipping it back hard a few times per year. Try it: you'll like it!

"Take thy plastic spade,
It is thy pencil; take thy seeds, thy plants,
They are thy colours."
~William Mason, The English Garden, 1782

It has been over a month since the last newsletter.  Butterflies have been slow to show around the Container Butterfly Garden besides Monarchs, plus, I've been out of town for two weeks doggie and house sitting for two dear friends of mine. My son, his wife, and my grand daughter have also been living with me off and on for the past month, getting ready for their move out to Pennsylvania where he will be going to school for a teaching degree.

The concept of a container garden is a sound one, but has eventually proven the location this garden is in is not very conducive to attracting and maintaining a variety of butterfly species. Most mobile home parks situated in SoCal are generally devoid of vegetation it seems, whose landscapes are mostly made up of lots of gravel, maybe a few rocks, and inhabited by mostly grufty-looking  shrubs that offer little, if any, forage for nectar sippers. 

Quite a few butterfly species come through here (albeit in small numbers), visit for brief, fleeting moments, only to move on to other pastures. I was unknowingly quite spoiled by the order of magnitude the Alta Laguna Park Butterfly Garden in Laguna Beach, California attracted and sustained. My thoughts when thinking out and creating the container garden were, as in the iconic movie "Field of Dreams" starring Kevin Kostner, "If you build it, he will come." premise, then surely if I offer a varied and bountiful plate of nectar offerings, logic assumes that there will be an abundance of devoted, lingering butterfly guests.

Nope.

Didn't work out that way. Having a bit of time away from the day to day routines of the garden recently, allowed me to reassess it with several points in mind. One large point was the sustained drought we've been experiencing and the need to conserve water. Why water plants that don't have a "point"? Climatic prognosticators are now saying that a strong El Niño is virtually assured for this coming winter, but that won't help much regarding the dearth of visiting butterflies here, which is another point.

As such, I've been in the process of reducing many of the nectar plants that were introduced with a mind of attracting and maintaining a wide gamut of butterfly species. I will keep the tried and true nectar plants such as Verbena bonariensis, Buddleia davidii, Lantana camara, and a few of the nectar plants that don't seem to attract very much locally, but are nice to look at and have great potential to feed nectar hunting visitors, from previous experiences I've had with them at Alta Laguna Park and info gleaned researching plants. I'm also keeping the Passion Fruit vine growing on a trellis out front 'cuz it's loaded with delicious, ripening passion fruits. YUMMY! (photos coming when they ripen)

Instead, the focus will be on Monarch butterflies and milkweed plants. Right now, the container garden is home to five species of milkweed, two of which are native to California and our U.S. western region. There is a consistent Monarch butterfly population here that regularly lay eggs. I have caterpillars in almost all stages of growth, and watching Monarchs lazily flit about the garden is so restful and serene.

Speaking of Monarch butterflies and milkweed, here is a beautiful video about Monarchs, milkweed, and their kinship to the Yosemite Valley:

"What a man needs in gardening is a cast-iron back, with a hinge in it."

~Charles Dudley Warner



Haven't seen many Monarchs lately in the container garden, or other species of butterflies for that matter. One or two Monarch butterflies, one Gulf Fritillary flitting about the passion fruit vine, and just yesterday, a Western Swallowtail came to visit one of the Verbena bonariensis currently blooming. The good news is, the garden is home to various growth stages of Monarch caterpillars. Strolling through the garden yesterday revealed at least three wee small Monarch cats in and amongst several of the milkweed plants, along with a couple of others of different sizes.

As related to one of the blog followers who emailed she hasn't seen many butterflies either in Laguna Beach, hopefully, this is the calm before the storm; but again, if there's nothing to attract them and entice butterflies to stay, they'll pass on to greener pastures, so to speak. This current drought situation is taking its toll on our lawns and gardens, which ultimately takes its toll on the denizens who rely on them for sustenance and survival. Speaking of drought, here is a prime candidate for today's water wise gardens, statice:

Statice, also known as Sea Lavender, is a great perennial nectar flower candidate for mild climate area butterfly gardens. It's easy to grow, drought tolerant, has showy bluish flowers, and offers its butterfly sweetness during the winter and very early spring when nothing much else is available in our sleepy gardens.

