SUGGESTIONS FOR L.A. BUTTERFLY GARDENERS
Margaret Huffman
INTRODUCTION
A butterfly garden can do several things. Perhaps most important, it can add to your enjoyment of nature and that of your friends and family. It can attract many different kinds of butterflies or attract bees and other pollinators as well as butterflies. You can use it to raise butterflies or help children learn about nature. And a butterfly garden can help restore the natural environment.
Undoubtedly you think butterflies are very beautiful creatures, with their bright colors and graceful flight. No doubt you also know you'll have even more fun if you can identify some of the more common ones -- perhaps you already know them! The first step is to help you get acquainted with the butterflies you can expect to attract. Next, we'll identify plants that may attract these butterflies.
Los Angeles ought to have lots of butterflies because it's semi-tropical, and, indeed, more than 100 kinds of butterflies live in the Los Angeles area. Several entomologists have done extensive field work around Los Angeles. Luckily, two of them have supplied us with useful publications. Rudi Mattoni's The Butterflies of Greater Los Angeles shows more than 100 species and notes which is likely to come to your garden by showing a G immediately following the butterfly's name. He includes other useful information such as the flight time and the butterfly's food plant.
Julian Donahue's recent Butterfly Gardening in Southern California (published by the Natural History Museum) includes lovely photos of the most common butterflies and several likely to be found in nearby wild areas. It also discusses useful plants for L.A. butterfly gardens. I recommend both of these publications without hesitation.
GARDEN BUTTERFLIES
Here's a list of butterflies that frequent Los Angeles parks and home gardens:
Many people who enjoy butterflies catch them in nets so they can examine them at close range. Doing this without damaging delicate wings takes skill. Other people look at them through binoculars the way bird-watchers look at birds. As you notice butterflies more, you'll become more skillful at identifying them at a distance -- by general appearance, flight characteristics and habits.
Several garden butterflies may confuse people because they look similar to one another. Sometimes you'll need to look carefully to see the differences that distinguish them:
Western Tiger Swallowtail has lengthwise black stripes and is larger and more yellow than Anise Swallowtail.
Cloudless Sulfur is obviously larger than Orange Sulfur and floats or glides without flapping.
Note: Butterfly watchers use standard terminology to describe butterflies:
Forewings are the pair near the head; hindwings are the other pair.
West Coast Lady seems like a slightly smaller Painted Lady and the large blotch on the forewing is creamy yellow or light orange, not white.
More terminology: Butterfly watchers call the side of the butterfly that includes its legs under side; scientists also call it the ventral side. Upper side refers to the side that includes its back; scientists also call it the dorsal side.
American Lady also looks like a Painted Lady but it has two big spots on the under hind wing.
Checkered White looks like a smaller Cabbage White but it keeps closer to plants. Its underwings have checkered edges.
Umber Skipper flies like a Fiery Skipper, but is darker and slightly larger.
Being able to identify common butterflies makes butterfly-watching more fun. At the same time, knowing the butterflies helps you plan your butterfly garden. I'll discuss why this is true in a moment.
There 5 times more butterflies around Los Angeles than those I've listed, and some may visit your garden for brief periods, especially if you are near the wild place they live in. The striking Pale Swallowtail may wander in from brush-covered hills and mountains -- the chaparral and woodland. Variable Checkerspot likes monkeyflowers growing along streams in the chaparral. Wild stands of buckwheat often host Square-spotted Blue or Mormon Metalmark. Pretty little Sara Orangetips may flit in from uncultivated fields. Lovely Lorquin's Admiral lives around willow-lined streams, while look-alike California Sister stays near oak woodlands.
PLANTS FOR L.A. BUTTERFLY GARDENS
A butterfly garden needs two kinds of plants:
These are frequently not the same plants.
NECTAR PLANTS
Many kinds of flowers can supply nectar for adult butterflies. The main requirements are for a surface the butterfly can perch on or cling to while feeding, lots of nectar and easy access to the nectar. For example, butterflies will sip from the flower of a wild rose, which is like an open cup, but they cannot get through the many, folded petals to the nectar of cultivated roses. In addition to having accessible nectar and good perching or clinging surfaces, good nectar plants produce abundant blooms to make it easy for butterflies to find and use the nectar.
