Hummingbird and Butterfly Gardening: DAILY BUTTERFLIES Page 7, 1 by melody

melody wrote:
Becky, I got the plant at a garden center about 10 or 12 years ago as a 3" pot. I've done nothing but hack off a few clumps for trades, and mow around it to keep it reasonably contained. I used to use Roundup around the edges, but several years ago I decided to try and scale back my use of the stuff and only use it in 'emergency' situations.

It's about 8' long and 3' to 4' wide now. That's about as big as I can stand it where it is. I tilled the inside edge and planted zinnias there this spring just to keep it from creeping.

I'll be more than happy to share with you. Seeds as well as plants. I think the plants should be moved in Nov or Dec if they're going to FL. That may be part of the problem on keeping stuff alive. Let's try early winter. This stuff stays evergreen most of the winter here, so it won't be a big deal to dig a bit out then. It will be sort of dormant, but not completely. I'll collect seed heads as soon as some start to turn brown, and send them first.

It's in a rocky, clay soil that gets absolutely no care...'grow or die' is my motto for this bed. Whatever water that falls from the sky is what it gets. No mulch or fertilizer. Just dirt and rain.

Here's a shot I'm especially proud of. I worked all afternoon one day last year in 90+ heat sitting on a concrete sidewalk. I knew exactly how I wanted the shot to look...the bee just wouldn't co-operate. Honeybees love the stuff.

I'll divide off starts for anyone else that wishes to have some too...