My garden kept getting over run by pests until I added roses and a raspberry. The beneficial insects suddenly had a place to lay eggs and over winter. Then I added annual flowers and got more bees pollinating the vegetables. Having a mix of annual / perennial and flowering plants that have different blooming periods with vegetables has made the food production better with less pests and my garden looks more beautiful with all the flowers so I spend more time out there.
Thanks so much. I'm with you and I love that John Keats quote about truth and beauty. It doesn't need any other reason, but if there are gardeners out there who still put ornamental plants into the category of being a wasteful luxury I hope I've given them some excuses to expand their horizons.
Cannas, Dahlias and Day lilies top my list for edible flowers (they have edible tubers, too). Crocus, Daffodils, Hyacinth, Irises, Snow drops, and Star of Bethlehem are all flowers that we grow that are not used for food (aside from the saffron) .. but they are great indicators that tell me when it is OK to plant certain annuals, as reliable as the Almanac - The pollinators like them, too. Redbud and Black Locust are two of the trees that we raise, and many customers get these just for feeding the bees: Redbuds for early Spring, and Locusts to take over as Summer arrives. Eventually, we will have trees for pollinators for many more months of blooms. Although many of our customers are homesteaders, I wish I could impress on more of them: Having plenty of flowers for pollinators makes the fruit trees produce more fruit. Having surface water, and plants that feed the wild birds makes it so that one does not need to work as hard at pest control, nor spray or burn those web worms out of the nut trees. having biomass producers, dynamic accumulators, and nitrogen fixers makes it so that one does not need to constantly be sourcing and adding inputs to keep everything else healthy, _including_ the annual vegetable garden, the livestock, and the human members of the ecosystem.
I've seen some vegetable and fruit growers talk about how we should hand pollinate to get a decent crop with some things . This makes no sense to me. I get a bumper crop with every food crop because I have so many flowers drawing in the pollinators. Not that I blame them, I found that some of the people I spoke to have never been told that flowers are important for drawing in the pollinators. I really agree with your final point, these reasons are great but at the end of the day, don't all humans appreciate some beauty? Do it for yourself, do it for others, just make the world a beautiful place.
Thanks - you bet! I never felt I needed permission to enjoy a planting just because it looks good. If I had to pinpoint an influence, I'd say that the book "Food Not Lawns" (while probably not intending to paint everything with the same brush) encouraged gardeners to look at ornamentals as something excessive or wasteful - and you know how people can get when they're trying to fit everything into an ideological framework. So I really have to fight against the current to let (some) customers know about the benefits roses and other ornamentals have always been providing in the landscape the whole time.
Stefan Subkowiak (Permaculture Orchatrd) has a video on why he does not keep honey bees anymore = too much pollination! With his way of "orcharding" there are so many wild pollinators. That is just awesome. But for a homesteader it still might be valuable to keep bees, of course, for the honey!
Borage is one of my favorite plants. I grow it in both blue and white, and occasionally, a pink one appears. And yes, you only plant it once. It's great around everything and I particularly like to grow it near roses. Another plant I love and have all around my garden is feverfew tetra strain. It looks like a double white chamomile. It is zone 5 hardy and comes up every year, spreads easily, and can easily be removed. I grow several spreading and climbing nasturtiums, but my favorite is whirlybird mahogany, a stunning clumped with upward facing flowers. I always grow my roses, viburnums and peonies with accompanying plants. Geranium striatum is way cool because it forms ferny foliage that reaches up into shrubs. No plants in isolation! They like friends.
Bees love borage, I love borage, butterflies love borage! It is just a happy plant. Once I found it, I never want to be without it. Or dill. Or fennel. Or nasturtium. Or calendula 😂
Wonderful topic. Agree 💯. Introduced roses last year and I feel I had a large increase to the number of butterflies and bees that visited us compared to previous years. I feel I'm probably mixing up a saying or quoting someone else, but it's stuck with me as a tip for setting up gardens make sure you have "veggies to feed your tummy and flowers to feed your soul!" Also, so many plants can be both! One of my oregano plants went to flower last year on my deck and I was so happy it did. The white flowers were gorgeous. I would cut them and add them to my fresh cut flower bouquets. Definitely ornamental quality in my mind, and the bees and butterflies absolutely loved them.
