3rd day of our annual open house.  What a weekend of weather.  Rain, cold, wind, sleet but we have had good results with the gardeners.  So thankful for the ones that have come and braved the weather.  Just wanted you to know today we will have the 4 racks inside the greenhouse.  Both greenhouses are full of plants.  So shopping will be under cover and it will be warm. 
     We would love to have you come for lunch from 11-4.  That too is under the greenhouse and is warm.  Just wanted you to know if you were thinking of coming you will not have to shop outside. 
        I have to personally thank all of my help that has worked hard to put on this annual Open House.  IN less that a week we have turned the greenhouse into a garden center.  Larry, Marianne, Wanda, Collin, Pam, Debbie, Sara, Cheryl for all the help and hard work.  Thanks to the bar maker Sisters, Sue, Marianne, Pam, Sara, Debbie for your wonderful treats.  We are blessed for all of this.  We couldn't do it without all.  Thank you Lord and bless all for the friendship they have given us.  All we can say it happens in a small community and we have this loving community. See you soon in Dougherty at Becky's Greenhouse.  Till next time this is Becky Litterer from Becky's Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa 

          We have our annual open house this weekend, starting on Friday.  This is my 28th year of growing, and I have had 25 annual Open House.  For us here at Becky's Greenhouse, it is an event.  As you can see on the postcard, lots going on.  Door prizes, lovely plants, free plants for you stopping, and we serve a lunch every day at noon.  A full meal...so if you can stop in and see us.  BUT this is just the start of the gardening season we will be here every day till the end of June.  I haven't slept much but soon we will have it here and we will be ready to go.  Unbelievable amount of work...I will take pictures so you see what we have been doing. 
Sorry haven't posted all week but getting ready for this Open House and getting things ready for sale.  Plants look awesome.  Trees and Shrubs are here.  Perennials coming in this morning at seven o'clock.  It will be cold unloading as the temperature is below 32 degrees.  Lunch almost ready.  So we are coming with the greenhouse turning it into a garden center. 
    If you are interested, come this weekend for the start of the gardening season with this open house.  Lunch every day Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  We have heat in the east greenhouse, plants are inside too for shopping plus the perennials will be outside on the racks.
    Remember to bring your $100 punch card that I will honor how ever old it is.  For every $100 you spend you will get $7.50 off your next purchase.
     We have a great selection of annual 4 packs, so for the open house special they are .99 each.  Regular price is $1.59 down from $1.99 from last year.  YES I went down in price. 
I need to do more printing off of things from this computer.  So I will let you know how it goes.  Stop in if you are in the area.  Till next time, this is Becky Litterer, Becky's Greenhouse, Dougherty, Iowa

     Maybe this article will help with your gardening.  Food for thought....
 
10 Biggest Vegetable Gardening Mistakes
 
Like all gardening, growing great vegetables takes experience. It's not particularly hard, but plants can be unpredictable and uncooperative. Here are ten of the most commonly made mistakes and some hard earned advice on how to avoid them.
 Planting Too Early 
We're all impatient to get the garden started. It's very tempting to get your hands in the soil and start seeds months before your last frost date. However little seeds quickly become lanky, hungry seedlings. They need a lot more space in your home and they become stressed if they must remain indoors in pots, with limited light.
 
Even if you start your garden by purchasing seedlings, you have to resist the urge to put them in the ground as soon as you get them home. It may be true that you'll find the biggest selection of varieties if you shop early, but have a plan for hardening them off and for protecting them, if a late frost is predicted. Otherwise you'll be right back at the nursery buying more plants.
 
 Picking a Bad Spot 
  It's a pleasure to work in a vegetable garden in the crisp days of spring or fall, but if your garden is not handy, eventually you won't be visiting it everyday. It only takes a day or two for a zucchini to grow to the size of a bowling pin or a rabbit to break through your fence and finish off your peas.
 
Two other considerations are sited it by a source of water and in a spot that gets at least 6 hours of sun a day. Vegetables that don't get enough sunlight will struggle all season Vegetables that don't get enough sunlight will struggle all season, set fewer fruits and develop less tasty sugars than well-sited vegetables. And trust me, you are not going to enjoy lugging a hose 100 ft. every time a plant needs watering and water cans are not much better.
 Skimping on Soil 
  You have to cultivate of true love of soil, to be a successful gardener. It can't be an afterthought. Starting off with poor soil means you will be fighting against it all season. Good soil harbors all kinds of beneficial creatures that help turn the soil into a repository of accessible nutrients, while inhibiting the onset of problems.
 
