Butterflies in the garden

One of the joys of the summer garden is to see butterflies feeding on flowers – except cabbage whites of course. It is not difficult to plant to encourage these brilliant visitors and there are options other than the ubiquitous buddleias.

You do not have to leave your garden to go wild to have them fluttering about but it has to be remembered that they are just the last stage of the creatures and that all start as veg-munching caterpillars. The larvae feed on various herbage including long grass and, famously, nettles. So having a patch of long grass and ‘weeds’ will feed the larvae that will eventually produce the butterflies. I find it gratifying that the delicate plume moths spend their adolescence munching on bindweed, though never enough to help in my battle against this pernicious weed.

One of the nice aspects of gardening today is that dahlias are back in fashion. In the 80s dahlias were not regarded with much affection. The big doubles were the province of show-growers and there was some demand for small, bedding kinds but that was about it. Then the long-forgotten ‘Bishop of Llandaff’ moved into the spotlight, loved by a new generation of gardeners for its bright red flowers and dark foliage. It was a good plant to mix in the flower border rather than isolate on the allotment, purely for their flowers. It set a trend and now single-flowered dahlias and dark-leaved kinds are commonplace.

Butterflies are especially happy about this. Because dahlias bloom right up to the autumn frosts they provide a welcome source of nectar for butterflies that overwinter as adults. Bees are provided with nectar and pollen too.

Herbaceous sedums are popular too and I would also plant verbenas, rudbeckias and eupatorium. Every year I grow statice, mainly for cutting, but also because the flowers, in various colours, attract masses of insects.

I do not garden primarily for wildlife and do not dismiss double flowers, which are generally useless for wildlife, but I do like to think I am doing my bit. Eryngiums (sea hollies) are good for pollinators and I like them. A few years ago ‘Neptune’s Gold’ was introduced which offers me my favourite colour combination, blue and gold. The flowerheads become infused with deeper blue as they age.

I like them as cut flower too. I never feel guilty about cutting flowers from the garden for the house.

Jobs for the week

Viburnum beetle

There are always a few problems to keep a watch out for but it is impossible to miss the damage caused by viburnum beetle. The larvae munch the leaves of most types of viburnum but especially V. opulus and V. tinus. Within a short time, they will make the leaves lacy and, more offensively, the smell of their frass is unmissable. The problem is largely cosmetic but, if a plant is severely affected every year it will be weakened. If you catch them early and pick them off or spray with an insecticide you can kill them and reduce the damage. If you leave it till the damage is done and the larvae have gone, there is no point spraying.

Cuttings

Over the next month it is the perfect time to take cuttings of a wide range of plants. These include many shrubs, including conifers, and tender plants such as pelargoniums, fuchsias and penstemons.

In most cases, tip cuttings are best, trimmed just below a leaf joint. Use a mix of equal parts multipurpose compost and perlite (or vermiculite) to root the cuttings. Fill pots of trays loosely and do not over-firm the compost. Put in the cuttings as soon as they are prepared so they do not wilt, water immediately and keep in a shady place in a propagator. You can tell when they are rooted because they will stop looking limp and will make signs of growth. Below are hydrangea cuttings (H. paniculata) which gives a general idea of what to do.

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