Ask Monty’s:
We put a small pond in our backyard this summer, along with quite a bit of appropriate landscaping plants and flowers around it. It turned out nice and it is attracting a lot of wildlife to it. I’ve noticed a lot of dragonflies particularly, something I’ve never really thought much about or thought would find the pond so attractive. I don’t know much about them but I want to make sure they aren’t a type of bug that is going to cause me any trouble or damage to the plants. Are they good guys or bad guys?”
Sandra and Steve, Ava, Missouri
Sandra & Steve,
It’s all good! Ponds and lakes do attract dragonflies and damselflies and you are the proud recipients! They have excellent eyesight and their aerial agility allows them to capture and eat vast amounts of insects that are smaller than themselves. So they’re very interested in the uninvited “guests” that frequent your new environment like moths, beetles, mosquitoes, aquatic larvae and nymphs. And with the food supply being so plentiful, they will court and lay their eggs here too. They do need some vegetation to feed on so if you have planted such things as bulrush, cattail or water lilies you will encourage them to stay. They also like blue flag iris, cardinal flower, red-twig dogwood and summersweet. If you have to use any kind of insecticide, be conscious of the good insects and wildlife that may be living there and try to stay as organic as you can.
Ask Monty’s:
“I have two rather large raised garden beds that seem like they dry out very quickly. I love the fact that I don’t have to bend so far over to maintain the garden, but it seems like I’m always watering it. Why would these beds dry out so quickly?”
Marty, Seattle, Washington
Marty:
If you’re watering daily you may not be watering long enough or deeply enough. When you water make sure you’re soaking the soil at least five to six inches below ground level. Another thing to look at is your soil content. Having a lot of sand in your soil would contribute to why your soil is drying out so fast. If that is the case the more organic matter, like peat moss and broken down compost, you can incorporate into the soil, the better. It will help provide nutrients to the soil and help hold moisture. Regardless of what kind of soil you have, mulch is a must for you as it will help insulate the soil and keep it moist. Then once the growing season is over you just till it all into the soil for added nutrients as it breaks down over the winter. Grass clippings and shredded leaves are great for this.
Ask Monty’s:
“I have staggered my green and variegated hostas throughout areas of my yard for creating some color and diversity. The green hostas come up and do great every year, but my variegated hostas are always smaller and less vibrant. Why do they look so shabby compared to the green ones when they’re in the same soil getting the same conditions?”
Pat and Lynne, Leadmine, Wisconsin
Pat and Lynne,
Green leafed plants take in more sun which they need to make chlorophyll, which feeds the plant. Variegated-leafed plants just can’t produce enough food energy as a green leafed plant. As a result, they can’t keep up with their green leafed neighbor. But you do have the diversity you were looking for, so despair.
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