dreamworksdesign

[pennpenn]

MLB Omori au by @tosteur-gluteal

Transcript:

-did you see on the news that a few akumas showed up in germany?

-...what??

-yeah, it's fine though. Apparently there's this new Korean speaking superhero called the Meat Man who's getting rid of all of the akumas.

-the what man?? Catmint, we've been over this. Only the ladybug miraculous can revert everything and get rid of an akuma.

-the akumas don't exist anymore. Meat Man ate them.

-he what??

Bonus, Lobotomy Corporation Kel(Qli) meanwhile:

[daily-basil]

this is borp say hello to borp

[tosteur-gluteal]

another fast doodle of them because i love them dearly

[omori-mlb-au]

Obviously Sunny and Catmint have crushes on each other but what do Ladybug and Basil think of one another, dramatic irony and all? :D -Kae

Glad you asked, Kae!

I imagined Basil and Ladybug would go from "That guy I see sometimes" to friends!

After all, since Ladybug is technically already friends with Basil as Sunny, he'd wait to sneak in to say hello whenever he comes across his bestie (which confuses Basil at first).

I don't want to go into much details into their relationship because I want to write a fanfic lol, but as you can see, it could serve to make Catmint go through this kind of development:

[1o1percentmilk]

my hydroponics grow kit in my evil-looking basement

[thecuddlycauldron]

Some helpful plant info 🌱

Plants carry potent energy you can use to amplify your magical workings. Be sure to make use of your own astrological chart in working with these plants so you maximize the healing potential and get the full benefit of their inherent magic!

Aries 🌲

(March 21-April 19), ruled by Mars:

Carnation, cedar, clove, cumin, fennel, juniper, peppermint, pine

Taurus 🌿

(April 20-May 20), ruled by Venus:

Apple, daisy, lilac, magnolia, oak moss, orchid, plumeria, rose, thyme, tonka bean, vanilla, violet

Gemini 🍃

(May 21-June 20), ruled by Mercury:

Almond, bergamot, clover, dill, lavender, lemongrass, lily, mint, parsley

Cancer ☘️

(June 21-July 22). ruled by the moon:

Eucalyptus, gardenia, jasmine, lemon, lotus, myrrh, rose, sandalwood

Leo 🍁

(July 23-August 22), ruled by the sun:

Acacia, cinnamon, heliotrope, nutmeg, orange, rosemary

Virgo 🌴

(August 23-September 22), ruled by Mercury:

Almond, cypress, bergamot, mint, mace, moss, patchouli

Libra 🪴

(September 23-October 22), ruled by Venus:

Catmint, marjoram, mugwort, spearmint, sweet pea, thyme, vanilla

Scorpio 🍂

(October 23-November 21), ruled by Pluto:

Allspice, basil, cumin, galangal, ginger

Sagittarius 🌳

(November 22-December 21), ruled by Jupiter:

Anise, cedar wood, honeysuckle, sassafras, star anise

Capricorn 🍀

(December 22-January 19), ruled by Saturn:

Mimosa, vervain, vetiver

Aquarius 🎍

(January 20-February 18), ruled by Uranus:

Almond, acacia, citron, cypress, lavender, mimosa, peppermint, pine

Pisces 🎋

(February 19-March 20), ruled by Neptune:

Anise, catmint, clove, gardenia, lemon, orris, sarsaparilla, sweet pea

[fumifooms]

And now I’m truly going off the rails bc of last asker but I have thought about what plant fits who and it’s my time to shine…

Mithrun is a succulent because they look like flowers but aren’t (tougher and also kind of duller), are elegant yet minimalist, and they’re low maintenance (you could definitely argue that Mithrun is high maintenance instead but I went the opposite route of him never feeling like he needs much water, attention and whatnot). I prefer the classic one that’s a pale greyish green for him but there are so many that are neat…

Kabru as a big floating bladderwort… A carnivorous aquatic plant that traps little aquatic critters. If you just look at the flower it looks so pretty and harmless, distracts from the roots scheming murder… Also it’s an aquatic plant, gives me the vibe of something surviving/thriving in an environment that shouldn’t be theirs but they’ve adapted, like a tallman in elf society…..

I also associate him a ton with himalayan blue poppies, for obvious reasons. Insane that the shade of blue of his eyes is associated with the throat chakra btw, Kui’s always doing 8d chess my god.