Prevent all this goodness from washing away by ending the season with either a green manure, to be tilled in the following season, or a thick layer of...MORE
 
 Not Harvesting 
 
It sounds counter-intuitive, but many gardeners are hesitant to harvest when things are ready. They worry that there won't be more coming in or they don't want to hurt the plant or sometimes they just want to have the look of an abundant garden. But not harvesting when a vegetable is ready to be picked will actually cause your garden to slow down. A plant won't set more cucumbers or peppers if its branches are already full of them. Herbs, like basil and cilantro, benefit from
 
Planting Too Much 
  All gardeners tend to plant more than they can eat, let alone tend, but new vegetable gardeners don't realize how much work it can be. Vegetables don't wait until you have time to take care of them. They will ripen and rot or bolt to seed. Better to start small than to waste both your effort and your vegetables.
 
There are two basic ways to overdo it: too large a space or too much variety. Too large a space is the most common mistake. For someone brand new at gardening, a 10 x 10 ft Vegetables that don't get enough sunlight will struggle all season,...MORE set fewer fruits and develop less tasty sugars than well-sited vegetables. And trust me, you are not going to enjoy lugging a hose 100 ft. every time a plant needs watering and water cans are not much better.
Ignoring Spacing 
  This is a very closely related problem to starting out too large. Small seedlings properly spaced can leave the garden looking barren. Why leave 3 ft. between tomato plants when you can squeeze them a foot or so closer? Because they are going to grow and fill in quickly and tightly spaced plants don't get the sun and air circulation they need. That leads to diseases and lower yields, not to mention difficulty harvesting. Vegetables that you are going to be harvesting as whole plants.
 
 Not Staggering Harvest Times 
Your family may eat lettuce every night, but planting a 10 ft. row of lettuce isn't going to keep you in salads all season. You have to do some strategic planning to stagger your harvest times. There are several ways to do this, including succession planting and planting varieties that mature at different times. You'll be glad you took the time to space things out.
 Putting Off Maintenance 
 
Weeding, feeding and watering need to be done on a regular schedule, especially watering. Plants don't like competition for water and nutrients and allowing weeds to fill in will stunt many plants and reduce their yields.
Without regular water and food, plants will stress and shut down. They go into self preservation mode and refuse to set fruits or simply bolt to seed, to ensure manure, to be tilled in the following season, or a thick layer of  Not Harvesting   shredded leaves or leaf mold. Leaves slowly rot into the soil, adding richness and attracting even more beneficial organisms and earthworms to keep this healthy system functioning. Once you've handled and inhaled the earthiness of rich soil, you may even come to enjoy amending it each season.
 
It sounds counter-intuitive, but many gardeners are hesitant to harvest when things are ready. They worry that there won't be more coming in or they don't want to hurt the plant or sometimes they just want to have the look of an abundant garden. But not harvesting when a vegetable is ready to be picked will actually cause your garden to slow down. A plant won't set more cucumbers or peppers if its branches are already full of them. Herbs, like basil and cilantro, benefit from frequent harvesting. Cutting off the tops of the plants encourages them to branch out and get fuller. Enjoy your vegetables while they are at peak.
 Planting Too Much 
  All gardeners tend to plant more than they can eat, let alone tend, but new vegetable gardeners don't realize how much work it can be. Vegetables don't wait until you have time to take care of them. They will ripen and rot or bolt to seed. Better to start small than to waste both your effort and your vegetables.
 
There are two basic ways to overdo it: too large a space or too much variety. Too large a space is the most common mistake. For someone brand new at gardening, a 10 x 10 ft. garden is a good way to start out. You can always enlarge it. Feeling overwhelmed or chained to your garden is the number one reason so many new veggie gardens don't keep at it.
 
