The Bee Better Teaching Garden experiments with several types of fruit trees and shrubs. Our criteria first and foremost are the fruits performance without spraying. We also consider plants for an average residential property, so we look for varieties that are self-pollinating and also dwarf varieties.. Below is a list of the fruits we have in the teaching garden.
Now we’re talking!!! April is when we can finally plant annuals and summer veggies!
A year ago, Bee Better Naturally with Helen Yoest launched our first on-line mini course on Earth Day, April 22nd. Our first course is entitled, How You Can Help The Monarch Butterfly. Specifically, the course teaches and encourages you to grow more milkweed and how to raise eggs to adult Monarchs! To register, click HERE!
Now we’re talking!!! April is when we can finally plant annuals and summer veggies!
A year ago, Bee Better Naturally with Helen Yoest launched our first on-line mini course on Earth Day, April 22nd. Our first course is entitled, How You Can Help The Monarch Butterfly. Specifically, the course teaches and encourages you to grow more milkweed and how to raise eggs to adult Monarchs! To register, click HERE!
I’ve been busy in the garden during February. Freshening up is how I would put it. As you saw last month, I added new rock to the Rock Garden, and I also added it to the gazebo. It’s been a long time. I also need to do the Southside path. I need to look for some energy before I can make that happen. I agreed to do an open garden for the Rock Garden Society. I’m not doing this rock fresh for that, but it will add value during the opening.
All this freshening up continues through March. My goal is to have all freshening up chores done by April 1st.
GARDEN TASKS
1) Fix gate in the Back 40(ft.) —I learned BBN’s perspective Eagle Scout his troop will fix the gate while the Air Bee N Bee is being installed.
2) Rid all fig buttercup, Ficaria verna. I’ve been going after it since it arrived about four years ago. I have been doing this weekly, through February even, to rid it as soon as it shows a glossy, round leave.
3) Cleaned up the Southside. I cleared out shrubs that were there to make room for the Air Bee N Bee my prospective Eagle Scout, Leo, will make for his project. It’s also a better view for the cameras. I’m happy with how it looks!
4) Trimmed back Lady Banks rose. Cleaned up the Corner Garden in general.
5) Reduced the number of ‘Black and Blue’ salvia near the pond.
6) Added composted leaf mulch from the City of Raleigh to that area.
7) Removed blackberries and arum from the south side to pot up for the plant sale in April.
8) Put up cranberry viburnum, Viburnum trilobum, for the plant sale in April.
9) Moved a holly from one area in the Southside to another but in the same area.
10) Cut back boxwood hedge. I do this annually. Rack up clippings and put them in yard waste bags.
Front- Takes right at one hour, and 4-yard waste bags.
Side - Takes 20 minutes, and 1.5—yard waste bags.
Back
11) Level and lift the rest of the stepping stones.
After an amazing breakfast with a fabulous view of the Indiana Ocean in the Pink Lodge, we headed to George for the Botanic Garden. The botanical garden was little, but a nice walk around.
David and I went on a three-mile walk along these hills.
Then to La Petite Karoo Ranch. We are the only ones here but even beyond that, it is so quiet. It feels like a ghost town! After a 3-mile walk along the mountain range, we sat by the (very cold) pool and heard nothing except a sign swinging like you would imagine in the old west.
We picked up cheese and crackers for dinner since there was nothing around, but we didn’t want to go anywhere anyway.
Lovely breakfast then off to the Hot Springs in xx
Traveled to Wilderness on the coast. We gassed up and continued on until we spied a Saturday Market. We got there around noon, just as they were closing. But we had time to have a look around. I found a wrapped, wired giraffe. Love it!
After the Market, we pulled into Knynsa where Westley likes the copy of the Black Pearl. We walked around and shopped.
xxx
Dad got the girls purchase and I got the bracelets.
Arrive in Wilderness.
The Pink Lodge view from the ocean. Clearly, there is an erosion problem.
The view from our room!
Our room.
After 1.5 hours of driving, we arrived at The Pink House Lodge on the Indian Ocean. While Jeffreys Bay is also on the Indian Ocean, the waves were steady, smooth, and beautiful. Here, the ocean is wild and beautiful. We immediately went for a long walk. Surreal!
We have eaten well throughout South Africa, and dinner here was no exception! I had Hake with Atchar source. It was beyond delicious! David and I shared calamari. Best so far; David had a 1/2 xxx chicken salad.
Another wonderful breakfast with a view of Jeffreys Bay! After we check out at 10:00, we Knynsa for a walk with the elephants! We could only stay for one night since they were fully booked for the weekend.
Before we arrived at the Knysna Elephant part, we stopped at a little coffee show/restaurant for coffee. The selling point was a garden and a lovely one at that! Then on to Knysna, but wait, we made another stop to see the Big Tree.
The trail at Big Tree, and this was a good section!
The Big Trees is a 1000-year-old yellow wood. Amazing. We then decided to walk the 2.1 Km on the yellow trail. Probably not our best decision because we needed to be in Knysna by 4:00. We made it by 3:15 but felt stressed, especially since the trail was very hard. We did it, though!
David feeding the elephants!
Zebras chillin with the elephants!
We got to feed the elephants and then did the elephant walk, where we brought the elephants back to their resting area. It was AMAZING!
We ordered dinner in our room. I had the ribs; they were the best ever!
We lingered in the morning over breakfast. We only had a 1.5-hour drive to get to Wilderness.
2-12 thru 2-14
BELLEVUE 2/12/24 through 2/14/24
2-12-24 Today’s high at Bellevue—: 105.8
Again, with windows wide open, the breeze flowed like a tropical paradise.
