Bentley Seed Co. Blog

Victory Gardens of Today - Once a staple of American resilience & sustainability during wartime, the Victory Garden of the early & mid-20th century has evolved to meet a very current approach toward self-sufficiency & a healthier way of life. Learn more in our most recent blog about how you can grow good food in any whatever space you may have available.

The Monarch Butterfly in the Northeast: A Fragile Beauty The Northeast region of the United States is home to many unique and beautiful butterfly species, including the iconic Monarch butterfly. These vibrant orange and black insects are renowned for their long-distance migrations and crucial role in the ecosystem. Sadly, Monarch populations are declining rapidly across North America, and one of the primary factors contributing to this decline is the disappearance of their primary food source: milkweed. The Milkweed Crisis: A Threat to Monarch Survival Native milkweed species throughout the Northeast, and indeed across the country, are facing severe decline. Herbicides and pesticides employed in large-scale agriculture are decimating these once-thriving plants. Additionally, habitat destruction due to development encroaching on natural areas is further reducing available milkweed growth. Climate change and extreme weather patterns also play a role in affecting milkweed availability. Without milkweed, the very survival of Monarch butterfly populations hangs in the balance. The Vital Role of Milkweed: A Butterfly’s Haven Milkweed holds paramount importance for the Monarch butterfly as it is the only plant on which they lay their eggs. Milkweed leaves contain cardenolides, a chemical toxic to most animals, but not to Monarch larvae. This inherent toxicity serves as a protective shield for the delicate eggs. Once hatched, the larvae ingest the milkweed, accumulating the cardenolides within their own bodies, making them unpalatable and even poisonous to potential predators. This protective mechanism, known as aposematism, allows the Monarch larvae to develop their signature bright coloration, warning predators of their toxicity. Northeast Milkweed Varieties: A Crucial Food Source The Northeast region supports a diverse range of milkweed species critical for Monarch butterfly conservation. The most prevalent species throughout the region is the Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), thriving along roadsides and in open fields. For wetter habitats such as wetlands, the Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) provides vital sustenance. Another important variety is the Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa), found in open fields and grassy meadows. These various species collectively represent a crucial food source for Monarch butterflies in the Northeast. Conservation Efforts: Protecting Milkweed and Saving Monarchs Fortunately, a dedicated effort is underway to protect native milkweed and restore its dwindling populations throughout the Northeast. Numerous conservation organizations are actively working to create Monarch butterfly habitats by planting regionally appropriate milkweed and other indigenous plants. These crucial efforts are essential for ensuring the survival of these beautiful pollinators and maintaining healthy ecosystems. How You Can Help: Actions for a Sustainable Future Beyond the work of dedicated organizations, individuals can also play a vital role in protecting milkweed and supporting pollinator populations in the Northeast. One of the most impactful actions you can take is to avoid using pesticides and herbicides in your gardens and yards. These chemicals harm not only milkweed but also other vital plants and insects. Instead, opt for organic or natural methods of pest and weed control. Planting native milkweed in your gardens and community areas is another powerful way to make a difference. Bentley Seeds now offers a diverse selection of native varieties specifically suited for your Northeast gardens and yards. By creating vibrant habitats with milkweed and other suitable plants, you can directly contribute to the preservation of the Monarch butterfly and its vital role in our ecosystem. Together, through proactive conservation efforts and individual action, we can ensure the continued existence of the remarkable Monarch butterfly in the Northeast and beyond. By protecting their essential milkweed habitat, we safeguard not only a stunning species but also the health and balance of our natural world. Monarch Butterfly on Swamp Milkweed in Saratoga Springs in August 2022

Planting milkweed and creating sanctuary habitats for Monarch butterflies is critical in preserving this beautiful species. By taking action to support milkweed and Monarch butterflies, we can make a difference in their conservation and contribute to the biodiversity of native plants across the country.

Three Sisters garden with corn, squash and beans The history around our small community of Cambridge in northern New York is rich with agricultural lore and legend dating back centuries. The area was originally home to the Iroquois Five Nations, who were a mix of farmers, gatherers, fishers and hunters.  The earliest and most important of Native American agricultural traditions was the custom of The Three Sisters. The Iroquois of the northeast, along with the southern Cherokee tribes, practiced companion planting of corn, beans and squash together in a sustainable and resourceful system that not only provided a healthy diet but also kept the soil rich and bountiful.  Called “The Three Sisters” because the three plants nurture each other symbiotically, this tradition played a critical role in the Native American garden. This trio of plants thrived especially well together and provided high-yield, highly nutritious staples of their diet, and most efficiently utilized the land. These early farmers saved the best seeds from each harvest for the following season, resulting in the development of strong seeds ideally suited for the environment in which they had adapted. By the time European settlers reached the area, the indigenous people had developed the growing of these three crops into a central food system that the new settlers quickly adopted.  Iroquois women traditionally tended the fields. In the late spring, they tilled the earth, planting corn in small, mounded hills first. A few weeks later, they planted beans in the same hills with squash circling the border of the mound. The cornstalks served as poles for the beans to grow upon, the beans stabilized the corn and supplied much-needed nitrogen to fertilize the soil for the corn and squash. The squash leaves provided ground cover for the corn and beans delivering shade and weed control. These three plants thrive better together than when planted alone.  Planting a Three Sisters plot is a delightful way to honor American history and create a healthy garden. You will need a fairly large garden plot as these plants need to spread out a bit to flourish. Mound the soil about a foot high at the center and 3-4 feet wide, flattening the top of each mound at the center. Space your mounds at least four feet apart. Pearls and Gold Corn Start with hearty sweet corn with robust stalks for the beans to twine around. Plant the corn after the last frost of the season. Dig a small hole in the center of your mound and add a couple of corn seeds to each mound.  Bean – Kentucky Wonder Pole Bean Seed When the corn seedlings are about 3-4” tall, plant your beans in the same mound. Select a pole bean, not a bush bean. Our heirloom variety Kentucky Wonder is a great choice—its tall, vigorous vines produce delicious beans that have been enjoyed for generations! Plant three or four bean seeds around each corn seedling. Early Summer Crookneck Squash A week later, plant your squash circling the outer edges of the mound. Choose a small-leaf variety such as our Black Zucchini or our Early Summer Crookneck. Space squash seeds evenly around the perimeter, creating six plantings (you might want to add a couple of squash seeds to each planting to ensure germination).  Adding sunflowers alongside your mounds will attract pollinators and distract birds from the Three Sisters seeds while making your garden especially pretty. Plant the sunflowers at cross-sections between your mound hills. Pick from our bright yellow Lemon Queen, our staff-favorite Mammoth Seed, colorful Autumn Beauty, or better yet, choose our Sunflower All Sorts Mix to fill your garden with a gorgeous mix of sunflowers of all sizes! Planting a classic Three Sisters Garden is a wonderful family project, rich in storytelling, American history and gardening lore, along with important environmental teachings on sustainability, biodiversity and lessons in keeping your garden soil healthy.

Great gifts for Mom- 5 great ideas for gardening gifts.

Earth Day is celebrated every year on April 22nd. From its beginning in 1976, Bentley Seed Co. has been at the forefront of the sustainability movement. Just six years after the first Earth Day, Bentley Seed Co. opened its doors with a commitment to selling heirloom and open-pollinated varieties that are naturally disease- and drought-resistant

Final cool-weather veggies harvested? Check! Garden put to bed for the season? Check, check! Now it’s time to get your compost winterized before it gets any colder. Discover 3 simple steps to make it easy to protect your precious compost through the winter!

Bentley Seeds seeds comprise both native and naturalized plant species. If you have any questions about any of the plant species represented in our mixes, we encourage you to check with your local county cooperative extension service or conservation district to verify that they haven’t been classified as invasive in your region. Invasive plant species and the harm they cause to the local environment are increasingly making headlines. The steady stream of bad news about invasives taking over and crowding out native plants is causing widespread anxiety among gardeners. Not only are some currently waging war in their own backyards with these uninvited visitors, others worry about contributing to the problem, by planting them unknowingly.  Unfortunately, much of the news about invasive plants contains conflicting information that’s short on details, leaving many people confused. We aim to alleviate some of this confusion by sharing some key definitions and facts. Invasive Plant Species According to the USDA Forest Service, invasive plants are: “Non-native (or alien) to the ecosystem under consideration; and, whose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health. (Executive Order 13112).” With globalization and widespread international travel, non-native plant species have long made their way into the U.S. The good news is that most foreign plant species—naturalized plants—are not invasive and don’t cause problems. Those deemed invasive share common traits:  They easily adapt to new environments They grow and reproduce rapidly Their exponential growth allows them to quickly colonize large areas Aggressive colonization crowds out native species They have few natural predators to keep their numbers in check They’re difficult to eradicate Kudzu (Pueraria montana) As invasive plant species take over local landscapes, they wipe out native plants and cause a catastrophic decline in biodiversity, disrupting the entire local ecosystem.  Some well-known examples of invasives include the fast-growing vine, Kudzu (Pueraria montana), which arrived in the U.S. from Japan in 1876. Often referred to as ‘the vine that ate the South,’ fast-growing Kudzu was originally planted by farmers to address soil erosion, but quickly spread out of control. Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) Another example is the dreaded and prolific garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) which is reported to have first shown up on Long Island, New York, in 1868. Garlic mustard has proliferated in vast areas of the northeastern U.S., crowding out important native plants. There are hundreds of other examples of invasive plant species likely growing in your region. Some invasives closely resemble native species. For example, there are the pale lilac-colored phlox that grow wild along roadsides in many areas in mid-summer. Except those wildflowers are not actually phlox: they’re 4-petaled members of the infamous, invasive, wild mustard family, and are called dame’s rocket (Hesperis matronalis). ‘Real’ garden phlox flowers have 5 petals. Though pretty, similar to other invasives, dame’s rockets are aggressive growers and will take over, given the opportunity.  Naturalized Plants Non-native plants that become established in a particular region without human aid are also known as naturalized plants. While some of these plants become invasive, as described above, the majority do not. For example, many of the food crops grown in the U.S. originated elsewhere, as did such garden favorites as English roses. Native Plant Species Goldenrod (Solidago virgaurea var. leiocarpa) Native plants, on the other hand, are defined by various natural resource agencies as those that are indigenous to or are naturally occurring in a particular U.S. geographic area; they weren’t introduced from foreign lands by humans. Examples of well-known native plants include Butterfly Weed, New England Aster, Black Eyed Susan, and Purple Coneflower. Native plants play an important role in the ecosystem by supporting local wildlife. Some native plants that grow and spread rapidly are deemed ‘aggressive native plants’. Examples include goldenrod and common milkweed (which is actually classified as noxious in some states; see below). While you probably wouldn’t want to plant these flowers in your neatly-cultivated garden beds, they play an important role in attracting and sustaining pollinators and other wildlife. Noxious Weeds Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) Some plants are classified as noxious weeds in some areas of the country. Noxious weeds can include native or non-native plant species and aren’t necessarily invasive. The word noxious comes from the Latin word—nocere—to harm; therefore, defining these plants as causing harm. Examples include poison ivy, ragweed, and poisonous plants such as bittersweet nightshade. As mentioned above, milkweed is also classified as a noxious weed in some parts of the country—in spite of the fact that it provides critical sustenance to the endangered monarch butterfly—because it’s poisonous to domesticated livestock. Consult Your Local Cooperative Extension Service   The bottom line is each region in the U.S. is challenged by a different set of invasive and noxious plant species. The ultimate authority on the issue is your local cooperative extension service or conservation district; they should be your first stop, to answer any questions you might have about your own garden. Understand that establishing a definitive catalogue of all problematic plant species in a given region is a moving target, especially given changing climate conditions. It would be wise to check in frequently with these local authorities to stay on top of what’s what in your particular ecosystem.

So you’ve made the decision to tie the knot—congratulations! As a major supplier of custom seed packets for weddings and bridal showers, we have the privilege of talking regularly with brides and grooms in the midst of planning their weddings, giving us a bird’s eye view into current trends shaping the industry. Even though we’ve been doing this for a while, we continue to be impressed by how wedding celebrations are evolving and becoming more and more personalized to reflect the wedding couple’s values. For example, these days, many couples are designing their wedding celebrations to reflect their passion for healthy living, sustainability, and the environment. Here are some really cool green wedding trends we’ve witnessed: In general, there is increasing interest in reducing the environmental impact of wedding celebrations, in any way possible. Many couples are choosing to serve locally sourced food, with vegetarian courses figuring prominently on the menu. Increasingly, brides are forgoing traditional bouquets consisting of exotic flowers from some far-flung source and substituting them with native, seasonal varieties instead. Some brides are eschewing fancy, white dresses, mass produced overseas, for something simpler and more sustainably made. More and more weddings are being held during the day, outdoors and/or in rustic settings in order to use less energy. Similarly, couples are endeavoring to keep waste generated by the event to a minimum by using biodegradable service ware and composting leftovers. Traditional cut floral centerpieces and decorations are being replaced by locally sourced live plants that can be transplanted into the ground sometime after the wedding festivities are over. Couples are opting for personalized, unique, earth-friendly wedding favors. Custom seed packets are given to guests as a special memento and are often included in a gift bag, as part of each table setting or mailed with a thank you note, to cite a few examples. Speaking of seeds, another current trend is to ask for plants beneficial to the environment, In lieu of traditional material goods such as china, appliances or furniture. Alternatively, many couples are encouraging well-wishers to donate to a cause, such as the Sierra Club, about which they are passionate. We really love hearing about these great ideas and appreciate the sentiment behind them: an overriding concern for the environment. After all, what better time to be looking forward than on your wedding day?

As a vegetable gardener, you can consult just about any expert gardening source and you’ll be advised to amend your soil with ‘rich organic matter’ for best results. In case you’re wondering what that actually means, it refers to any decaying plant material or animal manure, also known as compost. As this material decomposes, it returns nutrients to the soil for use by your plants, ideally reducing the need for chemical fertilizer. While you can buy bagged compost at your local garden supply store, or maybe get it delivered in bulk, why not create your own? It’s eco-friendly and it’s not that difficult, particularly if you practice lasagna gardening, otherwise known as no-till gardening or composting in place. The principle behind lasagna gardening is to create a garden bed consisting of layered organic material organized to retain moisture and nutrients while maximizing its surface area to allow efficient, aerobic decomposition. There is no digging or tilling required and it doesn’t require much maintenance over time. The only downside to creating a lasagna-style compost bed is that it takes time to decompose to the point that it’s ready for planting. Depending on your climate and materials used, it may take several months or even up to a year to have a rich, plantable bed. Therefore, you must plan your efforts accordingly and can create your lasagna garden(s) over time. You could, for example, create your lasagna bed in the early fall, allowing it to decompose over the winter so that it might be ready for planting in the spring. An Argument for No-Till Gardening While farmers and gardeners have been tilling their land since time immemorial (there’s even evidence of it in ancient Egypt), it has become increasingly clear, in recent years, that the practice is not good for the soil and it’s not good for the environment. While tilling is thought to be an efficient way to control weeds by disrupting their life cycle, an unfortunate side effect is that it also disturbs the soil’s important ecosystem. Tilled soil is prone to erosion, compaction, and nutrient loss. Tilling the soil also releases carbon from the soil into the atmosphere contributing to greenhouse gas build up. Lasagna gardening is a sustainable way to grow vegetables and flowers and doesn’t entail tilling. Getting Started To get started, pick a sunny, reasonably flat area of the yard and outline your garden area, or build the sides if you’re creating a raised bed. Note that in order to grow and thrive, most vegetables require at least eight hours of direct sunlight each day. If you’re creating the lasagna garden bed on top of grass sod or a weeded area of the yard, for best results, lay down some brown corrugated cardboard or several layers of newspaper first and wet them down. This will smother the the grass and weeds which will break down into the soil. For the bottom layer of your lasagna garden, arrange a loose layer of twigs and branches. It’s important to choose material that won’t compress as the compost pile gets built up. And, by arranging it loosely, you allow air to reach the pile, hastening decomposition and reducing unpleasant smells. Take care choosing which tree branches you use: some types, such as cherry, are toxic, and some, such as locust, take too long to break down. To be safe, stick with common wood such as maple, oak, and pine. The next layer, also referred to as the brown layer, should consist of relatively coarse, carbon rich materials such as dried leaves, wood chips, straw, sawdust, shredded paper or cardboard. The purpose of the materials in this layer is to balance the denser, moist materials in the next layer. Note that hay is not a good substitute for straw as it takes awhile to break down and has seeds that will readily sprout into weeds. And, if you use sawdust, use it only in a small proportion to the other materials. The following layer, known as the green layer, consists of nitrogen-rich materials which may include kitchen food scraps, grass clippings, weeds, manure, etc. These materials should not include meat, dairy products, bones, or greasy or oily substances which may attract unwanted pests. Alternate green and brown layers, always ending with a brown layer on top to provide cover for the green layer. Brown layers should be two to three times as thick as green layers. So, for one- to two-inch green layers, you should have two- to six-inch brown layers. Brown layers should be shaped like shallow bowls with the center of the layer below the sides, enclosing the green layer so it’s not exposed on the sides welcoming pests. Aim for a layered bed that’s two feet tall. Top it with straw and water it regularly during times of drought. If pests, such as rodents and racoons, become an issue, try sprinkling cayenne pepper around the area. Cinnamon prevents fungal diseases, such as powdery mildew. And, in time, you’ll have a beautiful bed, chockablock full of enriched soil, ready for planting. There are various other techniques you can employ to create no till raised garden beds. For example, a horticultural practice that originated in Germany and Eastern Europe—hugelkultur (German for ‘mound culture’)—involves making raised beds out of rotten wood. You can also use straw bales to grow vegetables. If you live in an area with poor, heavy soil, you may have no choice but to consider one of these alternative gardening methods. Happy planting!

Given that they’re—um—wild, wildflowers are easy to grow, right? Absolutely. “Plant it and forget it—until it blooms!” You just need to adhere to a few basic principles of gardening: Identify an appropriate location with adequate light and drainage Choose native wildflower seeds appropriate for the spot you’ve chosen Wait until the danger of frost has passed in the spring (or in the fall in mild climates) Prepare the soil Plant the seeds That’s it. As with most new gardening projects, or new gardeners, we recommend that you start out on a small scale and expand your effort over time. Following are a few additional pointers. Choosing an Area for Planting Ideally, you would choose a spot that has full sun (more than 6 hours/day). But, if that’s not possible, choose a Shade Wildflower seed mix with beautiful woodland flower varieties. A wildflower garden, contributing a splash of color to the landscape, looks best in a natural setting, in a large field or bordering a woodland. But, if you don’t have that kind of yard, you can accomplish the same effect by planting the wildflowers as a border in front of a fixture such as a fence or stonewall. As is the case with most plants, a wildflower garden demands well-drained soil, which means you must plant in an area that doesn’t harbor standing water. At the same time, however, the new garden needs to be proximate to a water source as the wildflower seeds and seedlings will need to be kept moist in the early stages. Choose your Wildflower Seeds Wildflower gardens generally consist of a mix of annual and perennial flowers to ensure a succession of bloom throughout the season—not only for esthetic reasons—but also to provide continuous nourishment for important native pollinators. As pointed out above, the plant seeds should be native or adapted to the region where you live. Bentley Seeds has wildflower seed packets customized for all different areas of the country, including: Midwest, Mountain, Northeast, Northwest, Mountain, Southeast, Southwest, and Texas. You can also buy wildflower seed mix specifically designed to attract bees, birds and butterflies. For planting in a large area, it’s easier and more cost effective to buy Bulk Flower mix. Prepare the Soil How much effort you go to to prepare the soil for the garden depends on what the nature of the area you’re planting is.The soil doesn’t need to be amended unless it’s particularly sandy and/or completely lacking in organic matter. For best results, you need to have a cleared area of loose soil for the garden—whether that means digging up sod or clearing an area covered with weeds and rocks. Timing is key. Once the area has been prepared, you must plant the seeds quickly, or local weeds will invade and colonize. Planting the Wildflower Seeds Wildflower seeds are easy to plant – just follow the instructions on the seed packet, which generally entails sprinkling the seeds in the prepared area and cover them loosely with soil. They do not need fertilizer. You may want to cover the garden with a very thin layer of straw mulch to keep the seeds from blowing away or being disturbed by hungry birds. As long as you water the garden regularly, the seeds will germinate in no time. As with all gardens, be sure to remove weeds on a regular basis, especially in the beginning, to allow the wildflowers to gain the upper hand. Over time, though you’ll have to resign yourself to the fact that weeds will coexist with your wildflowers—which is part of that natural look you were after, right? In terms of timing, it depends on your USDA Gardening Zone. For Zones 1-6, it’s best to plant in early spring, after the frost. Otherwise, for Zones 7-11, we recommend planting in late fall which leaves the seeds dormant until the soil warms up in the spring. Timeline: Seed to Germination to Bloom Depending on the ambient temperature when you plant your wildflower seeds, and the type of wildflowers included in your seed mix, germination can take place within several days or within a couple of weeks. Remember, the seeds need continuous moisture in order to sprout and grow. Wildflowers are a beautiful addition to any landscape and are a good way to attract birds, bees and butterflies. For those who love nature, and flowers, in particular, it’s a real pleasure to have a semi-wild colorful area of the yard that doubles as a haven for beneficial wildlife. FINAL NOTE The subject of wildflowers has been embroiled in controversy in recent years as more and more focus has been brought to bear on invasive plants which not only can be a nuisance but destructive to the environment as well. Unfortunately, many people, including some so-called experts conflate wildflowers with invasive plants, giving the former a bad name. The truth of the matter is, for the most part, native wildflowers behave well in the garden given that they have evolved over time to become a cooperative part of the local ecosystem. By contrast, invasive plants tend to come from outside the region and don’t have established natural predators to keep their expansion in check. Over time, invasives may quickly take over and crowd out all other local plant species, which, in turn, puts the local pollinators that depend on them at risk. In this post, we recommend planting native plant seeds as well as those adapted to the region in which you live. Most seed companies should offer different wildflower seed packets for specific regions of the country. If in doubt, you can always double-check with your local Cooperative Extension Service.

