Et cetera

By LYRA SOLOCHEK, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published April 12, 2003

TIPS

Grow a garden with wings

Most kids love to be outside, dig in the dirt and play with bugs. Planting a butterfly garden lets them do all that and attracts beautiful flying creatures to your yard. A butterfly garden doesn't take much space, but it does require at least six hours of sun. Planting near trees, shrubs or a building will offer some protection from wind. Avoid using insecticides. Products designed to eliminate harmful insects will kill butterflies and caterpillars, too. Some plants that attract butterflies: aster, bee balm, black-eyed Susan, butterfly bush, butterfly weed, lantana, marigold, milkweed, passion flower, penta, phlox, plumbago, purple coneflower, sage, verbena and zinnia.

How to water well

Water deeply once a week rather than shallow and often. Deep, thorough watering trains roots to grow down and helps plants become more drought-tolerant.

CLIPPINGS

Occasional excerpts from fertile sources.

Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers, edited for the American Horticultural Society. DK Publishers, $60.

"Everyone interprets the moods that colors create in different ways, and many people change their minds according to the weather, the time of day or their emotional state. Individuals with perfectly normal colors vision perceive colors differently, and color blindness is a surprisingly common phenomenon. Color choice is first and foremost about personal preferences."

- Compiled by Lyra Solochek from Times staff and wire reports

If you have any unusual gardening tips you would like to share, please send them to Lyra Solochek, St. Petersburg Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731-1121 or send an e-mail to lyra@sptimes.com . Include your name and a daytime phone number.

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