-Google

 Limonium perezii. Statice, or Sea Lavender

There are butterflies that overwinter here in Southern California, while others are passing through. You'll see them in the dead of winter searching for precious nectar within the florets of statice. During the active butterfly season, one will see just about every type of local butterfly visit its flowers at one time or another. The crepe paper textured inflorescence makes for long lasting dry flower arrangements for inside the house, or on a patio table outdoors.

 Limonium sinuatum is another garden species that is fairly common in nurseries. Differences between L. sinuatum and L. perezii are that L. sinuatum is an annual, comes in several attractive colors, and requires a bit more water than its cousin in order to look good. L. perezii is perennial, comes in pretty much one color, and is tough as nails drought tolerant. I have no idea at how attractive L. sinuatum is to butterflies, having no experience with it.

-Google

 Limonium sinuatum, Sea Lavender

Care of Statice

If shopping for statice in the nursery, no need to buy one gallon plants; buy the smaller quart, or 4 inch containers instead. Sea Lavender is a fast grower, and planting them the smaller they are, the better they root. I've seen them offered in color paks, six to a pak, too.

Transplanting statice is easily done if you already have some volunteers coming up, or a gardening friend offers you some. The trick is, dig them up for transplanting when they are fairly small, as statice seedlings tend to put down a deep taproot looking for water. The smaller the plant, the shallower the root system, hence easier to dig up, and consequently, better survival rates.

Nothing much bothers this plant, with no known diseases or pests that threaten them. I've seen thrips attack them at times, but incidences are very rare and of short duration. Too much water is the usual culprit, as it makes the leaves very soft and juicy; just what thrips love.

Likes sun, but will do admirably in shade with bright light. You can pretty much forget about statice once established, as it will fend for itself just fine without our intervention, especially along the coast. For those that are very water conscious, a good once per month soaking would suit these plants just fine.

A little bit of fertilizer two or three times per year is all it really requires to look and bloom its best. Statice makes for an excellent container plant, and fits right into xeric landscapes.


If you wish to expand your statice plant population or create a collection of them, let the flowers completely dry and fade, allowing them to fall around their mother plant. One can also easily pull off these seed laden spent blooms, sprinkle them around an area one wishes to introduce them, and then watch as little seedlings eventually pop up.

To encourage germination and to keep the seeds from blowing out of a designated area, first scratch up the soil a little bit, sprinkle the little flowers around, scuff them into the loosened soil, and then water in. A light blanket of mulch on top will help hold everything in place, conserves moisture, and acts as a seed marker too.

With today's dire drought condition here on the West coast, L. perezii is one candidate that should be examined more closely for incorporation into a water wise garden.

"It is good to be alone in a garden at dawn or dark so that all its shy presences may haunt you and possess you in a reverie of suspended thought."

~James Douglas

The Environmental Nature Center in Newport Beach, Calif. currently has their Butterfly House open to the public.

-ENC - Environmental Nature Center. Newport Beach, Calif.

Dovetailing into the previous post about I.P.M., here is a disturbing article regarding the effects of neonicotinoids in our own gardens and how tenacious and pervasive these chemicals can be:

Protecting Pollinators in Your Own Backyard

Pretty scary stuff: a much greater residual effect versus its granddaddy, nicotine sulfate. What is surprising and particularly disturbing is the almost ubiquitous presence of "neonics" amongst the plant offerings occupying our nursery rows and shelves, even present in the veggie paks we bring home to plant in our own gardens. Trying to avoid these chemicals applied on our foods out in the growing fields and during processing, they migrate home with plants we purchase in order to sidestep pesticides.

There's a dearth of butterflies at the moment here in the Container Butterfly Garden. Not sure why, as now is the time when butterflies of all sorts begin to come on strong as summer approaches. One female Monarch is flitting about ovipositing eggs, and I've seen a lone Gulf Fritillary visiting my Passion Fruit vine. A few Monarch caterpillars have been spotted, not to mention the multitude of Oleander aphids on the milkweed plants this year. I attribute the aphis explosion to the warmer than normal winter temps we experienced. Colder temps will kill off many of the aphid pests, but such was not the case last winter.