For Izutsumi, Faassen's Catmint. It's a species of catnip but a man-made hybrid and not a natural species. It kind of looks like a long puffy cat tail with the shape, and it has a lot of little flowers… Kind of subtle/bland and unassuming at first look, but colorful and sweet if you take the time to look. Feels sort of vulnerable/or even cold at first but like they’re just looking out for themselves even if they are not someone unemotional….. It makes sense to me. Babygirl. Purple is an unexpected choice for her but it feels right

Chilchuck echinopsis calochlora or golden barrel cactus… The first one is smaller, but I was trying to find the perfect lil cactus guy with orange spines and couldn’t really find any that was just perfect. Chilchuck "I am so approachable" Tims, literally round and spiny with his little hairs but also metaphorically fitting… Also the gooden barrel cactus has a bunch of lil yellow flowers that sprout on its top while the calochlora has HUGE stalks with a big white flower that sprouts so like, if you want to take that to be his big heart once he reveals it or the little flowers of his care……

Falin is the funky living rocks plant. They have cryptid energy and are just so weird and colorful and unique. A little unfeeling. Sad that she doesn’t get a plant that’s fun to eat but come on.

I feel like Laios would also be a cactus, with maybe juice that has funky properties kind of like peyote… He’s reserved and [spoilers], but he either has no spines or small/few spines so he doesn’t look all that uninviting or tough… Probably has very pretty colorful flowers! Or he’s like Falin and loves dandelions and bishop’s lace because he can eat it. Or maybe he’d be a vegetable. Sweet potato… Someone said carnivorous plant to which I suggest pitcher plant or sarracenia.

I see Senshi as basil. Enough said. Something that can be turned into spices and is all greenery that’s all I need

Thank you for coming to my ted talk. I had these thoughts months ago while sick and feverish </3 Possessed by the want to draw the cast as little plants…….. That would be nice……

[madamlaydebug]

Basil: protection, grounding, happiness, peace, money, love, luck

Bay Leaf: wishes, dreams, psychic ability, cleansing, healing, curse breaking, banishing

Catmint: healing, animal magic, relaxation, calmness, happiness, psychic ability, love, wishes, meditation

Clove: healing, prosperity, friendships, money

Clover: money, prosperity, luck, happiness, spirit work, fae, protection, healing

Chamomile: calmness, money, love, peace, cleansing, love, meditation

Chives: protection, balance, divination

Coriander/Cilantro: love, protection, divination, fertility, psychic ability, peace

Cinnamon: safety, calmness, love, happiness, money, blessing, protection, healing

Cardamom: femininity, love, charm, performing arts, relaxation, calmness

Cumin: protection, love, fertility, banishing

Cayenne: strength, curses, protection, heartbreak, curse breaking, love

Not all of these herbs are edible or safe in some/all circumstances, please do research before eating/using any of the plants listed here!

[the-secret-grimoire]

BODY PARTS AS PLANT PARTS

Eye- Blossom or Seed

Heart- Bud or Seed

Beak, Bill or Nose- Seed, Bud or Bloom

Tongue or Teeth- Petal or Leaf

Head- Blossom

Tail- Stem

Hair- Dried Herbs or Stringy Parts Of Herbs

Privates, Genitals Or Semen- Seeds Or Sap

Blood- Sap

Guts- Roots or Stalk

Paw, Foot, Leg, Wing or Toe- Leaves

PLANT NAMES AS ANIMALS

Toad- Sage

Cat- Catmint

Dog- Grasses, Specifically Couchgrass

Frog- Cinquefoil

Eagle- Wild Garlic

Blue Jay- Laurel

Hawk- Hawkweed

Lamb-Wild Lettuce

Nightengale- Hops

Rat- Valerian

Weasel- Rue

Woodpecker- Peony

Some of these names are still in use today

These days, there are many almanacs of magical herbs and herbal grimmoires available online or at bookstores, that list out Witch Herb/Plant names and even details their uses. Just for fun, I will leave you with a list of some of my favorite witchy plant names.