Definitely agree on ornamentals being undervalued by some types of gardeners. I identify as a prepper to some extent and found growing anything besides food or culinary/medicinal herbs a waste of time until a friend talked about flowers being "food for the mind". Thats always stuck with me and I think about that everytime I see something in bloom. Hope you and everyone else has a fantastic gardening season ✌
The colors have an amazing affect on your happiness. I’ve worked for greenhouses before where there are rows and rows of vibrant color, and certain colors of certain plants are just unlike anything else on this world. The vibrancy of color in the petals is amazing. There are even colors on this planet that are around us that our eyes cannot perceive. Imagine that. Soak up what you can while you can. Great comment!
I just wanted to extend a thank you for all of your informative videos and to encourage to keep up the good work. I am a new empty nester who now has time to devote to a hobby, and what better than the husbandry of plants, insects, and birds in your back yard. I appreciate that you encourage composting and natural pest control. Thanks for also promoting others who have good information for me to learn.
Great video Jason. Even those of us who are not homesteaders will now appreciate the many and varied benefits of our plants, not just their beauty. PS, I will now google monkshood, cuz, eeek!
I plant roses because they are awesome but also they show disease or pest problems before my grapes/peaches. So I have time to prepare. The roses also make a good spikes hedge to keep deer back.
I think you touched on all my reasons and goals for my cottage garden! Lol And you’re absolutely right, some ornaments have great value to add to a garden. I’m really glad epic gardening is starting to showcase more flowers etc they have such a large audience. On the other hand I can’t blame new gardeners for focusing only on veggies, there’s a LOT to learn and you have to start somewhere. Great video summary of reasons to expand your garden 👍
@@FraserValleyRoseFarm Absolutely! And there must be a lot more for science to learn too (I’m no where near this but it feels like there’s probably way more happening in the soil etc) My favourite thing to learn lately is what family plants belong to and then you can really notice the similarities. Like rutabaga is a brassica
I can't look at marigolds without smiling. I think they are just a happy plant. They make a lot of seeds too, so I take them and randomly throw them in places I go. They are everywhere at work. The owners wonder why. I don't.
Absolutely great video Jason, I’ve learned so much from you since subscribing a few years ago. I live in Langley BC, not far from you, I have an intention to visit your farm this year. My 93 year old dad died yesterday after a fall that broke his neck and totally incapacitated him since the end of January 2023. Prior to that he lived in his own condo in Vancouver. Once things are more on an even keel with the family, I will be making that trip. I love the flowers I have in pots in my front yard and on my deck.I used to garden with my mom who died in 2012.
I’ve been around the world via CZcams on topics of gardening, gardens, growing and sustainability and always come back here to your channel for it’s relevancy, accuracy and general darn great content. Thank you Jason.
About covering soil; Calendula, I have near to the house it appeared itself through small variegated hedera field [0.5m-1m covered by hedera/ivy]. Though I am in zone 7b it lived and had beautiful flowers throughout winter and is flowering in the spring as well. I had it also on other places in the garden but they were gone with 1st frost. Have a nice day.
Love your channel. If your garden brings you peace and joy, then it will help your body and soul. ❤ Just a nit pick, “Colour” is not spelled “color” in our beautiful 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦
Thanks Jason & Colleen - I believe you're right on the scalability. It seems that larger monoculture crop systems depend on blanket pesticide applications to keep them in the game, so I'm happy to see people looking for a different way.
I was complaining in the local Malaysian rose forum recently about never ending thrips/ spider mites attack and someone suggested planting garlic chives, petunias or marigolds to help alleviate the situation somewhat. They don't know how it works but it brings a bit of results in their experiences.
