Greetings from Prickly Ed's Cactus Patch
April 10, 2022
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See you at the Roadside Stand!
In celebration of Mother Nature, the Roadside Stand will be opening for the season on Mothers' Day Weekend. Here's what we have in store for you this year.
May: Stop by on Fridays between 12-5 or Saturdays from 10-3 throughout the month of May. You can also call or e-mail to arrange a different time to visit during the week. For folks who live in the area, regardless of what day and time it is, if you see Ed outside and the gate is open you are welcome to swing in and say hello! Here's what you will find at the May Roadside Stand:
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NATIVE PERENNIALS - Dozens of varieties of neonicotinoid free, straight species native perennial plant plugs will be available. What is a plant plug? A plug is basically a plant start that has been grown in cell-trays, similar to how annuals and vegetable starts are packed and sold. Our plugs are landscape ready, with deep established root systems and can be planted directly into your garden. Plugs are usually sold in large quantities, but in keeping with our commitment to get as many native plants as possible into area yards, we are offering them individually so you can buy as few or many as you’d like. Planting plugs is a great way to plant easily and economically, especially if you are trying to cover a large area. At about a quarter of the the price of the average gallon sized container perennial sold in local nurseries, this is a great way to try plants out to find out what is most successful in your garden. After lots of research into options for Northeast natives we chose to source our plugs from New Moon Nursery in New Jersey.
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POLLINATOR SIX-PACKS - Look for a limited quantity of curated Prickly Ed's Pollinator Six-Packs. Special assortments of native perennial plugs bunded together in a decorative six pack holder will be available with special pollinator gardening tip sheet inserts all garnished with a lovely bee bow. Great gifts for anyone who needs a bit more buzz in their life.
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ORNAMENTAL POLLINATOR FRIENDLY ANNUALS - We will have a very limited quantity of unique, pollinator friendly ornamental annuals. We always encourage that you aim to plant 70% natives, but also encourage you to make the most of the other 30% focusing on easy care, dramatic color and high nectar for hummingbirds and butterflies. Our offerings are primarily native to South America and are heirloom varieties rarely found in area nurseries. We are especially excited about the variety of night blooming Nicotiana, and the wide array of brightly colored garden Salvia. We source our plants from Beds and Borders on Long Island because of the amazing quality, their unusual offerings and their commitment to environmentally friendly growing practices.
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CERTIFIED ORGANIC HERB AND VEGGIE PLANTS - Look for many heirloom and unusual varieties of organic herb and veggie plants, including an assortment of medicinal plants. These will all be large, robust plants that are certified organic for your health and the wellbeing of the planet and that are ready to thrive in your summer garden.
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MAGIC DIRT - Earth Care Farms Compost, called "Magic Dirt" by those who use it will be available this year at the Roadside Stand. A long time secret ingredient in some of Rhode Island's finest gardens, you can now buy it by the bucketful here at the Roadside Stand. The last thing the world needs is more plastic bags, so just bring a bucket or box and Ed will fill it up. Need great compost now? It's here already you can Message Ed for help, he's got all the dirt on dirt...
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PRICKLY PEAR CACTUS - The cactus behind Prickly Ed's Cactus Patch are our Native Eastern Prickly Pear Cactus, Opuntia humifuso; we will have plenty available at the Roadside Stand. Read all about them HERE.
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CRAFT HONEY - Get here early and you might be in time to get some Craft honey from our neighbor's hives - it's pure, raw, delicious and as local as you can get!
Come June we will be celebrating National Pollinator Week with our gallon sized neonicotinoid free native perennials grown on site here. We will also have some special surprises to get things buzzing for this special event. Stay tuned for June days and hours and lots of other details coming soon.
