Monday, January 11, 2016

I FINALLY planted milkweed seed. WOOT! =)

Did some work in the a.m., then in the afternoon felt unwell.
DH prescribed gardening.
Who am I to question him? =)

So, planting milkweed seed was priority one.

I weeded this iris plot (protected fm. gophers via that wire mesh)
and got to work.

I took photos 'cause I've learned that where I plant X Y and Z
stays in my brain about 15 minutes.

Next day, it's gone.

SO, I made these! =)


And here's the details, re: the seed packets.
I'd researched it in the past to find spp. native to California
and which help monarchs specifically, butterflies in general.


Note the one above likes to be over 1,000 feet in elevation: we're 3500, so we're a go!


Note: "packed for 2014" means I shoulda planted them 2 falls ago,
but, whatever.

Planted is better than not planted.
Part of learning to garden is learning to quash the perfectionist.

Just. Do. Something.


Also, I paid for these (& a bunch of to-be-planted-in-spring kinds)
versus looking for a free source. 
My priority was get the right spp. for our area & bugs.
Didn't cost much, anyhow. =)

Next, I had to protect our seeds from the HOARDS of hungry seed-eating birds:

Before I learned this trick, I'd plant seed mixes and get almost nothing.
I concluded I was a crap gardener.

Turns out, dark-eyed juncos (& friends) kick through & eat seeds on & under the ground.

So, I protected newly planted areas in the above manner
and suddenly I had LOTS of BABY PLANTS! Total miracle.

=)

Next I need to attach that wire mesh to wood so it's safe for wildlife.


But, now, having followed my husband's recommended cure,
I am now well, AND I've got 3 species of milkweed planted in our garden.

Some of which can grow to 5 feet. SWEET!!


One of the best things about gardening is it gives you things to look forward to.
Like stunning, fabulous flowers attracting stunning, fabulous insect life
that I then get to ogle and PHOTOGRAPH.

Woot!

xoxooxxobb


7 comments:

  1. Awesome, beautiful choice of butterfly flowers. =0)
    Looking forward to seeing some photos of butterflies from you. =0)

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    Replies
    1. Aw, thanks! I am ALSO looking forward to photos of butterflies and an ol' inverts I can find on 'em. =)

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  2. Gardening is the best cure of them all!
    Hope you grow lots of flowers for the critters.

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  3. Excellent choices. The purple and showy milkweed are common all around the Mariposa area and are 2 top faves of Monarchs. If you ever want more seeds let me know and I'll give you pointers to some roadside populations along Triangle Road and Jerseydale Road.

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    Replies
    1. Ah, phew! =) I'm very glad to hear it. THANK you re: the pointers offer. Strangely enough, I've seen 'em along triangle (but don't remember them fm. Jerseydale), but it's NEVER OCCURRED to me to collect the seed. Very odd. I may hit you up for your pointers! =)

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  4. Aha! So maybe that's why the milkweed I winter-sowed last fall never sprouted, the juncos (and probably white-throated sparrows) gobbled them all up. Little devils! I collected a bunch of wildflower seed this fall, including some milkweed. I plan to do some winter-sowing this weekend, but in containers for protection and easy ID. Hopefully I'll have so many seedlings in the spring I can give them away to friends too. :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, I'm very confident that's been part of the problem. =) I even covered one plot w/the cloche & didn't cover another. The former had LOADS of baby plants, the latter had VERY few--very big difference from excluding those little, pesky cuties. =)

      Planting in pots is probably a VERY wise way to do it. So far, I've not done that, but it might be a good idea, depending on the spp. Thanks for the note! And, btw, I love your blog. Such good stuff there! =)

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Cool people write inside rectangles....