From doggedly determined urban gardener JeffG166:
Top photo: The trifoil camellia I planted in spring. Will flower anywhere from January to April. Planted out the dinning room window in a bed I can see easily. This is the second plant I bought. The first one worked.
Celosia cockscomb heads. The self seeding flamingo creatures found a recessive gene somewhere and produce them:
Celosia flamingo feather seeds. Self seeded into the brick sidewalk on the street for the third year in a row. The dogs water and feed them. I think I have several thousand seeds.
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“Small patches of wildflowers sown in cities can be a good substitute for a natural meadow, according to a study which showed butterflies, bees and hoverflies like them just as much.” I love wildlflowers, that’s the post. (via @bug-gwen.bsky.social) [theguardian.com]
— kottke.org (@kottke.org) November 22, 2024 at 4:22 PM
This particular study was done in Poland, but I’m assuming — hoping — the results would be approximately the same on our side of the Atlantic. Per the Guardian, “Patches of wildflowers in cities can be just as good for insects as natural meadows – study”:
… Councils are increasingly making space for wildflower meadows in cities in a bid to tackle insect decline, but their role in helping pollinating insects was unclear. Researchers working in the Polish city of Warsaw wanted to find out if these efforts were producing good results.
They found there was no difference in the diversity of species that visited sown wildflower meadows in cities compared with natural ones, according to the study published in the journal Ecological Entomology, and led by researchers from Warsaw University. The researchers said: “In inner-city areas, flower meadows can compensate insects for the lack of large natural meadows that are usually found in the countryside.”
This study confirmed that small areas of urban wildflowers have a high concentration of pollinating insects, and are as valuable to many pollinators as larger areas of natural meadow that you would typically find rurally. “In this way, we can alleviate the hostile environment of urban space for wildlife,” the researchers wrote.
Some insects did prefer the countryside: the number of butterflies was twice as high in natural meadows as it was in sown floral meadows, although the diversity of species was the same. No differences were found for wild bees and hoverflies…
About 50% of all European butterflies partly live in natural grasslands, and although there were fewer in cities, researchers found rare and protected species in the centre of Warsaw, including large coppers (Lycaena dispar) and scarce swallowtails (Iphiclides podalirius).
“We are of the opinion that replacing some mowed green areas with flower meadows may enhance biodiversity, especially by providing a mosaic of meadow types,” researchers wrote. “By sowing flower meadows, we quickly create colourful habitats that are eagerly visited by city inhabitants.”…
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I need more pictures, jackals!
What’s going on in your garden (retrospectives / planning / indoor), this week?
Rachel Bakes
In addition to adding beauty it provides food along the way for migratory insects and the bird species that eat them. Decades ago there were masses of cosmos planted on the medians along I-81 and I-84 in PA. They self-sowed every year and were beautiful for at least a month. No mowing required. Would be nice if more DOTs would try this, especially if they’re going to keep clear cutting all trees within 100’ of the highway (looking at my home of CT here).
rikyrah
Good Morning, Everyone😊😊😊
Baud
@rikyrah:
Good morning.
Dorothy A. Winsor
So, the things on the pan are flowers?
sab
@Dorothy A. Winsor: Maybe flower seeds?
eclare
@Dorothy A. Winsor:
I had that question too.
delphinium
Good morning everyone. Thanks for the pictures JeffG166 and for the uplifting article AL!
Jeffg166
@Dorothy A. Winsor:
Cockscomb celosia flower heads with black seeds falling out of them.
Jeffg166
After the ten weeks or so of no rain in Philadelphia it started to rain again. I have been waiting for the rain to plant the wild columbines, annual poppies and foxgloves started during the summer. Planting is now under way.
I have to clean up flower beds then throw down assorted seeds I saved over the summer. See what decides to come up next year.
kalakal
I’ve always had a fascination for plants that are surviving in the cracks as it were. Growing out of gaps in brickwork and concrete in the midst of urban/industrial landscapes.