I am adding a lot of these plants this year, some are seedlings right now and will be added to the ornemental garden. I started adding ornemental plants a few years ago and I am glad I did it. Lots of sweet woodruff, sedum, grasses and various bulbs blooming each spring. Another great video that reassures me I went in the right direction. By the way, the rose bush I saved last year, thanks to your advice, survived another Zone 5A winter :)
I really enjoy your videos. ❤ I just want to highlight Vitex Agnus Castus. Munk’s pepper as the seeds are called. It is extremely useful to dog and horse owners, cooling down libido and to women with PMS, cramps and other issues. And it’s a beautiful bush or tree in your garden, with a lovely scent, easy to care for. It’s a plant that has it all! Besides, it always get attention for looking like c*nnabis. 😂
Gardens can be both beautiful and functional. Your right s’adorant have to be one or the other. People look at me cross eyed when I say to plant other plants so they have less pests.
Good for people to keep in mind that the beneficial insects in different areas will need different plants. Yarrow is native everywhere and can attract beneficials anywhere, but milkweeds wont be so useful to those living outside where it naturally grows.
Thanks for adding that. There's good reason to think milkweed will attract and support a wide range of generalist predators like hoverflies (especially), wasps, pirate bugs and lacewings - which are present in a wide range of climates. This study was done in central WA, so somewhat drier than our own zone but with many of the same predators: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5039543/
When considering ornamental things I always return to this quote by Edith Schaeffer: “If you have been afraid that your love of beautiful flowers and the flickering flame of the candle is somehow less spiritual than living in starkness and ugliness, remember that He who created you to be creative gave you the things with which to make beauty and the sensitivity to appreciate and respond to His creation.” Spirituality aside, I agree that a plant’s usefulness extends to much more than just its contribution to nourishment.
So many reasons to have a broad selection of plants in a growing space. I plant a majority of edible only plants and trees on my property, but if I don't include food sources for the pollinators and beneficials I am not maintaining a complete, healthy ecosystem for the property as a whole. Ornamentals are a necessary part of that balance. Of course I added roses, but I discovered that some of the wild flowering plants that I was expecting to be natural help turned out to be toxic to people and animals, so I am currently shopping for hardy perennials that can survive on their own year round with continuous flowering for as long as possible. Eventually Chamomile will be seeded throughout the property to grow wild, but probably different types of daisies, sun flower, and not sure what else. I have planted a few impatience (pink & white) just because they refuse to die, but those really the types of plants I prefer, survivors. Of course my property is quite rugged, so I want the plants to be healthy and strong on their own as much as possible. I will definitely be referring back to this video for possibilities.😉🤙
@@FraserValleyRoseFarm They have to be tough to survive up here. Heavy rain has only happened 4 times in the entire year. Most moisture only penetrates the soil to about an inch or 2 1/2 centimeters (I think). I'm still working on the soil composition, but potting mix with general purpose sand 2-1 seems to be pretty good moisture retention and drainage. If you have any particular suggestions that might fit these elements that would be helpful. The coldest temperatures are 2-4 C/ 36-41 F, so no fear of freeze, but definitely cold hardy. High temperatures can reach 35C, but only intermittently between clouds and fog mist. I would like to have a couple of heavy pollen producers that can provide a hearty food source. I do have a good number of young Ohia trees that I will keep short and pruned because they have beautiful red Luhia blossoms that are prized flower of honey producers. I will also be consulting with the honey and bee keepers about possibly having some hive boxes on the property as well. They may have certain preferences as well.
borage leaf fritters are awesome! also is it Agastache or Salvia? ;-) and you can eat pickled tulip bulbs like pickles, I never have but I see them in the shops
On my homestead I'm only careful about ornamentals in respect to what may kill an animal. I recently found my baby lamb deathly and could not figure out why except thst he had eaten azaleas😮
Try to attract more birds. I know I technically have slugs because I saw them once. However they never get very far, since I have so many birds eating insects and slugs from my yard all day long.
Are there any roses that like moist soil? I live on a lake channel and the water table is 6 inches below ground. I do all raised beds to prevent root rot, but I am putting in a ground level acid bed for blueberries and would love to add a few roses
Modern hybrids as a rule won't tolerate wet feet. I'd be looking at the species roses and particularly something like Rosa palustris or relatives that are naturally found in marginal or boggy soil.
