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Texas Gardening Butterfly Garden

Broccoli isn't just for humans ...

roselee z8b S.W. Texas

last year

last modified: last year

My friend Linda M. who lives near Seguin TX, shared this short video taken on about Feb. 4. She says the only reason she grows broccoli is for their flowers to feed winter pollinators and early butterflies when not much else is blooming. I believe most of the butterflies are Pipevine swallowtails.

Enjoy! Why I Grow Broccoli

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loreleicomal

last year

This is from our community garden.

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Comments (14)

Vulture61
last year
Beautiful! I may try to do the same next year. I think I heard geese. It looks and sounds like an interesting place to visit. When are we going?

Omar
roselee z8b S.W. Texas thanked Vulture61
roselee z8b S.W. Texas
Original Author
last year
last modified: last year
Omar, good idea! I didn't hear geese, but her neighbor's have peacocks and axis deer. Here's a little tour of her place posted sometime back. Here's funny one on herdo's and don't's of making bottle trees.
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Vulture61
last year
You make me feel olllddd! :D The first post is 10 years old and I was the first person to reply to it.

Omar
roselee z8b S.W. Texas thanked Vulture61
phoenix7801
last year
The flowers smell wonderful and the bees love them.
roselee z8b S.W. Texas thanked phoenix7801
roselee z8b S.W. Texas
Original Author
last year
Wow -- I had no idea that the flowers had a good scent.
four (9B near 9A)
last year
For what length of time does it flower?
roselee z8b S.W. Texas thanked four (9B near 9A)
roselee z8b S.W. Texas
Original Author
last year
Four, good question. I asked Linda M., but haven't heard back yet. Maybe someone else on here knows. She did tell me when she sent the video that after the center is bloomed out she cuts it off and the side shoots start blooming.
roselee z8b S.W. Texas
Original Author
last year
last modified: last year
Linda M. says: "They've been blooming for at least 3 weeks and there is still a lot of bloom power left. The neat thing is that it blooms when there is not much else. I'm speculating that about the time it's done the spring flowers will be going strong such as larkspur, poppies, etc.."

Nine years ago today I posted about Pipevine swallowtails nectering on Winter honeysuckle, Lonicera fragrantissima. I still have it. When I walk outside on a warm winter morning its scent fills the air. Bees love it.
javiwa
last year
Amazing!!! I glanced at this thread several days ago, but didn't have time to view the video until now. OK, I'll bite! I realized it's too late to start broccoli from seed here in zone 9a, but Google results indicate broccoli might be regrown from stalks: worth a shot!

I've got pipevine swallowtail host plants in the garden, so now I just need to attract the butterflies.
roselee z8b S.W. Texas thanked javiwa
four (9B near 9A)
last year
You know that you are obligated to give us broccoli reports.
roselee z8b S.W. Texas thanked four (9B near 9A)
Vulture61
last year
Javi, I bought broccoli seedlings at HEB yesterday. I hope they get to bloom before the heat hits us.

Omar
roselee z8b S.W. Texas thanked Vulture61
javiwa
last year
four: I wouldn't have it any other way -- oh, the pressure, though!

Omar: they sell broccoli seedlings at your HEB?! I need to go check.
roselee z8b S.W. Texas thanked javiwa
loreleicomal
last year
The picture I posted above of the bees in the broccoli--That has been blooming for about 4 weeks now.
roselee z8b S.W. Texas thanked loreleicomal

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