• Butterflies like a lot of sunlight, so locate your garden in a sunny area.


• If you live in a windy location, plant your butterfly-attracting plants near a building, fence, or hedge to protect them.


• Plant a variety of nectar-rich plants, as well as shrubs and evergreens for shelter.


• Since many butterflies and native flowering plants have co-evolved, try to put in some that are native to your area. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildlife Center provides lists of plants native to states and regions.


• Certain colors are particularly attracting to butterflies – red, yellow, pink, purple, or orange blooms that are clustered or flat-topped, with a short flower tubes are especially attractive to adult butterflies.


• Avoid using pesticides, especially around nectar-producing plants.


• Provide a shallow source of water – try a birdbath with pebbles lining the bowl.


• Place a rock in a sunny spot for butterfly basking and resting.


• Create a "puddling area" by digging a shallow hole filled with compost or manure where rainwater will collect and release essential salts and minerals.


• If you want butterflies to breed in your garden, put in some caterpillar food plants, such as parsley, milkweeds, asters, thistles, violets, clover, grasses, and Queen Anne’s Lace.


• Since butterflies need nectar throughout the entire adult phase of their lives, try to create a design that will allow for a continuous bloom – when one stops blooming, another starts.

As the deer population has boomed and food has become scarcer, they have become more aggressive. In some areas deer will strip your garden bare, leaving nothing green or flowery behind. While there is no such thing as a completely deer-proof garden, there are some effective things you can do to protect your garden from these hungry animals.

Use physical barriers

A High Fence
Deer can jump pretty high, but a fence higher than eight feet (higher on an up-slope) and flush with the ground will keep any deer out.

Electric Fences
They are a much easier and less expensive solution. Deer generally will not try to jump electric fences, but will rather try to climb through the wires, receiving a deterring shock.

Bird-Netting
An even less extreme physical option is to put bird netting over your larger and more susceptible plants.

Plant Deer-resistant Varieties

Herbs, some conifers, and many flowers are some of the best deer-resistant plants. More fragrant plants will often deter predation. Planting just a few deer-resistant plants will limit grazing of your other plants. Remember, "deer-resistant" does not mean deer-proof. A hungry animal will eat just about anything.

Having a dog In the Family

Owning a dog, especially a big dog will almost always keep deer from approaching your home. Just the scent of the dog will keep most deer away, and if your dog lives outside you will probably never see any deer.

For most gardeners, it is a combination of different solutions that works best. Every gardener has to find the solution that works best in their garden.

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Planting Spring-Blooming Bulbs

With Wayside’s bulbs, growing gorgeous flowers is as easy as Dig, Drop, Done.

Dig:

The first thing you want to do is pick your spot and dig the hole for your bulbs. Avoid places with standing water, as this could cause bulb rot. A good rule of thumb when planting is to dig down 3 times the height of the bulb, but you should follow the specific instructions for your bulb. Make sure to space out your bulbs to give your plants the right amount of room to grow later.

Drop:

Now put your bulbs in the ground, pointy side up. For fall planting, be sure to get the bulbs in before the first frost. For spring planting, the time varies by plant. Afterwards, cover the bulbs with soil and then water them in. This helps wake the bulbs up from dormancy and get them growing again.

Now you’re Done!

Just sit back and wait, and in the spring your bulbs will sprout up and reward you with their beautiful blooms throughout the season. Growing flowers from Wayside bulbs really is that easy!


Videos courtesy of the Dig Drop Done Foundation.

No plant is easy the first time you garden with it. So here are some quick tips to make you look like a pro, even if you've never laid eyes on a daffodil bulb before in your life!

Daffodil bulbs often have two big shoots coming out of one base, as if two bulbs were stuck together. Don't separate them; just plant the whole thing. It will multiply even faster!

Plant daffodil bulbs with the wide base facing downwards, the pointy top facing up.

Plant the bulbs at a depth of least 3 times their height. In warmer climates, even deeper is recommended.

Do not add any "bulb food" or other enrichment at planting time.

After planting, daffodils need no special treatment. Water, mulch, or leave the soil alone, just as you normally would.

In spring, after the daffodils have bloomed, do not cut away the leaves. This is critical. Let them die all the way back; the plant is gathering nutrition for next year's growth during this period. If you want to hide the unattractive brown shoots, plant your daffodils among daylilies, which do a good job covering up the leaves with their fresh green foliage.

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