Regarding Oleander Aphids, I'm willing to share if anyone wants any. There were lots of ladybugs around happily feasting on them, but they too have disappeared at the moment. Now may be the time to spot-spray those tiny yellow beasties with insecticidal soap before the Monarchs return in full force and start laying eggs. The aphis populations are dramatically decreasing though now, as I suspect predator populations have increased to the point where their influence is noticeable. Upon close examination, some aphid carcasses are mere shells, most likely the aftereffects of wasp predation. Others are dried up, shriveled specks, which I suspect are the work of sucking insects. So yes, I.P.M. works, if one is willing to forgo garden perfection and allow nature to do what nature does, as it has done for generations past.

"My garden is my favorite teacher."

~Betsy Cañas Garmon



Scottsdale, Arizona is home to Butterfly Wonderland, America's largest butterfly atrium at 10,000 square feet. This one's open year 'round, whereas the butterfly exhibit at San Diego Zoo Safari Park runs only in March/April. And speaking of bugs:

Let us touch upon some of the beneficial insects one may come across as we saunter through a typical pesticide free --or at least minimally pesticide free-- garden. These are the ones you wish to have live in your garden, call "home". How does one encourage and support beneficial insects in the yard? Practicing I.P.M. helps heal the land and satisfies the soul. It encourages beneficials to help you control, but not necessarily eliminate insect pests.

With I.P.M. you ain't gonna have a pristine garden; get over that concept. You will have undesirable bugs living in it. The key is to keep them in check to acceptable levels via the beneficials. 

One way to reign in pesky snails is to invite someone from France over to spend a little time visiting and staying at your home. True story: my mother and grandmother both come from France. When I was still in high school, mom invited her mother to visit the U.S. and spend some time with us. Her first morning here, grandmother walked through the garden in the back with coffee mug in hand. Very shortly, she scooted back into the kitchen very excited. "Suzette!" (in French of course) "Did you know you have snails living in the back, and they are the small dark ones! Why do you not eat them?" Apparently, the small dark snails (our common garden snail, Helix aspersa) are considered to be a delicacy on par with the elusive black truffle in France. "I never thought of it." replied mom. "Well, you should eat them!" retorted grandmother! When it comes to gastronomie, the French get very excited.

Consequently, mom and grandmother went out to the back with a container in hand and proceeded to pick snails, as one would pick berries in the woods. After preparing them a few days for eating as the French do, mom, dad, grandmother, and myself, feasted on escargot one evening; mom and grandmother extolling the virtues of the small dark snail. But I digress.

 Some of the better known beneficial insects include:

Ladybug, or Ladybird Beetle

 Ladybugs come in several forms and colors, depending upon the species. They are known for their voracious appetites consisting of aphids. One of the best pest abatement aides for the gardener, they sure are pretty too.

-Google

 

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Ladybug larvae also prey on aphids:

-Google

Lacewing

 Lacewing adults and larvae are wonderful additions borne in the quiver of a resourceful gardener. There are quite a few species of lacewing, green being the most prevalent in the Container Butterfly Garden. Lacewings sometimes get into the house, as they are attracted to lights at night. On these occasions I try to capture them, and then safely place my errant little friends outdoors.

-Google

Adult Green lacewing

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Lacewing larva feeding on an aphid

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Lacewing eggs

At a point in time of my gardening experiences, I realized the importance of beneficial insects and their impact on insect pests. Lacewings were known to me, but I began at times noticing these strange filaments hanging on stems and leaves on my plants. At first I thought they were a form of fungus, so I rubbed them off or snipped the offending portion of the plant with the so called fungus attached. To my untrained eye, they looked just like fungal fruiting bodies filled with spores. It wasn't until some time afterwards that I learned these were not fruiting bodies, but the eggs of lacewing insects. If you spot these stalked eggs in your garden, consider yourself blessed!

