About Black Swallowtail Caterpillars

 

 

This morning, I went outdoors to harvest some dill for my recipes and found that the black swallowtail caterpillars had another idea.  Overnight this caterpillar had devoured my entire herb plant.

Swallowtail  Caterpillar on Sage Leaf

This caterpillar is known to eat the entire dill plant as soon as the butterflies lay their eggs on the plant and caterpillars emerge there is a feeding frenzy.   They will also lay their eggs on parsley and carrot tops.

Here are some photographs of my dill plant before and after the caterpillars foraged off the herbs.

caterpillars devoured my dill plant

You can identify the Black swallowtail caterpillars due to their brightly striped black, white, and yellow, markings. This caterpillar can grow quite large in a short period of time.

The lifespan for the caterpillars is as follows, they emerge from their eggs, then eat the egg shells, they then will forage off plants in your garden and in the fall the caterpillars will hibernate as pupae. Then the following spring they will turn into beautiful butterflies.

Many gardeners view this particular caterpillar as a garden pest because they eat the entire plant.  The only way that I will prevent the caterpillars from devouring my plants is to physically remove them and gently place them on a fennel plant which is another host plant.

I love butterflies so I allowed the caterpillars to eat my dill and parsley.  Next year I will probably grow more dill and parsley indoors and outdoors.

Solar Firefly Lights for Yard and Garden

 

 

Instead of using outdoor lights that use electricity I opted for solar firefly lights.  These lights add interest and also soft light without the energy costs.

 

Today I bought outdoor solar lights at Amazon and installed them in my garden.  The lights came on at dusk and stayed on from dusk to dawn due to the light sensor.   Which is very good considering the power is generated from the sun.

Firefly solar lights add soft light to your outdoor space 

I find that the solar lights provide me with a reliable source of light that enhances my garden. Throughout the years I have bought a variety of decorative solar lights and have found that they have a long lifespan and that they are weather-resistant and durable.   

Set up in solar lights in feature garden, spaced them 18 inches apart 

Solare lights have many benefits including they are energy efficient, maintenance  free, and good for the environment because they have zero carbon emission and do not contribute to pollution . 

 

It took me a few minutes to install 8 solar lights into the ground around my garden.  Then I turned the button to steady light rather than blinking and  the installation was complete.

Firefly solar lights are easy to install 

When the lilies grow in the firefly solar lights will look good

I liked the solar firefly lights so much that I bought four more and added them to my flower pot. When my lilies grow in I think the lights and the plants will look great.

Growing Tips for Cool Season Snapdragons

 

Grow cool season snapdragons in the spring and fall and you will enjoy not only the sweetly scented flower but also the bumblebee, hummingbirds and other pollinators.  

Snapdragons are flowers that grow best when the weather is cooler.   These cheerful flowers grow well with pansies and even though they will survive a mild frost they will die if exposed to snow or extreme cold weather below 25 degrees Fahrenheit.

Here is a photograph of dwarf pink and red snapdragons that I planted with pansies. Photo was captured in early spring.

cool season dwarf snapdragons and pansy container garden

 

Plant snapdragons by seed in early spring or in the fall season. Or you can buy snapdragons at your local nursery and transplant the nursery grown dwarf flowers to a container or tall snapdragon flowers in the ground The tall snapdragons look fabulous when grown as masses.

 

tall pink snapdragons grown in masses

For seeds you should start your snapdragon seeds indoors eight weeks before the last frost. Transplant seedlings when the leaves have developed and plants are thriving. Remove the tips of the snapdragons once they have six leaves this will encourage a fuller flower bloom.

Cool season snapdragon flowers grow best in full sun and well drained soil 

 

Snapdragons are classified as an annual in my growing zone. They are perennials in USDA plant hardiness zone 7-10.  

Plant snapdragons in a container or in the ground.  Choose an area that has full sun.  Plant in well-drained soil and space them 8 inches apart. This flower will thrive with repeat blooms when temperature is average to 60 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit.  

 

Snapdragon flowers attract pollinators, bees, hummingbirds and butterflies

Water snapdragons so that the soil is moist, let it dry out between waterings, but not to the point that soil pulls away from the stem.  Check the soil by inserting your finger, push down into the soil about an inch if the soil is dry then water the snapdragons at the soil line and not above.  Avoid wetting the flowers and the leaves. 

Fertilize the snapdragon flowers throughout the growing blooming season.  I fertilize with Miracle-Gro bloom booster.  It’s a liquid feed formulated for perennial and annual flowers. 

Check your snapdragon flowers daily for dead blooms.  Remove spent flowers to encourage more flower blooms. 

If you have extremely hot summers try cutting them back and applying mulch.  Continue watering and hopefully the snapdragon will return in the fall when weather cools.

Flower Blooming Tips for Clematis

  

For many years growing clematis was trial and error then a few years ago all of my efforts were awarded because I had glorious blooms. 

I had planted clematis from seeds and then learned that it would be many years before the clematis would bloom.  I did not want to wait years for a flower so I bought a nursery-grown clematis that was two years old and I planted it in my yard where it would get six hours of direct morning sun with part shade to shade in the heat of the day, followed by sun at dusk.

 

The soil had a slight alkaline PH and I set up a soaking hose that would provide a slow drip throughout the day.  Which kept the well-drained soil moist but not wet during our extremely hot summer months.  

My clematis was healthy it was climbing the trellis and the leaves were green and thriving but I had no flowers.  My neighbor told me that the top of the plant needs sun but the roots need to be kept cool and should be shaded.  I applied a thick layer of organic mulch in May and fertilized.

 

Clematis was fed every two weeks during blooming season (May – July) with Miracle-Gro water-soluble bloom booster for flowers. This flower fertilizer is water-based and can be used on all flowers, annuals, and perennials during the growing season.

Best Time to Fertilize Hydrangeas

  

My brother gave me a beautiful hydrangea plant last year and I took the steps to learn as much as I could about how to care for and when to fertilize.

The best time to fertilize a hydrangea is seasonally.  Late winter or early spring when new growth appears. Then again in May or when summer begins again in July to help the hydrangea flowers continue to bloom throughout the summer months.

 

Here is a photo of the hydrangea that I planted in the ground last year.  You can see that there is new growth.  So, I fertilized it with Espoma organic soil acidifier because it would turn my hydrangeas blue. 

 

You can also fertilize your hydrangeas with spent coffee grounds.  So pour yourself a cup of coffee and save the grounds for your hydrangeas.  I lightly sprinkle the coffee grounds on the soil around my hydrangeas plants.