Love your videos but I gotta say, my experience with milkweed couldnt be different. Every single year my milkweed, while it does attract a lot of butterflies, gets absolutely WRECKED by aphids. I have never seen so many aphids in one place before and they absolutely devastate it. It's to the point where going over the plant by hand to get rid of them isn't even viable and neem etc would defeat the whole purpose. First year or two I expected the beneficials to show up and correct the issue but seems like they never do. Shame.
Sorry to hear it. I guess this is case in point that even a plant that is well suited in general to attract and support beneficials can fall victim itself in some situations.
Jason, do you ever recommend disbudding new rose plantings? I have some small climbers just in this winter - now about 20 cm high - and some have buds on. Would it be better to take them off so the plant can concentrate on putting down roots? Thanks
It's reasonable to do so if you have the time for it. I know one long-time commercial rose grower who swears by disbudding all his potted roses until they're well established, and I have to say that I've been impressed by the branching and overall health of his crops.
I really enjoyed this video and also the potting bench, thornless roses and peaches in the greenhouse videos were so great! 🙏 I changed my handle on YT . I used to be BayAreausAquarius but my old channel got deleted so Hello 👋 again garden friends from my New one👌📢 🥼🧪🤐🇺🇸🦅idk what in this world happened, have folks all gone nuts overnight?!? At least gardening and roses and such are keeping me inspired for another day 🌱🌞🌹Beautiful Moss rose, now I'm inspired to get one of those too!!
I'm sorry Jason, but I have to disagree with you on this one... Now let me qualify that... I grow plants in all six of the catagories you mentioned... But if a plant has a job to do, it is no longer ornamental... ;)
I take your meaning, but I'd rephrase that as "not *solely* ornamental": plants can be attractive and also have a function. Blueberry plants are ornamental as heck! It's actually hard to think of examples of plants that don't do anything at all except look pretty.
My garden kept getting over run by pests until I added roses and a raspberry. The beneficial insects suddenly had a place to lay eggs and over winter. Then I added annual flowers and got more bees pollinating the vegetables. Having a mix of annual / perennial and flowering plants that have different blooming periods with vegetables has made the food production better with less pests and my garden looks more beautiful with all the flowers so I spend more time out there.
Wonderful to hear!
I really appreciate this video, and 100% agree. Especially your final point, to value beauty as an important function of our gardens.
Thanks so much. I'm with you and I love that John Keats quote about truth and beauty. It doesn't need any other reason, but if there are gardeners out there who still put ornamental plants into the category of being a wasteful luxury I hope I've given them some excuses to expand their horizons.
Cannas, Dahlias and Day lilies top my list for edible flowers (they have edible tubers, too). Crocus, Daffodils, Hyacinth, Irises, Snow drops, and Star of Bethlehem are all flowers that we grow that are not used for food (aside from the saffron) .. but they are great indicators that tell me when it is OK to plant certain annuals, as reliable as the Almanac - The pollinators like them, too. Redbud and Black Locust are two of the trees that we raise, and many customers get these just for feeding the bees: Redbuds for early Spring, and Locusts to take over as Summer arrives. Eventually, we will have trees for pollinators for many more months of blooms.
Although many of our customers are homesteaders, I wish I could impress on more of them:
Having plenty of flowers for pollinators makes the fruit trees produce more fruit. Having surface water, and plants that feed the wild birds makes it so that one does not need to work as hard at pest control, nor spray or burn those web worms out of the nut trees. having biomass producers, dynamic accumulators, and nitrogen fixers makes it so that one does not need to constantly be sourcing and adding inputs to keep everything else healthy, _including_ the annual vegetable garden, the livestock, and the human members of the ecosystem.
Thanks for sharing your expertise on this! Always interesting.
