Timely Tips for Calloway's Gardeners in June

:June is a fun month filled with good weather for outside activities. Watching butterflies can be an entertaining pastime. Attracting butterflies to your garden is easy.  Select foliage plants as food for the larvae or caterpillar, and flowering plants to provide nectar for adults.  Butterflies are attracted by fragrance, flower-shape and color.

Choose a location with plenty of sun and protection from strong winds for your butterfly garden.  A planting along a wall, building or hedge is ideal.  Add a supply of dark rocks or mass of dark pebbles to collect the morning sun for the butterflies to rest and warm up. Sink a container full of sand or gravel into the ground and keep it moist.  This will serve as a resting spot for some to drink and obtain minerals

Start your butterfly bed by improving the soil.  Incorporate Calloway’s 100% Organic Compost into your garden soil.  After planting, mulch your flowerbeds with 3 to 4 inches of Calloway’s premium mulches.  You will eliminate weeding, reduce watering, keep the soil from cracking, and protect roots of plants by maintaining cooler soil temperatures.

Butterflies are mostly active in mid-and late-Summer, so make sure you have lots of nectar-rich plants and flowers blooming by then.  If you plant large sections of flowers that are the same color, it will make it easier for them to find your garden.  Plant flowers that will bloom at different times of the year and ones that bloom even at different times of the day and night, this way; you will always have something in bloom. 

There is a world of exotic butterflies out there flying freely so offer a haven to these fabulous creatures and happy watching! Stop by the nearest Calloway’s garden center on Saturday, June 9 at 10:15 am for a free clinic on Backyard Entertainment!

Saturday, June 2: Summer Blooms (10:15 a.m.)
Discover hot-weather garden debuts, presented by Greenleaf Nursery.
Saturday, June 9: Backyard Entertainment (10:15 a.m.)
Plants and groupings that attract butterflies and hummingbirds for a backyard show!
Saturday, June 16: Summer Lawn Care (10:15 a.m.)
Bring Dad and take in the ideas that will help you create lush, barefoot soft lawns!
Saturday, June 23: Some Like It Hot! (10:15 a.m.)
A showing of plants that love our Texas “Hot Zone” and thrive in the heat!
Saturday, June 30: Fall Tomatoes (10:15 a.m.)
Select and plant now for a Fall Harvest!

 

 

Timely Tip for Calloway’s Gardeners in May:

Texas is home to nearly 5,000 native plant species due to the vast and diverse geography of our great state! Often people envision “native plants” with Mesquites and cacti but many of our basic landscape plants are native to Texas. After the Summer of 2011, gardeners are looking for Texas tough plants in their landscapes.  Native plants tolerate our Texas Summer heat better than most, require less water, need less mowing, provide habitats for birds, butterflies and other wildlife, protect the soil and save on fertilizers and insecticides.

Add native trees to your landscape and enjoy the colorful blooms from the Texas Mountain Laurel or Desert Willow. Select Texas Sage for its purple Summer flowers or the Red Yucca with its red spike-like bloom as additions to your landscape. Native grasses such as Mexican Feathergrass or Big Muhly add another different texture and look to the garden. Also, don’t forget the reliable perennials for providing Texas tough color! Blackfoot Daisy, Gaura, Coneflower and many of your Salvias are native to Texas and will provide color year after year once they are established.

If you need specific help with your next gardening idea or project, please join us for FREE in-store gardening clinics this month. Clinics begin at 10:15 a.m. and are facilitated at every store.
Saturday, May 5: Those Blooming Shrubs (10:15 a.m.)
Evergreens may provide the backbone, but Azaleas, Hydrangeas, Camellias and Roses add the “pop” that colors your garden!
Saturday, May 12: Flowers for Mom (10:15 a.m.)
Celebrate Mother’s Day with living plants in a container garden arrangement!
Saturday, May 19: Native Plants, Texas Style! (10:15 a.m.)
Plants adapted to Texas weather…that conserve water, provide habitat and thrive here!
Saturday, May 26: Basic Landscape Design (10:15 a.m.)
Experts walk you through soil preparation, plant selection and design concepts.  For more information, visit www.calloways.com. Hope to see you in the garden soon!