Too much variety can also overwhelm you, as you try to make all the plants happy. Better to start with a handful of plants you really enjoy eating or that you can't purchase fresh locally. Learn how to grow them well and then expand your repertoire.
 Ignoring Spacing 
  This is a very closely related problem to starting out too large. Small seedlings properly spaced can leave the garden looking barren. Why leave 3 ft. between tomato plants when you can squeeze them a foot or so closer? Because they are going to grow and fill in quickly and tightly spaced plants don't get the sun and air circulation they need. That leads to diseases and lower yields, not to mention difficulty harvesting.
 
Vegetables that you are going to be harvesting as whole plants  throughout the season, like lettuce carrots or beets, can be placed a bit more closely together and thinned as you harvest. But tomatoes, corn, peppers and the like need room to branch out. Use the extra space early in the season to plant a quickly growing crop, like spinach or lettuce. It will be gone by the time the long season plants need the space.
 
 Not Staggering Harvest Times 
Your family may eat lettuce every night, but planting a 10 ft. row of lettuce isn't going to keep you in salads all season. You have to do some strategic planning to stagger your harvest times. There are several ways to do this, including succession planting and planting varieties that mature at different times. You'll be glad you took the time to space things out.
 Putting Off Maintenance 
 
Weeding, feeding and watering need to be done on a regular schedule, especially watering. Plants don't like competition for water and nutrients and allowing weeds to fill in will stunt many plants and reduce their yields.
Without regular water and food, plants will stress and shut down. They go into self preservation mode and refuse to set fruits or simply bolt to seed, to ensure propagation of their species. If you think caring for a pet is time consuming, you're going to find vegetable plants are true divas.
 Not Fencing 
  Planting vegetables is like ringing the dinner bell. Herbivores, like deer, rabbits and groundhogs, will clean you out overnight. I can't overstate the need for a sturdy fence. What kind of fence depends on what animal problems you have.
 
Deer can jump and require either a high fence, electric fencing or one of the clever angled or double fences that makes them unsure about jumping in and being trapped. There are many good sources for setting up a deer fence online.  Burrowing animals, like groundhogs, rabbits and chipmunks, need both an above ground fence that at least 3 - 4 ft. tall and about a ft. of buried fence. Angle both fences outward from the garden, to deter them even more. Again, there are many sources online that detail the best methods for constructing fencing to foil there animals.
 
 Ignoring Little Problems 
  Not every problem in the vegetable garden requires a full assault - in fact most don't. But you need to monitor your plants on a regular basis. If you see yellowing leaves or spots, inspect closer and make a correction before the whole row of plants becomes ill. Insects like to lay their eggs on the under sides of leaves. Check their occasionally. Scrapping off the eggs before they hatch can totally avert the problem.  But don't be so overly cautious that you spray at the first sign of...MORE trouble or are tempted to kill off all the insects. There are beneficial insects that are your partners in the garden. They kill off pests or keep plants cross pollinated. And always be sure of what you are spraying for before your spray anything. Use the appropriate pesticide, start with the least toxic option first and follow the label instructions. More is not better. More could kill your plants.
taken from https://www.thespruce.com/biggest-vegetable-gardening-mistakes-
till next time this is Becky Litterer from Becky's Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa

          Attracting beneficial wildlife to your garden is not only good for you, it is also good for the environment. Butterflies and bees can not tolerate any rate of toxins, so they are great indicators that you are gardening organically, and that is good for you as well.  To attract butterflies, your focus is brightly colored blooms and creating an environment where they can drink nectar and rest safely.  Sometimes, growing a garden with beneficial insects in mind means they will be laying eggs where you where you...MORE may find them. To prevent accidentally injuring something that you might otherwise want to keep, it is a good idea to buy a simple insect identification book, or do a little research, to see what beneficial insects will be found in your region.
 
      Lavender is showy and fragrant, making it perfect for both beneficial insects and gardeners alike! Since there are so many varieties and colors of lavender, there are perfect choices for any style garden.  Lavender is best known for its oil. Medicinally, it is a gentle healer, and the soothing, relaxing properties are widely known. No need for essential oils, however. You can grow lavender in the garden for the insects, then harvest the flower buds just before they open, and enjoy them yourself the rest of the year. One thing about lavender, it blooms early and continues until hard frost. Very reliable and especially good for attracting insects, lavender is a must have in the butterfly garden.
 
