Planting Thyme

Fall and spring planting

Photo by Jackie Radinsky

Happy Autumn!

It is Fall Planting Season! What does that mean? It means that it’s an ideal time to plant because it’s not so hot and not so cold. There’s a magical little window where you get to make seemingly small decisions that impact your ENTIRE next year! Planting in the fall (or early winter before the ground freezes) gives your new little ones time to get their roots tapped into the earth (from your deep watering and the rain), so that when the hot weather comes around again, they are solid and invincible. You get to place them in the spots they are most likely to thrive and bring you joy.

Resiliency is born out of care and attention. What seems on the surface to be effortless, usually has taken a lot of love and forethought. Patience and faith. Gardening and cooking to me, are just little microcosms that perfectly emulate the grander picture.

All that said, feel free to plant in the spring. That’s the second best time to plant! How do you know what to plant? You can ask yourself what butterflies, moths, and bees do you love - and would you like to see more of? Look up their host plants (and always have nectar-rich plants for them too).

What birds do you love? What type of trees do they favor? Find the native plants (and sometimes non-native) for your region that support them and wildlife! I have a Purple passion vine specifically because it’s a host to the gorgeous Gulf Fritillary butterfly that I adore. And for the sumptuous passion fruit! I planted the native Toyon tree and Coffee berry because of the berries they will grow for the local birds. I have just planted the native California Buckwheat and Bush mallow because they host hundreds of native insects and birds, which are not only a total joy to watch and identify, but imperative for keeping our local eco-system in harmony and thriving. Of course I plant tons of native milkweed for the beloved monarch butterflies.

A kadydid and a Monarch caterpillar thriving on narrowleaf milkweed.

This is only about creating joy. Creating habitats. Creating a sanctuary for critters as well as yourself, where you can be a quiet observer with no pressure, but to just be.

I tend to focus on planting food- but not for myself. For the teeny ones. I feel so joyful when I spot creatures sipping, fighting, frolicking, gobbling, sunning, mating, sleeping. I feel like the luckiest person on earth in these moments, getting a backstage pass to their secret world.

The other day, something caught my eye- the tiniest little metallic green sweat bee, flying out of an Abutilon (native Indian Mallow) flower. But I noticed that it flew out because that little flower was already inhabited by another even tinier native bee. And it was NAPPING! Every once in awhile she would roll around, covering herself in even more pollen, re-situate herself, stretch and go back to sleep. I managed to get a shot of it!

I hope you have an adventurous planting season. Think of what will excite you visually, what you might like the scent of (White sage!), possibly what attracts your favorite critters and pop it into the ground! Pat yourself on the back for nurturing yourself.

Thanks for reading Wild Mountain Thyme!

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