Syrphid Flies

Commonly known as hover flies, Syrphid flies are true flies belonging to the Diptera family of insects, which also include pesky mosquitoes. In Spanish, "mosquito" means "little fly". Syrphid flies are the bulbous-eyed critters that hover around plants and flowers like a hummingbird.

A reoccurring theme amongst the various species is their use of mimicry to foil predators from stalking them. Many look like the aggressive hornets; others mimic honeybees. Adults feed on nectar, whereas the larvae feed on different foods; some feasting on decaying vegetative matter, others hunting and eating aphids, thrips, and other plant sucking insects.

"Syrphidae poster" by Alvesgaspar - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Syrphidae_poster.jpg#/media/File:Syrphidae_poster.jpg

-Google

Syrphid fly larva pouncing on an aphid

Parasitic Wasps

These little creatures are a mixed blessing for butterfly gardens. Some species of parasitic wasps inject their eggs into aphids, eventually leaving an empty shell behind upon emerging as an adult. Unfortunately, others parasitize caterpillars. How to tell them apart? Beats me, but I do know when aphids have been attacked, by the telltale remnants of their exoskeleton. Some of these wasps are so tiny they look like flying specks and are easily overlooked.

-Google

Aphid carcass after parasitic wasp emerged

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Two species of parasitic wasps injecting eggs (ovipositing) into caterpillars

Ground Beetles

Lastly, but not leastly, we come to the lowly Ground beetles; those denizens at soil level that make us feel uncomfortable and go "Ick!" when we see them, but once understood, become trusty allies in our fight to combat garden pests.

There are a myriad of different ground beetle species. Looking at the various forms and colors, at times it's hard to imagine they are related to each other.

-Google

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Pray tell that this is carpeting and not someone's Bichon Frisé?

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I especially enjoy watching long necked ground beetles (immediately above), as they are very methodical when searching for prey. They walk slowly and determinedly; halt, peer around by actually cocking and pivoting their heads without having to move their bodies, and then stalk some more, repeating this maneuver throughout their quest for prey.

Alas, some species of ground beetles hunt caterpillars too, but again as with certain parasitic wasps, it's something the container garden can live with.

For anyone interested, Planet Natural offers a bounteous bevy of beneficial bugs to buy. If one stops indiscriminately carpet bombing their yards with harsh chemical pesticides, eventually a manageable balance of both good and not so good insects can be achieved without having to shell out dinars for beneficials. In time, a balanced ecosystem can become a reality in our own gardens. And after all, isn't that what we wish in our hearts, to return to at least a vestige of the Garden of Eden? I know I do!

As you can gather by the amount of space and photos devoted to insects in this post, I do have a warm spot in my heart and hold a fascination for them. It probably stems from my days living in Venezuela from birth until almost age 5, when according to my parents, I would crouch on my knees for seemingly endless amounts of time studying and observing bugs of all sorts, and anything else that moved be it bug, bird or beast; on the ground, up in the trees, or flying through the air.

One memory that still lingers is watching the endless procession of leaf cutter ants carrying bits of plant matter back to their nest, clasped within their jaws and held above their heads. The thrill is still there when visiting the tropical exhibit at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, where a colony of leaf cutter ants call home.

"There can be no other occupation like gardening in which, if you were to creep up behind someone at their work, you would find them smiling."

~Mirabel Osler

Annie's Annuals and Perennials is having a Memorial Day weekend sale starting today. I've bought quite a few plants from her and am extremely happy with Annie's service and quality of plants.

 

 Annie's Annuals and Perennials

Here's a vendors list of milkweeds thoughtfully supplied by Monarch Watch.org. BTW: the Container Butterfly Garden is listed as a registered Monarch Waystation! So is the Alta Laguna Park Butterfly Garden, but that is a different story... Unfortunately, the site is temporarily down for maintenance at the moment.

Ahhhhhh... the Scabiosas, or pincushion flowers.

I've come to love these Grand Masters of nectar producing, dainty dandy darlings of the garden. Right now, the Container Butterfly Garden is home to two species and three varieties. A surefire addition to a butterfly garden, there's always room to be found for at least one somewhere in a sunny little pocket or in a nice little pot. Colors range from white to yellowish, pinks and reds, into blues; blue hues being the most prevalent.