@@FraserValleyRoseFarm I'm always learning, Jason .. It wasn't too long ago that I was one of the "If'n I cain't et it, I ain't growin' it" people 😁
I've seen some vegetable and fruit growers talk about how we should hand pollinate to get a decent crop with some things . This makes no sense to me. I get a bumper crop with every food crop because I have so many flowers drawing in the pollinators. Not that I blame them, I found that some of the people I spoke to have never been told that flowers are important for drawing in the pollinators.
I really agree with your final point, these reasons are great but at the end of the day, don't all humans appreciate some beauty? Do it for yourself, do it for others, just make the world a beautiful place.
Thanks - you bet! I never felt I needed permission to enjoy a planting just because it looks good. If I had to pinpoint an influence, I'd say that the book "Food Not Lawns" (while probably not intending to paint everything with the same brush) encouraged gardeners to look at ornamentals as something excessive or wasteful - and you know how people can get when they're trying to fit everything into an ideological framework. So I really have to fight against the current to let (some) customers know about the benefits roses and other ornamentals have always been providing in the landscape the whole time.
Stefan Subkowiak (Permaculture Orchatrd) has a video on why he does not keep honey bees anymore = too much pollination! With his way of "orcharding" there are so many wild pollinators. That is just awesome. But for a homesteader it still might be valuable to keep bees, of course, for the honey!
Borage is one of my favorite plants. I grow it in both blue and white, and occasionally, a pink one appears. And yes, you only plant it once. It's great around everything and I particularly like to grow it near roses.
Another plant I love and have all around my garden is feverfew tetra strain. It looks like a double white chamomile. It is zone 5 hardy and comes up every year, spreads easily, and can easily be removed.
I grow several spreading and climbing nasturtiums, but my favorite is whirlybird mahogany, a stunning clumped with upward facing flowers.
I always grow my roses, viburnums and peonies with accompanying plants. Geranium striatum is way cool because it forms ferny foliage that reaches up into shrubs.
No plants in isolation! They like friends.
Bees love borage, I love borage, butterflies love borage! It is just a happy plant. Once I found it, I never want to be without it. Or dill. Or fennel. Or nasturtium. Or calendula 😂
Thanks Donna. I need to try the feverfew again - I grew it in containers and it wasn't happy, so I'll have to get it into the ground this time.
Wonderful topic. Agree 💯. Introduced roses last year and I feel I had a large increase to the number of butterflies and bees that visited us compared to previous years.
I feel I'm probably mixing up a saying or quoting someone else, but it's stuck with me as a tip for setting up gardens make sure you have "veggies to feed your tummy and flowers to feed your soul!"
Also, so many plants can be both! One of my oregano plants went to flower last year on my deck and I was so happy it did. The white flowers were gorgeous. I would cut them and add them to my fresh cut flower bouquets. Definitely ornamental quality in my mind, and the bees and butterflies absolutely loved them.
Thanks! So many of the herbs particularly are also very attractive in their own right.
Definitely agree on ornamentals being undervalued by some types of gardeners. I identify as a prepper to some extent and found growing anything besides food or culinary/medicinal herbs a waste of time until a friend talked about flowers being "food for the mind". Thats always stuck with me and I think about that everytime I see something in bloom. Hope you and everyone else has a fantastic gardening season ✌
Thanks - I like that a lot. There's more than one way that the garden can nourish!
The colors have an amazing affect on your happiness. I’ve worked for greenhouses before where there are rows and rows of vibrant color, and certain colors of certain plants are just unlike anything else on this world. The vibrancy of color in the petals is amazing. There are even colors on this planet that are around us that our eyes cannot perceive. Imagine that. Soak up what you can while you can. Great comment!
Always interesting to hear your videos. So enjoyable thanks for sharing all your knowledge. 👍❤️😊
I consider to a Prepper to be a label of mental instability.
Another thought-provoking video. Love your work.
Nature know best so plant flowers, shrubs and trees along with your food crops. This will balance your yard with good bugs and birds.
Thanks Diane!
I agree😊
I just wanted to extend a thank you for all of your informative videos and to encourage to keep up the good work. I am a new empty nester who now has time to devote to a hobby, and what better than the husbandry of plants, insects, and birds in your back yard. I appreciate that you encourage composting and natural pest control. Thanks for also promoting others who have good information for me to learn.
