newsletter ecogardening natural land use garden with nature perennial vegetables

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An occasional report of what’s growing at Maypop Hill Nursery and the Miley homestead in
An occasional report of what’s growing at Maypop Hill Nursery and the Miley homestead in
Norwood, LA; to subscribe to the free newsletter, contact us by email:
Norwood, LA; to subscribe to the free newsletter, contact us by email: maypophill@gmail.com
maypophill@gmail.com.
.
Website:
Website: maypophill.com
maypophill.com
The Maypop Hill
The Maypop Hill
Newsletter
Newsletter
July 2022
July 2022
Have you ever wanted
to identify a plant but no
botanists were standing
next to you?
Here are 3 free apps
that let you upload a
photo to discover
possible answers:
PlantNet
iNaturalist
PlantSnap
Photos
courtesy
of
Michael
Glaspell

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The BREC garden on Independence Boulevard in Baton Rouge was pretty as a picture
in late June. An especially handsome planting was full of tropical milkweed
(Asclepias curassavica). Orange butterflies, Monarchs and Gulf Fritillaries,
were flitting around the plants, as well as flying up to nectar on Coral Honeysuckle vines
growing on the tall trellis arches.
Tropical milkweed, unfortunately, can become toxic to Monarch caterpillars when they eat
leaves infected with a deadly pasastiic microorganism, Ophryocystis elektroscirrha,
or OE. For more information about OE and which milkweeds are safe for Monarchs,
click on https://xerces.org/blog/tropical-milkweed-a-no-grow
What milkweeds are beneficial to Monarchs?
for dry soil, the native Butterflyweed
(Asclepias tuberosa)
For wet to average soils, Swamp
Milkweed (Asclepias perennis)

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Patent pending:
the Maypop Hill
Weeding Chair,
with umbrella and
battery-powered fan
What plants have
survived our sub-tropical
temps, droughts, heavy
rainfall,a lazy gardener
with a sore back
?
So far:
muscadine grapes,
strawberries,
sugar cane, tomatoes,
bell pepper, eggplant,
python beans,
Jerusalem artichoke
(actually a sunflower).
Might maybe add:
perennial spinach, some
recommendations from an
LSU publication →
Year-Round Leafy Green
Production
Finally! It’s
about time. The
pineapple pear
decided it
would make
fruit this year.

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Maypop Hill Nursery & Publications
4979 Spec Garig Rd., Norwood, LA
Betty & LJ Miley, specializing in native plants of the South
email: maypophill@gmail.com web: maypophill.com Geaux native!
The Baton Rouge Botanic Garden Summer plant sale is scheduled for
Saturday,August 13, from 8AM to 12 Noon;
Maypop Hill is planning to attend, rain or shine.
It seemed like a good idea to repurpose an
old BBQ grill into a seed planting stand
outside the kitchen window. But seedlings
kept disappearing. hmm
A shady native rock garden
needs little weeding.
Hole-y ground? A chipmunk left behind a piece of
pear before ducking into his tunnel.
Tiny holes by the barn may be where bees be.
If yellow jackets lived there, we would know it!
hay hay, we have a lot of old hay and grass
clippings. It makes an excellent border to
neaten up a bed of volunteer wildflowers.