The evening in the Flat was fun. I slept from 7 PM to 8:15 AM, Still jet-lagged, but hopefully tonight I’ll feel better. I’m good during the day, but I start to feel it during dinner. Today is a new day.
It was a crazy 3.25-hour drive. About 30 km was on a rocky dirt road, where we wondered if we were going the right way. It was, but it was dodgy. Along the way, we found a stand of giraffes. It was an amazing sight!
Elephants in Bellevue Park. Photo taken with iPhone 15.
We finally arrived at our tent at Bellevue Lodge at 14:18. We are roughing it in a tent, like the old Colonial days. So charming. We returned from dinner when it was dark and had to figure out the fans and lighting. It took a while, but we got it.
Dinner was ready when we returned. We met a couple from Hamburg, Germany, and their 2.5 YO son. Tomorrow night, David and I will split our main course and dessert. Too much food, but it was delicious!
They had us going straight away, with Bradley giving us a safari tour. We say animals, kudos, zebra, springbok, blesbok, warthogs, baboon, antelope, But just as we left, we saw a herd of elephants up close and personal. It was amazing.
The night sky was so different from anything I ever expected. The Milky Way was very clear; the moon was only a sliver.
I woke in the middle of the night, like I do. I looked straight ahead to see stars in the night sky. It was like watching TV!
2/13/24 Bellevue Lodge
Today’s high 90, but with the humidity so low, it is not hot at all!
7:30 Meet Alex again for the giraffe walk in the Bellevue game park. It was incredible! We got so close we could touch them, but we knew better. Afterwards, we returned for breakfast of fresh eggs, over easy, fruit, and coffee. Met another nice couple from Germany, traveling with her mother.
2-13—2024 Addo Elephant Park. Elephant Walk
10:00 Elephant walk at Addo game park. So many elephants. Addo has about 650 elephants in the park; these parks are huge! The Bellevue Lodge had lunch waiting for us. I did a little shopping, found a scarf ($10.00), stickers ($1.00), and earrings ($2.00).
Lots of zebra too!
EAST LONDON 2/11/24 through 2/12/24
Sky flower, Duranta erecta.. Since it is native to the Americas, so I wonder if it is invasive here! In the garden at Blue Hills Lodge.
Security abounds.
The back of Blue Hills Lodge. David is in his “office” on the right.
After another delicious breakfast, served by Linda, we waited for Gramme and Nic to take us to the airport for East London. It was sad to leave the Blue Hills Lodge, but we needed to go to further our big adventure.
King Phalo airport in East London. It was even smaller than the airport in Havana.
Another uneventful flight, thank goodness.
We got our Avis car rental. I forgot my license, so David has to do all the driving. Honestly, it didn’t occur to me since I had my passport for identification. I should have thought through it further. Gramme was on our flight to return to the flat to load up the furniture for Cole’s new apartment at University.
High today, 77ºF. Windy.
I met Wesley and Tish and visited David’s (NexClean) abattoir water system. I was impressed. Over the years, David has spoken of the clean water system. I just had no idea how BIG it was. And I got the see where Aster worked for six months.
Shanties outside abattoir.
The squalor outside the plant was hard to digest, not only how they lived but how the land had just been taken over, and if not shooed off within 30 days, they could stay. No running water.
Tish is the sweetest thing! We all went to dinner at Shanghai. I had the best crispy fried chicken thighs with black pepper sauce.
We picked up water for our trip. Unlike Joburg, where we could drink the water, not so in East London or anywhere else until we arrived in Cape Town.
JOHANNASBURG 2/9/24 THRUGH 2/11/24
2//9//24. The fright from Raleigh to Jo-burg could not have been more uneventful, which is good.
We are staying at Blue Hills Lodge. Sitting on the covered porch with the windows wide open, no screens needed. I slept the sleep of all sleeps, in a bed that comforted me all through the night.
High today: 84ºF; low: 58ºF.
Last evening, we had dinner at Porto with Gramme, Nic, Taye, and Cole. I was fading fast from my flight, but it was still a delightful evening. First, we went to their lovely home. It was amazing to see the garden in waning light. We also enjoyed their two dogs, Neon and Rosie.
Hadeda, resident bird
2/10/24. David gave me lots of development of Jo-Burg's history. I knew a lot from writing about the spice trade in my second book, but I was most fascinated to learn that Jo-Burg was at an altitude higher than Denver, CO. (Elev. 5741 ft, 26.2 °S, 28.05 °E.) You don’t notice it because there are no mountain ranges; Jo-Burg sits atop a flat plateau. David says he has to go easy on this morning's run because of the altitude.
Breakfast at the Blue Hills Lodge could be anything you want. I had two poached eggs, fried tomato, and a link of pork sausage. David had scrambled eggs, tomato, and brown toast. We sat for hours chatting about the area and just enjoying time together.
After breakfast, Gramme picked us up at 11:00 to visit David’s favorite story, Food Lovers. I saw why. I gawked at every aisle. The food was so fresh.
In the afternoon, Gramme, Nic, David, and I went to Monte Casino; it was an awesome place, a city within a city!
Encephalartos
At 5:00, we returned to Gramme and Nic’s house, where we prepped for a Braai. i. It was a lovely meal with lovely friends and their children.
2/11/23
Travelled to East London.
FEBRUARY
No sooner than I’m back from Iceland on January 1st, I leave for South Africa on February 8th. It’s just the way it turned out. As such, I will only be in the Bee Better Naturally Teaching Garden half-time this February, and not even that since I will spend half of that time on Emerald Isle. That works for me, though, since I had no major winter projects. Returning on the 24th to dig in for spring will be fun!
And it would seem I brought back Icelandic weather with me! The second week of January was rebelliously cold, waking up to the mid-teens! But the days were sunny, so working outside in the low to mid-40s was OK…once you got going!