Thanks so much for the feedback and encouragement Christine!
Great video Jason. Even those of us who are not homesteaders will now appreciate the many and varied benefits of our plants, not just their beauty. PS, I will now google monkshood, cuz, eeek!
Thanks Laura.
I cannot believe people who grow edibles don't grow ornamentals particularly for the pollinators.
A lot of people just don’t see the big picture. Most people have absolutely no idea about how plants work.
I plant roses because they are awesome but also they show disease or pest problems before my grapes/peaches. So I have time to prepare. The roses also make a good spikes hedge to keep deer back.
The best medicine for the garden is the gardener!
If it’s a beautiful, diverse, welcoming place you’ll spend time there and it benefits you also!
Thanks Tamra. Well said.
I think you touched on all my reasons and goals for my cottage garden! Lol
And you’re absolutely right, some ornaments have great value to add to a garden. I’m really glad epic gardening is starting to showcase more flowers etc they have such a large audience. On the other hand I can’t blame new gardeners for focusing only on veggies, there’s a LOT to learn and you have to start somewhere.
Great video summary of reasons to expand your garden 👍
Thanks Kate. Totally. It can be overwhelming. It's a great hobby because there's so much to learn no matter how much you already know.
@@FraserValleyRoseFarm Absolutely! And there must be a lot more for science to learn too (I’m no where near this but it feels like there’s probably way more happening in the soil etc)
My favourite thing to learn lately is what family plants belong to and then you can really notice the similarities. Like rutabaga is a brassica
Very useful information, thank you Jason. 🌷💚🙃
I can't look at marigolds without smiling. I think they are just a happy plant. They make a lot of seeds too, so I take them and randomly throw them in places I go. They are everywhere at work. The owners wonder why. I don't.
Absolutely great video Jason, I’ve learned so much from you since subscribing a few years ago. I live in Langley BC, not far from you, I have an intention to visit your farm this year. My 93 year old dad died yesterday after a fall that broke his neck and totally incapacitated him since the end of January 2023. Prior to that he lived in his own condo in Vancouver. Once things are more on an even keel with the family, I will be making that trip. I love the flowers I have in pots in my front yard and on my deck.I used to garden with my mom who died in 2012.
Thanks Janna - so sorry to hear about your dad! We definitely look forward to seeing you on the farm when it works for you.
I’ve been around the world via CZcams on topics of gardening, gardens, growing and sustainability and always come back here to your channel for it’s relevancy, accuracy and general darn great content. Thank you Jason.
Thanks so much!
About covering soil; Calendula, I have near to the house it appeared itself through small variegated hedera field [0.5m-1m covered by hedera/ivy]. Though I am in zone 7b it lived and had beautiful flowers throughout winter and is flowering in the spring as well. I had it also on other places in the garden but they were gone with 1st frost. Have a nice day.
Videos like this really open the mind, really fascinating.
Love your channel. If your garden brings you peace and joy, then it will help your body and soul. ❤
Just a nit pick, “Colour” is not spelled “color” in our beautiful 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦
Thanks Pozzee. My spellchecker has retrained me over time!
@@FraserValleyRoseFarm oh I know, the computers should come with the default language/spelling of the country they are sold in 👍🏻👋
So many great points!
Thanks a lot Riley!
Great video Jason. Totally agree. We garden and food is simply a bonus. And I believe that can be scaled.
Cheers
Thanks Jason & Colleen - I believe you're right on the scalability. It seems that larger monoculture crop systems depend on blanket pesticide applications to keep them in the game, so I'm happy to see people looking for a different way.
Great information Jason!
I was complaining in the local Malaysian rose forum recently about never ending thrips/ spider mites attack and someone suggested planting garlic chives, petunias or marigolds to help alleviate the situation somewhat. They don't know how it works but it brings a bit of results in their experiences.
In my part of the world elderberry flovers uses for very tasty drink...
Thanks - yes, I heard something about its popularity as almost a soft drink.
Great video!
