Spring Without Bees? Plant More Flowers!!!!

Posted on April 15, 2024 by Ann Lovejoy
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Beeless blossoms are everywhere this spring

Where Are The Bees?

Here we are in the middle of April, many gardens are bright with blossoms, and all those luxuriant spring flowers ought to be alive with bees. But they’re not. Granted it’s been cold (44 degrees this morning) and often windy too, and bees are most apt to be seen when temps are in the 50s and winds are breezy rather than gusty. To top it off, it’s also been scary dry all year so far, especially for a month that’s been famous for rain for hundreds if not thousands of years. In dry, windy years, blooms may shatter faster, giving pollinators less time to get the goods. On Saturday I checked in with my friend Charles, aka The Bee Guy, at his farmers market booth and he and several other folks said they also hadn’t noticed much or any bee activity this spring. So far, I’ve seen two big bumble queens (both on a glorious flowering currant) and one Mason bee on some Oregon Grape blossoms. But that’s it.

Super sadly, this is not a new trend. I’m not going to list all the dire information that’s accumulating about warmer autumns and hive collapse. Instead, I’m going to suggest that we work harder than ever to provide as close to an ongoing supply of blossoms as we possibly can. Cruise the nurseries every month and stock up on whatever is blooming strongly (as long as you can accommodate it in your garden, of course). Where will you put these new delights? If your garden is like mine, just remove the dead and the weak and you’ll have plenty of room for newcomers. The Big Freeze killed off quite a lot of plants that had been struggling after several challenging weather years, and this year, with five days in a row below freezing, many gave up the fight. That used to break my heart but these days, I’m focused on opportunity rather than loss. Out with the old and in with the new!

Being Bee Positive

To start off well, I’m planting a lot of native annuals, from Baby Blue Eyes and Clarkia to Meadowfoam, Phacelia, and California poppies. And why stop there? With weird weather on the rise, annuals are a safer bet than many perennials, so I’m also planting Alyssum and Bidens, Cosmos and Calendulas, Petunias and Sunflowers, Lavatera and Nigella, Marigolds and Zinnias, Flowering Tobacco and Morning Glory (annual!!!). Herbs are hugely popular with pollinators, so I’m restocking those too, from Borage, Fennel and Dill to Sage, Oregano, and Rosemary. Among the most visited perennials in my garden have been Agastaches and Gauras, Hardy Fuchsias and Salvias, Heleniums and Helichrysums, Bee Balm and Joe Pye Weed. Just thinking about these makes me smile as I envision these lovely blossoms covered with eager insects.

These plants will invite many generalist pollinators, but in the interest of encouraging native bees, I’m also allowing native perennials to stay where they put themselves, including Tiarella cordifolia (aka coralbells), Tellima grandiflora (aka foamflower), Tolmeia menzeisii (aka chocolate bells), and Vancouveria hexandra (aka inside-out flower). All these do well in shade that’s moist in spring and dry come summer, much like our native woodlands. Over the years, I’ve found several very persistent native perennials for hot dry sunny places, including Penstemon davidsonii, low grower creeper with vivid lavender blossoms, and a lovely native milkweed, Asclepias speciosa, which spreads slowly into large mats in full sun and dreadful soil without supplemental water. Though Monarch butterflies are not regular visitors to this part of the PNW, changing weather patterns may make occasional visitors become more frequent, and in any case, the starry, cream-soda-scented milkweed flowers are popular with a wide range of pollinators.

Beneficial Weeds

IS there really such a thing as a beneficial weed? Well of course there is! The idea of dividing plants into garden-worthy and weeds is rather arbitrary and often based on outdated research. Indeed, many gardeners consider native plants to be weeds when they appear in our gardens, despite their natural beauty and popularity with pollinators.  Native or not, Thistles are often rooted out relentlessly yet goldfinches will flock to any garden or meadow where thistles are permitted. Nettles are pesky plants if they invade garden beds or play yards but they are delicious as spring greens and highly sought after medicinal plants as well as pollinator magnets. Pretty little Self-Heal (Prunella) has both native and introduced forms and all are prized medicinals and pollinator pleasers. Lowly dandelions are eagerly visited by pollinators, as are all kinds of clovers, which also build soil nitrogen (in fact, they are indicators of nitrogen-poor soil). Though introduced, mostly from Eurasia, various Plaintains have become valued medicinal plants and are all pollinator pleasers.