Garden Maintenance…
Here’s a picture of my personal nemesis invasive plant. When I moved into my home in 1997, it was EVERYWHERE. I slowly focused on eradicating it—Porcelain vine, Ampelopsis brevipedunculata. The porcelain vine was Introduced to North America as an ornamental plant. Habit: Deciduous, woody, perennial vine; climbs up to 20 ft or greater; twines with the help of non-adhesive tendrils that occur opposite the leaves. Birds love it and spread the seeds far and wide!
In the Bee Better Naturally with Helen Yoest, we aren't all native! Over the 25 years I've gardened there, I've eradicated several of the worst invasive. It was a challenge, but I was determined! Hopefully, you don't grow any of these intentionally!
There's not much hands-on maintenance this month since I’m spending 2.5 weeks away in a short month as it is!
My List of Winter Clean Up!
1) Take down vermiculture, built from 12 cinder blocks. Funny, it was a lot easier making this box by carrying each block to the far end of the property and it was to remove them half distance to where they are now being stored. One and Done.
2) Cleaned out lean-to. This area has a roof that extends off the shed. We don’t have a garage, so this area comes in handy. And just like a garage, it becomes a place for junk! Done until junk piles up again! But hopefully this winter clean up, with the kids mostly gone, particularly Aster, this is a One and Done!
3) Removed eight pallets from this area. My son dropped them of for what ever reason, and I became stuck with it. At first when it was one or two, I could cut them up for fire wood, but I now don’t have that many winters left. Ha! One and Done! We are not a no pallet zone. At one time, I didn’t mind having them because I used them as firewood. But they started piling up faster than I could use! One and Done!
4) Painted the Family Room a sunflower yellow. One and Done! at least until the next 20 years!
5) Move bricks stored on one side of the house to an area where I store stuff. This is the same area where the cinder blocks landed. One and Done!
6) There was a lot of erosion from the storm. Worked on that cleanup. Who knows if I’m done!
7) Weeded Mixed Border to ready for mulch. Ongoing.
8) Added composted leaf mulch to the Mixed Border. Yearly. My friend Nathalie helped me get the last of it down.
9) Cut back acanthus leaves after the hard freeze. Yearly. See pics below.
10) Finally, I laid the last two pine straw bales from October. They were added to the Back 40 ft. where the acanthus leaves were composted in place. One and Done!
11) Added a ‘Budd’s Yellow’ dogwood to the south side and a ‘Soft Caress’ mahonia to the mixed border. One and Done!
12) Photographed the Mixed Border from a ladder so I have a better vantage point to make a design drawing. One and Done!
13) I worked on a mixed border design drawing. One and Done!
14) Cleaned accumulated junk from the back porch—coolers from Christmas, five-gallon buckets from godknowswhy, and just stuff. One and Done until more junk accumulates…see lean-to above.
15) Greatly removed Acorus along the Mixed Border steps. Maybe more. It likes to spread.
16) Filled in areas where the Acorus was with ‘Nana” dwarf mondo. One and Done!
17) Five one-man stones were added to the south side of the mixed border. There was a lot of washout from the storm. The Bee Better Teaching Garden has never seen such a mess. One and Done!
18) Cleaned out the coop, a twice-a-month duty.
19) Transplanted a Camellia sasanqua 'Shishi Gashira’ from the front to the Mixed Border. One and Done!
20) Coiled up electrical cords that were used for Christmas Lights. One and Done…until Christmas next year, maybe.
21) Slowly weeding front of the hen bit to feed my girls. A spring delight!
22) Staining the Tobacco Stick fence. Every couple of years.
23) Worked on drainage.
24) Nathalie also helped me with the edging. this wasn’t the first time she helped with this.
25) Dug up acanthus in the raspberry patch. I’m unsure how they got there, but I removed about 50 usable roots!
26) I gathered bagged leaves from the street to use as cover in the Back 40 (ft.) insitu compost area.
I even moved the kitchen sink! Literally! An old cast iron sink, really cool, actually, was stored in our crawl space. We moved it over from when we lived in Oakwood. I pulled it out to use. I hoped we could have used it when we needed a new sink, but the backsplash was higher than the window. One and Done!
Back (40 ft) —As designed, the back 40 ft. is a mellow gardening spot, especially in the winter. The design is such that no maintenance is required, not even any pruning or cutting back of herbaceous plants. For mulch, I added leaves collected from other homes where they left bags of leaves curbside. As I get older, I find my 1/2 acre garden is getting larger ;) Having a landscaped bed to care for itself is beneficial.
Gazebo Corner—Formally the home of a vermiculture bed, I took it down during the pre-South Africa travels. I wasn’t using it, but more importantly, when I first installed it, kitchen scrapes were added to feed the little buggers. But since I got chickens in 2010, all of our chicken scraps go to the girls!
Epimedium Patch—My rabbits favor epimediums, this is a plant touted as rabbit-resistant! It’s not! Ugh!
The buds hang unopened, but when the do, it’s worth the waste. You can see the yellow showing, so sweet smells will follow.
Wildflower Patch—
Wildflower Patch Extension—
Mixed Border—I’ve continued to work this Border. I had a setback with a major storm in early January. The Mixed Border was hit with erosion, which has never happened before. There is a lot of wash in the front garden, too, but that’s a different story. The Joslin Garden lost a couple of big trees, causing all sorts of problems; I’m still cleaning up all that!
South Side—The South Side is sporting new art! I learned about Anne Terry from my friend, Ailene. Anne is a potter, instructor, and lovely person. So is her mom ;) I’m getting the pieces as they are available since I’m in no hurry; no reason to rush art! She will be done with just a few more pieces and a top!
Ostrich Fern Patch—I added a few more here.
