Butterfly Gardens

I recently went to up to Bar Harbor for the first time and visited the Charlotte Rhoades Butterfly Garden, http://www.rhoadesbutterflygarden.org/index.html.  There were plenty of both blooms and butterflies, like the monarch I saw above on a butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii).  I highly recommend visiting if you are in the area and enjoy seeing beautiful flowers and/or butterflies!  There were some great planting combinations throughout of perennial and annual flowers.  I really liked the echinacea and liatris combo below.

Below is an updated picture of a "Bird & Butterfly" garden I installed a few years ago in Cape Elizabeth (you can see earlier pictures in the gardens section of the website, here).

I love to plant and work in gardens created especially to attract wildlife and insects.  They are not only beneficial to all of these critters by supplying a natural habitat for them to grow and reproduce but to the plants and you as well.  They help to pollinate flowers, keep pests at bay and you get to observe their beauty!

Early Summer Blooms

With temperatures hovering right around 90 the past few days it definitely feels like summer has begun.  The cool spring we had seemed to drag on for too long and slowed the growth a little bit on some plants.  This time of year sees many flowers coming into bloom including one of my favorites, the peony.  A large and stately perennial with gigantic blossoms, some of which smell so good!

Geraniums are another staple of the late spring/early summer.  There are so many varieties to choose from and can be used throughout the garden but are especially lovely along the border.  The geranium sanguineum mounds almost perfectly and is covered with pinkish-purple blooms.

Another of my favorites is Nepeta, or catmint.  The sweet smelling foliage and long lasting purple blooms are loved by both bees and cats.

I am also looking forward to getting some local strawberries too!  I've been seeing the pick-your-own signs out at a few farms in Cape Elizabeth and hope to pick some up soon, they are another one of my favorites this time of year.

Spring has arrived!

It took its sweet time, but it is finally here!  Daffodils and tulips have been blooming and the tips of many perennials have started to show themselves with all of the glorious sun we have had lately.  Luckily, later this week we will get some much needed rain.  Weeding, edging, mulching, composting and spring pruning will be taking up all of my time over the next month or so, along with a few new garden installations I am excited about planting next week.  I'll be sure to post some pictures once they are complete!