    Classified as catnip or catmint, this is an herb that needs to be in your butterfly garden. It is herbaceous and perennial, in fact, catnip will take over the garden if not kept contained, so plant this lovely herb in a pot, then plant that pot right into the ground, to slow the roots down. Not just for cats, catnip is a fierce attractant for butterflies. Be warned that the effects of catnip on cats is entirely true! For most cats, catnip is an intoxicating scent, and they will not only come into garden, they will be all over the plant, rolling and chewing it to death. If this doesn't sound attractive, you may have to fence off the plant or keep a close watch on it.  Catnip comes in different varieties, both tall, short and sprawling - making it a great choice for all types of landscaping.
 
      Perfect for any herb garden, chives suit the butterfly garden especially well. Since they are a clumping herb, they will stay ​put for the most part, only becoming rounder and larger over the years, never popping up in unexpected places.  Bees and butterflies are especially attracted to chives. The fat, fluffy blossoms are irresistible to insects.
 
     Fennel is the perfect addition to your beneficial butterfly garden. It is showy, growing up to 5 or more feet tall, and at least that large around. Insects are drawn to it like no other herb. I have to be extremely careful to look over my fennel fronds carefully since usually there will be caterpillars hanging on for dear life, as I bring in my basket of herbs.
Easy to grow, it is recommended that you do NOT grow fennel next to dill, however. Fennel works so well at attracting and protecting beneficial insects, I recommend growing it in two locations: one for yourself, which you can keep trimmed and tidy, and a second patch that you can allow to grow to it's glorious, full height.
 
Yarrow is a wonderful choice for your beneficial insect butterfly garden. It's spicy scent and showy flowers can withstand pretty harsh treatment, and continue to bloom long after the other flowers succumb to drought or lack of sunlight. I didn't realize that Yarrow was an herb.  Interesting.
Taken from  ps://www.thespruce.com/herbs-to-include-in-butterfly-garden
Till next time this is Becky Litterer from Becky's Greenhouse, Dougherty, Iowa

             All I am going to stay is thank you for the weekend weather it is awesome.  All you can do is enjoy and be outside.  This weekend is why we live in IOWA with the spring weather we are having.  So today's devotion is worth sharing. 
Bible verse today is from
Psalm 16:6  The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places, yes, I have a good heritage.   
 
        Have you stopped to think about how much you have to be thankful for?  If you woke up this morning with more body parts that don't hurt than those that do, you are blessed.  If you have food, clothes, and a place to live, you are more secure than 75 percent of the world.  If you have money in the bank, in your wallet or spare change at home, you are among the top 8 percent of the world's wealthiest people.  If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation, you are ahead of 500 million people in the world If you read this message, you are more blessed than 2 billion people in the world who can not read. Don't overlook any blessing, thank God every day for His goodness in your life. 
 
Lord  help me to realize just how bless I am Thank you for my health, my home, my family the advantages I have been given and the very air I breather. I choose to focus on what I have rather than what I don't have.  Thank You for my wonderful life. Amen
Till next time, this is Becky Litterer from Becky's Greenhouse, Dougherty, Iowa

     Just enjoy this spring like weather we are having this weekend.  Work in the yard, work in the garden if dry enough but just enjoy sitting outside and get ready to smell the roses.  The sun is up, and out with very little clouds.  Cool this morning but it is to warm up to 60 degrees today.
     We can just hope that next weekend the weather is like this.  We will be hosting our 28th Annual open house and the start of the gardening season.  Friday, Saturday and Sunday... we have that full meal at noon so plan on coming if you can for that.  Door prizes, free plants, a couple of activities to learn about gardening and the wonderful selection of plants we will have for you.  More will come next week about the Open House. 
     Today I will be getting ready for a family dinner on Sunday and working on the postcards to send out about the open house.  Takes awhile to put all the addresses on the post cards as we are up to 2000 of them. AGAIN just enjoy the weekend and be outside.  Till next time, this is Becky Litterer from Becky's Greenhouse, Dougherty, Iowa

      
Today’s eponymous entry honors the legendary plantsman who urged breeders to be ruthless in pursuit of superior selections. He sternly admonished, “Good is the enemy of great!”
 
