Greetings from Prickly Ed's Cactus Patch

March 1, 2022

Making Our Lists and Checking them Twice...You can Help!

We grow our neonicotinoid free, straight species native perennial plants from deep root plugs. These have been ordered and will be here in April so we can get busy planting them up in "magic dirt" so they can grow into tough, hardy native additions to your gardens. These pollinator friendly perennials, grown in 0.7 gallon containers will be ready starting in mid-June, just in time for Pollinator Week 2022.

Interested in large plant quantities or have a big space to fill? Buying trays of plant plugs is a very economical way to plant a large area. Purchase of plug trays is by preorder only, normal quantity is 50 plugs, but for some varieties we can offer 20 or 25. Contact us to discuss the options. You can read more about planting with plugs HERE.

Our unique hummingbird and butterfly favorite ornamental annuals are on order and set to arrive in time for Mother's Day planting and gifting. We are especially excited about the variety of night blooming Nicotiana, and the wide array of brightly colored garden Salvia.

You can take a look at the lists by clicking the button below! See something missing that you really, really hoped you would find at the 2022 Roadside Stand? Send us a message to discuss special orders.

View the Plant Lists

Interested in Herb and Vegetable Plants? Let us Know!

Last year, several of you mentioned how much you'd love to be able to buy organic herb and vegetable plants from our Roadside Stand. We haven't yet decided what varieties to carry, or even if it makes sense to offer them at all. You can help! If you know that you will be looking for particular herb or vegetable plants come springtime can you take just a quick minute to send us a message and let us know some of the kinds of things you'd love to find? Any and all thoughts and ideas are welcome. Even something as a simple as a note to say "great idea" or "bad idea"! Be sure to ask your friends, neighbors and family to chime in too. We'd love to get more organic foods and medicinal herbs growing in area gardens, but only want to offer these if there is really a demand and we are truly filling a market need.

Send Us a Message

Add Native Shrubs and Trees for great Garden Structure

Native trees and shrubs add great structure to the garden and provide wonderful habitat for our feathered friends. Planting berry producing native trees and shrubs is an especially great way to help birds during migration and throughout the winter months. Our website has many resources for learning more about the trees and shrubs that are most beneficial in this area. We are happy to take special orders for native shrubs and can even deliver to Barrington and close by. Contact us using the Send Message button above to discuss availability and ordering options.

Learn More About Birdscaping with Native Plants

Lovely chickadee watercolor shown in the photo above, circa 1978 by Cindy's late Dad, S.W. Larson.

Birds Need Caterpillars!

And Caterpillars need native plants! Did you know that the fabulous black capped chickadee, a favorite visitor to New England backyards, requires between 6,000-7,000 caterpillars to raise one brood of nestlings successfully? That's crazy, right? But you can help by adding the native plants that our feathered friends need. Want to learn more? We highly recommend a recent webinar by the one and only Dr. Doug Tallamy, follow the link below to access a link to the recording.

Click Here to Access a Recording of the Dr. Doug Tallamy Recording - Nature's Best Hope

Create Habitat - Not Food Deserts for Bugs and Birds

Researchers have conducted studies and the findings were clear. Iconic New England songbirds, like the chickadee, cannot survive in yards that are made up of less than 70% native plant material. Non-native landscaping is basically a food desert to the insects that our songbirds, and other wildlife, need to survive. We know, it is hard to shift your thinking to imagine bugs on plants being a good thing, but, in a healthy habitat holes on leaves are a welcome sight and Mother Nature does an awe inspiring job of keeping the balance in check.

Learn More About the Northeast Pollinator Pathway Project

Barrington Farm School Pollinator Project Virtual Tour

March 6, 2022 at 2:00pm

Two Farm School volunteers took an unused spot on the farm and created a pollinator habitat from ‘below the soil up. Felipe Ferreras and Blaise Rein dug, renewed, planned and planted a pollinator garden to connect to the Pollinator Pathway in Barrington and in communities across the Northeast. These plant enthusiasts will be touring and discussing their work and its outcome and future. We love that there are some Prickly Ed's Pollinator Plants growing on the Farm and can't wait for the virtual tour. Hope to see you there!

Pollinator Week 2022

Mark your calendar for Pollinator Week 2022. We’ll have some fun surprises in store throughout the week. We hope you will join us as we celebrate pollinators, raise awareness for their conservation and health, and work together to protect them.

Pollinators Need You and You Need Pollinators, Learn More

Legislative Alert

A bill making its way through the Rhode Island General Assembly would place restrictions on the use of neonicotinoids in Rhode Island. This is the fifth year that environmental champions have attempted to get legislation passed. The 2022 version is significantly watered down from prior versions, with a long list of exceptions to the limitations. But, even in this watered down state it brings very important attention to the issue and will begin to curtail widespread use. We commend the champions who have been working on this legislation for such a long time.

ABC 6 STORY - HOUSE BILL WOULD PROTECT POLLINATORS, RESTRICT USE OF CERTAIN PESTICIDES, CLICK HERE TO WATCH.

“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature -- the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.”

― Rachel Carlson, Silent Spring

Prickly Ed's Cactus Patch

6 Barneyville Road,

Barrington, RI 02806-2715

(401) 248-4785

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