Plants whose flowers supply abundant, accessible nectar and good perching or clinging surfaces are called nectar plants. Unlike people, butterflies really don't care whether the flowers are pretty or especially showy.
Many plants meet these requirements. I've included a few of the more popular ones on the first table. I've noted several of them with a C: to indicate that they are cultivars. You'll find these in commercial nurseries because they have been bred over the years for garden cultivation and are easy to grow. Probably the simplest way to get started on a butterfly garden is to plant one or a few of these, if you don't grow them already.
I've also noted several plants with an N: to indicate that they are native to the Los Angeles area. They are all excellent nectar plants and I've included them for additional reasons that will become clear in a moment.
CATERPILLAR PLANTS
We all know that butterflies emerge from pupae (cases) that caterpillars make to protect themselves while they change from caterpillars to beautiful adults.
Caterpillars eat plants or parts of plants like buds or blossoms, but not just any plant will grow a healthy adult butterfly. Caterpillars of a particular kind of butterfly thrive only on particular kinds of plants. Therefore, you'll have much more consistent success in attracting butterflies if you include their caterpillar plants as well as plants supplying nectar for adult butterflies.
Caterpillars of almost all L.A. garden butterflies require plants native to southern California, or close relatives of these plants, to thrive. This is because most plants contain poisons to defend themselves from being eaten. For example, oaks contain tannins, which are bitter substances the California Indians learned to remove before they prepared food from acorn meal.
Over millions of years, particular species of caterpillars adapted to tolerate the poisons in particular plants. Thus, milkweeds contain poisonous alkaloids that evolution equipped Monarch caterpillars to tolerate. These alkaloids make Monarch caterpillars and adults distasteful to birds and other predators.
Caterpillars of another kind of butterfly, such as Anise Swallowtail, can't tolerate the poisons in milkweeds but can tolerate poisons in another kind of plant, such as members of the parseley family.
It shouldn't be surprising, then, that caterpillars of most kinds of butterflies native to the Los Angeles area require particular kinds of native plants thrive. The main reason we have so few butterflies is because we have wiped out so many of the native plants their caterpillars need.
This is true of many other insects. In general, a native plant supports several times more species of insects and other fauna like birds and mammals than a cultivar supports. In fact, lots of cultivars have been bred because of their resistance to insects, butterfly caterpillars included!
The tragedy is that we DON'T KNOW what most of the interactions are among the native plants and the insects, birds and other creatures that depend on them and may never know if we continue to destroy the native habitats.
Most L.A. gardeners come from somewhere else, are unfamiliar with our local natives and rely on the nursery trade for imported cultivars. This means that few nurseries stock native plants. To help those of you who want to grow natives, I've noted where you can find the ones I mention.
Many caterpillar plants are also nectar plants, so you can get 2-for-1, that is, support both adult butterflies and caterpillars with the same plant. The second table lists some of the best of these. Also shown are the caterpillars the plant feeds.
I've also made a table of plants that are strictly caterpillar plants because several of these support caterpillars, like the Red Admiral, Mourning Cloak, and Common Buckeye, that don't appear on the dual-purpose list.
Many more butterfly-friendly plants than those on the tables are native to the Los Angeles area. I've attached a supplementary list of these for those of you who are interested in native plants and want to help all of our wild creatures by growing them.