Calamagrostis ‘Karl Foerster’ is not merely a good plant. It’s a great one, and among the world’s most popular. It thrives in so many settings, with so little fuss, that it simply makes any designer look brilliant. No wonder it was the first grass to win the coveted Perennial Plant of the Year award.
Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster' - Feather Reed Grass
 
This reed grass is a vertical masterpiece and provides wonderful contrast amongst low shrubs and perennials. Often used in naturalized areas, its ultimate size is directly related to the amount of moisture. Even though Calamagrostis can grow in fresh-water bogs, it also does well in drier areas.
 
One of the first grasses to start growing in the spring, C. 'Karl Foerster' is an early bloomer, which is an asset in areas with a short growing season. The blossoms change color through the season and remain on the plant until winter snow brings them down. Pick the flowers at different stages of development and create a colorful arrangement. Combine in a vase with rose stems laden with rosehips and place outside your front door.
 
The seeds are sterile, which means the plant won't self-seed.
 
Sways gracefully in the lightest breeze. A row or a mass planting of Karl is spectacular on a windy day!
 
Who would have thought that a grass could win Perennial Plant of the Year, but in 2001 'Karl Foerster' took the honour.
 
Says C.B. in Anchorage, Alaska: "Karl Foerster thrives here in Anchorage, reaching 7' in my Zone 3/4 garden. It is planted in full sun and in part shade, and seems to do equally well in both."
 
Description: cool season; clump forming
 Foliage is green; medium blade width; 90-120 cm (36-48") tall
 Flowers in June through July; 150-200 cm (60-80") tall; flowers often remain erect despite heavy snowfall
 
Ideal conditions: full sun; moist to wet fertile soil; tolerates a wide range of soil types including dry sandy soil; thrives in clay soil
 
Coldest zone: 3 - 9 (find your zone; further info on plant hardiness); grows happily in Saskatoon and Regina, Saskatchewan, Zone 2 or 3
 
Suggested uses: specimen, in a border, as a hedge or screen, as a backdrop for roses and other perennials, in arrangements, excellent mass planted or in groups
 
Partner with: Veronicastrum, Aster, Rudbeckia, tall Sedums, Eupatorium, Monarda, Boltonia, Heliopsis 'Summer Sun'
 
Season of interest: June to winter
 
When to plant or divide: early to late spring and early fall
 
When to cut down: in early spring, just before the new growth starts
 
Drought tolerance rating: 2 (water to root depth once every 2 weeks); further info
 
Recommended spacing between plants: 45-100cm (18-40") why such a difference?
taken from http://www.bluestem.ca/calamagrostis-karl-foerster.htm
Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky's Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa

     Grow A Never-Ending Supply
of Heavenly Basil
 Is there anything better than harvesting bundles of fresh Basil from your garden and bringing them inside to wash them and strip the leaves from the stems? It anoints your hands and fills your kitchen with the overpoweringly wonderful scent that is the essence of summer freshness. Basil's rich floral bouquet, tinged with hints of clove and licorice, is essential in pasta sauces, pizzas and pesto, and is a flavorful adornment for goat and mozzarella cheeses, Tomatoes, Garlic and silky olive oils.
  Growing a bountiful supply of Basil is an easy and inexpensive luxury. Just a few seedlings will yield more Basil than you could possibly use (though you'll likely try.) Its fresh, delicate leaves, rich in volatile oils, bruise easily, which is the reason why bunches of Basil often appear so sad and defeated in the supermarket. Growing your own is definitely the way to go!
1.To start Basil indoors, sow the seed about six weeks before your spring Frost-Free Date (find yours HERE). Provide heat and good ventilation, and give them 12 to 15 hours of bright light each day. Avoid overwatering. Before transplanting the seedlings into the garden, harden them off by putting them outdoors in a sheltered location for a few hours each day for a week to 10 days, gradually lengthening the time outdoors. This will help them to avoid transplant shock. Hold off transplanting until night time temperatures are reliably above 55°F. Basil is a serious heat lover. Just talking about a light frost can be enough to kill it, and if it doesn't succumb outright, it's growth can be so stunted that it will never fully develop. Once the weather is warm and settled, Basil seeds can also be sown directly into the garden. Thin them out so the mature plants will stand about 10" apart.
 