Whether weeds get to stay or not depends largely on how aggressive they are; perennial morning glory can take over a garden in a single season (ask me how I know). Shotweed (aka hairy bitter cress) is far too successful a self sower to tolerate, and False bamboo, aka Japanese knotweed (Polygonum spp) is even worse; in some parts of England, properties infested with knotweed lose all value. Kudzu is another do-not-plant, as is English ivy. Weeds that appear on your local Noxious and Toxic Weed list do not belong in gardens, but that leaves a wide range of less invasive plants that may be more helpful than harmful. To tell the difference, check out vacant lots and meadow areas; where certain weeds predominate, beware. When the distribution is less dramatic, consider leaving self sown seedlings in place to see who is attracted to them. Onward, right?

 

Posted in Annual Color, Birds In The Garden, Butterfly Gardens, Care & Feeding, Climate Change, Easy Care Perennials, Garden Design, Garden Prep, Gardening With Children, Hardy Herbs, Health & Wellbeing, Native Plants, Plant Diversity, Pollination Gardens, Pollinators, Sustainable Gardening, Sustainable Living, Weed Control | Leave a comment

The Bliss of Going Wild

Posted on April 10, 2024 by Ann Lovejoy
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Native flowering currant is a pollinator magnet

Rewilding Our Property Plant By Plant

My favorite garden spaces always have at least a touch of the wild about them. Sometimes it’s a matter of allowing plants to tumble over the edges of beds and borders, erasing hard lines and blurring angles. Sometimes it’s offering an area of native plants as a bug bank, dormitory and mess hall to serve pollinators and pest predators, from ladybugs and lacewings to birds and bats. At best, such gardens merge seamlessly into natural surroundings, as when a flowery meadow is encircled with tiered shrubs that lead the eye upward in gentle steps to the tree line. With larger properties, there’s an opportunity to allow the natural progression of pioneer plants such as alders, willows and hawthorns to sprout and weave together into young if miniature forests. Even a single cluster of trees and shrubs will quickly become home to thousands of small creatures that help keep the world in balance.

Allowing at least some part of our property to remain or revert to wildness is such a generous act, and one that rewards us hugely. In exchange for NOT mowing, pruning, watering and fertilizing, we get to watch the land heal into wholeness, attracting and supporting a host of living beings, from native plants to wild critters of many kinds and sizes. Instead of hearing and smelling mowers and blowers, we hear birdsong and smell the mysterious perfume of plants in community. What a relief to let go of our endless control seeking and relax into the rewilding process. I recently read about a large scale rewilding project in England where an old family castle estate has been turned back into a wilderness. To support the shift, the family brought in wild pigs and let them root and wallow in what had been groomed grounds for centuries. As they made their seemingly destructive way through the formal gardens, they dug up exotic plants and created puddles and mud holes that attract wildlife from bees and butterflies to birds and mammals. In their wake, native plants and creatures returned to the increasing habitat.

The Bountiful Land Of Long Ago

Not that long ago, probably less than a century, our back yards looked much like the magnificent forests that draw thousands of visitors to our region. Tall firs and bushy cedars rose above thickets of flower-and-fruit bearing shrubs; huckleberry and snowberry, salmonberry and thimbleberry, currants and wild cranberry, wild apple and wild cherry. Foamy ocean spray frothed above wild roses and hazelnuts, flowering currant and salal, mock orange and honeysuckle. Rhododendrons and maples throve under the high canopy, interlaced with annuals and perennials, ferns and mosses. The woodlands supported huge numbers of birds and other wild creatures, including several hundred species of native bees and other pollinators. They also supported Tribal people who knew how to coexist with the natural environment that provided everything they needed.

Today, these same places often look pretty much like a yard in Anywhere, USA; some lawn (often mossy), a few classic (ie non-native) shrubs, maybe some perennials. Oh, and lots of bare earth (so tidy!). How did this rather bleak model become a standard of “proper” landscaping? There are many factors, including conformity, the urge to control and tame nature, and favoring a simple yardscape that doesn’t require much thought to maintain, all understandable. For people moving here from other regions, whether a century or a year ago, wild woods may seem intimidating and it might feel comforting to have the same kind of yard they knew back wherever.

Welcoming Homes

Unfortunately, such bare bones landscapes are not hospitable places for wildlife or people. As the world is changing, fewer places are hospitable and most are getting less so each year. Though we can’t control corporate solutions, everyone with a patch of land (or even a patio) can make a home for the living things we share space with. Many native pollinators have a very limited range and even a small patch of native plants can become a haven for them, and for birds and frogs and other critters as well. I’m often asked if we have to give up all our beloved garden plants and grow only natives. Not at all, as many non-invasive garden plants, from kale to crepe myrtles, provide food and shelter for wildlife. However, one practical way to make our landscapes more hospitable is to remove any plants on weed watch lists and replace them with natives. Which plants should be removed? Your County Extension Agent and/or local Weed Board can provide a list of noxious weeds; mine includes butterfly bush (buddleia, aka lilac, though it is not related), ivy, purple loosetrife, and tansy ragwort. Since these plants are sadly common, many people don’t realize that they can outcompete natives and infiltrate wild areas.