Ass' Ear- Comfrey

Bat's Wing- Holly Leaves

Beard Of Monk- Chicory

Bear's Foot- Lady's Mantle

Bird's Eye- Germander or Speedwell

Blind Eyes- Poppy

Blood From A Head- Lupine

Blood Of Ares- Purslane

Blood Of Hestia- Chamomile

Bloody Fingers- Foxglove

Calf's Snout- Snapdragon

Cat's Foot- Ground Ivy

Crow's Foot- Wood Anemone

Devil's Ear- Jack In The Pulpit

Devil's Plaything- Yarrow

Dew Of The Sea- Rosemary

Dog's Mouth- Snapdragon

Dragon's Teeth- Vervain

Elf Leaf- Lavender

Englishman's Foot- Common Plaintain

Eye Of Newt - Mustard Seeds

Fairy Eggs- Nutmeg

Flower Of Death- Vinca

Goose Tongue- Lemon Balm

Graveyard Dust- Mullein

Hawk's Heart- Wormwood

Juno's Tears- Vervain

Jupiter's Beard- Sempervivums

Lion's Foot- Lady's Mantle

Little Faces- Viola

Man's Bile- Turnip Sap

Mortification Root- Rose Of Sharon

Nose Of Turtle- Turtlehead, Chelone

Nosebleed- Yarrow

Our Lady's Tears- Lily Of The Valley

Old Man's Flannel- Mullein

Ram's Head- Valerian

Scale Of Dragon- Tarragon

Semen Of Ares- White Clover

Semen Of Hermes- Dill

Serpent's Tongue- Dog's Tooth Violet

Sparrow's Tongue- Knotweed

Tree Of Doom- Elder

Unicorn Root- Boneset

Weasel Snout- Yellow Archangel

Wool Of Bat- Moss

-

Absinthe - wormwood

African ginger - ginger

Aftator pear - avocado

American dittany - basil

Aneton - dill

Bairnwort - daisy

Bee balm - lemon balm

Bird's foot - feunugreek

Blind buff - poppy

Blue eyes - potatos

Blood of Hestia - chamomile

Calf's snout - snapdragon

Chinese parsley - coriander

Chocolate flower - geranium

Devil's dung - asafoetida

Eagle - wild garlic

Elf leaf - lavender

Fairy fingers - foxglove

Gallowsgrass - hemp

Gin plant - juniper

Giver of life - corn

Goat's leaf - honeysuckle

Golden bough - mistletoe

Honey stalks - clove

Kronos' blood - cedar sap

Lamb mint - spearmint

Rabbits - toadflax

Ring-o-bells - bluebells

Scaldhead - blackberry

Semen of Hermes - dill

Titan's blood - wild lettuce

White wood - cinnamon

[drew-mga2022mi6014]

Artwork | Exploring the Perennials

The Perennials were another challenge to design, as I now needed to make each of them distinct enough from the Shrubs, so they could not use the same shapes and such. Apart from the Climbers, this was the group of plants that I struggled the most in designing.

The first Perennial, the basil, was mainly based on the orientation of Basil Leaves and their flowers, with some sharp edges added to symbolise the fact that it is a more offensively oriented plant.

For the Sword Fern, I wanted to make it look like a warrior, but I needed to make sure that it was overgrown so that it kept with its reputation as a cover crop, preventing soil erosion and hearkening back to its immunity to The Porcupine messing around with the terrain.

The Marigold needed to very much radiate fun and whimsy, as it was a trap crop. The idea here is that it uses its bright colours to lure away pests from other tiles, just like in real life. So, I took some inspiration from performers and cheerleaders as well, who generally draw attention to themselves through their craft.

For the Catmint, I decided to go the literal route and create a cat that was made out of the Catmint plant, with its tails being the flowers.

While I am slightly disappointed with how the Basil and Sword Fern designs came out, I am extremely happy with the other two. This was also the most "green" batch of plant designs, using the most varieties of green and the most green:other colour ratios of all the cards.

[horsfields]

Lots more herbs now ready.

Basil Bush

Thai Basil

Sweet Basil

Lavender Hidcote

Lavender Munstead

Rosemary

Trailing Rosemary

Pink Rosemary

Sage

Black currant Sage

Pineapple Sage

Chives

French tarragon

Dill

Fennel

Angelica

Thyme - lots of varieties

Parsley

Chamomile

Borage

Sorrell

Lovage

Fenugreek

Oregano

Marjoram

Welsh onion

Bronze Fennel

Coriander

Catmint

Nepeta Kit Kat

And more …. Including lots of Mint

Did you know there are lots of different varieties of Mint?

