HERBS TO CONSIDER: DILL
One of the easiest and most satisfying herbs you
can grow is dill. For one thing, it's a pretty
plant, growing as tall as four or five feet, with
lacy foliage and yellow umbrellas of flowers. For
another thing, dill self-sows, which means you
can count on it to return next year with no effort
on your part. And of course, the leaves add a nice
touch to salads and fish, in particular, and the
seeds lend a pungent kick to many dishes.
Dill requires full sun and a steady (but well-
drained) water supply. Moderately fertile and
slightly acid soil is also a plus.
UNSAVORY COMPANIONS
There are lots of lists detailing which plants
can help or hurt each other when grown as
neighbors. Some of these combinations seem to be
gardening myth (although that seems to be the case
with a lot of gardening techniques a lot of folks
swear by!). At any rate, there are some fairly
sensible recommendations regarding what NOT to
grow beside certain plants, and here's one: Dill
(from our previous tip) does not get along well
with carrots.
POLLINATORS
According to one source, two-thirds of all
flowering plants require pollination to survive.
And although we tend to think of honeybees as the
workhorse of pollination, there are, in fact, over
3,800 species of bees in the U.S. alone--most of
which are pollen collectors. This is good news,
since honeybee populations have been severely
reduced recently because of disease. To entice
various pollinators to your garden, you can try
several strategies:
- Partially bury an upside-down flowerpot in your
garden (but not underfoot); bumblebees will find it
a good refuge.
- Cut a few plant stems (such as rose canes) to
expose soft tissue; carpenter bees or mason bees
can then bore into the stem and call it home.
- Drill holes in a log or piece of lumber and set
it out near your garden. Use a 5/16-inch drill bit
and space the holes about 3/4-inch apart, with each
hole being 3 to 6 inches deep. Mason bees and
leafcutter bees will be able to nest in the holes.
