Caterpillars, loopers, and worms, especially green loopers, tomato hornworms, and cabbage worms, are hated by many gardeners. If necessary, control them with BT. However, butterflies, with the possible exception of the white cabbage butterflies, are the floating flowers of the garden. So why kill them all? In fact, why not encourage them? Gardeners who plant meadows filled with wildflowers often provide perfect habitats and never notice the depredations of the attendant caterpillars, a very important stage in the butterfly life cycle.

If you like Swallowtail butterflies, grow parsley and sweet fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), plenty of it, for both you and them. The caterpillars are attractively striped and not overly voracious. They do, however, like willow trees, poplars, and sycamores. If you grow these trees you're likely to have a resident population already.

Monarch butterflies can be attracted by growing butterfly weed (Asclepius tuberosa). Large-flowered passion vine will attract Gulf Fritillary, a red-orange butterfly with black-to-brown markings and silver spots under the wings. The fuzzy black caterpillars will decimate leaves of passion vine, but not touch much else in the garden. The Mourning Cloak butterfly is attracted to newly mown lawns, and is often fearless enough to sit on a gardener's moist outstretched palm. Consider adding a butterfly-attracting specimen or two to enhance your garden and attract these beautiful additions to your landscape.

Neptune's Harvest Blend (2-3-1) is a blend of fish and seaweed which gives you the best of both products, with a perfect blend of fish hydrolyzed and seaweed, ensuring a complete fertilization program.

Growers using our fish/seaweed blend increased their marketable yields and improved shelf life on fruits and vegetables. Fish and seaweed are known to build sugars in plants.

Flowers and foliage will be stronger and more colorful. Blooms will be more plentiful, fragrant, and longer lasting.

It's possible here to have color year-round from permanent plants. If your garden lacks color now, notice what's in bloom in local gardens, and visit botanical gardens and nurseries to see what's flowering. Consider adding one or two of the following plants that bloom during June.

Jacaranda with Agapanthus.

Jacaranda is a spectacular tree. Try planting white agapanthus, also in bloom now, at its feet. Or use blue agapanthus for mirror effect - blue on the tree and the ground as well.

Chinese Fringe Tree (Chionanthus retusus).

White flowers shaped rather like lilac blossoms cover the entire tree in June.

Fuchsia, Hydrangea, and Lantana

All these are at the height of bloom in June. Fuchsias need regular water but adapt well to drip systems. Hydrangeas also need plenty of water, but they make good container plants or choices for moist canyons with damp but well-drained soil. Lantana is one of the easiest full-sun, drought-resistant plants to grow and is a great bank cover.

Bottlebrush (Callistemon citrinus).

Among our finest drought-resistant small trees or shrubs, bottlebrush grows slowly to 25 feet. Named cultivars have the best color and largest flowers.

Vines

All of the following bloom in summer and can be planted now.

Orchid trumpet vine (Clytostoma callistegioides) is easy, disease resistant, and gorgeous in its late spring/early summer bloom.

Royal trumpet vine (Distictis 'Rivers') is a strong grower, disease resistant, with flowers ranging from mauve to royal purple.

Bower vine (Pandorea jasminoides) is pink (rosea) or white (alba). Protect it from wind.

Red trumpet vine (Distictis buccinatoria) does best near the sea, but can be grown in the interior, though it will suffer frost damage.

Mandevilla (Mandevilla splendens 'Alice du Pont') is bright pink and a good choice to espalier on an east wall.

1. Plant bougainvilleas, fuchsias, and epiphyllums
2. Use bedding plants for quick color
3. Plant perennials in bloom now
4. Plant Zoysia grass
5. Continue to plant summer vegetables
6. Plant and transplant succulents, including cacti and euphorbias
7. Purchase alstroemerias throughout the summer while they are in bloom
8. Plant papayas and bananas
9. Plant and transplant palms
10. Continue to pick and deadhead roses
11. Deadhead and pick summer flowers to keep them going
12. Remove berries (seed pods) from fuchsias after flowers fall
13. Clip runners off strawberries
14. Feed citrus trees and look for chlorosis in citrus, gardenias, azaleas and others; treat with chelated iron
15. Feed avocado trees
16. Fertilize roses
17. Water all plants well except some well-established drought resistant plants and some native plants
18. Put bloomed-out cyclamen and English primroses in a shady spot for the summer