Eileen C Hart Botanical Garden

07/21/2026

Nature is absolutely incredible! Black-capped Chickadees cache (hide) thousands of seeds to survive, and to remember where they put them, their brains actually change size. They fluff their feathers, huddle together, or reduce activity on cold nights to conserve heat, and right now in summer, they are raising babies while their hippocampus grows in size this fall to expand their memory for caching seeds! That little bird grabbing sunflower seeds from your yard is an absolute biological marvel. 🤯

07/21/2026

In 1960, David Latimer planted a spiderworts plant in a 10‑gallon glass container. He watered it one last time in 1972, sealed it shut, and placed it in a sunny spot. Decades later, it's still alive.

The plant thrives by recycling its own moisture, oxygen, and nutrients. It's a self‑sustaining ecosystem—a miniature planet in a bottle. Latimer calls it his "garden in a bottle," and it's still going strong after 50 years.

A sealed jar. An unopened lid. And a living lesson in how nature finds a way. 🍃🌱

07/21/2026

Kitchen scraps are useful garden ingredients, but I get better compost when I prepare them instead of tossing everything in whole ♻️ My simple compost routine:
🍌 Chop thick peels and large vegetable pieces so they break down faster
☕ Scatter coffee grounds through the pile instead of adding one heavy layer
🫖 Empty tea leaves from bags that contain plastic, glue, or staples
🥚 Crush eggshells, knowing they will release minerals slowly
🍂 Cover fresh scraps with dry leaves, cardboard, or shredded paper
I aim for a damp, earthy-smelling pile. When it becomes wet or smelly, I mix in more dry brown material and turn it for airflow.

07/21/2026

When wildlife appears in our neighborhoods, it's easy to think they're in the wrong place.

But the truth is, many of our neighborhoods were once forests, meadows, and wetlands—the places these animals depended on for food, shelter, and raising their young.

Most deer, foxes, skunks, and opossums aren't looking for trouble. They're simply trying to survive in a world that's changing faster than they can.

The next time you see wildlife, remember: they may not be visiting our home.

They may be standing where their home used to be.

07/21/2026

If you see this beautiful woodpecker hopping around on your summer lawn, don't chase it away! Northern Flickers are essentially backyard vacuums for insects, especially ants. Their tongue is so long (the tongue can extend over 2 inches beyond the tip of the beak!) that it literally wraps around the back of the skull. It's covered in sticky saliva to pull ants right out of their underground colonies. Have you seen one of these ground-feeding woodpeckers this week?

07/21/2026

Once I learned to recognize a finished bloom, deadheading became much quicker and less confusing 🌼 What I look for before cutting:
🥀 Faded petals that have collapsed, browned, or dried
🌱 A swelling seed pod beginning to form behind the flower
✂️ A healthy leaf or new bud below the old bloom
🌸 Fresh flowers that still have firm petals and good color
🐦 Seed heads worth leaving when I want food for birds or seeds for next year
I follow the old flower stem down instead of snipping only the petals. Cutting at a leaf or branching point leaves the plant looking much tidier.

07/21/2026

07/21/2026

Beneficial Insects Guide

🌿🐞 NOT EVERY BUG IS THE ENEMY.

Before you reach for the spray bottle, take a closer look. Many insects in your garden are protecting your plants for free.



PROTECT THESE HELPERS

• Ladybugs – Aphid hunters

• Green lacewings – Larvae eat soft-bodied pests

• Hoverflies – Pollinators; larvae eat aphids

• Tiny parasitic wasps – Control caterpillars, aphids, and whiteflies

• Ground & rove beetles – Hunt slugs, cutworms, and insect eggs

• Dragonflies – Excellent mosquito predators



MANAGE THESE COMMON PESTS

• Hornworms & destructive caterpillars (identify before removing)

• Spider mites

• Thrips

• Whiteflies

• Slugs & snails

• Mealybugs and scale insects



GOLDEN RULE

Identify before you act. Even organic sprays can kill beneficial insects that quietly protect your garden.

07/21/2026

Late-summer cleanup is easier when I remember that not every tired-looking plant needs the same treatment ✂️ What I usually check first:
🌸 Trim faded catmint, hardy geranium, salvia, and Shasta daisies to healthy growth
🌿 Remove spent daylily stalks, but keep green leaves working
🐦 Leave some coneflower and black-eyed Susan seed heads for birds
🍃 Keep healthy peony foliage until frost
🌱 Remove only damaged iris leaves instead of cutting the whole fan down
🌾 Leave ornamental grasses standing until early spring
My exception is diseased foliage. I remove and discard that promptly rather than leaving it in the bed through winter.

07/21/2026

I stacked a few rocks into a simple herb spiral, and now I have a space-saving garden that's both practical and eye-catching. 🏡💚
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