TIP: During the growing season, the more Basil you harvest, the more your plants will produce. Pinching off flower stalks also encourages bushier, more productive plants.
 You Can Never Have Too Much Basil
Growing the many different flavors and types of Basil available from seed treats us to a culinary trip around the world right in our own kitchen garden. Try a few of these Basil varieties and experiment with their luscious flavors all season long. Can't decide? Try our Culinary Basil Garden, a discounted collection of seven wonderful varieties.
 Genovese Basil
This larger-leaved, (2" or more) Italian Basil has spicy-fragrant leaves. It is powerfully aromatic and classically popular for pesto! The sturdy plants grow to 24" tall. (OP.)
Bonazza Genovese Basil
New! This Genovese-type Basil has a compact growth habit and great flavor, with dark green leaves that store well and have excellent Fusarium and Botrytis resistance. (OP.)
Purple Sweet Basil
Purple-red leaves on 18", bushy plants create attractive contrast in both salads and in the garden. Purple Sweet has a spicy note that makes a great purple-tinted basil vinegar. (OP.)
Siam Queen Thai Basil
Vietnamese cooks use this variety to garnish soup made with rice noodles and Bean Sprouts as well as in pungent Thai curries. It has ornamental purple-on-reverse leaves and strong purple stems! (OP.)
Miniature Fino Verde has a spicy-sweet taste and is terrific since it's tiny leaves don't need to be minced. Its compact, rounded mounds of light green teensy-weensy leaves are pretty and tasty. (OP.)
Sweet Broadleaf Basil
This traditional, 18" tall, wide-leaf type is imported straight from Italy. Grow lots for sauces, garnishes, salads and heavenly pesto! Freeze pesto for winter, when your meals could use some zip. (OP.)
Napolitano Basil
Napolitano has absolutely huge, light green, crinkled, savoyed leaves. Richly flavored, these leaves are perfect for serious pesto makers: picking these huge leaves makes annual pesto production a snap! (OP.)
Round Midnight Basil
These 1' - tall, bushy plants have fragrant, dark, burgundy-purple leaves. They're stunning planted in an edible border. Both the leaves and pale pink flowers are pretty and tasty in tossed salads. (OP.)
Marseillais Dwarf Basil
Heralded as the best flavored variety ever, this compact French Basil has proportionately large leaves with a wonderfully intense flavor. Perfect for containers, it is a must-grow for Basil affectionados. (OP.)
Lime Basil
A tropical combination of zesty lime and sweet Basil, Lime Basil is loved by innovative cooks who add its mild flavor to grilled fish, seafood, salad, pasta, garden salads and poultry dishes. Perfumed, 2", light green leaves grow on compact, mounding plants. (OP.)
Lemon basil
Small leaves with a pungent, lemony scent adorn compact, mounding plants growing up to 24" tall. It makes an unusual spicy herb vinegar or may be dried in sachets for your closets. Lemon Basil pesto is outstanding: use 1/3 regular Basil to 2/3 lemon Basil. (OP.)
Mexican Spice Basil
AKA Cinnamon Basil, it is the most ornamental variety of Basil. A spicy-scented, 18", compact plant similar in habit to regular sweet Basil, it has dark green, glossy foliage and lavender flowers. Its highly aromatic leaves have a complex, warm cinnamon flavor. (OP.)
 Favorite Basil Pesto
We think that making pesto is the best way to preserve Basil's gorgeous color and full flavor. Pesto is an easy and delicious addition to pasta sauces, soups, sandwiches and chicken breast sautés. Need a quick hors d'oeuvre? Press soft goat cheese in a little baking dish and top it with a thin layer of pesto. Heat it until just bubbling and serve it with crackers, crostini or pita chips.
1 1/2 cups packed Basil leaves
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
2 Garlic cloves
  Wash and dry the Basil leaves. Put all of the ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth. Store soon after making it, before its gleaming verdant green color looses its brilliance.
Taken from kitchengardenseeds@kitchengardenseeds.com
Till next time this is Becky Litterer Becky's Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa

     So you have rabbits...here are some plants that are not liked by rabbits.
These Pretty Blooms Are Rabbit Proof
During their lives, rabbits will gravitate toward their favorite flowering plants throughout the growing season like pansies, tulips or impatiens. While rabbits, like deer, have adaptable appetites during periods of want, they tend to avoid plants with foliage or growth that is hairy, bitter, spicy, rough, woody, spiny, or toxic. Here are seven flowering plants that should send your rabbits searching for greener pastures.
 