PLANTS FOR LOS ANGELES BUTTERFLY GARDENS
Margaret Huffman
I. STRICTLY NECTAR PLANTS
|
COMMON NAME |
SCIENTIFIC NAME |
FLOWER PERIOD |
PLANT TYPE |
CULTIVATION |
REMARKS |
|
C: Abelia, Glossy |
Abelia grandiflora |
June - Oct |
Evergreen shrub, 8' x 5'. Very leafy with many small, pinkish flowers. |
Sun to part shade. Moderate water |
Available at Commercial Nurseries |
|
C: Bougainvillea |
Bougain-villea |
Spring - Fall |
Evergreen, tall, shrubby vine. Nectar-rich, inconspicuous flowers surrounded by showy bracts in shades of red, pink, or orange. |
Sun to part shade. Little water once established. |
Available at Commercial Nurseries |
|
C: Butterfly Bush |
Buddleia davidii |
Mid Summer |
Evergreen shrub or small tree to 10.' Tapering bunches of small, fragrant flowers. Colors include pink, lilac, blue, purple or white. |
Good drainage and enough water to maintain growth. Some plants may be attacked by leaf-rolling moth larvae. |
Outside southern California, invades riparian areas. DO NOT plant nearby. |
|
C: Lantana |
Lantana camara L. montevi-densis |
All Year |
Evergreen, vining shrub or ground cover. Yellow, orange, red, lilac, white or magenta flowers. |
Full sun; infrequent, deep water. Gets mildew in shade or continued overcast. |
DO NOT plant within 1 mile of natural areas, where it becomes a weed. |
|
N: Mule Fat |
Baccharis salicifolia |
All Year |
Evergreen shrub to 12.' Many small, white, nectar-rich flowers in terminal, compound heads. |
Sun or shade. Needs deep water. |
Available at Tarweed Nursery. |
|
C: Pincushion Flower |
Scabiosa columbaria |
Spring - Late Fall |
Perennial. Flower stems to 2 1/2'. Flower heads to 3" across. Lavender blue, pink or white |
. Full sun. Moderate water. Dead-heading and feeding prolong bloom. |
Available at Commercial Nurseries |
|
N: Sage, Black
|
Salvia mellifera
|
Apr - July |
Spreading shrub 3' to 6' high. Many nectar-rich, pale blue or whitish flowers. Foliage highly aromatic. Allow to go to seed for small birds to enjoy. |
Full sun, excellent drainage, no water once established. Cut back to 1' after seeds have ripened. |
Available at Tarweed Nursery |
|
N: Sage, Purple
|
S. leucophylla |
May - July |
Spreading shrub 3' to 4 1/2' high. Many nectar-rich, rose-pink flowers. Silvery-gray foliage highly aromatic. Allow to go to seed for small birds to enjoy. |
Full sun, excellent drainage, no water once established. Cut back to 1' after seeds have ripened. |
Available at Las Pilitas, Matilija, Tarweed and Theo. Payne Nurseries. |
|
N: Coyote Brush, Dwarf Coyote Brush |
Baccharis pilularis |
Aug - Nov or Dec |
Evergreen shrub. Height and width depend on variety selected. Native 3' - 12' high. Leafy with many small flower heads. |
Needs full sun. No water along coast once established; monthly watering inland. Thin and cut back in early spring. |
Especially valuable in fall and winter. Available at Las Pilitas, Theo. Payne and Tarweed |
2. PLANTS FOR ADULTS AND CATERPILLARS
|
COMMON NAME |
SCIENTIFIC NAME |
FLOWER PERIOD |
PLANT TYPE |
CULTIVATION |
CATERPILLARS FED |
AVAILABLE AT |
|
N: Buckwheat, Ashyleaf |
Eriogonum cinereum |
July - Sep |
Shrub, 1 1/2' - 4.' Ash-colored leaves & pinkish flowers in ball-shaped clusters. |
Full sun, no water on coast, some water inland in summer. Resents overhead watering. |
Gray Hairstreak and Acmon Blue*
|
Las Pilitas & Tarweed Nurseries |
|
N: Buckwheat, Saffron |
E. crocatum |
Apr - Aug |
Perennial to 11/2 ' high. White-woolly stems and sulfur-yellow flowers in flat clusters |
See above for cultivation. |
See above. |
Las Pilitas Nursery |
|
N: Buckwheat, California |
E. fasciculatum |
May - Oct |
Shrub to 3' high by 4' wide. White or pinkish flowers in headlike clusters. |
