Adrienne - ONCE UPON A CONEFLOWER

Milkweeds for Monarchs

Milkweeds (Asclepsias) are native to North America, with more than a hundred species found in the US and Canada. The irritating, sticky white sap for which milkweed is named just happens to be vital to the monarch butterfly’s lifecycle. By ingesting it, they use toxins found in the sap to repel predators, creating a natural defense system.

As the sole host plant for monarchs, milkweeds provide the growing larvae with food as well as sap. Adults also feed on milkweed nectar. Without these critical plants, monarchs would have nowhere to lay their eggs, and their species would soon cease to exist.

Tall Garden Phlox for Nonstop Color

No summer flower display is complete without garden phlox, a workhorse of the home flowerbed since European naturalists first discovered our native species, Phlox paniculata. The name ‘phlox’ comes from the Greek for flame, and you can see why– there’s nothing shy about these stalwart mainstays.

Tall phlox not only put on a colorful show, they’re usually long-lived once established. Some are wonderfully fragrant. New introductions are more disease resistant than ever, and many repeat bloom, or just keep going like the Energizer Bunny.

In my quest to identify some of the best phlox choices for zone 6, I delved deeply into two exhaustive phlox trials, as well as drew on my own experience with some of the cultivars.

Let’s take a look at the top performers, new introductions and what makes tall phlox so desirable in the garden.

Choosing Hydrangeas

Hydrangeas are deservedly popular shrubs with long bloom periods and handsome foliage. As a result, growers have introduced hundreds of cultivars in a dazzling array of colors. There are over 70 species and roughly 1000 cultivars and hybrids in production worldwide, with more being added every year.

Selecting a plant you’ll be happy with for the long haul can be tricky. Most cultivars and hybrids available in the US fall within six types, or species. Not all types have the same needs, and some can fail to bloom after a hard winter. So, where to start?

Here’s what I learned when I started researching hydrangeas.