Butterfly Bombs

In our March meeting we made "Butterfly Bombs", fun ways to add color to your yard and garden! Here is the instruction taken from the Missouri Conservation Xplor Magazine:

Butterfly bombs are little balls made of soil, clay and wildflower seeds. You toss the bombs wherever you want a butterfly garden to grow. Rain will melt the clay and wash the seeds into the ground. In a few months, you’ll have an explosion of wildflowers perfect for any butterflies that flutter by.

Round Up These Ingredients

• Powdered clay (available at most craft stores. Crayola's Air Dry clay will work as well)
• Potting soil
• Wildflower seeds (Make sure to choose wildflowers that are native to Missouri. The Grow Native! website can give you ideas for which seeds to use.)
• Water

Get Your Hands Dirty

1. In a mixing bowl, combine 5 parts powdered clay, 5 parts potting soil and 1 part wildflower seeds.
2. Add a tiny bit of water. You'll need just enough to make a thick, clay-like dough. Don't add too much at first; you can always add more water later.
3. Use your hands to roll the mixture into balls the size of large gum balls.
4. Put your butterfly bombs on an old newspaper and let them harden in a cool, dry place for at least three days.
5. Toss your butterfly bombs wherever you want flowers to grow.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Do you have a green thumb or a black one? Can you grow beautiful roses or can you even kill a cactus? At this month’s MOPS meeting we learned from Cape County Master Gardener Club member Elena Perryman how to beautify our homes and gardens with flowers and plants!

She demonstrated 2 ways to create container gardens, one type for flowers, and the other type for vegetables! Her main tip for creating container gardens were to choose plants that are THRILLERS, SPILLERS, and FILLERS for your pot. For more information on those plants check out this article. She also recommended that you fertilize your containers approximately every 10-15 days with a product such as Miracle Grow to ensure you have healthy and hardy plants. She cautioned us to not use compost or manure as these are "hot" fertilizers and can burn the roots of the plants. Also, be sure you choose plants that like the same type of sun! Read those plant labels and don't mix shade loving plants in your sunny container of sun loving plants! You can also visit these links to learn more about choosing the right flowers and vegetables for your containers.

Container flower and vegetable gardens are a perfect activity that both you and your kids can enjoy. Take advantage of this gorgeous spring weather and add a little beauty and color to your home, deck, and porches! Teach your children about where food comes from by growing your own little salad/taco/pizza garden!

Also, on Saturday, May 5th, from 9 AM to 3 PM, the Cape County Master Gardener's Club will be hosting a spring garden festival at the Conservation Pavilion in Arena park. They will be offering classes and demonstrations for adults and children on planting your own vegetable gardens, container gardens, how to choose flowers and plants, etc. This is a great time to get outdoors with your kids and help them develop their own green thumb.

Here are a few photo highlights from our March meeting.