They make lush fresh tea!

Mentha are aromatic, rhizomatous perennials with opposite, toothed leaves and small tubular flowers in spikes.

We grow lots of different Mint on the nursery including:-

Strawberry

Apple

Grapefruit

Chocolate Peppermint

Lemon

Spearmint (common garden)

Ginger

Why not pop in and have a smell

Horsfields Nursery Tel:- 01226 790441

Info@horsfieldsnursery.co.uk

Horsfields Nursery

Pot House Hamlet

Silkstone

Barnsley

South Yorkshire

S75 4JU

Looking for some ideas of what to do in the garden in June?

Click on the link to listen

https://youtu.be/BYAGxeNcw84?feature=shared

#gadeningtips

#gardeingingideas

#gardenexperts

#gardeningexperts

#howtogarden

#horsfields

#gardentips

#gardenideas

#gardenhints

#gardening

#garden

#whattodointhegardennow

#gardeninghints

Need some advice or help? Come in and ask!

We are open seven days a week.

10am - 4pm

Beautiful plants in a beautiful place

#pothousehamlet

#placestovisitpenistone

#horsfieldsnursery

#penistone

#whattodointhegardennow

#gardencentrebarnsley

#gardencentrepenistone

#silkstone

#barnsley

#yorkshireplants

#yorkshiregarden

#mint

#darton

#mapplewell

#thurgoland

www.horsfieldsnursery.co.uk

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Stay fit, Stay healthy, Keep gardening!

[nimupates]

Grow Your Own: Tips for Starting an Indoor Kitchen Garden

Indoor Kitchen Garden

Dreaming of homegrown veggies, herbs, and greens but don't have an outdoor garden? Many edible plants thrive indoors on sunny windowsills, under grow lights or even in converted closets with some simple DIY installations. Read on for everything you need to know before starting your own indoor kitchen garden!

Choosing the Best Spot in Your Home

When choosing an indoor garden location, lighting and ambient conditions are key. Most edible plants require 4 to 6 hours of direct sunlight or intense grow lighting daily. Focus first on south or west-facing windows to maximize sun exposure. Supplement natural light with adjustable full spectrum LED grow bulbs especially during shorter winter days. Avoid placing seedlings directly against cold window panes which could shock them. Allow several feet distance from windows on a secondary table or shelving unit. While bright light is essential, also ensure your indoor garden isn't situated in drafty spots or directly within heat zones around appliances. Stable comfortable room temperatures between 65-75 degrees Fahrenheit enable healthy growth for most indoor edibles. Monitor ambient humidity as well, avoiding overly moist areas prone to mold. Kitchens provide warmth and access to watering yet keep plants far from stove and oven heat. Also be wary of humidity and condensation from sinks, opting for well-ventilated areas less prone to foliage diseases. Creative Solutions for Tight Spaces Urban apartment dwellers without much square footage can still reap indoor edible rewards! You'd be amazed how productive mini wall-mounted planters, stacked crates, hanging gardens and vertical hydroponic towers can be, even in tiny spaces. Help your plants climb slender trellises to maximize vertical real estate. Install floor-to-ceiling shelving above counters or desks equipped with supplemental grow light strips. Repurpose empty cabinets or bookcases for raised garden beds. Consider converting odd dusty spaces like mail slots, supply closets or under stair cubbies into micro-gardens!