I am adding a lot of these plants this year, some are seedlings right now and will be added to the ornemental garden.
I started adding ornemental plants a few years ago and I am glad I did it.
Lots of sweet woodruff, sedum, grasses and various bulbs blooming each spring.
Another great video that reassures me I went in the right direction.
By the way, the rose bush I saved last year, thanks to your advice, survived another Zone 5A winter :)
Thanks Rick - glad to hear how you've done with ornamental plants added to the garden!
I really enjoy your videos. ❤ I just want to highlight Vitex Agnus Castus. Munk’s pepper as the seeds are called. It is extremely useful to dog and horse owners, cooling down libido and to women with PMS, cramps and other issues.
And it’s a beautiful bush or tree in your garden, with a lovely scent, easy to care for. It’s a plant that has it all! Besides, it always get attention for looking like c*nnabis. 😂
Thanks. I've has the odd visitor stop to stare at my "Monk's Pepper" because the foliage remind them of something...
Wow, the most informative video I have watched on pollinators and ornamentals. Thank you
Thanks Kellie
Another wonderful video, Jason. Thank you.
Excellent!
Gardens can be both beautiful and functional. Your right s’adorant have to be one or the other. People look at me cross eyed when I say to plant other plants so they have less pests.
I’am in Australia and I always plant edible flowers amongst my fruit and veggie patch , I try not to dig my soil unless I’am planting seedlings .
Good for people to keep in mind that the beneficial insects in different areas will need different plants. Yarrow is native everywhere and can attract beneficials anywhere, but milkweeds wont be so useful to those living outside where it naturally grows.
Thanks for adding that. There's good reason to think milkweed will attract and support a wide range of generalist predators like hoverflies (especially), wasps, pirate bugs and lacewings - which are present in a wide range of climates. This study was done in central WA, so somewhat drier than our own zone but with many of the same predators: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5039543/
Fantahstic!
When considering ornamental things I always return to this quote by Edith Schaeffer: “If you have been afraid that your love of beautiful flowers and the flickering flame of the candle is somehow less spiritual than living in starkness and ugliness, remember that He who created you to be creative gave you the things with which to make beauty and the sensitivity to appreciate and respond to His creation.”
Spirituality aside, I agree that a plant’s usefulness extends to much more than just its contribution to nourishment.
So many reasons to have a broad selection of plants in a growing space.
I plant a majority of edible only plants and trees on my property, but if I don't include food sources for the pollinators and beneficials I am not maintaining a complete, healthy ecosystem for the property as a whole.
Ornamentals are a necessary part of that balance.
Of course I added roses, but I discovered that some of the wild flowering plants that I was expecting to be natural help turned out to be toxic to people and animals, so I am currently shopping for hardy perennials that can survive on their own year round with continuous flowering for as long as possible.
Eventually Chamomile will be seeded throughout the property to grow wild, but probably different types of daisies, sun flower, and not sure what else. I have planted a few impatience (pink & white) just because they refuse to die, but those really the types of plants I prefer, survivors.
Of course my property is quite rugged, so I want the plants to be healthy and strong on their own as much as possible.
I will definitely be referring back to this video for possibilities.😉🤙
Liking your focus on tough perennials!
@@FraserValleyRoseFarm
They have to be tough to survive up here. Heavy rain has only happened 4 times in the entire year. Most moisture only penetrates the soil to about an inch or 2 1/2 centimeters (I think).
I'm still working on the soil composition, but potting mix with general purpose sand 2-1 seems to be pretty good moisture retention and drainage.
If you have any particular suggestions that might fit these elements that would be helpful. The coldest temperatures are 2-4 C/ 36-41 F, so no fear of freeze, but definitely cold hardy. High temperatures can reach 35C, but only intermittently between clouds and fog mist.
I would like to have a couple of heavy pollen producers that can provide a hearty food source.
I do have a good number of young Ohia trees that I will keep short and pruned because they have beautiful red Luhia blossoms that are prized flower of honey producers. I will also be consulting with the honey and bee keepers about possibly having some hive boxes on the property as well.
