Ladybugs are a gardeners dream! They are often used as organic pest control, keeping things like mites, scale, and aphids in check. Attracting these special creatures into your garden is actually quite simple, and once you learn what they love...you'll be able to keep them in your garden!
Ladybugs eat two things; pests and pollen. You'll easily be able to attract them into your yard if you can provide a constant food source for them. Pictured above are several plants/flowers that ladybugs love! They enjoy the pollen from these plants and will easily re-locate to your garden space if you plant one or more of these. More often than not they tend to enjoy flowers with large, flat petals and sometimes will prefer flowers that are white or yellow over other shades.
POLLEN PRODUCING PLANTS:
"Angelica archangelica, commonly known as garden angelica, Holy Ghost, wild celery, and Norwegian angelica, is a biennial plant from the Apiaceae family, a subspecies of which is cultivated for its sweetly scented edible stems and roots." - source/wiki | ||
Caraway has very aromatice leaves and seeds that are delicious and used in a number of culinary ways. It grows in both cool and warm climates and is an easy to grow herb. Some even think it may contain powers, or so the legend goes... | ||
Chives can quickly take over your garden if you allow the plant to go to seed. Chives are also very easily transplanted in case you wanted to dig up the plants and move them to another area. | ||
Coriander contains antioxidants. It has also been used as a folk medicine for the relief of anxiety and insomnia. Coriander has also been documented as a traditional treatment for diabetes. | ||
If this is your first attempt at growing herbs, dill is a wonderful variety to try. Dill prefers full sun and soil that is well drained. Dill can be grown in average soil, and also can tolerate dry conditions. Water the plant through periods of drought or once or twice a week. If necessary, use a general purpose fertilizer once or twice a season. | ||
Fennel is known as a perennial that ought to be planted sometime after the last frost of the winter. Try sowing seeds directly into your gardens, because transplanting fennel usually doesn't work very well. | ||
Most popular for attracting butterflies, bees, and other beneficial pollinators. | ||
It is used in the treatment of a very wide range of disorders but is particularly valuable for treating wounds, stopping the flow of blood, treating colds, fevers, kidney diseases, menstrual pain etc. |
The second part of feeding your ladybugs is to plant several "decoy crops". These plants are ones that you probably already enjoy in your garden but can attract a good source of aphids, which the ladybugs love to feed on.
"DECOY" PLANTS:
Cabbage | A smaller cabbage head has better flavor and can stay in the field longer without splitting. To keep them small, plant close together or, when the head is almost full, give the plant a sharp twist to sever the roots. | |
Marigold | Choose a location with full sun and average soil. Wash spider mites off with an organic soap spray if you find them. Remove any dead flowers regularly to encourage more blooms. | |
Nasturtium | Vining flower that produces red, yellow and orange flowers. | |
Radish | Radishes are rich in ascorbic acid, folic acid, and potassium. They are a good source of vitamin B6, riboflavin, magnesium, copper, and calcium. One cup of sliced red radish bulbs provides approximately 20 calories, largely from carbohydrates. |
By following these easy tips, attracting and keeping ladybugs in your garden will be a simple task!