The Secret Garden celebrates with two weekends of family fun
The beautiful Gulf Fritillary butterfly is the focus of The Secret Garden's Butterfly Fest, Sept. 14-15 and 21-22. Courtesy The Secret Garden
Love butterflies? It’s time to wing it to The Secret Garden in Elk Grove.
The butterflies – specifically Gulf Fritillary butterflies – annually return to this destination nursery during their migration, attracted by their favorite host plant: passionflower.
Each September, The Secret Garden celebrates their comeback with its annual “Butterfly Fest.” And after the large crowd that turned out last year, The Secret Garden decided to double the celebration with two weekends devoted to butterfly fun.
On Sept. 14-15 and Sept. 21-22, Butterfly Fest will entertain and inform about these important and beautiful pollinators. Hours are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day; admission is free.
“Mark your calendars for a fluttering good time at The Secret Garden's Annual Butterfly Fest this September!” say the organizers. “Due to last year's incredible turnout, we're excited to announce an extended celebration over two weekends.
“Immerse yourself in the enchanting world of butterflies and pollinators at our local nursery. Every year, The Secret Garden becomes a haven for Gulf Fritillary butterflies during their migration, attracted to our lush passionvine. Join us as we honor these winged wonders and delve into the importance of pollinators in our ecosystem.”
At 11 a.m each day, take a guided tour of the butterfly’s life cycle with a visit to see hungry caterpillars in action as well as mature butterflies.
Designed for the whole family, the fest offers free kid activities such as face painting. A coffee cart will offer beverages. Or visitors can enjoy a scoop of Leatherby’s ice cream.
To coax more butterflies to your landscape, take home some perennials including such butterfly favorites as California native milkweed and passionflower. (They’ll be on sale for 15% off.)
Butterflies are most active in the cooler morning hours, so get there early to enjoy the show.
The Secret Garden is located at 8450 W. Stockton Blvd., Elk Grove.
For details and directions: https://www.secretgarden-online.com/.
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Food in My Back Yard Series
June 10: Battling early-season tomato pests
June 3: Make your own compost
May 27: Where are the bees when you need them?
May 20: How to help tomatoes thrive on hot days
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April 29: What's (already) wrong with my tomato plants?
April 22: Should you stock up on fertilizer? (Yes!)
April 15: Grow culinary herbs in containers
April 8: When to plant summer vegetables
April 1: Don't be fooled by these garden myths
March 25: Fertilizer tips: How to 'feed' your vegetables for healthy growth
March 18: Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space
March 11: Ways to win the fight against weeds
March 4: Potatoes from the garden
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Feb. 18: How to squeeze more food into less space
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Garden Checklist for week of June 15
Make the most of this “average” weather; your garden is growing fast! (So are the weeds!)
* Warm weather brings rapid growth in the vegetable garden, with tomatoes and squash enjoying the heat. Deep-water, then feed with a balanced fertilizer. Bone meal can spur the bloom cycle and help set fruit.
* Generally, tomatoes need deep watering two to three times a week, but don’t let them dry out completely. That can encourage blossom-end rot.
* From seed, plant corn, melons, pumpkins, radishes, squash and sunflowers.
* Plant basil to go with your tomatoes.
* Transplant summer annuals such as petunias, marigolds and zinnias. It’s also a good time to transplant perennial flowers including astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia, salvia and verbena.
* Pull weeds before they go to seed.
* Let the grass grow longer. Set the mower blades high to reduce stress on your lawn during summer heat. To cut down on evaporation, water your lawn deeply during the wee hours of the morning, between 2 and 8 a.m.
* Tie up vines and stake tall plants such as gladiolus and lilies. That gives their heavy flowers some support.
* Dig and divide crowded bulbs after the tops have died down.
* Feed summer flowers with a slow-release fertilizer.
* Mulch, mulch, mulch! This “blanket” keeps moisture in the soil longer and helps your plants cope during hot weather. It also helps smother weeds.
* Thin grapes on the vine for bigger, better clusters later this summer.
* Cut back fruit-bearing canes on berries.
* Feed camellias, azaleas and other acid-loving plants. Mulch to conserve moisture and reduce heat stress.
* Cut back Shasta daisies after flowering to encourage a second bloom in the fall.
* Trim off dead flowers from rose bushes to keep them blooming through the summer. Roses also benefit from deep watering and feeding now. A top dressing of aged compost will keep them happy. It feeds as well as keeps roots moist.
* Pinch back chrysanthemums for bushier plants with many more flowers in September.
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