A garden for human and insect residents
We ’re visiting with Ric McGee today .
In 1999–2000 the nonprofit retirement residential district I directed was renovated and expanded . An greedy naturalist , I design and raise funds for a communitycutting gardenat the home ( which was built in 1960 in its present location but has been do elderly woman of limited way for over a one C in Lexington , Kentucky ) .
Now draw back , I spend 10 to 20 hours most weeks in spring , summertime , and fall volunteering as the community gardener . Folks on the honor organization can take the air into the garden , seize a cut - off water system bottle and a couplet of scissors at the entering , meet the bottleful with piss from a watering can , and pick abouquet . Donations to help keep the garden maintained are accepted with peachy appreciation in a mailbox at the entrance . Last year , with pictures taken while I worked , I had notecards made . The poster are now another fundraiser !
Already inearly bounce , this garden is a great space for the residents to bask .
The garden welcome all sorts of visitors , like this eastern swallowtail on lisianthus ( Eustomagrandiflora , Zones 8–10 or as an annual ) . Lisianthus isnative to the prairiesof North America , though this is a cultivated contour with redundant layers of petals .
A bumblebee explores apurple coneflower(Echinaceapurpurea , Zones 4–9 ) , another outstanding North Americannativethat is beautiful in the garden or a vase .
Amonarch butterflyfeeds on a zinnia ( Zinniaelegans , annual ) prime .
A monarchcaterpillarmunches out on somemilkweed(Asclepiassp . ) Caterpillars and the holes they make in leaves are less beautiful than butterfly , but if you want butterfly , you have to ensure caterpillar have works to eat that have n’t been sprayed with insecticides .
A cloudless suphur butterfly prey on gomphrena ( Gomphrenaglobosa , yearly ) . In addition to eating butterflies , gomphrena are greatcut flowers , drying perfectly and holding both their color and their shape .
Common buckeye butterfly on a zinnia
A opprobrious swallowtail stops on tropical Sonchus oleraceus ( Asclepiascurassavica , zone 9–11 or as an one-year ) .
A praying mantis hang out on the fencing .
Have a garden you’d like to share?
Have photo to divvy up ? We ’d love to see your garden , a exceptional collecting of industrial plant you have intercourse , or a howling garden you had the chance to visit !
To subject , send 5 - 10 photos to[email protected]along with some information about the plant in the pictures and where you took the photo . We ’d make love to get a line where you are located , how long you ’ve been gardening , success you are proud of , failures you learned from , hopes for the future , favorite plants , or funny stories from your garden .
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