Fountain Garden—
Food Forest Extension—
We don’t have a lot of daff. This one bloomed 1/25/24
Food Forest—
The Parterre—
The River Bed/Muscadine/Raspberry—Pegged five canes to root. These new plants will extend further down the bed.
The Chimney Swift Tower—
The Front Entrance Garden==
Pollinator Bed—Organic hardwood mulch was added to cover leaves. (Getting ready for Garden Party)
North Side—With the cold weather, cutting back the acanthus foliage is necessary. As the weather warms, the foliage will return. The cutbacks are easy when using a bread knife.!
North Side after cut backs.
The Mixed Border sign above is from the JCRA. I’m looking to get one for the Bee Better Naturally garden.
As gardeners move forward, we learn techniques to better our lives and our views. I have been transitioning my perennial border to the mixed border for the last five years. I don’t like to rush into these matters, and I didn’t want to fill my bed with just anything, so it took time to research and source the plants. I wanted style and year-round interest—this interest is what’s best for having a mixed border.
As time went by, the perennial border in the Bee Better Teaching Garden welcomed shrubs to fulfill the goal of transforming the herbaceous bed into a mixed border. I did this over five years, with perennials moving to other garden areas and adding low-growing shrubs each year.
A mixed border combines annuals, perennials, trees, and shrubs that skirt a wall, walkway, or fence. Here are suggested steps for creating this type of garden.
Mixed borders can take on many forms, from large-sized plantings like trees and tall grasses to small-sized ones, which is my approach. It’s all site-dependent. My design rule is that the further from the house the plants should and could be, the larger they should and could be. And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that a mixed border can also be an island bed, with larger plantings in the center area and lower growing plants closer to the edge.
My mixed border is right off our back patio. There are trees in the beds (there is a long bed and a short bed, separated by rock steps through the area.) Once you reach the top of the steps, I call this area the upper garden. I didn’t want too many large plantings screening out the upper garden; plus, the scale of taller plantings wasn’t necessary since the border is viewed up close.
But more importantly, when I looked out the Kitchen window in the winter months, I wanted to see more than cold climate annuals and mulch.
Getting Started – Planning Your Border
A mixed border is simply a defined planting area, oftentimes with a backdrop of a hedge or fence, before the lawn begins. We chose to hedge ours with a row of boxwoods. Designing a mixed border allows you to create attractive planting displays, helps to add color, and gives the bed year-round interest.
You can begin from scratch or transform an existing garden, which can be done over time as resources become available.
If time allows, say you want to prepare the bed in the summer for fall planting. I recommend using landscapers’ paint to lay out the design you want to see. Add cardboard and cover this area with a good four inches of mulch. I prefer a composted leaf mulch. This way, not tilling is needed, destroying soil structure. The natural microbes and earthworms will do the work for you.
The concept of the right plant and right place can’t be emphasized enough and is often seen in my writings. With this concept, your plantings are more climate resilient and reduce costs through plant health problems dying and disappointment.
But remember, plants die, and it is not necessarily your fault.
Plant List in the Bee Better Naturally Teaching Garden—Morning sun, afternoon shade.
Abelia, Abelia × grandiflora ‘Frosty’
Acorus, Acorus gramineus ‘Ogon’
Adam’s Needle, Yucca filamentosa
Anemone,
Anise, Illicium parviflorum ‘Florida Sunshine’
Anise, Illicium floridanum ‘Woodland Ruby’
Arborvitae Fern, Selaginella braunii
Azalea, Rhododendron ‘Gibraltar’
Bear’s Breeches, Acanthus mollis
Beardtongue, Penstemon digitalis
Boxwood, Buxus sempervirens ‘Highlander’
Boxwood ‘Gordo’, Buxus x ‘Conrowe’
Camellia, Camellia sasanqua 'Cleopatra'
Canna, Canna glauca
Cast Iron, Aspidistra elatior
Celedine Poppy, Stylophorum diphyllum
Cherry, Prunus avium ‘Stella’
Christmas Ferns, Polystichum acrostichoides
Climbing Rose, Rosa spp.
Columbine, Aquilegia canadensis
Cone Flower, Echinacea purpurea
Coral Bells, Heuchera villosa
Crape Myrtle, Lagerstroemia indica ‘Zuni’
Crinkle-root, not this!?!? What is it
Crocus, Crocus tommasinianus
Daphne, Daphne odora, variegated
Distylium, Distylium ‘Swing Low'
Dwarf Fothergilla, Fothergilla gardenii 'Mount Airy'
Dwarf Mondo, Ophiopogon japonicus
Edgeworthia, Edgeworthia chrysantha
Evergreen Solomon’s Seal, Disporopsis pernyi
Foxglove, Digitalis purpurea
Fennel, Foeniculum vulgare
Flowering Apricot, Prunus mume ‘Bridal Veil’
Green and Gold, Chrysogonum australe 'Eco Lacquered Spider'
Germander, Teucrium chamaedrys
Gingers, Asarum spp.
Joe-Pye Weed, Eupatorium dubium ‘Little Joe’
Ivy-leaved Cyclamen, Cyclamen hederifolium
Japanese Aralia, Fatsia japonica
Japanese Maple, Acre shirasawanum ‘Autumn Moon’
Japanese Maple, Acer palmatum 'Shishigashira'
Japanese Roof Iris, Iris tectorum
Celandine, ????
Little Brown Jug, Hexastylis arifolia
Lilac, Syringa × ‘Boomerang’
Lily, Lilium formosanum
Meadow Sage, Salvia pratensis
Meadow Sage, Salvia pratensis
Needle, Yucca filamentosa
Oakleaf Hydrangea, Hydrangea quercifolia ’Ruby Slippers’
Pomegranate, Punica granatum
Rohdea variegated, Rohdea japonica, variegated.