Choosing the Best Indoor Edible Plants

With thousands of plant species and varieties to pick from, it helps to prioritize ease, yield, and growth habitat when selecting indoor edibles. As a rule of thumb, start with crops you regularly cook with and love to eat! Success harvesting even small batches of homegrown ingredients like mini tomatoes, herbs or salad greens builds confidence to expand. When browsing seed catalogs and nurseries, seek out dwarf, patio or compact varietals suited for containers. Focus on fast-growing herbs and veggies that can develop fully from transplant to maturity within your indoor season timeframe. Keep maturation and harvest data from seed packets handy, planning succession plantings for continual yields. Note mound spacing, trellising needs, light and nutrient requirements before purchasing. Select disease-resistant seeds and starts well-suited for indoor humidity and heat levels in your home. Can't Fail Prolific Indoor Herbs Herbs offer great bang for your buck planted indoors, rewarding gardeners with month after month of bountiful green foliage and dynamic flavors. Many Mediterranean herbs relish warm indoor environments reminiscent of their coastal regional origins. The mint family including basil, oregano, thyme and lemon balm are very forgiving, fast growing and high yielding. Try overwintering hardy perennial herbs like rosemary, sage and parsley indoors, harvesting from the same plants year after year. Start more temperamental cilantro and dill biweekly for continual access to their leaves, flowers and seeds. Grow trailing herbs like wandering jew, nasturtium or catmint in hanging planters. Air drying longer-lasting herbs or freezing chopped portions in ice cube trays keeps their zesty flavors on hand year-round even when your indoor garden rests! Reliable Vegetables, Lettuce and Greens Nutrient-dense salad greens and herbs provide the most bang for your buck as indoor veggies. Various lettuce varieties will keep providing a steady yield of fresh leaves for months from just 1-2 starter plants! Try catalog varieties labeled "cut and come again", "long standing" or "loose leaf" suited for repeat partial harvests versus pulling entire heads at once. Arugula, kale, swiss chard, spinach and mustard greens also grow well indoors from seeds or starts. Quick-maturing cherry tomatoes thrive indoors. Stake or trellis vines for vertical growth potential. Radishes and green onions offer speedy satisfaction, developing crunchy roots or shoots in just 4-6 weeks from seeds! Plant bush bean and pea seeds directly in roomy containers. Certain dwarf carrot varieties can grow plump petite roots indoors. Peppers and eggplant need adequate lighting and prefer slightly warmer ambient temperatures but produce well in indoor gardens.

Caring for Your Indoor Edible Garden

To help indoor edibles thrive, emulate elements of their natural outdoor growing environments. Situate containers purposefully to receive required sunlight levels per variety. Use grow lights to supplement natural daylight. Provide physical supports for climbing vines and top-heavy plants prone to flopping over. Practice attentive horticultural nurturing just as you would for outdoor garden beds orcontainer plants on a patio or balcony. Monitor soil moisture, ambient temperature and humidity fluctuations in your home. Check for pest infestations hiding in thick foliage. Feed plants supplemental liquid fertilizers to avoid nutrient deficiencies. Support beneficial pollinators for fruiting crops. Water Well and Infrequently Irregular watering causes the most avoidable trouble for indoor container gardens! Each plant variety prefers slightly different moisture levels in soil and substrates. Mint family herbs hate perpetually wet roots yet spinach thrives grown hydroponically in perpetually damp surroundings. Invest in self-watering pots or conservatively monitor soil dryness, watering most plants when the top few inches become crumbly and no longer clump together. The old finger poke check still works perfectly! Most edibles grow best when soil moisture is kept evenly moderately damp through the entirety of pots, not just surface top watering a small circle. Submerge entire containers in buckets to bottom saturate soils evenly yet infrequently. Allow excess moisture to fully drain out through holes before returning plants to drip trays. This wet dry cycle prevents mineral buildups. Feed Growing Plants Even attentive gardeners often unintentionally starve container plants by underfeeding! High yielding fruiting crops deplete surrounding soil volume nutrients rapidly since confined pots restrict spreading feeder root networks. Replenish macro and micronutrients through your indoor garden’s life cycle, especially for heavy feeding nightshades like peppers and tomatoes. Use either fast acting liquid solutions or granular time-release fertilizers. Follow label instructions dosing every 2-4 weeks per crop requirements. Organic fish emulsion, compost tea feeds or kelp extracts offer added benefits. If plants show signs of deficiencies like yellowing leaves, increase feeding strength or frequency. Manage Pest Invaders Indoor conditions can enable rapid reproduction cycles for pesky spider mites, fungus gnats, thrips, whitefly and other common plant parasites. Check leaf undersides at least weekly searching for webbing, tiny eggs or crawling insects. Isolate and treat infested plants immediately to avoid spreading! Apply insecticidal soaps, neem oil or garlic sprays targeting culprits. Prevent flying pests by hanging sticky yellow card stock traps overhead. Sprinkle diatomaceous earth or crushed eggshell barriers around pot rims to block crawling invaders. Avoid overapplying harsh chemicals – beneficial ladybugs and other predatory insects help naturally regulate bad bugs when populations spike and compete for resources!

