Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia
Over 40 Years of Growing Gardens and Gardeners
If you are outside working in your garden, or just enjoying the many flowers that bloom throughout the growing season, then you may happen upon ladybugs or lady beetles. The most common ones in this area, though, are not native to North America.
THE MYTH: It’s a good idea to release lady beetles in the garden in summer to help control pests.
THE REALITY: Despite their adorable appearance and gentle nature, lady beetles are proven voracious eaters, particularly of aphids and mites. The question, though, is whether this appetite justifies releasing lady beetles in the garden to help control those pests and others.
While it is true that deer will eat anything if they are hungry enough, there are many plants that deer usually avoid.
Grasses and sedges are both classified as monocots. These are plants whose seeds have one cotyledon (the part that will grow into embryonic leaves), and which possess flower parts in multiples of three, leaves with parallel veins, and scattered vascular bundles. While they resemble each other superficially, grasses are members of the Poaceae family and sedges belong to the Cyperaceae family.
As local plant sales and nurseries carry more straight species and cultivars of some Mid-Atlantic native grasses, commercial and residential landscapers are beginning to recognize both the ornamental characteristics and value to wildlife of these native plants.
THE MYTH: Put gravel or rocks in the bottom of containers to improve drainage.
THE REALITY: This long-held gardening belief is based on the idea that gravel or rocks at the base of a container will allow water to move more freely from top to bottom, thus preventing the plants’ roots from becoming waterlogged. Ironically, the exact opposite occurs.
