September 26, 2019
Not a Sports Family
by Joey Bokor
Listen by Joey Bokor
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| Noah knows what to do. |
Last week, we were babysitting our nephew Noah and the girls got the soccer balls out to run around and play with him. For some reason Abby started trying to organize a little game between her and Maddy and after one kick of the ball she starts hollering 'Off-field, off-field that's off-field'. I asked if she meant offsides and she said no, so then I said, 'Oh, you mean out-of-bounds'. And she agreed that's what she meant. Next kick, ball goes flying, and she's yelling 'Off-bounds, off-bounds'. At that point I just chuckled and decided to let them keep having fun, so what if they don't have all the terminology correct.
We may not be a sports family, but we are definitely a gardening family. And like many of you, the butterfly garden is one of our favorites. Watching the life cycle from egg to chrysalis to caterpillar to butterfly is pure magic. To get your own butterfly garden going, check out our tips below and join us this Saturday at 10am for the Butterfly Gardening workshop. It's great to be a Florida gardening family.
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Happy
Gardening, The Kerby's Nursery Family 
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The Weekly Special
Every butterfly garden should start with pentas. They are constant-flowering and a butterfly favorite. And with the Bee Bright series, you also get a super compact plant. This week, they are just 2 for $10.
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Offer valid through 10/3/19 Cannot be combined with other offers. Exclusively for Kerby's Preferred Customers |
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| Butterflies are Nature's Miracle |
Garden Tip
There is nothing like seeing the first butterfly of the season in your garden. If you are new to butterfly gardening, or just want to attract as many as possible, check out the tips below and don't forget to join us this Saturday at 10am for the Butterfly Gardening Seminar.
1) Start with Nectar Plants - Nectar plants are food for the adult butterflies. Pentas, salvia, firecracker, firebush . . . there are so many to choose from. Before you head on to host plants like milkweed, make sure you've got plenty of flowers for the butterflies to feed on.
2) Hide Host Plants - Host plants are food for the caterpillars. Design your garden so that host plants like milkweed are hidden by other prettier plants. When caterpillars start eating, they can be voracious and you may not have much of the host plants left.
3) Don't use pesticides - on or near your butterfly garden. Even organic insecticides are intended to kill insects and, as pretty as they are, butterflies are still bugs. We often get asked about aphids and milkweed bugs. Control aphids by pruning and disposing of affected branches and leaves, or by introducing ladybugs into your butterfly garden. For milkweed bugs, it's the old flick and squish that tends to work the best.
4) Plant a variety - To attract butterflies of all shapes and sizes, plant flowers of different shapes, colors and sizes. A butterfly's feeding appendage is called a proboscis and each species has one of a slightly different size, so a variety of flowers creates the best opportunity for all types of butterflies to find food.
5) Be a little wild - Your HOA may not approve, but leaving some of your yard wild and overgrown provides shelter, wild food sources and puddling opportunities for butterflies. You'll have the most consistent butterfly populations if there are wild areas near or in your yard.
Now get out and enjoy!
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New Arrivals
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Whirling Butterflies Compact Tree, Great for Pots 6" Pot - $7.99 |
Banana Shrub Flowers Smell like Banana Candy 10" Pot - $29.99 |
BeeBright Pentas Compact and Colorful 6" Pot - 2 for $10 |