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Somewhat variable in flower shape and growth habit, they do adhere to a basic form factor; the various species, crosses, and varieties are readily identified as belonging to the same close knit family. All excel at enticing butterflies into the yard, coaxing them to explore and linger.

Some of the smaller varieties can be used as a perennial border plant and feel right at home in a rock garden or alpine setting; all do well in containers.

-Google

Scabiosa columbaria, 'Butterfly Blue'

'Butterfly Blue' is the daintiest of the pincushion flowers in the container garden. A constant bloomer, these plants offer up flowers almost all year round. The only months I don't see flowers is January and February. A prolific bloomer, 'Butterfly Blue' is guaranteed to festoon itself continuously with bluish lavender colored blooms. Seed heads are sterile. Divide crown every three years if one wishes to propagate more plants for the garden.

 

-Google

Scabiosa columbaria, 'Mariposa Blue'

I found 'Mariposa Blue' when scouring around a local independent nursery close by and instantly became enamored by its vigorous good looks. The flowers are a bit larger, though fewer than 'Butterfly Blue' and are of a deeper color. The plant itself is a bit beefier and more compact looking than 'Butterfly Blue'. It doesn't flower as long a season, the first buds arriving in late March to early April here.

My impression is that 'Mariposa Blue' is stronger and hardier than 'Butterfly Blue', being less prone to powdery mildew than its sibling. I had one of each overwintering side-by-side in the garden that became quite shady as the winter sun dropped lower in the sky. 'Butterfly Blue' developed powdery mildew, whereas 'Mariposa Blue' remained pest free. I placed each plant in a sunnier spot, whereupon the mildew eventually vanished after several months. Since the Container Butterfly Garden only experiences a couple of carefully picked and applied chemical pesticides, no fungicide was applied to the affected plant.

I do use Roundup sparingly in the never ending battle against weeds, as my back and knees literally don't bend to my will as they did in days of yore. The other pest potion used very sparingly in the garden is insecticidal soap, an environmentally safe alternative to harsher chemical sprays.

I use Safers brand, but if one is industrious, there are online recipes for homemade brews. I only use the soap early in the season when soft bodied Oleander aphids first appear and minimal numbers of caterpillars are present. A direct spray effectively dispatches them. If a cat did come to eat some of the sprayed plant, it may suffer a bad case of indigestion, but wouldn't necessarily die. Insecticidal soaps are contact sprays, not systemic, or internal sprays.

I don't even attempt to spray Large Milkweed bugs; they are fast, and carpet bombing with harsher chemicals is about the only solution. I have my doubts that soaps would even work on them, for their bodies may not be quite as soft as aphid bodies. I've sprayed them before with Safer's, only to have them drop and hide out of sight. Does it kill them? Don't know; they freak and skedaddle off out of sight so fast. For bugs, I use a jar half filled with water and a few drops of Dawn dish detergent added to make the water "wetter", allowing the water to drown these pests faster and more humanely.

-Google

Scabiosa caucasica, 'Fama Blue'

'Fama Blue' is stunning in bloom. Unfortunately, it's not a prolific bloomer as the two previous Scabiosas mentioned. Oh well, the brevity of bloom makes one appreciate it even more. It's big, it's bold; you know when 'Fama Blue' is around. And the color is to die for!

Annie from Annie's Annuals and Perennials sits beside her plot of flowers, with 'Fama Blue' nestled in the middle. The container garden is home to several of her online offerings. Annie's plants always arrive healthy, full, securely packed, and are guaranteed fresh or your money back. Ships from the Frisco Bay area.

-Google

Scabiosa caucasica, 'Fama Blue'

 Caring for Pincushion Flower

Non demanding plants, scabiosas like full sun to part shade, but be careful in shadier environments, as they tend to develop powdery mildew. This will rectify itself once they are brought back into a sunnier spot in the garden. Give afternoon shade in hotter, interior regions.

Those that originate from Mediterranean climes are more water thrifty than ones from wetter, cooler places. All can get by with average watering schedules. Scabiosas aren't necessarily hungry plants, but will bloom more profusely with a monthly feeding during blooming season.