Shasta Daisy, Leucanthemum maximum
St. Joh’s Wort, Hypericum patvlum
Strawberry, Fragaria × ananassa
Sweet Box, Sarcococca confusa
Tall Asters, Aster tataricus
Tree peony, Paeonia suffruticos
Pomegranate, Punica granatum
Rohdea variegated, Rohdea japonica, variegated.
Viburnum, Viburnum davidii × tinus ‘Moonlit Lace’
Viburnum, Viburnum obovatum ‘Raulston Hardy’
Viburnum ???
Virginia Sweetspire, Itea virginica
Which hazel, Hamamelis virginiana
White Wood Aster, Eurybia divaricata
Wintergreen, Gaultheria procumbens
Yew, Taxus spp.
Let us welcome 2024. Are you hoping for more…or less? I’m hoping for less…It seems like I’ve had too many medical issues in 2023. I’m good, but I want to be gooder in 2024!
Since 2008, I’ve written my annual '“I’m Gonna, “so why should this year be any different? In the past, I always registered ten and followed them, if you can believe it. Since I’ve grown wiser in the last 16 years, I think I only have the focus to write four for 2024; here we go:
Monarchs in their Mexican winter habitat.
After Christmas through New Year 2024, Lily spent six days in Iceland. It was beyond expectations, and we had those very high!
1) Travel more. My last trip was to see the monarch butterflies in their winter habitat in February 2020. Well, that was before Iceland last month. I plan to do more in 2024.
The winter views are the islands best!
2) Continue going to EI every other weekend. I love it down there. I love it here!
3) Continuing to refine the Mixed Border.
4) Spend more time studying ecology and conservation.
I’ve been busy getting winter projects done. It feels good doing so!
Beautiful, but can’t remember which one it is!
Back (40 ft) North to South & Back (4 ft) South to North
Gazebo Corner—no photo
Epimedium Patch—Epimediium spp.
Mixed Border—Wintergreen, Gaultheria procumbens
Mixed Border before mulch.
Wildflower Patch—no photo
Wildflower Patch Extension—no photo
South Side—Fatsia japonica
Ostrich Fern Patch, Matteuccia struthiopteris
Fountain Garden- no photo
Food Forest Extension—no photo
Food Forest—American beauty berry, Callicarpa americana
Celeste fig buds in the Food Forest
The Parterre—no photo
The River Bed/Muscadine/Raspberry—no photo
The Chimney Swift Tower—no photo
The Front Entrance Garden—no photo
Pollinator Bed & North Side
Rock Garden, photo taken from the back
The Girl’s Garden—The new six girls should be laying by next month. I got them on August 28th. They were four weeks old. I never had these breeds, but in the past breeds, I start getting eggs at about five months.
The Pond
Our natural world is changing and we can help. At times it may seem hopeless, but doing nothing only worsens our nature. We can each make a difference.
I have yet to speak with anyone who hasn’t witnessed declines in bird, bee, and butterfly populations visiting their home habitat. Through my decades as a wildlife gardener, particularly gardening for the birds, bees, and butterflies, I’ve welcomed a wide range of other species, such as anoles, frogs, black snakes, and beneficial insects to feed in my garden. Today, I’ve have fewer and fewer visitor. I can only imagine how much fewer others have experienced who haven’t dedicated decades to the cause. It’s not to late to start.
Habitat loss is the leading cause of species decline today. We need to think of our talents as conservationist and ecologist.
Conservation is the interdisciplinary fields that draws on principles from environmental sciences to achieve objectives, focusing on the preservation of endangered species and their natural habitats.
Ecology is primarily concerned with understanding the interactions between living organisms and their individual environments, examining the relationships among species and how they influence their surroundings.
Both studies are rooted in a concern for natural climates and addressing environmental challenges. They each recognize the importance of preserving biodiversity. I’ve spent a lifetime studying and practicing such habits in my home garden.
My journey began when my husband and I purchased our family home in 1997. Practicing these principles started decades before, but I’ve put down roots in this Raleigh home and garden, enabling me to track changes since that time.
I started by adding the four elements for a wildlife habitat: food, water, cover, and places to raise young. That was the easy part, but the best practice was eliminating the use of pesticides, whether organic or manufactured. I never used a lot, but marketing will get to you. Scare tactics are used causing fear of everything outside.
There is a better way. If you consider the four ecological goals for a better garden, you will make a garden that will make a difference:
1) Planting the plants that are good at supporting pollinators, year round—We are so lucky to garden year round in our area. It’s easy to have a pollinator plant blooming anytime of the year.
2) Providing energy for the food web—Food webs are defined by their biomass. Biomass is the energy in living organisms. Autotrophs, the producers in a food web, produce its own food using light, water, carbon dioxide, or other chemicals. Good at building their tissues out of carbon, and holding it within their structures, out of harm’s way
3) Remove carbon from the atmosphere—Planting plants that are good at sharing some of the energy they have harnessed from the sun with the local animals that run our ecosystems. If the crops are burned in a power plant to produce electricity, and the carbon dioxide from the smoke is captured and stored underground, carbon would be moved out of the atmosphere. Planting forest and trees and managing existing forest can help take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.
4) Manage the watershed in which they lie—Yes, even our homes! The watershed is the area of land that drains or sheds water into a specific receiving waterbody, such as a lake or a river. As rainwater or melted snow runs downhill in the watershed, it collects and transports sediment and other materials and deposits them into the receiving waterbody. In my home garden, I have all my water diverted so that it goes through the ground first. You will improve water quality by controlling soil erosion, filtering pollutants, reducing water usage, and thus, reducing water bills.