They may have certain preferences as well.
I’ve heard that plenty!
Thanks Stacy
You absolutely can "Eat the Grass" in the form of maize, cows, sheep, oats, rice and wheatgrass.
Lol. True story.
New here! Loved this video!!
borage leaf fritters are awesome! also is it Agastache or Salvia? ;-) and you can eat pickled tulip bulbs like pickles, I never have but I see them in the shops
Thanks - I wouldn't have guessed fritters! In this vid it's Agastache 'Ambrosia' - I'm looking forward to seeing how they do in the garden!
On my homestead I'm only careful about ornamentals in respect to what may kill an animal. I recently found my baby lamb deathly and could not figure out why except thst he had eaten azaleas😮
Thanks - and a good reminder !
You need to have pollinators😊
My problem here in western washington is slugs/snails.
Believe me I hear you! I haven't made a vid on it, but I probably should demonstrate a bread dough trap.
Try to attract more birds. I know I technically have slugs because I saw them once. However they never get very far, since I have so many birds eating insects and slugs from my yard all day long.
do you have fireflies? 🙂
@MartinaSchoppe I haven't seen any yet. How do I attract t them?
@@gardeningjunkie2267 I have lots of birds. I feed them and try to make my yards as bird friendly as possible
Are there any roses that like moist soil? I live on a lake channel and the water table is 6 inches below ground. I do all raised beds to prevent root rot, but I am putting in a ground level acid bed for blueberries and would love to add a few roses
Modern hybrids as a rule won't tolerate wet feet. I'd be looking at the species roses and particularly something like Rosa palustris or relatives that are naturally found in marginal or boggy soil.
Love your videos but I gotta say, my experience with milkweed couldnt be different. Every single year my milkweed, while it does attract a lot of butterflies, gets absolutely WRECKED by aphids. I have never seen so many aphids in one place before and they absolutely devastate it. It's to the point where going over the plant by hand to get rid of them isn't even viable and neem etc would defeat the whole purpose. First year or two I expected the beneficials to show up and correct the issue but seems like they never do. Shame.
Sorry to hear it. I guess this is case in point that even a plant that is well suited in general to attract and support beneficials can fall victim itself in some situations.
Pluss don't you need some variety to encourage the pollinators?
You bet Gabby - diversity is important for so many reasons. Even (gasp) lawns can have a place in a sustainably managed farm or homestead.
HAVE to have bulbs…….
Good call. My naturalized bulbs are the first thing I see in flower every year.
@@FraserValleyRoseFarm and hellebors :)
Jason, do you ever recommend disbudding new rose plantings? I have some small climbers just in this winter - now about 20 cm high - and some have buds on. Would it be better to take them off so the plant can concentrate on putting down roots? Thanks
It's reasonable to do so if you have the time for it. I know one long-time commercial rose grower who swears by disbudding all his potted roses until they're well established, and I have to say that I've been impressed by the branching and overall health of his crops.
@@FraserValleyRoseFarm Thanks
I know the bees like my hostas and they're allegedly edible
Simple minds need oversimplification.
I really enjoyed this video and also the potting bench, thornless roses and peaches in the greenhouse videos were so great! 🙏 I changed my handle on YT . I used to be BayAreausAquarius but my old channel got deleted so Hello 👋 again garden friends from my New one👌📢 🥼🧪🤐🇺🇸🦅idk what in this world happened, have folks all gone nuts overnight?!? At least gardening and roses and such are keeping me inspired for another day 🌱🌞🌹Beautiful Moss rose, now I'm inspired to get one of those too!!
Thanks for letting me know - I recognized your old handle and now I'll know the new one.
I'm sorry Jason, but I have to disagree with you on this one... Now let me qualify that... I grow plants in all six of the catagories you mentioned... But if a plant has a job to do, it is no longer ornamental... ;)
I take your meaning, but I'd rephrase that as "not *solely* ornamental": plants can be attractive and also have a function. Blueberry plants are ornamental as heck! It's actually hard to think of examples of plants that don't do anything at all except look pretty.