All plants listed in the following articles are available for sale at Tranquil Lake Nursery.

Flowers for Butterflies

To attract butterflies, or any type of wildlife, to your garden, you must fulfill their four basic needs of food, water, shelter and reproductive areas.   For butterflies, the requirements for food and reproductive areas go hand in hand, as it is extremely important to provide food plants for the larva as well as nectar sources for adults. Many species travel only a few hundred yards from where they hatch. In addition to planting flowers for butter- flies, try to leave an unkempt area, such as a weed patch or meadow, to attract new species. This will provide food sources for both larva and adults.

Butterflies tend to be more plentiful in sunny spaces. Adults find pink and lavender flowers especially attractive but, also frequent other colors, particularly yellow and white flowers. Compound flowers, such as the members of the daisy family, and those which provide ''landing platforms'' are favorites. Some butterfly species may prefer to partake of manure piles, tree sap, carrion and rotting fruit.

Like all living creatures, butterflies require water. Place small stones in birdbaths to give them a place to land and sip water, or add moist gravel in a driveway or sunken container. Some species enjoy mud puddles where they will ''puddle' individually or in groups.

Shrubs, thickets, rock walls and wood piles provide shelter and hiding places. They also offer nooks and crannies for over-wintering caterpillars or adults.

The larva and adult stages of these insects will require different food sources. Trees and shrubs such as aspen, dogwood, oak, elm, sassafras, cherry, hawthorn, poplar, blue berry, spicebush, viburnum and willow offer a good source of food for the larva. Plant globe thistle, hollyhocks, beans, cabbage family, lupines, pipevine, snapdragons, yarrow and members of the carrot family, such as parsley and dill. Wildflowers such as milkweed, butterfly weed, thistle, nettle, violet, plantain, asters, dock, clover, turtlehead, pearly everlasting, mustard, Queen Anne's lace, vetch, meadowsweet and grasses are also important larval sources.

Popular flowers with adult butterflies include shrubs such as honeysuckle, lilac, buddleia (butterfly bush), sweet pepperbush (clethra), rhododendron, and viburnum. Perennials that attractive adult butterflies include: echinacea, (coneflower), stokesia, scabiosa, mint, liatris, asclepias (butterfly weed), daises of all kind, lilies, daylilies, coreopsis, phlox, monarda, sedum, heliopsis, gaillardia, nepeta, alliums, lantana, sweet alyssum, candytuff, zinnias, lavender, fleabane, lythrum Spp. (loosestrife), delphinium, asters, rudbeckia spp., eupatorium (perennial ageratum), verbena and veronica. There are also many wildlflowers that provide food sources for adults. These include milkweed, dandelion, clover, goldenrod, thistle, asters, eupatorium spp. (Joe-Pye weed, boneset), fleabane and yarrow.

Extensive use of pesticides is harmful to all wildlife, so use only when necessary and preferably after other natural controls have been tried.

Suzanne Mahler

Good Gracious, Grasses !

Ornamental grasses offer a diverse palette of color, form, texture and seasonal appeal to a mixed perennial border. It is erroneous to think of grasses as a family of bland similitude. Admittedly, grasses do have linear leaves as a common trait, but this is where much of the similarity ends. Their height ranges to extremes, from towering eight foot Miscanthus floridus to tiny twelve inch tussocks of Molinia caerulea 'Variegata'. Foliage offers an array of colorful hues. Blades are tinged gradations of green, yellow, red and blue, as well as a fusion of colorful patterns. Cultural requirements range the extremes. Little bluestem revels in full sun and droughty soils and northern sea oats is the opposite, happy in moist shade. Average soil conditions suit most ornamental grasses.

Grasses have ornamental assets to offer in spring and summer as well as fall and winter. Variegated moor grass (Molinia caerulea 'Variegata') emerges with chartreuse foliage early in the spring to complement grape hyacinths and species tulips. It is still a colorful companion to Sedums, Asters and Allium thunbergii 'Ozawa' in October. Late summer and autumn blooming maiden grasses (Miscanthus) also have the fortitude to stand up in the harsh winter landscape.

Taxonomically, grasses are classified specifically in the family Gramineae. Ornamentally, we can take liberties with the botanist's definition and include grass-like plants from various families in our inventory. In the Arum family is sweetflag, Acorus; Sedge family, Carex; Rush family, Luzula; and lily family, Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens' - 'black mondo grass'. Many in these 'pseudo' grasses are shade-loving and evergreen.

