Gettysburg Agway-Summer

Summer

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Creating a Butterfly Garden

butterfly garden

Butterflies bring an added dimension to your landscape. Lured by scent and color, they visit certain plants to feed on nectar, a sugary solution containing the carbohydrates that butterflies need for energy. Create a welcoming landscape by including butterfly-friendly plants and features.

Tools and Materials

butterfly-attracting flowers
large, flat rock
water source
one or more trees or shrubs

1. Choose a site that has some sun but is also sheltered from wind. Include a few trees and shrubs for roosting at night and for cooling off on the hottest days.

2. Add one or two large, flat rocks in the sun so butterflies have a place to bask when mornings are cool.

3. Since butterflies cannot drink from open water, provide them with a "puddle" by filling a container, such as an old birdbath, with wet sand where they can perch and drink safely.

4. Add nectar plants, including aster, black-eyed Susan, butterfly bush, buttefly weed, cosmos, ironweed, Joe-Pye weed, phlox, purple coneflower, sedum, and zinnia.

Tips

Include food plants for the larvae, including dill, fennel, milkweed, and parsley. Different butterfly larvae feed on different plants, so research the butterflies native to your region to determine what to plant.

Remember that butterfly larvae are caterpillars. Learn to distinguish the larvae of butterflies you're trying to attract from pest species. Minimize the use of pesticides to protect butterfly larvae and adults.

Bindweed Weed Control Techniques

Most weeds reproduce primarily from seeds, and the seeds of some weeds can remain viable when buried in the soil for decades. So it's essential to keep weeds from shedding seeds in the garden. Garden weeds that are neglected until they reach seed-bearing age can be lopped off near the soil line with pruning shears, a stout knife, or a string trimmer with a blade attachment. Cutting back perennial weeds again and again not only reduces reseeding, it also forces the plants to use up food reserves stored in their roots. In a garden that has gone hopelessly weedy, mowing it down promptly, raking out the seed-bearing debris, and starting over next year is a big step in the right direction. Mowing regularly helps keep weeds under control in lawns. When mowing lawns where seed-bearing weeds are present, collect the clippings in a bagger and dispose of them in a shady place.

It is safer to use a strong herbicide to control a dangerous weed such as poison ivy than to engage in hand-to-hand combat. Mix a small amount of glyphosate herbicide according to label directions, and use a paintbrush to "paint" weed leaves on a warm day when rain is not expected for at least 48 hours. Be careful, because spills and splatters also will injure or kill other plants. Ready-to-use glyphosate sprays are another option, but spraying with this chemical should be done only in still weather. A small amount of wind can carry the spray to nearby garden plants. As an extra precaution, surround the weed with a bottomless cardboard box before applying herbicide. Do not use glyphosate near water, and limit your use to dangerous plants, such as poison ivy. Glyphosate works by interfering with photosynthesis, so plants die slowly over a period of several days.

mulch Mulch Chart for AGWAY 3 cu ft bags

1. Measure area to be covered in square feet (length x width = square feet)
2. Refer to appropriate square footage in ‘Square Feet' column (far left)
3. Follow chart across to desired depth, in inches (across top of chart)

Example: Area to be covered is 10' wide x 60' long

1.) 10' x 60' = 600 sq ft
2.) Refer to "600" in the Square Foot column
3.) Follow chart along the 600 sq ft row to match the desired depth, in inches (across top of chart) to determine estimated number of bags of mulch needed to provided desired coverage.
4.) 600 SQ FT at 2" DEPTH = APPROX. 33.3 BAGS

QUICK CONVERSION: 9 x 3 cu ft bags = 1 cu ft yard

Number of 3 cuft bags needed for coverage (Thickness in Inches) -Click HERE for a printable version of the above chart.

Square Feet	1"	2"	3"	4"
10	0.3	0.6	0.8	1.1
15	0.4	0.8	1.3	1.7
20	0.6	1.1	1.7	2.2
25	0.7	1.4	2.1	2.8
30	0.8	1.7	2.5	3.3
35	1	1.9	2.9	3.9
40	1.1	2.2	3.3	4.4
45	1.3	2.5	3.8	5
50	1.4	2.8	4.2	5.6
55	1.5	3.1	4.6	6.1
60	1.7	3.3	5	6.7
65	1.8	3.6	5.4	7.2
70	1.9	3.9	5.8	7.8
75	2.1	4.2	6.3	8.3
80	2.2	4.4	6.7	8.9
85	2.4	4.7	7.1	9.4
90	2.5	5	7.5	10
100	2.8	5.6	8.3	11.1
200	5.6	11.1	16.7	22.2
300	8.3	16.7	25	33.3
400	11.1	22.2	33.3	44.4
500	13.9	27.8	41.7	55.6
600	16.7	33.3	50	66.7
700	19.4	38.9	58.3	77.8
800	22.2	44.4	66.7	88.9
900	25	50	75	100
1000	27.8	55.6	83.3	111.1

This is a guide only. Actual results may vary.

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