Are you making a shopping list for the Greenhouse Days?
The greenhouse will be open to visitors every Saturday in April from 10 am - 2 pm, where you may shop for native plants from Ruffner Mountain and Turkey Creek Nature Preserve.
This week, we’re featuring wild columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) and golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea). Blooming together now in the Ruffner Habitat Gardens, the combination is bright and colorful. The red, dangling, nectar-rich flowers of wild columbine attract butterflies, hummingbirds, and early pollinators.
Once the flowers set seed and the seed capsules begin to brown and split, tiny seeds begin to spill. Allow the plant to self-sow, or collect and scatter seeds to other areas of your habitat garden. Golden Alexanders are host to the black swallowtail butterfly, and it is fun to look for the caterpillars. Umbrella-shaped, bright yellow flowers attract all kinds of pollinators, and the flowers last a long time in the garden. This plant is a prolific self-seeder. Grow these plants together, and you won’t be disappointed. The foliage on both stays green throughout most of the winter.
