January 9, 2020
Upcoming Events | Show Off Your Garden
The Yellow Coat
by Joey Bokor
by Joey Bokor
'There is a yellow coat. There is a yellow coat. I see a yellow coat.' is what we heard
Maddy hollering as she dashed across the yard. Kim and I were sitting in the garden, enjoying
the dawn of a new decade by basking in the beautiful January weather.
And now we're startled. Instead of peace, wild thoughts are racing through our heads: 1) Is there someone
in our yard wearing a yellow coat? 2) Has there been someone in our yard and did they leave a
yellow coat? 3) Maybe she means redcoat and the British are invading. And with these notions in our
brains, Kim and I frantically scan the entire yard.
But, before we had too much time to worry, Maddy, still running, tossed a few words over her shoulder 'No dad, like a bee.' And both Kim and I at the same time exhaled and said, 'Oh a yellow jacket.'
Maddy's hustle was understandable. A few weeks ago, she disturbed a wasp nest that was
hiding under a swing and got a pretty good sting out of it. Now, anything that flies and resembles a wasp has
been labeled a villain. We don't really talk about or see yellow jackets a whole lot, so I'm not sure where
she came up with that name. Chances are what she saw was just a harmless and helpful honeybee. We've usually got lots of them buzzing about the yard. Which is a good thing, because
without bees, our garden wouldn't do much of anything.
And since you are probably busy doing what gardeners do in winter, dreaming and planning your spring gardens, think about planting a pollinator garden. There are lots of beautiful flowers that will add color to your landscape and at the same time help save the bees. Some tips for designing a garden are below and come on by the nursery to see some of our favorite pollinator-friendly plants. We promise they won't bring yellow coats or jackets. It may only be January, but new plants and flowers are arriving each day. Pretty soon, it will be time to turn those dreams and plans into beautiful gardens. When you're ready, we're here to help.
But, before we had too much time to worry, Maddy, still running, tossed a few words over her shoulder 'No dad, like a bee.' And both Kim and I at the same time exhaled and said, 'Oh a yellow jacket.'
And since you are probably busy doing what gardeners do in winter, dreaming and planning your spring gardens, think about planting a pollinator garden. There are lots of beautiful flowers that will add color to your landscape and at the same time help save the bees. Some tips for designing a garden are below and come on by the nursery to see some of our favorite pollinator-friendly plants. We promise they won't bring yellow coats or jackets. It may only be January, but new plants and flowers are arriving each day. Pretty soon, it will be time to turn those dreams and plans into beautiful gardens. When you're ready, we're here to help.
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Happy
Gardening, The Kerby's Nursery Family 
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The Weekly Special
Start your pollinator garden with the beautiful and well-behaved Cuphea Honeybells. It is especially good for butterflies and hummingbirds. And since it stays compact at around a foot tall and eighteen inches wide, it will fit in just about any garden.
6" Pot, Reg. Price - $7.99, Expires 1/16/2020
Pollinators are important. They are the reason you can grow great harvests of fruits and
vegetables. The food on your table? It's all because of bees and other insect pollinators.
Below are some things that you can do to make sure your garden is the place for pollinators to bee
(pun intended).Plant for Access - There are some gorgeous flowers with double and even triple layers of petals. And as pretty as they are, when it comes to bees and other pollinators, they can't always easily get to the pollen they are after. Make sure some of the flowers in your garden have a simple single layer of petals.
Plant for All Season - Keep pollinators fed all year long by planting flowers that bloom in different seasons or that bloom throughout the year.
Limit or Eliminate Pesticide Sprays - Pesticides kill bugs, and sometimes plants in your yard will get an infestation that needs to be controlled. However, pollinators are bugs too and pesticides are not selective enough to kill some bugs and not others. Take care never to spray plants that have active bees and plan to reduce the amount of pesticide used around your gardens, lawn and house. The pollinators will reward you with great garden harvests.
Create Habitat - If your yard is too neat and tidy, there may not be enough areas for pollinators to find nesting materials, shelter and forage. Even if you can't let everything go wild, try to keep some spaces that are a little overgrown with a little fallen brush or old tree branches. These small bits of habitat can help keep pollinators around.
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New Arrivals |
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Honeybells Cuphea Cute, Bee-friendly Flowers 6" Pot - $7.99 |
String of Pearls A Unique Succulent 4" Pot - $17.99 6" Pot - $34.99 |
Lavender Spanish, Phenomenal and Provence 6" Pots - $7.99 |
