Your garden, no matter how small, does matter!

We recently got the news that the Million Pollinator Garden Challenge put on by the National Pollinator Garden Network achieved and surpassed its goal of signing up one million gardens for pollinators.

Gardeners like you commit to providing food, shelter, and a water source to benefit honeybees, native bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and other wildlife critical for pollinating our food crops.

If you are interested in signing up, please visit www.millionpollinatorgardens.org.

Consider taking up the 2019 Challenge to add three new pollinator plants, including a spring bloomer, a summer bloomer, and a fall bloomer.

Some Alden Lane favorites to help out our little winged friends:

Spring
California Wild Lilacs (Ceanothus ‘Ray Hartman,’ ‘Valley Violet,’ and others); Rosemary, California poppies and Iceland Poppies, Spirea, Lilac Vine, Grevillea, Manzanitas, Redbuds, Mallows/Lavatera.

Summer
Gaillardia, Butterfly Bush (Buddleia sp.), Milkweed (Asclepias sp.), Yarrow, Lantana, Alyssum, Catmint, Lavender, Sunflowers, Fuchsia, Santa Barbara Daisy, ‘Hot Lips’ Sage, Coreopsis, Echinacea, Black-eyed Susans.

Fall
Mexican Bush Sage, Chrysanthemums, Asters, Herbs allowed to go to seed, Tecoma, Xylosma, Pineapple Sage, Scarlet Sage, Lion’s Tail, California Fuchsia, Buckwheats, Bulbine, Japanese Anemone, Verbena.

Our butterfly/hummingbird garden is bursting forth with beautiful blooms!

Containing approximately 180 plants, our butterfly garden is brimming with blooms.  Intended to educate and inspire, the garden also nurtures hummers, bees, moths, and butterflies with a thousand flowers.

It is always in a state of change. You can catch a different set of plants blooming any given time of the year, It’s enjoying the love and attention from Josh, our landscape horticulturist. Come in and see what’s blooming now!  The pictures here are awesome, but soak up the real beauty in person. You likely won’t be in the garden a few minutes before a hummer zips up for a sip.

Enjoy a few close-ups

Every Valley gardener should have a lavender plant to make their garden complete. You’ll want to enjoy the many benefits of this perennial of the perennials. We know and appreciate lavender for the lovely scent of the flowers and foliage as well as the gray to gray-green color it brings to our gardens. Scent the Garden with Lavender

In the Western world, Lavender has been treasured since the middle ages as a medicinal herb; food enhancement and sweetener and even an insect repellant — once it was discovered that fleas do not like the scent of lavender which is so appealing to us. In modern times, lavender is the basis for many balms and cosmetics. Its fragrance occupies center stage in soaps, perfumes, aromatic pillows, room fresheners, laundry detergents and a host of others.

With all that going for it, you need hardly be surprised to find out that it is a great looking perennial plant that is easy to grow, low maintenance, sun-loving, drought resistant and tolerant of benign neglect — which makes it ideal for busy Valley residents who need to leverage their gardening time. By the way, lavender plants also make great additions to cut flower bouquets and are an ideal colorful fragrant enhancement to dried flower arrangements.

Lavender is a Mediterranean native and adapts nicely to garden soils if they are improved with compost to make them fast-draining. Plant in an area that receives full sun – at least six hours. It makes an excellent low hedge, bedding border for a perennial garden or an accent in an herb garden. If you wish to save the flowers for sachets cut the flower heads or strip the flowers from the stems just as color shows. Dry them upside down in a cool, shady place. Try some of these varieties of lavender in your garden!

GOODWIN CREEK LAVENDER
From the Siskiyou Mountains of Southern Oregon, this selection is noted for its extreme hardiness as well as its lovely foliage, flowers, and fragrance. Hardy, evergreen shrub to 2-3’ tall x 3-4’ wide. Ideal for accent, border, massing, low hedge or lavender spikes during late spring-summer and much of the year with regular deadheading.

PROVENCE LAVENDER
This fragrant darling from the Mediterainian has both subtlety and a robust spirit, It’s a hardy evergreen, 18″-2′ high and up to 3′ wide. The fragrant dark violet blossoms in June-July on 16″ stems. Attractive silvery gray foliage adds a nice contrast to other green plants

PHENOMENAL LAVENDER
This is “Must Grow” Lavender says Better Homes and Gardens! Very heat and cold tolerant with very little dieback. Known for its uniform, mounding habit and long stems of blue-purple flowers.
Grows 2-3′ high and wide prune after bloom to promote a repeat bloom cycle. Great for mass planting, border or accent, but avoid the edge of the lawn, too wet.