BUTTERFLIES.

Regular readers will know that I believe that good gardening and conservation go hand in hand. Good gardeners are great believers in the old adage "waste not, want not" and are past masters of recycling. Lawn mowings, trimmings and prunings, vegetable peelings in fact all so called organic waste becomes soil-improving compost while plant pots and many diverse containers nurture generation after generation of seedlings until they disintegrate, often when containing their most valuable occupant.

The vast majority of gardeners are also true nature lovers who observe and appreciate many of the creatures that share their plot especially the songbirds that are becoming more and more reliant on the diverse habits to be found in suburban gardens.

Many of our favourite songbirds need high protein food for their young and most consume vast numbers of insects during the breeding season. Although the majority of insects are not garden pests, in fact many are beneficial, some have the potential to become extremely destructive to plant life if they occur in sufficient numbers. Caterpillars of certain moths and butterflies have the potential to ruin crops or even strip quite large trees of their leaves and would regularly do so if they weren't the main food source for the fledglings of birds like blue tits.

Of course not all butterflies and moths are potential pests, and even those that can occasionally cause damage may partially make up for their misdeeds with their beauty.

Most species of butterfly have declined even more than songbirds probably for very similar reasons, mainly the over use of pesticides and destruction of habitat but there are a few things that all gardeners can do to help the situation.

Firstly grow flowers that produce plenty of nectar and pollen, "un-improved" or old-fashioned varieties especially single flowered types and wild species. Although native wildflowers might seem preferable many exotics are in fact better in that they flower over a longer season or even produce more generous supplies of pollen and/or nectar. The buddleia which was introduced from China in the late 1800`s has deservedly earned the title of "butterfly bush" for its ability to attract every butterfly in the neighbourhood. Verbena bonariensis has become very popular in recent years and is widely planted in mixed borders where its delicate flowers are borne on tall wirey stems giving height and creating the impression of a purple haze that shimmers in the breeze, it is also a magnet for butterflies that add another dimension of movement and colour to already magical scene.

Secondly, and probably more importantly, all gardeners should try to grow some food plants for the caterpillars. Most butterfly caterpillars are pretty fussy when it comes to their food plants relying exclusively on a single species but fortunately some of the most beautiful feed on some of the commonest weeds and wild flowers.

An area of rough grass with attendant trefoils, clovers, thistles and plantains could be a nursery for many species including Clouded Yellow, Common Blue, Silver Spotted Skipper, Heath Fritillary and even Painted Lady while a small patch of stinging nettles might tempt Comma, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock and Red Admiral to lay their eggs.

PHOTO CAPTION

Many exotic flowers like this bottlebrush are extremely rich in nectar and provide valuable food for native butterflies.

PHOTO CREDIT CHARLES FRANCIS.

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IASPARAGUS.

According to last week's press the recent advertising campaign run by one of the big supermarket chains using a celebrity chef to sell asparagus has been such a success that there is now a shortage of British asparagus, it seems that asparagus is being served up on every dinner table throughout the land. What the writer failed to realise is that asparagus is a very specialised crop which requires expertise and long term commitment and investment, this coupled with a very short harvest period of a maximum of eight weeks from mid April to mid June means that there is only a relatively small acreage grown in this country.

Asparagus, like those other early summer delicacies fresh peas and new potatoes, should be eaten as soon as possible after harvest; any time spent in transit or storage leads to loss of flavour. Homegrown spears, cooked immediately after harvest cannot be bettered for texture and flavour.

Growing asparagus is not a project for the impatient gardener; the site must be properly prepared, all perennial weeds and their roots must be removed before planting, and you have to wait two or three years for the first spears to be harvested. On the other hand a well prepared and looked after bed will continue to produce first class spears for anything up to twenty years.

Probably the single most important factor in successful asparagus culture is free draining soil, soil type and texture are much less critical but fertile soils will give the best crops. Traditionally growers on heavy clay soils built raised beds, which improved the drainage whereas those on lighter soils grew their asparagus "on the flat".

When preparing a new asparagus bed the soil should be double dug and left rough over winter, organic matter should be incorporated at this stage but the surface should be left rough. Trenches 8 ins deep by 12 ins wide are taken out and the crowns are planted 2ft apart, trenches should be 3ft apart with wider paths every second or third trench.

One year old crowns are the easiest to establish and should be planted in early April, the first spears will appear within a few weeks, these should be left to grow for the first summer. When the fronds begin to die back in the autumn they should be cut to within a couple of inches of the ground. The bed should be dressed with well-rotted organic matter or if possible a layer of seaweed, wild asparagus is a plant of the seashore, and any weeds removed.

A light harvest can be taken the next spring, a few spears from each plant but cutting should not continue for more than three weeks or so after which the plants should be allowed to grow naturally.

The following year more spears can be harvested from each plant and the season can be extended but cutting should stop by mid June to allow the crown to build up strength for next season.

Asparagus can also be grown from seed but this will take a further twelve months before the crowns are sufficiently developed to allow harvesting.

PHOTO CAPTION

Asparagus spears are a familiar sight but many people fail to realise that they grow into large feathery fronds that are very ornamental.

PHOTO CREDIT CHARLES FRANCIS.

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