See above for cultivation. |
See above. Also Square-spotted Blue* |
Las Pilitas, Tarweed, Theo. Payne |
|
N: Deerweed
|
Lotus scoparius |
All Year |
Evergreen shrub 3' x 3', with small leaves and small, yellow pea-like flowers. |
Full sun, no water once established. |
Orange Sulfur, Gray Hairstreak, Funereal Duskywing,* Acmon* & Silvery* Blues, Bramble Hairstreak* |
Tarweed & Theo. Payne |
|
N: Milkweed, Indian |
Asclepias eriocarpa |
May - Aug |
Perennial herb, light green, thick leaved, woolly plant 2' or more high on a single, branching, main stem. Many creamy-white flowers. |
Full sun, no water once established. |
Monarch |
Theo. Payne |
|
N: Milkweed, Narrow-leafed |
A. fascicularis |
June - Sept |
Perennial herb, erect, 3' high with a sparse appearance. Many greenish-white flowers |
Full sun, no water once established. |
See above. |
Tarweed & Theo. Payne |
|
C: Milkweed, Orange (Butterfly Weed) |
A. tuberosa |
Summer |
Hardy perennial to 3 1/2' with profuse, fragrant, orange flowers. |
Full sun, well-drained, sandy soil. |
See above. |
Commercial Nurseries |
|
N: Mustard, Tansy |
Descurania pinnata |
Mar - June |
Erect annual, 3/4' to 2' high with a single stem and short branches. Finely dissected leaves and greenish-yellow flowers. |
Sun, no water once established. |
Cabbage White, Checkered White, Sara Orangetip*
|
SEED from Valley Seed Service |
|
C: Passionflower, Blue Crown |
Passiflora caerulea |
Summer |
Evergreen vine with greenish white and purple flowers, edible small, orange fruit. |
Full sun, moderate water. Prune annually after second year. |
Gulf Fritillary
|
Commercial Nurseries |
|
C: Plumbago, Cape |
Plumbago auriculata |
All Year |
Sprawling, mounding bush or vine to 6' - 12' tall (with support), 8' - 10' wide with white to light-blue flowers in phloxlike clusters |
Full sun, good drainage, very little water once established. |
Gray Hairstreak, Marine Blue
|
Commercial Nurseries |
.
3. STRICTLY CATERPILLAR PLANTS
|
COMMON NAME |
SCIENTIFIC NAME |
PLANT TYPE |
CULTIVATION |
CATERPILLARS FED |
AVAILABLE AT |
|
|
N: Checkers |
Sidalcea malvaeflora |
Perennial, branched herb, 1/2' - 2' high, with roundish basal leaves and deeply cleft upper leaves. Flowers rose-pink, 1 1/2" diameter, showy. |
Full sun or part shade. Water once a week after established. |
Painted Lady, West Coast Lady, Gray Hairstreak, White Checkered-skipper |
Lasp, GOR for ssps. sparsifolia found in Santa Monica Mountains |
|
|
C: Dill, other members of the carrot familyDO NOT PLANT FENNEL along the coast |
Anethum graveolens |
Annual herb 3' - 4' high with soft, feathery leaves and umbrellalike, 6" - wide clusters of yellow flowers. |
Full sun. Infrequent water. Sow seed where plants are to be grown. Let a few go to seed to reseed. |
Anise Swallowtail |
Commercial Nurseries |
|
|
C: Baby's Tears (a member of the nettle family!)
|
Soleirolia soleirolii |
Creeping plant with tiny round leaves makes lush, 1" - 4" high, medium green mats. |
Shade or some sun near coast. Water through dry season. |
Red Admiral, Painted Lady, West Coast Lady |
Commercial Nurseries |
|
|
N: Monkeyflower, Creek |
Mimulus guttatus |
Spreading plant 1/2' - 3' high with bright yellow, showy flowers from Mar thru Aug. |
Sun to high shade. Likes moisture. |
Common Buckeye, Variable Checkerspot* |
GOR, Larn, Tar SEED: Larn, S&S |
|
|
N: Sycamore, California |
Platanus racemosa |
Deciduous tree 30' to 75' tall with huge, often leaning, trunk and wide spreading branches |
Needs ample, deep ground water but not surface watering |
Western Tiger Swallowtail (Also uses willows and cottonwoods.) |
Lasp, Tar, Payn |
|
|
N: Willow, Arroyo |
Salix lasiolepis |
Small, branching tree 10' - 18' tall. Very fast growing. |