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Not to be Missed Coming Events, These are Two of our Very Favorite Experts | | |
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April 13, 2022 7-8:30pm on Zoom
Hosted by Grow Native Massachusetts
A New Garden Ethic
Benjamin Vogt, Author, A New Garden Ethic: Cultivating Defiant Compassion for an Uncertain Future
REGISTER HERE
In a time of mass extinction and climate change, how and for whom we garden matters more than ever. Our built landscapes reflect the dominant ethos of our society—they are too often made to meet the needs and desires of humans without consideration for the diversity of other species with whom we share our planet. What would happen if our society not only developed compassion for other species but recognized and advocated for their inherent worth? Benjamin Vogt will explore why our gardens are ideal settings to cultivate this compassion, and how they can help us grow into our fullest potential as stewards of life.
April 22, 2022, 12-1:15 pm on Zoom
Earth Day Lunch and Learn Hosted by the Aspetuck Land Trust
2/3 for the Birds with Edwina von Gal
REGISTER HERE
If all our yards become "2/3" they will eventually connect and create life filled corridors of habitat. A life saver for our birds, our biodiversity, ourselves. Hear more from Edwina von Gal, one of the country's most lauded landscape experts who has served as landscaper to the stars to the likes of Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren and Robert De Niro. Edwina built her name conjuring gorgeous settings while honing environmentally friendly techniques. Tune in and get inspired to get your landscape bursting, buzzing and chirping with life. Click on the 2/3 for the Birds image to learn more.
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The Buzz About Bees
Honey is sweet indeed, but when we say #savethebees we mean the nearly 4,000 species of native bees, many of which are bordering on extinction. Here’s an amazing resource to learn much more about the bees, some of which you’ve likely never even heard of. Check it out & find out what all the buzz is about.
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"The Earth is What We All Have in Common" - Wendell Berry | |
April is National Native Plant Month
| We all live on the same planet and though there may be several differences that people focus on, the similarity of everyone is that we are inhabitants of the same earth. We need to work together and heal what once was healthy. With that thought in mind we are delighted to share that April is officially “National Native Plant Month” as a result of a widely supported truly bipartisan resolution. Read all the details on our blog post, link below. | | | |
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From the Washington Post Magazine
In an era of climate change, homeowners and landscapers are learning what ecologists have known for decades: It’s time to shed the mighty American lawn in favor of native plants and perennials.
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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.
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Hummingbirds are on the Way, Are you Ready? | | |
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Hummingbird migration maps like the one at Hummingbird Central already show the first of the beloved ruby throated hummingbirds arriving in New England. The annual return of hummingbirds to Rhode Island is a favorite time for so many residents. A hummingbird addict, Mrs. Prickly Ed (Cindy) becomes a bit unhinged waiting for her little jewels to safely arrive. Her love of these magical creatures began decades ago on the front porch of her grandmother's West Virginia home where they would spend hot summer afternoons sipping sweet tea on the porch swing while watching these little wonders dart from flower to flower. With a little extra effort you can invite hummingbirds into your yard this summer. | | |
When it comes to lawns we encourage you to embrace the advice of experts like Doug Tallamy, Thomas Rainer and Claudia West who suggest restricting turf to wide paths that guide pedestrians through your landscape, that draw the eye to a featured aspect of your design, or that define beds, tree groves, or various hardscapes as being purposeful and cared for. Think of lawn as an area rug, not wall-to-wall carpeting. Less Lawn, More Life...we're working on it, hope you are too! | |
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Prickly Ed's Cactus Patch, Roadside Stand and Apothecary is a super small, hyperlocal, roadside stand located directly on the border of Barrington, RI and Swansea, MA focused on making the area a little bit wilder one yard at a time! Offering great native plants, prickly pear cactus, magic dirt, unusual pollinator friendly annuals, organic herb and vegetable plants, lots of solicited and unsolicited advice & random curiosities designed to get your yard really buzzing. You can read all about on our website, including the story of where the name Prickly Ed's Cactus Patch came from. | |
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Be Sure to Check out all the Prior Editions of News from the Cactus Patch too!
Have you missed prior editions of our newsletter? Want to look back to find an article or resource that we shared previously? You can read all the news on our website by clicking the button below.
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