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Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Native Wildflower Ratibida Columnifera Repels Deer?

Ratibida columnifera
(Mexican hat, upright prairie coneflower, thimbleflower) with
Santolina pinnata (green Lavender cotton) in the background. June 2012

Debuting in my deer resistant meadow garden this year is the US native wildflower, ratibida columnifera, commonly called Mexican hat. According to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center database, the foliage of this native has a strong smell that repels deer. But wait—there's a catch! The same database says that deer will eat this flower. Hmm...

Currently growing beside my open meadow where the deer congregate each night for slumber parties, there's nary a nibble so far. I've not detected an offensive smell—but I'm not a deer!

The height at this point is just over two feet, but with the see-through quality of the airy foliage, it works well at the edge of the garden.

I'm sharing photos before the entire plant is at peak bloom because I'm so excited over the flowers—and in case the deer do decide to nibble the blooms! Slowly, the cones are fuzzing up and I anticipate that this native will bloom for months. Ratibida is a nectar source for bees and butterflies.

Being cautious with my experiment, I sowed the seeds in the driest part of my garden. According to the information on this plant, it can spread aggressively and crowd out other plants. This drought-tolerant plant can also handle moist locations.

I adore the rich chocolate-maroon drooping rays on the ratibida petals. My test plant is growing with rudbeckia hirta, gaillardia and santolina pinnata. I think the rudbeckia yellow complements the yellow scalloped edging on the ratibida the best, so I may go with those two in future meadow plantings—as long as the deer don't eat the blooms!

Ratibida columnifera in combination with other seed-sown flowers,
rudbeckia hirta (right) and gaillardia (left)

Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel. Deer and rabbit resistance varies based upon the animal population and availability of food. All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons.

Wild Quinine, A Native Plant

I'm wild about Wild Quinine (parthenium integrifolium) after seeing mass plantings at The Battery Gardens in New York in June 2011. In fact, I was so mesmerized by the tiny white pearl blooms that I failed to take one photo, but found a few on the gardens website!

I returned to do a bit of research and decided that this is a native wildflower to try in my meadow garden for 2012. Quinine is a perennial that blooms in summer. Seed heads can remain over the winter.

zones: 3a-8b

height: 36-38"

light: low to full sun

soil: medium

Finding the plants is not impossible, but I decided to try seeds for next year. According to the instructions on my seed packet, it is best to plant quinine in the fall or cold stratify for two to three months.

Fall sowing has always given me good results as our weather can often turn too hot, too soon in the spring. I'm not one to pamper pots, so I prefer to direct sow into the ground.

With the moisture from autumn rains and daytime temperatures forecast for 60-70° F for the next two weeks, I'm ready to sow! I have cleared a section of the garden for a mass planting of the quinine.

I will add a mix of organic soil, compost and conditioner to the area; rake it smooth; sow the seeds just below the soil line; walk across the area; water with a gentle spray to keep the soil moist.

The test in my garden will be to see whether or not quinine is deer and rabbit resistant and can tolerate the droughts here in zone 7b. I'm optimistic!

Quinine is an attractor for pollinators and food for chickadees, so I'm excited about the birds, bees and blooms for next year.

Whisper Words of Wisdom—Let It Bee

Keep the bees alive. Don't use insecticide.

Let's give 'em something to buzz about. A variety of flowers attracts pollinators.
Agastache, butterfly bush, cleome,liatris, rose campion,
coneflowers, Russian sage and bee balm in bloom. June 2011.

In our busy bee lives, we sometimes miss important announcements. A special thanks to Gail at Clay and Limestone for publicizing National Pollinator Week (June 20-26 20110).

Pollinating is not just for bees. Ants, birds, butterflies, moths, wasps—and even wind and water are pollinators. Keeping chemicals out of the garden not only helps the insects but helps prevent pollution of our natural water sources and the air we breathe.

Everyone loves hummingbirds and growing monarda (bee balm) and salvia is a great way to attract the little sippers to your garden. Other hummingbird favorites include rose campion, cleome, agastache and zinnias.

The clearwing hummingbird moth (click link for my best picture) is one of the most fascinating pollinators to me. In the evenings, these moths are easily spotted in my garden.

A hummingbird and monarda (bee balm) 'Jacob Cline'.
The oakleaf hollies in the background are covered by honeybees during early spring bloom.

A clearwing hummingbird moth returns for an encore performance.
Butterfly bushes are great food sources for all flying pollinators.
Hemaris thysbe on a buddleia. June 2011.

Of course, everyone loves to watch beautiful butterflies and I grow Three Wonderful Weeds to attract, feed and host butterflies in my garden. What Butterflies Want is Joe Pye Weed, so I added more of that favorite to my garden this year.

Gardeners—spread the word! Tell non-gardening friends, family and neighbors about the importance of pollinators.

Butterflies want Joe Pye Weed! Summer 2010.

Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel.All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons.