Needs ground water but tolerates summer drought. |
Mourning Cloak (Also uses cottonwoods and Chinese elm.), Lorquin's Admiral,* Sylvan Hairstreak* |
Las Pilitas, Tarweed |
|
C:
Cultivar. N: Native to Los Angeles area * Not a garden butterfly.SOME NECTAR PLANTS NATIVE TO THE LOS ANGELES AREA
COMMON NAME SCIENTIFIC NAME FLOWER PERIOD AVAILABLE
Mule Fat (Baccharis salicifolia) All Year Tar
Deerweed (Lotus scoparius) All Year Lasp, Tar. SEED: Payn
Telegraph Weed (Heterotheca grandiflora) All Year No source
Wild Sweet Pea [Lathyrus vestitus February - June SEED: Payn
(formerly laetiflorus)]
Arroyo Lupine (Lupinus succulentus) February - May SEED: Larn Payne, S&S Seeds
Common Fiddleneck (Amsinkia intermedia) February - May No source
Golden Yarrow (Eriophyllum confertiflorum) March - August Lasp, Tar. SEED: Payn, S&S
Cobweb Thistle (Cirsium occidentale) March - July Lasp
Large-flowered Popcorn Flower (Cryptantha intermedia) March - June No source
Tomcat Clover [Trifolium wildenovii March - June SEED: S&S
(formerly tridentatum)]
Holly-leafed Cherry (Prunus ilicifolia) March - May Lasp, Tar
Graceful (or Slender) Sunflower (Helianthus gracilentum) April - October Lasp, Tar
California Buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum) April - October Lasp, Tar. SEED: S&S
Gumplant (Grindelia robusta) April - October No source
Sea-cliff Buckwheat (Eriogonum parvifolium) April - October Lasp. SEED: Payn, S&S Verbena (Verbena lasiostachys) April - October Tar
Wild Heliotrope (Heliotropum curassivacum) April - October No source
Black Sage (Salvia mellifera) April - July Tar
White Sage (Salvia apiana) April - July Lasp, Tar. SEED: Larn, Payn, S&S
Conejo (or Saffron) Buckwheat (Eriogonum crocatum) April - July Lasp
Common Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) April - June Lasp, Larn, Tar
American Vetch (Vicia americana) April - June No source
Bush Lupine (Lupinus longifolius) April - June Tar
California Thistle (Cirsium californicum) April - June No source
Sticky Cinquefoil (Potentilla glandulosa) April - June Tar SEED: Payn
Winter Cress (Wet area) (Barbarea orthoceras) April - June No source
Snowberry (Symphoricarpos mollis) April - May Lasp, Tar
Chaparral Honeysuckle (Lonicera subspicata) April - May Tar
Globe Gilia (Gilia capitata) April - May SEED: Larn, Payn, S&S
Thickleaf Yerba Santa (Eriodyction crassifolium) April - May Tar. SEED: Payn, S&S
Narrowleaf Milkweed (Asclepias fascicularis) May - October Lasp, Tar
Frogfruit (Phyla lanceolata)) May - October No source
Spanish Clover (Lotus purshianus) May - September No source
Indian Milkweed (Asclepias eriocarpa) May - August Lasp
Mustang Mint (Monardella lanceolata) May - August No source
False Indigo (Amorpha californica) May - July Lasp SEED: call Payn
Summer Lupine (Lupinus formosus) May - July No source
Purple Sage (Salvia leucophylla) May - July Lasp, Tar
Fleabane Aster (Erigeron foliosus) May - June Tar
Sneezeweed (Wet area) (Helenium puberulum) June - October No source
Bush Groundsel (Senecio douglasii) June - November No source
Indian Hemp (Apocynum cannabinum) June - August No source
Sea Lavender (Limonium californicum) July - December SEED: S&S
California Butterweed (Senecio californicus) July - October No source
Wooly Aster (Lessingia filaginifolia) July - October Tar
Monardella (Monardella hypoleuca) July - September Lasp
Coyotebrush (Baccharis pilularis) August - November Larn, Lasp, Tar. SEED: Larn, Payn, S&S
Sawtooth Goldenbush [Hazardia August - November SEED: Payn, S&S
(formerly Haplopappus) squarrosa]
Wand Buckwheat (Eriogonum elongatum) August - November Lasp
Rubber Rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus nauseosus) September-October Lasp SEED: Payn, S&S
