Butterfly gardening is a great thing to do in the fall. Even though most butterflies will be settling down for the winter in the next few months, your garden will be ready with lots of host and nectar plants for next year’s butterflies. To get you started, the Houston Museum of Natural Science is hosting the Fall Plant Sale this Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon on Level 7 of the museum parking garage. And if you spend $30 or more, your parking is free!
Plants line the seventh floor of the Houston Museum of Natural Science parking garage, ready for the Fall Plant Sale Saturday, Sep. 26.
Most plants we offer are perfect for fall planting. Woody perennials such as salvias, duranta, lantana and many others are hardy for this area and benefit from going into the ground after the heat wave has passed and while the soil is still warm. As long as the root system has had enough time (about a month) to establish itself, the plants will be ready for winter.
Gomphrena Fireworks.
We’ve also got tips to help you maximize your planting season. For better overwintering, provide about two inches of mulch around the base of the plants and cut back the tall leggy growth to build plant strength and more roots. Also, when purchasing plants, you don’t always need to go for the plants with the most blooms. When planting something with a lot of flowers, the plant won’t put much effort into producing roots, which is what you want. Instead, they focus their energy on blooming and won’t be ready for winter. That means a lower chance of survival.
Calliandra.
So when you pick out plants, go for bushy, healthy-looking specimens not yet in full bloom. You can even cut the blooms off when you plant, which will increase your chances of success.
Bring your enthusiasm, your green thumb and your curiosity to the Fall Plant Sale at HMNS. We’ll see you there!