Rabbits tend to avoid woody plants (while tender plants like bachelor's buttons are favored), and they usually pass on all types of Buddleia plants.  Butterfly bushes die back to the ground in temperate climates, but quickly send out many new vigorous shoots when the ground warms in the spring. By midsummer, the plants will bear dozens of honey-scented flower panicles that will attract any butterfly species in your area. Plant butterfly bushes in full sun in average soil.
 
 Columbine plants and flowers may look delicate, but rabbits avoid these hardy perennial flowers. Columbines thrive in the same environments that rabbits often frolic in, including alpine gardens and partially shady woodland gardens. Columbine plants are short-lived perennials, but your plants will self-seed in a non-aggressive way to create a handsome colony each year.
 
Nicotiana plants are members of the Solanaceae family, which contains notoriously toxic plants like nightshades, jimsonweed, and belladonna. The foliage is also sports irritating hairs, which repel rabbits. Gardeners need not come into contact with this foliage, as the plants are very easy to grow from seed, and some self sow as well. Plant in moist, fertile soil in partial shade.
 
  Peony hybrids are seldom bothered by rabbits, but tree peonies are frequently browsed by rabbits, so choose your specimens carefully if rabbits are a problem in your landscape. If you aren't sure what type of peony is growing in your garden, observe the winter form of the plant: herbaceous peonies die back to the ground, while tree peonies maintain above ground woody stems. Both types can live for decades, so if you already have a tree peony in your garden you're trying to save, save,...MORE it's worth erecting an exclusion fence of chicken wire around the plant.
 
 At first glance, snapdragons seem to fit the profile of a rabbit-pleasing plant, but the bitter or just plain yucky taste of Antirrhinum turns rabbits away, and the plants are deer resistant too. Snapdragons are tolerant of frost, and plants are usually available at the nursery in early spring alongside pansies and violets. Plant snapdragons in full sun in rich soil with good drainage. Although sold alongside annuals, snapdragons may come back in zones 5 and warmer with a protective mulch.
Russian SageRabbits avoid all types of sage plants, as the volatile oils contained within the foliage act as natural repellents to the animals.  In addition, Russian sage leaves have a fuzzy, tough texture that rabbits find unappealing. 
Russian sage plants are a go-to choice for any low-maintenance perennial border. Plant them in full sun and average soil, and expect to see wands of bee-friendly blooms from early summer until fall. Russian sage plants need no deadheading or fertilizing to perform for many years in your landscape. 
Taken from https://www.thespruce.com/flowers-rabbits-wont-eat-
Till next time, this is Becky Litterer from Becky's Greenhouse, Dougherty, Iowa

     I teach Sunday School so the young men that we have asked this question?  Why do earthworms come out in the spring?  Do you know?  This is what I found out.
Science of the Everyday: Why Earthworms Surface
The early bird may catch the worm--but what's it doing out and about anyway?
 By Matt Ransford
     
Spring is close at hand in New England, which means we're getting a lot of rain and the robins are out in force. You've certainly seen flocks of the orange-breasted birds out on a wet lawn running and stopping, running and stopping, then pouncing on a worm. It's a common springtime scene; but why exactly do the worms come out when it rains and expose themselves to hungry birds?
 
Robins are among the first each year to breed and lay eggs. Chances are, if you see robins during in the spring, they're already making nests. And while they feed on a variety of invertebrates, fruits, and seeds, they prefer earthworms for their young.
 
They gather together on lawns to feed because the group dynamic gives them protection from cats and hawks. Using their sharp eyesight, they spot worms in the grass (contrary to popular lore, they aren't listening to the worms in the ground).
 
Generally, however, earthworms are loathe to come to the surface as they rapidly lose moisture when exposed to UV rays. Your driveway in the summertime is probably a graveyard of crusty worms, a good example of the dangers of leaving their natural surroundings.
 
When it rains heavily, though, the worms have little choice. Earthworms get their oxygen from the soil in which they live. When that environment becomes more water than air, they come to the surface to "breathe" just like we do when we're swimming. And that exposes them to predators: A field day for the robins.  INTERESTING  Did you know? 
 
 taken from http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2008-03/
Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky's Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa