Welcome to Hamlen's
Helping Hand!
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2nd Newsletter of 2010

Upcoming Seminar: April 17th
Computer Landscape Design Seminar
Call to register. Wondering how to landscape your home? Have the expertise of a landscape designer help you turn your dream design into a workable plan. A 30 minute session is only $30. Reg. $40.



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The 1818 Rachel Hamlen homestead is looking for a new owner! Rachel’s lovely vintage home on St. Albans Road would be the perfect location and fit for a family, a cozy B&B, or an ice cream parlor/café restaurant. Interested? Give Dave a call at Hamlen’s (802) 868-4255.

Address: 165 ST. Albans Rd., Swanton, VT. 05488

Thought you might like to see the top ten mistakes made by people who claim they can't grow anything. However, if you recognize some of these, don't feel bad -- we all have practiced brown thumb mistakes at least once in our lives.

1. Plant it & forget it.
2. Black soil is beautiful.
3. When watering plants more is better.
4. Plants need to be fed????
5. Any plant grows anywhere.
6. Dwarf plants stay dwarf.
7. Plants planted near a house foundation won't grow.
8. If a plant does not have leaves or needles for one growing season it is not dead.
9. My weedwacker won't harm my plants.
10. Lots of bark mulch around my plants must be good.

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Fields of grassy meadows have been taken over by shopping malls and parking lots. Sadly, butterflies are becoming more and more rare these days. They are fragile insects that need help for their survival. The miss use of backyard pesticides is largely to blame for the disappearance of butterflies. To help preserve them, you can plant a special garden to feed and nurture them.

A butterfly garden should have at least 6 hours of sun. This is because butterflies needs to raise their body temperature in order to fly. They perch on flowers basking in the sun, absorbing the solar benefits until their body temperature reaches 86-104 degrees F. Most of the plants that they love are also sun lovers.

There are 2 kinds of butterfly flowers: food plants for the caterpillar, and nectar plants for the adults. A way to help native butterfly species boost their population is to grow known food or host plants for those species. If using a host plant, make sure that you leave the plants intact when the growing season is over. You may destroy hibernating adult butterflies, their pupae, or their eggs.

Colors of the flowers can also be an attractant. Purple, pink, yellow, and white are the colors most often preferred by butterflies. Mass planting of specific flowers is more effective than using single plants. Plant at least 3 groups of plants flowering at different times and mix together host plants and nectar flowers. Do not keep them separate.

Flowers that attract butterflies
Perennial flowers that attract butterflies are: coneflower, aster, beebalm, black-eyed susan, violet, and gayfeather. Cosmos, marigold, impatien, heliotrope, and sunflower are annuals that work well. Herbs are also great nectar plants.

For a complete listing of host plants and nectar plants, come see us at Hamlen's Garden Center and we would be more than happy to help you choose the right plants for your butterfly garden.

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People are like potatoes

1. Speck Tators: These folks like to watch but not participate.
2. Aggie Tators: These folks like to cause problems.
3. Hezzie Tators: They say they will, but somehow don’t get around to it.
4. Medi Tators: Folks who spend a lot of time sitting and peering into their garden.
5. Compu Tators: These are folks who try to maximize their vegetable yields while reducing expenses.

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“Gardeners, I think, dream bigger dreams than Emperor’s.”
Mary Cantwell

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