It’s also fascinating to see it in nature. I spent many years in the Yorkshire Dales where there is a lot of Limestone Pavement and in the grikes ( the gaps) you find entire little eco systems, almost like natural bottle gardens
Ceci7
My city published a pollinator action plan this year! We’re hoping to add pollinator food sources, habitat, and travel corridors in our very built-up, paved-over bit of metro Boston.
Help a lurker out: how do we submit photos?
JeanneT
I’ve been reading up on gardening with native plants, hoping to put in a dedicated bed in my backyard next spring, and to add more natives to my current perennial beds. The past few summers I just slacked off tending my beds and let the native ‘weeds’ grow where ever they popped up, but next season I’ll add some ‘keystone’ species that will bring a big boost to the bugs and birds in my yard.
OlFroth
I’m in the process of removing the English ivy on my front slope and replacing it with native wildflowers. I already dug up a “formal” flowerbed and sowed native wildflowers there in the spring. The result was an explosion of bumblebees, honeybees, hummingbirds and butterflies.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@JeanneT: My SIL has planted their Florida yard all in native plants. Completely crowded out the grass. I think she belongs to a Native Plant group that has monthly meetings.
Anne Laurie
Send them, as jpgs or gifs or pngs, to my email address (annelaurie at balloon-juice dot com), along with any commentary you want included.
Looking forward to your submission!
H.E.Wolf
@Ceci7: Yay Somerville! Thanks for the link.
For submitting photos: I recommend that you check with Anne Laurie. Try [redacted – see Comment 15 instead]
mappy!
Ten weeks of no rain? Can commiserate. A dry late summer here on the windward edge of the Last Green Valley as well. 0.36″ Aug 26; 0.63″ Sep 26; 0.28″ Oct 7 & 0.04″ on the 30th; 0.30, Nov 8; finally something meaningful with 1.75″ by Nov 21st. Warmer than usual too. Asters did okay, same with the Verbena, butterfly bush, coreopsis, clemantis, tall phlox… Daliahs suffered…. Petunias, wild pinks & black-eyed susan into late Nov, hard frost this morning.
TerryC
@Jeffg166: Nice work. Is that yellow plate Fiestaware?
hoosierspud
I live in very dry Eastern Washington. The area is in the top 2% of water usage in the United States. Combine that with a long drought and an increase in population, and the Spokane aquifer is at risk of running dry. There is an organization called WaterWise Spokane (great website) which is helping consumers replace their lawns with native plant gardens and giving rebates for that, and switching to drip irrigation. Our church, with the help of our Boy Scout troop, made the switch this summer.
Jeffg166
@TerryC:
Yes, I have lots of Fiestaware. The yellow was a new color about 35 years ago.
It’s hard for me to break. In 40 years I think I have broken 3 pieces.
Glidwrith
Browsed the local nursery yesterday and came back with passion fruit, fig and Australian lime finger fruit trees.
Also looking at seaberry buckthorn bushes for a hedge.
NutmegAgain
Whereabouts do you live? (Or what zone?) I doubt that some of those plants would be happy where I live–the Camelia for example. Even southern New England is kind of chilly.
StringOnAStick
@hoosierspud: Good on ya for making the waterwise switch! There is no reason for so much turf grass in the dry west, other than habit. At the rate things are heating up, turf has to be significantly reduced.
The way the native pollinators flock to every turf grass yard I’ve converted to water wise perennials never ceases to bring me joy. So many amazing insects, and the bird diversity increases too!
I received some pears and apples so a batch of butter from each type of fruit is in process. Probably will end up with a combined 12 pints.
JeanneT
@Dorothy A. Winsor: Nice! There is an organization called Wild Ones that has chapters all across the country, sharing resources and holding presentations, plant sales, etc. One of my to-do items this year is to join up with the local group here.
JAM
@Jeffg166: I have some great pictures of celosia growing from a crack in my driveway. Weirdly, it didn’t sprout anywhere else.
Dan B
@kalakal: I understand that the pavements kept out sheep so plants would not be killed by grazing.