Ask a Naturalist

Q: Do you have any tips for successfully transplanting trilliums? I have heard they do not transplant well. A: You should plant trillium in shade or dappled shade, and in rich, moist or average soil. Dig a hole as deep as the pot. Pull the plant out of the pot, loosen the roots, hold it over the hole and gently fill in with soil. Finally, to fend off deer, put a cage over it or spray with a deer repellent. At the Native Plant Nursery here, we use a product called Deer Stopper. It is an organic product that is environmentally safe, biodegradable and non-toxic. It doesn’t need to be re-applied after rain and it lasts four to six weeks. At my home, I use the concentrated form, which is much more economical, and dilute it more than recommended. It also repels rabbits. —Jean Barrell, BHWP Naturalist

Q: How can I attract more birds, butterflies and bees to my garden?

A: That’s easy! Use more native plants. The most compelling reason to use native plants on your property is that they are essential food for the animals with which they evolved, especially insects such as bees and butterflies, but other insects and birds, too. Fortunately, native plants are also beautiful.

Many people are aware that monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) can’t survive without native milkweed plants (Asclepis sp.). What they may not know is that the butterflies can drink nectar from many different plants; it’s their caterpillars that can only digest the leaves of milkweeds. Monarchs are not alone in specializing on a narrow group of related plants as caterpillar food. Most butterflies and moths specialize.

Without the native plants with which they evolved, these species would die out. That would be bad news for birds, too, since insects, especially caterpillars, are an essential part of most birds’ diets.

Bees rely on native plants for both nectar and pollen, an essential source of lipids and protein for them. Some bees specialize on the pollen of a small group of related plants, just as butterflies do. Without their special food, they won’t survive.

In his 2020 book, “Nature’s Best Hope,” Doug Tallamy reports that chickadees need at least 70% of the plants in their territory to be native in order to have enough food—in the form of caterpillars—to successfully raise a family. So, if you want to see more birds, butterflies, bees and other native critters on your property, set a minimum of 70% native plants as your goal.

For more information, visit our website: https://bhwp.org/grow/garden-with-natives/attracting-birds-bees-butterflies/ To get a copy of Tallamy’s book, see below.

— Mary Anne Borge, BHWP Naturalist

Q: How can I be sure the native plants I select from the Preserve’s Native Plant Nursery are right for my property’s landscape?

A: We get that question a lot. Which of the nearly 200 native plant species we sell each year are right for you? The answer depends on your landscape’s soil type, moisture and sun conditions. It’s never a good idea to put shade-loving ferns in a dry sunny location, or plants that will only bloom in full sun in the shade. Make sure you are matching plants to your growing conditions. Here are some resources that can help:

https://bhwp.org/grow/garden-with-natives/right-plant-right-place/

https://lambertvillegoeswild.weebly.com/plants.html

https://bhwp.org/grow/garden-with-natives/native-plant-plant-profiles-a-to-z/

Consider your other gardening goals, too, such as having interest throughout all four seasons. You can browse our ‘What’s in Season’ favorites for inspiration: https://bhwp.org/visit/whats-in-season/.

— Mary Anne Borge, BHWP Naturalist

Q: “I have a nannyberry plant with distorted leaves on their tops due to aphids, which I killed. What else should I do?” – A. S.

A: Dear A.S.,

A: I would remove the wilted leaves by making a clean cut at the next leaf node down from the brown ones. Also, to discourage the return of the aphids, you can spray with Neem oil, insecticidal soap (like Safer Soap), or horticultural oil. You will need to spray the undersides of the leaves as well. It’s also possible to wipe the leaves with a mild dish detergent solution every few days.

— Donna Dahringer, Native Plant Nursery Manager

Q: “I have a few locations, between pavers and under a large pine tree, that might be good spots for moss. Could you give me some advice on how to grow it, where to grow it, and how to keep it happy and healthy? I have no clue what type of moss it is. I tried planting elfin thyme a couple of years ago between my pavers and it did not spread much and is not looking great thus far. The moss, on the other hand, seems to be very happy.” – F. C.

A: Dear F.C.,

“I also have a moss garden, so I do have some experience in trying to nurture it along. And, lucky for both of us, moss thrives from neglect! You just have to have lots of patience. I’m guessing that the poor results with the elfin thyme has to do with shade. Thyme species love sunny, hot weather (they’re all Mediterranean species, after all). If you see any signs of moss, it’s because the location is probably shady enough to favor it. Moss will always move into a shady location where the ground is relatively bare (it is considered a “pioneering species” that moves into a disturbed area before anything else), whether you want it to or not. And whatever kind of moss you’re finding now is the best species of moss to grow there. It knows exactly where it wants to be. I would not get too caught up at this point in finding exactly what species you should be growing.

I have a very long path through my shade garden with widely-spaced stepper stones and moss in between them. After the pavers were put down, the moss was transplanted in chunks from elsewhere on the property, broken into tiny pieces and then pressed into place between the pavers. Water it gently until you can see it taking hold (gentle spring rains during cool weather would be best!). It took probably a year or more, but the moss easily filled in the spaces from that point on. You don’t even need that much moss to transplant. Even tiny pieces will take hold and start growing. Of course, the bigger the pieces you transplant, the faster it will fill in.

So, if you have moss anywhere else in your yard that you can transplant, or if you know anyone who has moss in their yard, just ask if you can have a couple of big chunks. Break it into pieces, and then press it into place where you want it. Keep it gently watered, especially during hot, dry weather. Once established, you do not need to be as concerned about keeping it watered. It will go through dry cycles where it looks almost dead, but once it rains, it will pop right back up with green growth within a few hours.

To speed up the process a bit, the best advice is to lower the pH of the substrate (soil) between the pavers by sprinkling the area lightly with aluminum sulfate crystals. Moss grows best on acidic soils. The moss garden at Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve, as well as my own garden, benefits from an occasional application of aluminum sulfate to keep the pH of the soil lower than what would normally be found in your yard. The product is not entirely benign, so make sure you read the safety data sheet that accompanies the product. Having said that, when used properly (and kept away from any streams or ponds in the area), it is not a dangerous product. But that is for you to decide! You can find it at any garden store.

Lowering the pH of the soil has the added benefit of making the substrate more inhospitable to grassy weeds. Grasses will be the biggest competitor of growing mosses, especially annual bluegrass (Poa annua). You should know that growing mosses across a large area isn’t as easy to keep pristine as you’d think. It is the perfect substrate for growing weed seeds of all kinds, which means a bit of weeding for you, and you should endeavor to keep the area as free of leafy debris that falls on top of it as possible.

There are lots and lots of information online about growing mosses. I’ve given you just the basics here, which, with a bit of patience, will work for you. There are lots of “recipes” for grinding moss up in a blender with buttermilk, then pouring it over bare soil, but I’ve never tried it. Nevertheless, you should try anything that sounds promising to you!

The moss garden in Penn’s Woods at Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve is beautiful at this time of year. I sincerely hope the Preserve will be open very soon so our visitors can see it.”

— Julie Davies, BHWP Naturalist