The last post in this series is the Hummingbird/Bee/Butterfly Garden.
I have this 10' diameter edged area I intended for one plant but it spreads through seeds elsewhere. Lysymachia Firecracker is an EVIL plant! I am seeking to kill it before it spreads further. Herbicide is not out of the question though I try to stay organic. It doesn't die being scraped off at ground level; apparently, I'll have to dig each and every one out deeply.
But that left the place it was intended for. So I bought some individual hummingbird, butterfly and bee seed mixes. The flowers can grow in the medium soil I have, but want a good soil for germinating. And they do best without much weed competition.
I have a big rototiller. But it doesn't work very well in small areas or with a lot of grass roots. So last year, I bought a little electric tiller. It won't get more than a few inches deep. but it is light and I can hold it in place over stubborn weeds to grind down below the roots.
I'm a few days behind the actual events, but a few days ago, I dragged it out and used it in the bed. I went north/south once and east/west once. Then I dragged it backwards along the inside edge of the plastic edging. I raked out most of the rocks and dumped two 5 gallon buckets of rocks along the fenceline (well, they have to go "somewhere").
Then I spread 1/2" of 50/50 compost/topsoil mix on the raked surface. After that, I spread the hummingbird, butterfly and bee seed mixes on the surface and added another 1/8" loose soil on top. Moistened the whole area with a mister nozzle (to not move the seeds).
Can't wait to see what grows!
Showing posts with label Butterflies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Butterflies. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 19, 2017
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