Great shot of Yellow Swallowtail on coneflower! I had 3 little unplanted pack pots of fennel on the patio. Last week while I was working out there I thought I saw bugs on fennel and was about to swat and/or squish them but thought I'd better chech with magnifying glass to make sure. Turns out they were Black Swallowtail caterpillars in first instar. I've got 4 of them in mesh enclosure chowing down fennel and are all at different levels of 5th instar already. Saw one shed it's last instar skin today. He/she was shaking the tail as if trying to get out of a pair of tight jeans...LOL. Now just have to keep an eye on them so they don't wander too far in enclosure before deciding where they want to pupate. Interesting fact I found on Butterfly Forum. I asked what nectar plants I should get since most of mine have been eaten and won't bloom anytime soon. Was told when you release a butterfly it probably won't nectar in your garden but fly off and go somewhere else! How's that for manners...LOL. I have one Echinacea 'Kim's Knee High' that's in bloom out front that these guys might like if they make it through pupation. Was reminded of it when I saw your echinacea which is beautiful. Thanks for sharing pics!

Spraying poplar suckers has potential to damage the parent tree. Fine mulch is ideal for getting lots of new little plants coming up, as mentioned. Paper mulch is best for smothering weeds in an area that is going to be made into a bed later, rather than as a routine maintenance tool. You put down a thick layer and get it wet, keep it wet. Also a decorative mulch may be put over the newspaper layer, if desired. Coarser mulch such as clean arborist wood chips or purchased play chips is the most effective, however as has been pointed out in response to one of my posts on this site there can be issues with smothering when such materials are used near herbaceous plants. Even when applied some distance back chips may often migrate and get on top of perennials. Really if you are going to have flower plantings of much size and scope you can expect to be out there hand weeding etc. as a matter of course. If working among your flowers like this is more a vexation than a relaxation then consider making some changes. One way to include herbaceous plants in a home landscape without the upkeep being too much is to have one small or smallish area where these are planted, with the rest in lawn and woody plants (mulched with wood chips). This post was edited by bboy on Mon, Aug 18, 14 at 15:14

This was the thread that helped me put a name to the style of garden that I love best. I have been working towards the cottage style for many years and never get tired of the evolution of it. Loved reading them all again today. Cheryl

a backhoe! that's the word I was groping for last night. thank you, mintforyou. sarah, my landlady is one of the 5 holdouts, so they won't be tearing down my garden this year. one year, though, it will be a parking lot when the hummers return, and it gets me thinking about large scale environmental destruction and habitat loss. mimidi, take your pictures on a cloudy day. it makes things look greener in the pics. I will definitely be taking most of the perennials with me. I'm going to leave the butterfly bush, japanese honeysuckle, and poison oak for the school to deal with. I still can hardly believe that hummer fed right next to the backhoe while it was in operation.