Container Gardening Complete

Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete

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Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete
#175 Dtp: 229 Page: 147

Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete

#175 Dtp: 229 Page: 146

700309 - ContainerGardens_001-272_FINAL.indd 147 5/24/17 12:12 PM

STEP 1 Flip the plastic bucket tubs upside down and

use a utility knife to cut a triangular hole in the bottom

of each bucket for drainage. Make sure the hole is

about 1 in. across. Fill each bucket three-quarters

of the way to the top with the 50/50 potting soil and

compost blend.

STEP 2 Carefully pull the plants from their containers

and situate them in the plastic buckets, moving them

around until you’re happy with their placement. If

your butterfly garden tubs are located against a wall

or fence, put the tallest plants toward the back of the

containers and the shortest plants in the very front. If

the tubs can be viewed from all sides, put the tallest

plants in the center, surround them with mid-sized

plants, and then put the shorter plants around the

outer edge. Once happy with the arrangement, loosen

any pot-bound roots and fill in around each plant with

potting soil and compost blend. Do not overfill the

buckets; there should be 1 in. of headspace between

the soil and the top edge of the bucket’s rim. Water the

plants well.

STEP 3 Maintain your Butterfly Garden Tubs by

regularly deadheading the flowers. Carefully inspect

host plants for caterpillars on a frequent basis and

don’t disturb any you happen to find. Avoid using

pesticides or fungicides of any sort on your Butterfly

Garden Tubs as they could negatively affect both the

adult butterflies and the caterpillars.

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HOW TO MAKE BUTTERFLY GARDEN TUBS

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Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete

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There are over 4,000 species of native bees in North

America, and while supporting European honeybees is

important, helping our native bees is even more so. Bees are

responsible for pollinating more than $20 billion dollars of

food crops each year, and many species are suffering from

population declines due to pesticide exposure, diseases,

and habitat loss. Even urban gardeners with small patio

gardens or containers can provide important habitat for

these insects.

If every homeowner and apartment dweller built a

Pollinator Can like this one, what a huge difference we’d

make!

MATERIALS NEEDED

Large, 31-gallon

galvanized trashcan

Empty 5-gallon bucket

Enough 50/50 potting

soil and compost

blend to fill the can

8 to 12 pollinator-

friendly plants,

selected from the list

to the left

1 piece of untreated

2x4 lumber, 4 to 5 ft.

long

30 to 50 natural

bamboo garden

stakes, 2 to 3 ft. long

3 pieces of 2x6 lumber,

18 in. long. Cedar,

redwood, or another

untreated wood is best

Wood glue

1 brick

A small roll of

aluminum hobby wire

A piece of burlap,

approximately

1 ft. x 3 ft.

A roll of natural jute

twine

TOOLS NEEDED

Scratch awl

Hammer

Scissors

Pruning shears

Wire cutter

Cordless drill with

(^5) ⁄ 16 -in. and (^7) ⁄ 16 -in.
twist bits

POLLINATOR CAN

Excellent Host Plants for Bees:

• Goldenrod


• Liatris


• Phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia)


• Culver’s root (Veronicastrum virginicum)


• Asters


• Bee balm


• Meadowsweet (Spirea alba)


• Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum)


• Penstemon (Penstemon spp.)


• Coneflower


• Black-eyed Susans


• Sunflowers


• Agastache


• Globe thistle (Echinops spp.)


• Coreopsis


• Milkweed


• Mountain mint (Pycnanthemum spp.)


• Dill


• Oregano


• Nepeta (Nepeta spp.)


• Salvia Continued

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HOW TO MAKE BUTTERFLY GARDEN TUBS

Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete

#175 Dtp: 229 Page: 147

Job:06-700309 Title: CPS - Container Gardening Complete

#175 Dtp: 229 Page: 146

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