SOME CATERPILLAR PLANTS NATIVE TO THE LOS ANGELES AREA
Butterfly Caterpillar Plant AVAILABLE FROM
Admiral, Red Hoary Nettle (Urtica dioica holosericea) SEED: S&S
Buckeye, Common California Plantain (Plantago erecta) No source
(Also the food plant for the endangered
Quino Checkerspot)
Creek Monkey Flower (Mimulus guttatus) Larn, Tar SEED: Larn, S&S
Blue, Marine Wild Sweet Pea [Lathyrus vestitus (formerly laetiflorus)] SEED: Payn
Southern California Locoweed (Astragalus trichopodus) Tar
False indigo (Amorpha californica) No source
Duskywing, Funereal Deerweed (Lotus scoparius) Lasp, Tar SEED: Payn
Hairstreak, Gray False Indigo (Amorpha californica) No source
Ashy-leaf Buckwheat (Eriogonum cinereum) Lasp, Tar SEED: Payn, S&S
Saffron Buckwheat (Eriogonum crocatum) Lasp SEED: Payn
Wand Buckwheat (Eriogonum elongatum) Tar
California Buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum) Lasp, Tar SEED: S&S
Sea Cliff Buckwheat (Eriogonum parvifolium) Lasp SEED: Payn, S&S
Wright's Buckwheat (Eriogonum wrightii) Lasp
Lady, American Two-tone Everlasting (Gnaphalium bicolor) Tar
Green Everlasting (Gnaphalium californicum) SEED: Payn, S&S
Sonora Everlasting (Gnaphalium leucocephalum) No source
Pink Everlasting (Gnaphalium ramosissimum) No source
Cotton-batting Plant [Gnaphalium stramineum No source
(formerly chilense)]
Lady, Painted PREFERRED: California Thistle (Cirsium californicum) No source
or Red Thistle (Cirsium occidentale) Lasp SEED: Payn
Broad Leafed Lupine (Lupinus latifolius) Tar
Bush Lupine (Lupinus longiflorus) Tar
Others during population explosions
Lady, West Coast Checkers (Sidalcea malvaeflora) Larn, Lasp SEED: Larn
Monarch Indian Milkweed (Asclepias eriocarpa) Payn
Narrow-leafed Milkweed (Asclepias fasicularis) Tar, Payn
California Milkweed (Asclepias californica) No source
Mourning Cloak Red (or Black) Willow (Salix laevigata) Lasp
Arroyo Willow (Salix lasiolepis) Lasp, Tar
Fremont Cottonwood (Populus fremontii) Lasp, Tar
Black Cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa) Lasp
Checkered- Checkers (Sidalcea malvaeflora) Larn, Lasp SEED: Larn
skipper, White (ssps sparsifolia Santa Monica Mts.) GOR
Skipper, Umber Tufted Hairgrass (Deschampsia sespitosa) Lasp SEED: Larn, S&S
Sulfur, Orange Deerweed (Lotus Scoparius) Lasp, Tar. SEED: Payn
Swallowtail, Anise Southern Tauschia (Tauschia arguta) No source
Wooly Lomatium (Lomatium dasycarpum) No source
Shiny Lomatium (Lomatium lucidum) No source
Hog Fennel (Lomatium utriculatum) SEED: Seed suppliers in WA & OR
Water Parseley (Oenanthe sarmentosa) As above
Swallowtail, Western Western Sycamore (Platanus racemosa) Lasp, Tar, Payn
Tiger Red (or Black) Willow (Salix laevigata) Lasp
Arroyo Willow (Salix lasiolepis) Lasp, Tar
Fremont Cottonwood (Populus fremontii) Lasp, Tar
Black Cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa) Lasp
White, Cabbage Tansy Mustard (Descurania pinnata) SEED: Vss
White, Checkered Tansy Mustard (Descurania pinnata) SEED: Vss
Sources:
Brenzel, Kathleen N. (ed.) 1995. SUNSET Western Garden Book.
Donahue, Julian P. 1999. Butterfly Gardening in Southern California.
Emmel, Thomas C. and John F. Emmel. 1973. The Butterflies of Southern California.
McAuley, Milt. 1985. Wildflowers of the Santa Monica Mountains
Mattoni, Rudi. 1984. Butterflies of Greater Los Angeles.
Opler, Paul. 1999. Field Guide to Western Butterflies.
Raven, Peter H., Henry J. Thompson, and Barry A. Prigge. 1977. Flora of the Santa Monica Mountains, California.
Schmidt, Marjorie. 1980. Growing California Native Plants.
Scott, James A. 1986. The Butterflies of North America.
Shank, Dale (ed.) 1998. "Plant and Seed Directory," HORTUS West.
Xerces Society. 1998. Butterfly Gardening. Creating Summer Magic in Your Garden.