We can all take small steps in our daily lives to make a positive impact on our local environment. I would begin with the simplest of tasks—providing food, water, cover, and places to raise young.
PATREON
We have big news to announce! Bee Better Naturally has joined Patreon. So what is Patreon? Patreon is a platform that allows friends or “patrons” to pay creators or in this case, Bee Better Naturally, for their efforts to create. As a 100% volunteer non-profit, we still need funds to support our website. Our goal is to reach an annual income amount of $600.00 to fund the cost of our email list. Click HERE to learn more. You can make a one-time donation, or a monthly contribution of as little $3.00. Thank you!.
Do you light your garden for the holiday season? This year, I hired Leaf & Limb Tree Service, because they could get up higher than I ever could. I do love subtle holiday lights. You might like this piece I wrote called Skip the Lights Fantastic at Christmastime.
I can’t believe it’s October already; but don’t we say that about every month from August on!
Our first hurricane of the season; Dorian. On the 5th of September, I buttoned down the Flower & Garden Show at the fair grounds and in the Bee Better Beaching Garden. As best I could, I removed all projectiles.
It’s time to shake things up. I will be doing my first 1/2 marathon with a few of my friends. I will be walking. On Monday, August 7th I started training. I’ve never walked more than five miles at any given time, but I know I can do it. I will be practicing, though.
1/2 Emerald Isle Marathon route
During the third week in September, I will work with Maximillian XS Thomas, video producer and editor, to build an online three-hour sustainable garden seminar. I will also be giving this seminar in person on October 21st.
I was excited to learn my book will be released on May 28, 2024!
My boss, Lauren, and I at Kathryn’s Bistro for our second annual Emerald Isle gathering! We had dinner afterwards where I got to meet Adam, her husband, and their precious son, Miles!
The Back 40 (ft) North to South
The Back 40 (ft) South to North
Gazebo Corner
The Epimedium Patch
Spring Ephemeral Patch Extension, formally The Wildflower Patch Extension—
Spring Ephemeral patch, formally The Wildflower Patch—
The Southside
The Ostrich Fern Garden
The Front Fountain Garden—
The Food Forest Extension—During the middle of August, my husband, David, helped me with the front garden edging. When the front is done, all bed edging will be complete. The edging was expensive, but I purchased four 8-sections over time to not kill my budget!
The Parterre
The Raspberry/Scuppernong
The River Bed
Native bees on Cutleaf coneflower, Rudbeckia laciniata., in the pollinator garden
The Pollinator Garden
The Blackberry Patch with Chimney Swift Tower
Rock Garden—
The North Side
The crape myrtle next to the Girl’s Garden is doing it’s annual shedding
The Girl’s Garden—It’s so sad. Remember the chick massacre? We one remained and three adults. The adults have still not welcomed that poor lonely baby into the flock.
The Wildlife Pond—
Until soon,
Helen
#WeCanAllBeeBetter!
Once a year, I tackle the big job of trimming the boxwood that surround major pathways. The cutting is easy. Picking up all the bits is a bear!
August, already!
July has never been my favorite month. I hated July; yes, I’m a hater; I used to hate July as much as January. In 2023, I managed to get through January just fine, and somehow, I managed July without any pain or setbacks! And this is on the heels of the global temperature recorded, the hottest temperature EVER. Could it be I’m growing as a gardener?
We had a good amount of rain in July, which is good and bad. Good because rain is often needed and bad because it washes away the rabbit deterrent. It has to be reapplied after each rain event. (I’m working on a piece for Triangle Gardener called War or Rabbits, Goodbye Rudbeckia!
It’s that time of year again! Time to design and begin filling the bed for the NC State Fair!
The beach is hot, but when it’s hot, it’s better at the beach! I brought in August walking the beach of Emerald Isla!
The Back 40 (ft) North to South. I need to do the annual trimming of the boxwood hedges. I have a few other things to do first, but I’ll get to it in August.
The Back 40 (ft) South to North
Overview. This pic is a good example of why it’s good to evaluate your garden through pictures. There is a crape myrtle limb hanging in front of the Garden House obstructing its view. The Garden House is the focal point here, not the trees.
Gazebo Corner—Petasites japonicus 'Variegatus' is happy this summer; an indication of getting enough rain. Don’t plant this. I have it in the perfect location where it is controlled. If planted in the wrong place, it is highly invasive and you will regret it!
The Epimedium Patch—noting again, how happy I am with using pine straw in the paths. Laying pine straw is so much easier than wood chips. As I move forward into less maintenance, this is paramount!
Detail in the Mixed Border!
Mixed Border South to North
Pepper found a rabbit nest in the Mixed Border. He was rescued, but not released in the garden.
Spring Ephemeral patch extension, formally The Wildflower Patch Extention—Not much to show.
Spring Ephemeral patch, formally The Wildflower Patch—Not much to show.
The Southside
As I was pruning the pyracantha on the south side of the Bee Better Naturally with Helen Yoest garden, I found this nest. I've yet to get a closer look, other than know the residents have moved on and that it is beautiful.
The Ostrich Fern Garden
The Front Fountain Garden
Food Forest
The Food Forest Extension
The Parterre—I reseeded with more zinnia after the rabbits ate all the young seedlings. So sad.
I like the edging I added in the back so much, I’m adding it the front. The River Bed and Patarre already have, but now I’m adding it all around!
Here is an example of rabbit damage when they don’t even want to follow through. This zinnia was unscathed by rabbit damage when first growing. But one found, a rabbit decided to give it a taste. They cut it and left it alone, either because it was to woody or just to piss me off!