In my area, among the most invasive are English laurel, English holly, Scotch broom, Scotch thistle, European daphne, European hawthorne, European mountain ash, European viburnum, Norway maple. Do you detect a theme? Plants brought by early colonists came across country with them, seeding themselves freely along the way. When invasives are removed, we can replace them with a native version; vine maple, Western hawthorne, Western mountain ash, Western viburnum, Western mock orange, and many more. A wonderful guide, Plants Of The Pacific Northwest Coast by Jim Pojar and Andy MacKinnon, contains both illustrations of native plants and lore about how native plants have been used by Native people for millennia, making for fascinating reading. The more we learn, the more we come to admire, respect and even love the plants that were here from time immemorial. Onward, right?

 

Posted in Birds In The Garden, Butterfly Gardens, Climate Change, Easy Care Perennials, Garden Design, Gardening With Children, Growing Berry Crops, Health & Wellbeing, Native Plants, Plant Diversity, Plant Partnerships, Pollination Gardens, Sustainable Gardening, Sustainable Living, Teaching Gardening | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Craftivism Is Creative Activism

Posted on March 4, 2024 by Ann Lovejoy
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Turning crafting skills into support for causes we love (art by LR)

Gentle Yet Effective Activism

Over the years, I’ve written dozens of newspaper articles about native plants, with varying responses (of course). A recent one that compared a naturalistic approach to garden design and maintenance with a control oriented approach was deliberately crafted to promote understanding of folks who don’t connect their gardening habits with natural systems. Happily, it has stirred up a lot of conversations and I’ve been pleased to notice that these conversations tend to be less defensive and/or judgmental than is so often the case. Many years of environmental justice work taught me (eventually) that it’s a lot easier to be heard when we promote conversations rather than confrontations.

Among my earliest lessons was a very clear one: nobody wants to listen to an angry woman. Ouch, right? With our only planet home experiencing horrible, often senseless destruction every single day, whether from sheer obliviousness or in the name of making money through extractive industries, how can we not be angry? I’m so often furious and outraged!!!! Even so, it became extremely obvious that if we want our messages and information to be heard, we must learn to present ideas in ways that don’t trigger defensive shutdowns in our conversational partners. This goes for audiences as well, which are not often considered to be conversational partners, yet it’s also well documented that while a didactic approach can be effective in transferring information (accurate or not), a conversational one, with actual listening involved, can be far more effective at encouraging actual thinking. Lecturing has its place, yet asking for responses and listening thoughtfully to learn from them creates a very different experience for all concerned.

What’s Gentle Activism?

We don’t all have platforms where we can present our thoughts and concerns widely, but a rising movement offers a chance to support causes we hold dear using techniques that may affect people unreachable in any other ways. Craftivism is the term used for this gentle way of advocacy, which ranges from knitted pussy hats to painted posters on urban walls to exhibits of poignant artwork made from objects abandoned at the US/Mexican border and far beyond. The products of craftivism may be all the more effective for being seen apart from the maker; the viewer engages with the object without feeling any pressure to respond, so the result may be more responsive and less reactive.

My grandkids have been thinking about this with me and one project they picked involves sewing gift bags to eliminate paper and ribbon waste. We make the bags from cute but worn out clothing, or scraps leftover from sewing projects, or recycled fabric donated by friends, along with fabric ribbons and ties to sew onto the bags. When the kids give a gift to school friends, the reusable bag is part of the present to pass along in turn. Other home projects include drawings with slogans that can be posted on reader boards or handed out at the farmers market. Like what? Please Protect The Bees, Clean Up A Beach Today, Grow Your Own Bird Food, Recycle Everything, Pack A Plastic-Free Lunch, Shop Locally…

Handwork As Craftivism

Knitting has been a form of loving craftivism since the first pair of socks was knit for a soldier at war. Today, one friend knits hats with bold words; Love, Hope, Act Out, Peace, Comfort, Joy. If anyone admires the hat, she gives it to them to wear or pass along. Some of us knit baby clothing for unhoused families and make warm scarves, hats and mitts for people living in shelters, while others sew blankets and quilts for refugee families. One friend makes dozens of ‘knitted knockers’, soft, washable inserts that fit in bras, and sends them to a national nonprofit that distributes them to women who’ve had mastectomies. Others knit nests for baby birds at local wildlife shelters, using patterns developed by the Audubon Society. Some sew flags or banners, paint signs to post in windows, or embroider messages on clothing. Some hold sewing bees or knitting circles to make warm comforts for cancer patients and soft toys for children with long, painful illnesses.

