Have you ever wanted that beautiful garden that you see on T.V. or in the magazines that all of the butterflies and humming birds seem to love? Here is a guide that might just help if you want to attract butterflies and hummingbirds to your garden! Visit any of our three locations and our friendly associates will help you with your gardening questions.

Attracting Butterflies

It's easier than most people think to create a butterfly garden and attract butterflies to your own backyard. Plus, such gardens are environmentally friendly and often feature native plants that need minimal care.

Since butterflies and the plants that attract them need bright light and warmth, make sure the garden is in a sunny spot. Successful butterfly gardening also includes planning appropriate habitats. Some butterflies drink and extract salts from moist soil so it is also a good idea to include damp spots or shallow puddles for water and nutrients. Placing a few rocks or sticks in these puddles allows the butterflies to perch and drink. Rocks also provide a site where butterflies can bask to store body heat from the sun.

Below are our recommendations of annuals and perennials that you should try if you are trying to attract the butterflies in Northwest Ohio.

Attracting Hummingbirds

A hummingbird garden is also a great way to capture the birds on film or video, and makes a much nicer backdrop for your photos than the typical plastic feeder. If you plan carefully and select a variety of plants that flower at successively later dates, you will be rewarded with happy hummers throughout the season. Since hummers, like most birds, have virtually no sense of smell, the flowers that attract them tend to have little or no fragrance, apparently directing their resources instead toward high visibility and nectar production.

Below are our recommendations of annuals and perennials that you should try if you are trying to attract the hummingbirds in Northwest Ohio.

We’ll be having a neighborhood potlatch/potluck at the garden soon. Watch this space for more information and be sure to check out our new website to get the latest news.: http://www.heirloompeacegardens.org/

Exercise in the Garden by Matt Lydum
10 a.m. Saturdays starting May 22 at Kircher's Flowers, 1119 Jefferson Ave., Defiance
Rain or shine he'll be showing us some good warm-up, stretch, exercise kind of stuff to help us keep our bodies in good condition as we work this season. Bring your garden tools to exercise with!

May 29 10 a.m.- "Creating Peace in the Garden" - Elizabeth KimJin Collardey
Gardens can be a great place to get away from it all and shake off the stress of everyday life. She'll show us how to breathe peace into our weary bodies and souls.

June 6 10 a.m.- "As the Worm Turns" - Composting for Fun and "Prophet" - Tim Collardey
Tim wants to show folks how to compost inside and out year round in order to create the fabled "Black Gold" of any garden. A lot of what we call dirt or soil is actually (pardon my French) worm poop! And plants love it. So, bring us your coffee grounds, egg shells, veggie scraps, fruit scraps, etc. Don't throw them in the garbage or grind them up in the disposer! Let's feed our plants this "miracle food" and see what wonderful results we get.

All Heirloom Peace Garden events are held at Kircher's Flowers 1119 Jefferson Ave. Defiance, OH 43512 unless otherwise noted.

Other Upcoming Events

Napoleon, OH - There will be a Movie Night May 29th at Family Video. They will be showing a movie, having snacks and fun activities for kids. Kircher's will be participating and would love to invite any and everyone down.

Special In Store Spring Savings: Come into any of our three locations and take a look around our garden centers. Click here to get a coupon to receive a great deal on pansies, violas, snapdragons, & diathus! Ask any of our friendly associates for information on Duke Dollars as well as our hanging baskets fertilizer cards. Flower Happy Hour is from 4:00-5:30 p.m. every Friday at all three of our locations. Pick any arrangement from our cooler window and receive 50% OFF Kash & Karry.

Name that Flower Contest: The entire month of June Kircher's will be hosting a Name that Flower Contest! One entry will be accepted per valid e-mail address. All participants have a chance to win a number of prizes. The participant with the most correct answers will win a $50.00 gift certificate to our garden centers. (In the case of a tie, the winner will be drawn). Second place will win a $25.00 gift certificate and Third place a $15.00 gift certificate. All valid entries will recieve special savings and coupons. Contest ends June 31st at midnight. Winners will be posted & contacted on July 1st. Check upcoming e-mails for more details!