The River Bed, The Raspberry/Scuppernong
Chimney Swift Tower/Blackberries
The Blackberry Patch with Chimney Swift Tower. The Mexican sunflower, Tithonia spp., is truly my favorite annual. Could it because it is orange? Probably! Here is one of our native bees enjoying a sup.
The North Side
Rock Garden
The Girl’s Garden—It was a sad day for my family. While my husband, David, Pepper, and I were at the beach, there was a predator attack. We have deduced it was during the daytime since it was in the tunnel since if it was evening, they would have been tucked away safely in the coop. If anyone of us was home, we would have heard the commotion. We think it was a loose dog. We lost five the the six girls I was raising to replace the older girls what have reached the end of their wonderful life. So sad.
Detail of remaining girl.
Mixed Border North to South
The Wildlife Pond-I love the sound of the resident frog.
Pepperlicous resting at THE COTtAGE!
Until soon,
Helen
#WeCanAllBeeBetter!
The Girl’s Garden.
Summer finally arrived on June 10th. It was bound to come, but I enjoyed the cool, wet spring. At least the garden had a good time while it lasted.
June was high maintenance, taking down the poppies, weeding, laying pine straw, and waiting for David to finish his “project’ redirecting water away from the back of the house. He tells me the channel he dug is finished; now he needs to build the soil up higher so water flows away from the house. There doesn’t seem to be any sense of urgency…except on my part. I, however, don’t plan to help with this in any way. I have too much to do as it is during the two weekends a month that I’m available. Or at least that is my story, and I’m sticking to it!
Cut back the old raspberry canes. For whatever reason, I’ve never done this task before. With the garden redesign being less maintenance, I have time now to do this needed task.
Back 40 (ft.). In this area, I allow the blue saliva, Salvia guaranitica, to grow, otherwise it is too invasive in other areas of the garden. Blue salvia is in the mint family, you will note the square stems, growing up to 5 feet in height and width. Native to Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina. It is a hummingbird and carpenter bee fave.
Back 40 (ft.) detail.
The Back 40 (ft) North to South—This bed is finally full. I’m sure I can squeeze something else in there, but the bed looks rich enough to stand alone.
The Back 40 (ft) South to North—Same
Gazebo Corner—the neighboring trees are blocking out light. We didn’t get any blooms from the Lady Banks Rose, and the Confederate jasmine is weak.
You can always tell when we need rain, the Petasites japonicus, wilts. I never water it and believe it keeps it in check. Otherwise, it will take over the world.
The Epimedium Patch—It’s hard to see the epimediums with voodoo lilies blocking them.
The Wildflower Patch Extension—Celandine Poppy, Stylophorum diphyllum, have done nicely this spring into early summer. This is given the rain has slowed. Grows best in rich, moist soil in the shade. Plants go dormant in early summer if the soil dries out. Will naturalize by self-seeding if growing conditions are favorable. Ants distribute seeds.
Mixed Border—South to NorthI’
Spring Ephemeral patch, formally The Wildflower Patch—I’m refocusing this area right off the back patio. While I one referred to the wildflower patch, it’s really about spring ephemerals. Same with the extension.
The South Side—Shy Pepper on the South Side. Note, the mosquito trap on the left of pic.
First crop of ‘Brown Turkey’ fig forming.
LSU fig forming
The Ostrich Fern Garden—This bed looks good, but I could use a few more plants. My hesitancy to add any more is the magnolia tree. One day, it will be removed. I thought it would have been sooner than later. I’m not sure the ferns can take the added sun when it goes. I need to wait on this.
The Front Fountain Garden
Everything is looking good. The rosemary has white flies; as I was preparing to treat them with Neem oil, I cut them back severely. I should have done this all along. Rosemary is a shrub. It can get big. You can’t tell from the pic but there are three of them. It looks like I could cut back some more!
I put in a ‘Red Haven’ peach a few years ago. It never occurred to me I would get a crop, assuming the wildlife would wipe me out or get some disease. I’m unsure how tasty they will be, but I looked forward to finding out, until the squirrels got them all!
Scratched the front bed. It could use some composted leaf mulch.
As I look at the picture, it is clear I need to put in edging.
The Food Forest Extension—The other blueberry bushes I added are doing well.
The Parterre—The zinnias are coming up nicely. Went I returned from the beach on 6/20, they were all eaten to the ground—RABBITS! I added more seed and sprayed. I had heard of friends who lost their zinnias to rabbits, but this was the first time for me…there is always a first!
With the old canes removed, the ones that gave me the first of the year’s crop, it will be easier to figure out a trellis system. (Old canes are the darkened ones.)
The Raspberry/Succernongs—Still treating for aphids on the grapes, and as I mentioned above, the raspberries have been groomed.
The River Bed—Weeded and edged with fresh pine straw. This is my first year using pine straw, and I have to say, it’s not half bad!
Blackberry trellis behind Perennial Garden. Coloring up! I was able to start harvesting on the summer solace, albeit only a few.
Cardoon, Cynara cardunculus, blooming in the Pollinator Garden. Cardoon is a kind of thistle, closely related to the artichoke
Butterfly weed, Asclepias tuberosa growing throughout the Bee Better Teaching Garden.
The Pollinator Garden—Weeded, watered, added five coreopsis ‘Redshift’, a cup plant, Silphium perfoliatum, and three Verbascum chaixii. I’m having issues with Pepper knocking over the birdbath. It would appear the chipmunks run under there to escape being chased. I really like this birdbath, and it will not be able to be replaced. I found it on a garden tour near Charlottesville, VA. It’s terracotta, and I’ve never seen anything like it before. I really like it.
The Blackberry Patch with Chimney Swift Tower—Interesting pic, right? Note the butterfly bush. I didn’t plant it. This is probably the straight species that volunteered in my garden. When purchasing one, if you do, look for one of the near-sterile species, mostly developed by Dr. Dennis (Denny) Werner.
