In another thread I notice someone mentioned the above plant. For those who
want to attract butterflies, this is a wonderful plant. Bees, hoverflies
and butterflies all seem to go mad for it.
--

Sacha
(remove the 'x' to email me)

Good to hear about another butterfly plant - I'm collecting them at the
moment. I know Inulas like reliably moist soil. How are you growing yours?
Do they need a bog garden, or will they survive in ordinary border soil (I'm
on clay here)? Is mildew a problem during drought? I would be grateful
for your advice.

A few days ago, I saw a comma butterfly on my Buddleia 'Black Knight' - my
first sighting outside of natural history books. I was so thrilled.

We're also very fond of bees here, so all bee plant names welcome. When
foxgloves finish, bees are very happy to use penstemmons. I've also been
startled to see how many bees visit the tiny flowers of Heuchera.

Thanks in advance for any advice/tips.
Regards.
Spider



Sacha wrote in message
...
In another thread I notice someone mentioned the above plant. For those
who
want to attract butterflies, this is a wonderful plant. Bees, hoverflies
and butterflies all seem to go mad for it.
--

Sacha
(remove the 'x' to email me)

in article , Spider at
wrote on 4/8/03 11:57 am:

Good to hear about another butterfly plant - I'm collecting them at the
moment. I know Inulas like reliably moist soil. How are you growing yours?
Do they need a bog garden, or will they survive in ordinary border soil (I'm
on clay here)? Is mildew a problem during drought? I would be grateful
for your advice.
snip

Ours is growing in pretty ordinary neutral soil which has a far down clay
base. It's in a house border but not in rain shadow. If we have a drought,
it just gets watered when everything else does and so far, no sign of mildew
at all. It helps to stake it, in our experience, because wind and rain can
batter it down a bit and it does spread quite well, too. Another good
butterfly plant is Eupatorium - they love it.
--

Sacha
(remove the 'x' to email me)

The message
from "Spider" contains these words:

Good to hear about another butterfly plant - I'm collecting them at the
moment. I know Inulas like reliably moist soil. How are you growing yours?
Do they need a bog garden, or will they survive in ordinary border soil (I'm
on clay here)? Is mildew a problem during drought? I would be grateful
for your advice.

I've got inula hookeri, much shorter, which is also a magnet to bees
and butterflies. The shaggy yellow flowers seem to go on and on for
months.

I didn't know inulas like moist soil :~}, so mine's been deprived;
nevertheless it's thriving. The bed it's in is new, sandy and a bit
raised; very free draining and not rich soil. I'm in the middle of
making a bog garden so will transfer a bit there tomorrow.

Hebes are also attracting butterflies here atm.

Janet.

The message
from "Spider" contains these words:

Good to hear about another butterfly plant - I'm collecting them at the
moment. I know Inulas like reliably moist soil. How are you growing yours?
Do they need a bog garden, or will they survive in ordinary border soil (I'm
on clay here)? Is mildew a problem during drought? I would be grateful
for your advice.

I've got inula hookeri, much shorter, which is also a magnet to bees
and butterflies. The shaggy yellow flowers seem to go on and on for
months.

I didn't know inulas like moist soil :~}, so mine's been deprived;
nevertheless it's thriving. The bed it's in is new, sandy and a bit
raised; very free draining and not rich soil. I'm in the middle of
making a bog garden so will transfer a bit there tomorrow.

Hebes are also attracting butterflies here atm.

Janet.

in article , Janet Baraclough at
wrote on 4/8/03 10:41 pm:

The message
from "Spider" contains these words:

Good to hear about another butterfly plant - I'm collecting them at the
moment. I know Inulas like reliably moist soil.
snip

I didn't know inulas like moist soil :~}, so mine's been deprived;
nevertheless it's thriving. The bed it's in is new, sandy and a bit
raised; very free draining and not rich soil. I'm in the middle of
making a bog garden so will transfer a bit there tomorrow.

Hebes are also attracting butterflies here atm.

I asked Ray what he thought about Inulas needing boggy soil and he said it
was the first he'd heard of it! We have both I magnifica and I hookeri and
neither are in moist areas.
The other great butterfly attracting plant is Valerian but although we have
other people nearby with loads of it, it doesn't grow with us, for some
reason.
--

Sacha
(remove the 'x' to email me)

Spider wrote:

Good to hear about another butterfly plant - I'm collecting them at the
moment. I know Inulas like reliably moist soil. How are you growing yours?
Do they need a bog garden, or will they survive in ordinary border soil (I'm
on clay here)? Is mildew a problem during drought? I would be grateful
for your advice.

A few days ago, I saw a comma butterfly on my Buddleia 'Black Knight' - my
first sighting outside of natural history books. I was so thrilled.

We're also very fond of bees here, so all bee plant names welcome. When
foxgloves finish, bees are very happy to use penstemmons. I've also been
startled to see how many bees visit the tiny flowers of Heuchera.

Thanks in advance for any advice/tips.
Regards.
Spider


Our garden seems be crawling with bumblebees of all sizes (some really big
ones around) on almost everything thats flowering at the moment. These
include: cardoons, Scotch thistles, teasels, globe artichokes, borage,
globe thistles, Eryngium, Anchusa, marjoram, buddleia (lots of varieties).

"Sacha" wrote in message
...
in article , Spider at
wrote on 4/8/03 11:57 am:

Another good
butterfly plant is Eupatorium - they love it.
--

Sacha
(remove the 'x' to email me)

I was going to suggest Eupatorium, but Sacha beat me to it! I have a large
clump of Eupatorium purpureum (common name Joe Pye Weed - can't think why!)
It is covered in all sorts of flying insects, even now when the flowers are
going over. Definitely one to grow to attract insects. I grew mine from
seed, and they are very easy. Mine grows to about 8ft tall, and at the back
of a south-facing border. Droops a bit in hot sun, but soon recovers.
--
Chrissie
http://www.thegardener.btinternet.co.uk

"Sacha" wrote in message
...
in article , Spider at
wrote on 4/8/03 11:57 am:

Another good
butterfly plant is Eupatorium - they love it.
--

Sacha
(remove the 'x' to email me)

I was going to suggest Eupatorium, but Sacha beat me to it! I have a large
clump of Eupatorium purpureum (common name Joe Pye Weed - can't think why!)
It is covered in all sorts of flying insects, even now when the flowers are
going over. Definitely one to grow to attract insects. I grew mine from
seed, and they are very easy. Mine grows to about 8ft tall, and at the back
of a south-facing border. Droops a bit in hot sun, but soon recovers.
--
Chrissie
http://www.thegardener.btinternet.co.uk