Enjoying and Troubleshooting Your Indoor Edible Bounty

Be prepared to patiently troubleshoot challenges and crop failures amid inevitable successes as you gain wisdom. Kill plants with kindness by gradually harvesting greens only as needed versus rapidly depleting an entire head of lettuce at once — this preserves longevity! Time carrot and radish thinning harvests around maturity rates listed on seed packets to plump crops at their prime sweetness. Herbs like basil and parsley thrive with frequent tip prunings, becoming bushier and delaying bolting. Contrarily, flowering plants like cilantro and dill should be allowed to continually reseed themselves. When stumped by problems, consult diagnostic plant directories to accurately identify deficiencies and remedies. Yellowed foliage typically indicates underfeeding but could also signal overwatering root rot or pest issues. Investing extra care into your indoor edible garden pays delicious dividends! Health Properties of Copper: Benefits, Food Sources, Importance Read the full article

[tosteur-gluteal]

OMORI MLB AU ANIME - Sunny/Ladybug

🌹 Tokio Funka is a crazy town 🌹 and 🐞Tokio Funka never sleeps all night🐞

Basil/Catmint

[omori-mlb-au]

I think a Balcony Scene™ between Basil and Ladybug would be very sweet! Say they got rejected by their respective crushes (or perceived themselves rejected anyway) and had to talk to one another for comfort à la the show.

I can imagine Ladybug telling Basil about how Catmint is so great but also so cold to him and Basil being like "Yeah he's the worst, huh?" and Basil telling Ladybug about his massive crush on his bestie and Ladybug saying "I bet he's not that great." And them bonding over their (failed) attempts to rebound while self-deprecating/boosting each other up. —Kae.

Oooh well almost spot on! I mean, it is the obvious route for their relationship – I really like those dialogues aaaaa thanks Kae !!

Here, have a doodle of them

(@theokusgallery is the one who wrote almost all of Ladybug's tirade yippie)

Aaaa I just- (tiny little ramble below)

Basil is so down bad for Sunny and Sunny really cares about Basil because he is his first and only best friend but Basil has low self-esteem and thinks he's just too lame, unworthy of his friend and just cannot imagine himself going out of his way to confess to him. Sunny thinks that he's just some guy with anger issues who's just not suitable for friendships or really, any kind of relationships. He honestly sees himself as a bad guy, the kind to think of themselves "If they discover I'm such a horrible person they'll leave me" and. Poor fella. Man 🥹 One single argument or disagreement and bro will distance himself to a point of isolation and drown in negative emotions - and you know it's bad 🦋

Catmint is being a moody emo guy and Ladybug is tired of his shit but also kinda into that (who would blame him)

But yeah, deep inside, it does hurt Ladybug to be treated that way sometimes. Wait until he explodes 🤓☝️

Not revealing too much but even if being Catmint is synonymous of freedom for Basil, sometimes, he really hates being this cold sarcastic guy. Sometimes, he really, really hates being Catmint.

I ended up rambling fhdjdbhdudd I had to get a little bit out

Thanks for your ask Kae ! It's always a pleasure

[tintinntabuli]

The Lantana and Verbena Report: Did they attract pollinators as you promised?

(L) Coleus in front of ‘Little Joe’ Joe Pye Weed; (R) Persian Shield with sweet potato vine.

About a year ago I asked you guys – the savvy, experienced gardeners who read this blog – for what “Potted Annuals for Pollinators” you’d recommend. I was unhappy with some annuals I’d been growing near my front door – which do soooo well but attract nothing. But what could I grow instead, here and in the tomato-red pots in my back garden where the ‘Standing Ovation’ Little Bluestem weren’t standing after all, and were so lackluster that even a commenter here on the Rant called them “underwhelming”? The truth hurts!

(I’m keeping the Persian Shield+sweet potato vine combo shown above despite their lack of appeal for pollinators (though holes in the vine tell me it’s supporting something). Look how great they still looked on November 1 when this photo was taken! And in this spot very close to my front door, I’m okay with no flowers and no bees, which I don’t want in my house.)

Back to the question I asked readers – out of concern for wildlife, sure, but also, selfishly, so that I could enjoy watching them from my patio – your answers were almost thrilling in the possibilities they opened up for this old gardener.