The North Side
Rock Garden—Weeded and dead-headed, Rose Campion, Lychnis coronaria, I also removed a lot of them. I like this plant to a point; then I can’t take anymore. It gets ratty in a heartbeat! TheRock Garden was infested with lemon balm. I’m not sure how it got there, but it’s gone now!
The Girl’s Garden—We are down to three adults. Poor girls are aging out. The good news, after 2.5 months, all the girls can be in the same run, still separated at opposite ends, but at least they are getting to know each other!
Mixed Border—North to South
The Wildlife Pond—Something got in it and knocked down all the plants. I may or may not get in there to do something about it.
Until soon,
Helen
#WeCanAllBeeBetter!
I was weeding my BIGGEST gardening mistake, one of them anyway; I wondered what the mistakes were of my friends. Thank you, Facebook. I reached out to my friends, all great gardeners!!
Here are some of the gardening mistakes of my friends. Mine is last but not least.
WHAT WAS YOUR BIGGEST GARDENING MISTAKE?
Thanks to all who participated!
Zone 5b—Bringing in plants that I didn’t know were invasive, such as Himalayan Impatiens. Star of Bethlehem and Lily of the Valley. And I grew Grandpa Ott’s morning glory one year and pulled for a few years.
Zone 5—Planting Grandpa Ott’s morning glory along the trellis beside my vegetable garden. It was beautiful the first year! The 2nd year my entire 30 x 30 garden sprouted morning glories in early May (just before warm crop planting here), and they still pop up every year. That was 22 years ago!!
(NOTE: I’d never heard of Granda Oatt before; when Cheryl wrote about it, I assumed, it was her grandma! When Stephanie wrote about it, I wised up! What would have been the chances they each had a relative named Ott? And after reading these two accounts, I’m glad I never gave it a try!)
Tom Eastman’s pond garden!
Zone 8b—Planting a single Colocasia at the edge of our Koi pond.
...moving to South Florida. Ha, ha!
Not managing the critters - vole damage found by lopsided newly planted azaleas
Wait?!? I didn’t know they were manageable :)
Zone 7—trusting squirrels not to eff over my garden.
(NOTE; I know Derek; he is a scientist! It just shows we can’t always get what we wish for!)
Zone 7a—Rockingham Co— Spreading myself too thin. Having too many garden projects going at one time. Finally learning (at 62 yo) to complete one area of my yard before moving to the next phase.
Zone 3b—south/central MT—Thinking deer wouldn't venture onto the front deck to get my plants.
Zone xx—Planting several pieces of Wisteria… supposedly white…one died…never a bloom, but still trying to remove it 20 years later!
Zone 7b—Trying to do too much and then getting discouraged when it doesn’t go as well as planned. Now, I try to focus on a few things and do them well.
Zone 6. St..Thomas, Ontario, Canada—My biggest mistake for the last twenty years was believing all the people who told me it's too hard to grow roses, forget about them, they don't winter over, they get blackspot, it's hard to prune them, they just won't grow here. a) I should have listened to my British ancestors sooner, and b) a couple of garden mentors twice my age; they know more than Google ever will.
Zone 7b—Planted two Star Magnolias too close to the house, and they shade the foundation planting of gardenia radicans. I wish I had staggered them forward. I'm watching Martha Stewart. I have never raised chickens. She is planting gourds to grow up their coup to shade her ladies from the summer sun.
Marte Hult
Zone 4. (but maybe 5, by. now)—My Biggest mistake was using landscape rock for mulch on my path to the gazebo. Weeding rock is not fun! Zone four (but maybe five by now)
Kathryn Hall
Zone —Not anticipating how big a plant was going to get!
Zone 7a or 6. Depending on the year….—Planting a number of thugs, invasive species, and then the joy of digging and sifting out the roots over and over again. Sigh.
Zone 5a—Not being careful enough about moving plants from an area inundated with reverted Bishop’s Gout Weed (there before us) to other areas of the garden, thereby spreading the devil’s spawn to other areas.
Zone 8—I planted a passionflower vine in a shade garden area & have been pulling up passionflower vines all over the area ever since. The blooms are unusual & beautiful & the plant is a host plant for gulf fritillaries, but they do like to spread & pop up everywhere.
Zone 7b—Planting Tetrapanax, pinellia, and Clerodendrum bungei..
Zone 7b. —My biggest mistake was planting and encouraging vines. My former neighbor’s biggest mistake was planting ivy for erosion control right up to the property line, which the ivy ignored. Even though I started getting rid of wisteria, greenbriar, and ivy when I first moved here, I let Virginia creeper, vinca, and sweet autumn clematis spread. I stopped using Roundup, so keeping these creepers from taking over the garden takes lot of time and effort. Here’s my blog:
I am leaving quite a bit of the native and beautiful Virginia Creeper. My biggest garden realization was the joy and contribution of supporting wildlife by growing native plants and providing water. I’ve been gardening here since 1989, but in a way started over about five years ago. It wasn’t a mistake exactly to put in so many unusual, nonnative plants, but I don’t have the settled, mature garden of my dreams now as I’d hoped. More adventure lies ahead!
Looking forward to more insights!
Zone xx—Planting ornamental knotweed and Bishop’s Hat in my garden.
Gojiberry, Lycium barbarum,
As for me, I planted a Gojiberry, Lycium barbarum, in my food forest. I’m in Zone 7b. Plants have very vigorous roots that spread aggressively into nearby soil. Native to China, Goji berry is invasive in my area, and from no lack of trying, I can’t seem to get rid of it. It would appear the roots are trying to return to their Motherland! I’ll get my antioxidants elsewhere; thank you very much!