While it’s probably wrong to assume that everyone who becomes a gardener, does so because of an overriding concern for the environment and a desire to reduce their carbon footprint. But, we’re pretty sure that, as time goes on, most avid gardeners—if you didn’t feel that way before—develop a profound respect and appreciation for the natural world, along with a desire to protect it. Even if you simply start out planting a few annuals each year, you quickly start to notice things in the environment you probably never really paid close attention to before: weather, soil condition, insect life, the habits of plant-eating predators (!), and more. Along the way, you may start to appreciate, first hand, that there is a harmonious balance in nature that can go awry with heedless human interference. While we are not interested in lecturing anyone (no soapbox in sight) about what you should and should not do in your own backyard, we would like to share some helpful information with those of you who are interested in simple, sustainable gardening practices. These practices will not only benefit the environment, they will increase your chances of gardening success. The Big Picture: Reducing Your Carbon Footprint Starting with a big picture perspective, implementing a sustainable gardening plan will help reduce your carbon footprint (i.e. reduce your carbon emissions into the atmosphere, otherwise known as greenhouse gas emissions). And, you don’t need a lot of space to do your part; you can help by growing environmentally-friendly plants in containers on a porch, patio or even a fire escape! Composting Whatever you decide to grow, the most important element of an eco-friendly gardening plan is composting as much food and yard waste as possible for use in your garden. This is far preferable to having it hauled—by a carbon-spewing conveyance—to rot in a landfill where it will end up emitting methane and nitrous oxide into the atmosphere. Composting is simply the process of mixing natural organic yard waste such as dead leaves or grass clippings with non-meat food waste in a designated area or container, and allowing for aerobic decomposition (vs. the anaerobic process that typically occurs in plastic bags relegated to landfills). Over time, this mixture develops into a nutrient-rich stew which can be used to amend your soil to help your plants thrive, in lieu of synthetic fertilizers. There are various ways to compost; we explore ‘lasagna composting’ in our Lasagna Gardening post. For apartment dwellers, we admit that you would be hard-pressed to create your own compost. As an alternative, you can buy organic compost from your local garden center. Organic Gardening For some people, the term, organic gardening, suggests something complicated or time-consuming. This is not the case. It simply involves using natural substances and methods to grow your vegetables: natural compost instead of synthetic fertilizers, and natural pest and weed control instead of pesticides and herbicides. Organic gardening is more sustainable over the long run because it preserves—and, indeed, takes advantage of—the living world’s natural balance. Watering Tips Even if you live in a part of the country not affected by drought, judicious use of water is important for your plants as well as the environment. Whether you’re connected to a municipal water supply or a well, transporting that water for use in your household taps requires carbon-producing energy. The less water you can use, the better. Here are some ways to optimize your use of water in the garden: Water your plants in the morning, before it gets really hot, in order to minimize waste through evaporation. Morning watering reduces the threat of plant disease as well. Most plants do best with a deep watering every few days vs. more frequent shallow watering. Use of a soaker hose or drip irrigation system is recommended in order to avoid wasting water and splashing potentially-damaging microbes from the soil onto the plant leaves. Use a rain barrel or other container to collect rainwater. Channel rainwater away from the house and toward the garden. Redirect it from areas where it might otherwise pool and run-off without being absorbed into the ground. Growing Plants With a Purpose Many people become gardeners because they like the way flowers look and smell and want to beautify their yards. Others have an interest in growing their own food. And, of course, many people do both, taking advantage of the natural symbioses between flowering and vegetable plants. Create a Pollinator Garden There are a number of flowering plants that are attractive not only to humans but to important pollinators as well. Planting for successive bloom through the growing season ensures a ready supply of sustenance. Please do your homework and learn which flowers provide the most nourishment for bees, hummingbirds, butterflies and other pollinators. Old-fashioned, native, heirloom varieties are a safe bet as they tend to produce more nectar than modern hybrids Grow What you Eat These days, many people are understandably interested in growing their own food—and it’s not hard to do if you start simply and choose vegetables and/or herbs that are relatively easy to grow (as outlined in our Growing Guides). And, again, you don’t need a lot of space, as most crops can be grown in containers. An important tactic when growing vegetables is rotating crops every couple of years to try to keep pests and disease at bay. Another effective way to ward off pests is by planting pest-repelling flowers, such as french marigolds, among your vegetables. Other Eco-Friendly Garden and Yard Ideas Plant Trees (to purify the air and provide a home for wildlife) Reduce your lawn area if possible. As alluring as a nice, green lawn is, it consumes an inordinate amount of water and fertilizer and isn’t particularly attractive to wildlife. You could plant ground cover or wildflowers instead. Try to avoid widespread tilling of your garden beds: it’s disruptive to the soil structure and doesn’t offer tangible benefits. And, as always, as much as possible: reduce, recycle and reuse. In this fast-paced, ever-changing world, it sometimes feels like we have very little control over important issues that affect our daily lives. But you can do your own, small part to help the environment by planting some seeds and shepherding your plants naturally.