The Best Hummingbird Feeder

With lightning speed and buzzing whoosh, the hummingbirds battle and dive bomb around the bright red hummingbird feeder. Territorial and jockeying for the best position at the feeder, one smart hummingbird sits back on a willow tree branch while three others whiz up into the air to do battle. The little one gets to sip first.

Round and round the garden they go; where they stop—do you want to know?

Monarda 'Jacob Cline' in full bloom with
wide leaves of crocosmia 'Lucifer' not yet blooming.

As I write, I watch three hummingbirds buzz by the window on their way to lay claim to two large patches of the red bee balm, monarda 'Jacob Cline' (sometimes listed as 'Jacob Kline').

Jacob is a tall, strong bee balm, easily growing taller than 3 feet if receiving ample moisture before the blooms. This is the third year for this variety. The 2010 summer heat and drought were especially tough for this bee balm, but it bounced back, tripling in width this spring!

The hardy perennial is suitable for zones 3-8, making it a wonderful choice for many of you who want to garden for the hummingbirds.

Planted with the bee balm is another hummingbird favorite, crocosmia 'Lucifer'. Although the red of Lucifer is a bit orange for the red of Jacob, I put the two together for the hummingbirds—sometimes garden style is for the birds, not me!

I sowed seeds of white shasta daisy 'Alaska' up the slope behind the red/orange group. Now in the second year, the daisies are blooming for the first time. I want the white daisies to provide a contrast for the red blooms of the bee balm and crocosmia.

To really thrill the hummingbirds, I divided my salvia guaranitica 'Black & Blue' and also added it with the shasta daisies. Hopefully, there will be a thick swatch of white daisies and blue salvia behind the red Jacob Cline monarda for summer 2012.

By the way, I allow the tall, purple verbena bonariensis to sow and grow just about everywhere in this area of my garden as that plant is the favorite feeder of Goldfinch. There are more than just hummingbirds in the garden, after all!

There are other colors/varieties of bee balm in my garden, too. 'Raspberry Wine' and 'Blue Stocking' are also hummingbird feeders—Jacob Cline blooms first; then Raspberry Wine; immediately followed by the Blue Stocking. All three colors overlap and extend the bloom season for monarda.

Monarda is an economical plant to grow since it spreads rapidly with rich, moist soil. That said, I find that 'Raspberry Wine' tolerates drier soil than the other varieties and I grow it in more locations for that reason. Deer have never done more damage than sample a bloom or two. Rabbits tend to avoid monarda altogether. I've not had trouble with mildew, but I watch the lower leaves. If I see any droopy leaves in the morning, I know they need to be watered (at the base of the plant).

Once our temperatures are over 90°F, I worry that the sugar water in our manufactured hummingbird feeders gets too hot, so I take those down and let the flower garden provide fresh nectar for our buzzing friends. It seems to be working well!

Monarda 'Jacob Cline' (Hummingbird feeder) is backed by
purple verbena bonariensis (Goldfinch feeder).

For the Love of Lavender

I love to buy lavender soap and bouquets of dried lavender at French markets.

(Antibes, France; May 2010)

I love to use lavender as a centerpiece to fill the air with fragrance.

(Antibes, France; May 2010)

I love to see lavender growing in fields.

(Sunshine Lavender Farm, North Carolina; June 2010)

I love to learn about lavender planting from Annie Greer Baggett.

(Sunshine Lavender Farm; June 2010)

I love to eat lavender ice cream made by Maple View Farm.

(Sunshine Lavender Farm)

I love to bake lavender scones at home.

(home kitchen, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; December 2008)

Most of all, I love to grow lavender for the wonderful honey bees.

Our neighborhood lost two wild bee hives over the winter. One hive is being rebuilt.

My garden is far too quiet this year without all of the honey bees.

(home garden, Chapel Hill; April 2009)

Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel. All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons.

A Deer Miss

When I came home at 10:00 pm last night, there was a herd of deer sleeping in the meadow above the flower garden. They didn't bother to get up when I drove the car down the long driveway—with headlights beaming on their sleepy little heads.

The deer must be well fed and lazy this year as they have literally given up on taking the time to even LOOK in my garden! In doing so, the deer (so far) have missed out on a luscious yellow lilly.

Of course, I didn't plant this deer candy in my deer resistant garden. There's nothing deer resistant about the lily. It was a gift from an anonymous bird who kindly planted the seeds a year ago. My feathered friend didn't provide a gift tag, and I haven't tried to identify the lily.

I'm not going to try to incorporate this lily into my garden plans. The bird did a fine job of planting the lily in the "hot colors" butterfly garden —with gaillardia, monarda 'Jacob Cline', crocosmia 'Lucifer' and an osmanthus fragrans. It's a pretty good design for a bird!

I don't want to get too attached to these beautiful flowers. As sure as I do, the deer will return—and, they won't miss the chance to nibble the lilies to nothing!