You suggested:

Annuals: Salvia ‘Lady in Red,’ butterfly sage (Salvia guaranitica), Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’, blue salvias generally, lantana (several votes), verbena, verbena bonariensis, pentas, ‘African Blue’ basil, bronze fennel, zinnias, Anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) (several votes), ‘Truffela Pinks’ Gomphrena, Lacy Phacelia, Teddy Bear sunflowers.Perennials: Red Valerian, lavender, Calamintha nepeta, single dahlias, catmints, gaillardias, “almost anything in the mint family, which includes Salvias,” wax begonias for hummingbirds, and as a filler, small hostas like ‘Golden Tiara’ or ‘Rainbows End.’

Wow!

What I Bought – Lantana ‘Red Spread’

After reading Ranter Elizabeth’s praise for the annuals she buys online, I chose one of her favorite suppliers (Select Seeds) and ordered some lantanas, and boy, did they perform! They bloomed like crazy until the first hard frost, and the growth pattern is perfect – mostly horizontal, so there’s need to hack them back to prevent flopping. I love the bold, vibrant color! Another wonderful surprise is that they don’t need deadheading. Not only do they bloom just fine without it, but the dying blooms (above) still look good right up until they fall off, so why bother?

Pollinator-wise, they performed like the champs you guys promised they’d be. Honestly I’d need a much better camera to capture the critters in stills, but I took videos throughout the season and I’ll have a short compilation to show you soon. (Preview: it’s the hummingbirds, sometimes two at a time, that steal the show.)

Here in my back garden, by mid-July I’d given up on the grasses in these pots and replaced them with some ‘Havana Red Sky’ lantanas that I found at my local farmer’s market. They took off right away and at the end of the season they were this size. And what a great match for the pots!

I was also happy to learn that lantanas are less thirsty than other annuals – I don’t think I ever saw them wilt.

What I Bought – Verbenas

The other completely new-to-me plant I bought from Select Seeds is this ‘Vanity’ verbena, which did attract some bees and butterflies but didn’t have much impact in my border. I’m going to try a shorter, bushier variety next time.

Extended Season for Pollinators – Done!

My tiny front garden was already attracting critters to the Joe Pye Weed, bronze fennel, Nepeta and wood aster, but with the addition of tropical annuals like verbena and especially lantana, the wildlife action now goes on continuously for a very long season.

Happier Gardener – Done!

So yeah, I love upping my garden’s game at performing important eco-services, like supporting pollinators.

But I’ll tell ya, adding SO many flowers to this small space outside my front door, near the patio where I sit and gaze upon the garden – that’s been thrilling! The combination of floral beauty with stunning insects swarming over them in the sun. You could say it’s upped my mental well-being.

Flowers just make us happy! They attract people to gardening and then reward their efforts with beauty to be enjoyed by them and their family and visitors.

Next month I’ll be ordering even more of your suggestions, for planting in pots and also to fill in open spots in my borders:

More ‘Red Spread’ lantana, plus some ‘Cherry Sunshine’‘Graffiti’ pentas‘Lollipop’ verbena‘Black and Blue’ salviaCosmos seedsPurple Bell vineI’ve already ordered a dwarf canna from a specialist, to replace the (nonblooming) banana in my largest pot.

That’s a lot to look forward to, for not a lot of money, or effort.

The Lantana and Verbena Report: Did they attract pollinators as you promised? originally appeared on GardenRant on December 22, 2023.

The post The Lantana and Verbena Report: Did they attract pollinators as you promised? appeared first on GardenRant.

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[placesaspeople]

thinking abt peach & basil today. they're two of my not-cats that live in stars' landing- one that was born in gardenhome, one that migrated from earth, very close in age. i think that they're a little bit soulmates. i think their lives are very closely intertwined, all string and all seeing someone else in reflections all your life, watching them, being watched, seeing an unfamiliar setting and wondering, realizing that they watch you in return, loving a (not) cat you havent been able to say a word to, moving to a new world at the end of your old life, realizing this is the world you have seen in the mirrors, and hoping, and hoping, and waiting, and then- of course you meet. of course. i hope you havent been here long enough that i cant show you all my favorite things about it, etc. i plan on getting them a love letter collection and some catmint tea- they'll be nice partners