Grasses are useful addition in either a formally designed garden or a meadow-like mixed border. Repeating the fine textures and rhythmic lines of grasses can be used to create harmony and tie together visually distinct areas. Conversely, bold texture and color contrasts to fine textured grasses adds a dramatic garden emphasis.

To define a bed or path edge, use a grouping of low tussocks like blue oat grass (Helictotrichon), fountain grass (Pennisetum) or Carex 'Ice Dance'. To create a focal point, contrast the bold form of Sedum 'Autumn Joy' with blue oat grass and Aster 'Lady in Black'. The round, maroon mottled leaves of Heuchera 'Cathedral Windows' are an eye catching combination with variegated Carex 'Ice Dance' or golden Hakonechola macra 'Aureola'. in the shade garden.

Feather-reed grass, Calamagrostis arundinacea 'Karl Foerster' is an attraction in the garden, nearly eleven months of the year. The leaves emerge in April with the flowering of daffodils. It offers a good companion planting that will later hide the unsightly bulb foliage. Feather-reed grass bloom in June with lavender tinged spires which turn tan. They are attractive summer, fall and through the winter. Amazingly, feather-reed grass stands up through winter snow and ice. It starts growth early in the spring, sometimes before I've gotten around to cutting its old canes. The compound leaves and yellow flowers of wild sienna (Cassia) and bronze fennel are a pleasing combination with he fine lines of Calamagrostis. Plant Hemerocallis 'Autumn Minaret' for a finale of flowers in September.

Calamagrostis brachytricha is a fall blooming Feather-reed grass. Its flowers are fat fox-tails rather than slender spires of 'Karl Foerster'. It blooms in September and October and is a striking companion to Eupatoriums and Asters as well as woody shrubs. Calamagrostis brachytricha and Aronia arbutifolia make a smashing duo of pink-beige feathers, round red fruit and red foliage.

Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal' is a selection of our native switchgrass with glaucus, blue foliage. Its habit is stiffly vertical, blooming in late summer with blue, airy inflorescens. The foliage, stems and flowers of Panicum maintain a beautiful blue color even through fall frosts. It finally turns tan in November. It continues to stand up in the landscape through winter. 'Heavy Metal's' long lasting blue foliage color is a classic to combine with yellow. A full sun and drought tolerant pairing of Panicum is Coreopsis 'Moonbeam', Rudbeckia 'Goldstrum', Solidago rigida (stiff goldenrod) and Caryopteris 'Worcester Gold' with chartreuse foliage and blue flowers.

A striking combination of blue flowers and blue foliage is Panicum 'Heavy Metal', Russian sage (Perovskia) and Helictotrichon 'Sapphire' (blue oat grass). The small yellow flowers of Hemerocallis 'Three Seasons' and the yellow foliage of Spiraea thunbergii 'Ogon' add a complement.

Panicum virgatum 'Shenadoah' has leaves cloaked in red. Combine with Hemerocallis 'August Flame', Achillea 'Paprika' and a background of Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple' to sate your hot red passions.

Flame maiden grass, Miscanthus sinensis 'Purpurescens' is the earliest of the maiden grasses to bloom, with whitish plumes. The foliage turns shades of amber-pink. Early bloom is an asset for sites prone to early frosts that may mar later blooming cultivars.

Miscanthus sinensis 'Morning Light' is another favorite. It glistens in the garden. 'Morning Light' has very narrow green foliage with a fine white midrib. Pink fall blooming Anemones are a gracefully paring.

Grasses and sedges are wonderful companions to Hosta, European ginger (Asarum) and Pulmonaria in the shady garden. Blue oat grass will do well in partial shade. Its spiky blue tussocks are striking in contrast to the glossy evergreen Asarum europaeum and a choice yellow leafed Hosta. Northern Sea Oats (Chasmanthemum latifolium) sports dangling clusters of flat seeds that mature from green to tan. They add animation in the fall and winter landscape. Combine with Narcissus and the variegated leaves and yellow stems of Cornus stolonifera 'Silver & Gold' for a year round display.

Add ornamental grasses to your garden. They go with everything!

Warren Leach

Recommended Grasses