Gardeners can share our craft with others too, from, yes!, growing our own bird food and planting for pollinators to taking bunches of fresh greens, herbs and flowers to food pantries. We can share and swap plant starts with other gardeners and help plant a vegetable garden for a local food bank. Most of us who love to grow edibles also enjoy cooking, and we can organize a soup brigade for a family in illness or grief, and fill recycled yogurt containers with small amounts of whatever we cook to stock the freezer of someone coming home after surgery. We can take extra cookies and baked yummies to our local Fire & Rescue station or the local VFW chapter. What else? Please do let me know. Onward, right?

 

 

 

 

Posted in Birds In The Garden, Climate Change, Crafting With Children, Gardening With Children, Health & Wellbeing, Pollination Gardens, Seedling Swaps, Social Justice, Sustainable Gardening, Sustainable Living | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Reimagining Trash into Treasure

Posted on February 26, 2024 by Ann Lovejoy
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Upcycling clothing with patching is satisfying and fun

Fashion Frolic

A few days ago, I hosted a delightful event where several dozen participants brought in garments for a reimagining session. Folks brought in all sorts of things, from a 60-plus-year-old wedding dress and 1960’s prom gowns to shirts and jackets that were worn to shreds but still well loved. One of my favorite items was a saucy black lace Merry Widow made by Portland’s Jantzen Company in the 1950’s. Today, boned corsets like this one are trendy and often worn over rather than under a dress, but this one is in such good shape, our consulting panel of makers suggested it be donated to MOHI. Apparently Seattle’s Museum of History & Industry is very interested in adding vintage clothing and especially underclothing to its collection, as such items are increasingly rare. Next time you clean out that attic or storage bin, consider donating oldies to a local history museum!

Brighten Up Your Closet

There were also a number of once-glamorous outfits crusted with beadwork and sparkles, some of which were reimagined in various ways. The heavy ornamentation on an all-white mother-of-the-bride costume could be dyed or hand colored to turns its lavish braiding and beading into a vivid, joyful restatement with personality and panache. A double vested jacket in navy blue satin with sparkly buttons would look totally different with fresh buttons, no shoulder pads, and a few appliques. The shoulder pads could be recycled into bird-shaped pin cushions or soft toys, with a little embroidery or applique for wings and bright beady eyes added.

Quite a few folks brought in clothing that was so much loved it was falling apart. Layering on patches using visible mending techniques can breathe new life into these dearly beloved garments, and just like the wrinkles in our faces, the patches will tell the story of a long and useful life. Some garments were patched with appliques made from needlepoint or embroidery projects, whether gleaned from thrift stores, found in family trunks, or left over from earlier craft projects that never found a proper use. Some of the larger appliques were also turned into pockets for jackets and pants, as several people commented that women’s clothing rarely has enough usable pockets. Some people had removed jacket sleeves to make vests and used the sleeve cuffs for the top edge of deep pockets made from the upper sleeve.

Show The Work, Tell The Story

Rips and tears can also be disguised or played up, whether with visible mending patches or less obviously by adding a more ornamental patch (or several, to make the problem less obvious and the outcome more decorative). Stains can be similarly covered or even drawn over using fabric marker pens; I asked my granddaughter to draw a little something over a small spot on a white shirt and she got inspired to draw the Milky Way, with planets and comets and space exploring critters galore. When she showed me, I was amazed and impressed by her spirited artwork and joyful galactic vision, but also pointed out that the little stain was still there. That earned me a little eyeroll and a giggle, but she covered it up by adding a flying fish with a space helmet full of water (perfect for a swimmer, right?).

Quite a few attendees said they were not experienced with sewing or embroidery, but the visible mending techniques are all about showing your work and letting insouciant imperfection reign. Several people were emboldened to try some of these ideas out on much loved night wear, where mistakes wouldn’t matter as much (if at all). One woman added the sleeves from a long sleeved tee shirt to a favorite nightgown, then sewed the bottom of the shirt to a too-short tunic, making a handsome color-block effect. As we mature, I’m hearing many people say they feel a lot less driven by the opinions of others and find themselves trying new things just for fun. With a world drowning in trash, it seems like the perfect time to begin experimenting with things we haven’t embraced, whether it means reclaiming the domestic arts or developing creativity in new ways to give fresh life to old things. Onward, right?

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