The month of April has a lot going for it, especially for gardeners! Even though the official date for the beginning of the spring season is in March. April is often the month that gardeners get into high gear because the weather is more predictably, what we might refer to as “gardening weather”.
April begins with a whimsical holiday with the first day being April Fool’s Day. Then on April 22, the day becomes more serious with the celebration of Earth Day. The idea of Earth Day is generally credited to Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, who conceived the idea in 1969. The first official Earth Day was in 1970 and Senator Nelson, today, is often referred to as the ‘Father of Earth Day’, The purpose is to create awareness of the need to protect our planet and to offer suggestions for environmental protection. Gardeners can, and do, play a vital role in this movement. Most gardeners that I know are very aware of the practices that are positive to our earth and try to stay within these guidelines.
Biochar is probably not a well-known name in gardening circles, but its name and use is becoming more common. A sustainable alternative to perlite, biochar is used to optimize aeration. It is made from 100% natural, renewable forest products that include sawmill and lumber remnants that are typically burned or end up in landfills. Exposing the wood to high temperatures in a low oxygen environment creates pure carbon that captures and stores CO2 from being released into the atmosphere. Good news for gardeners is that Sunshine® Black Bear® Indoor and Outdoor Potting Mix with biochar is now available. This is an ideal potting mix for containers and hanging baskets with superb water retention abilities. It is also an excellent product to work into the soil when planting.
With April being the month of Earth Day, and the new biochar product from Sunshine®, the third component would easily be planting a pollinator garden or at least some plants that are known for attracting pollinators. Most of us are aware of the plight of the monarch butterfly and how the numbers are drastically decreasing with one of the main reasons being the depletion of their much-needed milkweed plants. The group of plants, Asclepias, commonly called milkweed, is very diverse regarding native habitat, flowers, leaves, and hardiness. The monarch butterfly is very specific and only lays eggs on milkweed plants, which when the eggs hatch are the food source for the larvae.
Asclepias speciosa seed pods
With many patches of native plants on large commercial farming operations being eliminated, milkweed is part of the plant mix that is killed. Here is an opportunity where gardeners can step in and offer plants that are a necessary food source for the life cycle of the monarch. The flowers are good nectar source for many different butterflies. Asclepias are now offered for sale at many garden centers, and they can be garden worthy plants. One of my favorites is Asclepias speciosa, (Showy Milkweed). This is a perennial that grows 3-4 feet tall with large soft gray hairy leaves. The purplish pink flowers appear in mid-summer and are followed by 4–5-inch seed pods that split open and release silk-tailed seeds. The seed pods are often used in dried flower arrangements.
Asclepias speciosa flowers and flower buds
Another Asclepias that while also being a host for monarch butterflies, is probably best known for being a conversation piece in the garden. Asclepias physocarpa, also known as Family Jewels Tree, has flowers that are followed by hairy lime-green seed pods that will last for several months. This is fast growing and can reach 5-6 ft tall in one season. Plant it where it can be readily seen, and you’ll get lots of comments!
Asclepias physocarpa, also known as Family Jewels Tree
As the saying goes, “it takes a village”, and by working and conversing together, we can all make a difference. Initially our steps may be small, but with new knowledge of gardening practices, the steps can become more frequent and slowly become larger. It was not many years ago that I never saw a display at a garden center that highlighted pollinator plants and today it is commonplace.
