Niseko, Toya-Usu and Shiraoi are three Hokkaido destinations for travellers who want to feel close to the communities they’re visiting.
10 plants to attract ladybugs in your garden
They are one of the best way to remove parasites in your orchard or garden without the use of pesticides. Here are ladybugs’ favourite plants.
They are the emblem of organic farming and they are the gardeners’ and farmers’ favourite insects. Ladybugs eat aphids, scale insects, their eggs and other parasitic pests, i.e. those that feed on the green parts of plants. During their life cycle they are esteemed to eat more than 5000 kind of prey. The famous entomologist Giorgio Celli called them the lions of the garden. That’s why they are so important in the biological and integrated struggle.
So, here are a few plant species you can grow in your orchard or garden to attract a large amount of ladybugs.
Dandelion (Taraxacum officinalis). Also known as “lion’s tooth”, the dandelion is part of the family of the Asteraceae and it has many healing properties. Its leaves can be used to make infusions and decoctions. Grow it in your garden and so that your health and the ladybugs will benefit from them.
Calendola (Calendula officinalis). It belongs to the family of the Asteraceae too and it is renowned for its soothing and lenitive properties. This summer coloured flower is easy to grow even in a pot or on your balcony. It is also a mosquito repellent flower.
Tormentil (Potentilla erecta). Perennial plant, commonly found in mown lawns. It is easy to grow: it only requires fresh air during the warmer months. It grows spontaneously in grazing lands.
Blue bottle (Centayurea cyanus). A plant in the family of Asteraceae with wonderful blue flowers. Ladybugs are attracted both by its colour and pollen. Beautiful if included in your flowerbed and flowerbed borders with violets, blue bottles give a touch of colour to your garden.
Geranium (Pelargonium sp.). It is one of the most appreciated balcony flowers. In the summer it gives a touch of colour to terraces and gardens and it requires little care and a small patch of brown soil. They repel mosquitoes and other bothering insects and they attract moths and beetles.
Mint (Mentha officinalis). It is very easy to grow, it is useful in cooking and it can also be used to prepare infusions and frech drinks for the summer. A hardy plant that can become a superweed with an unmistakable aroma.
Mulberry (Morus L.). It is a shrub in the same family of blackberries and it has very similar fruits. Native to Asia, mulberries are used for centuries for the rearing of silkworms. Its fruits are nutritious.
Garlic (Allium sativum). A food item that we shouldn’t do without, garlic is in the Liliaceae family and it grows underground. It is easy to cultivate, but it should be transplanted in the right month. When it is ripe, it has purple flower heads that attract pollinators.
Parsley (Petroselinum crispum). Another ingredient of many recipes, renowned for its culinary properties. In ancient times it was utilized mostly for decorative purposes, while today it is also used in phytotherapy.
Dill (Anethum graveolens). In your orchard, whether it is small or large, you can’t do without this plant with its unmistakable aroma, much loved in the Nordic countries. Its small leaves can be used to flavour salads or to prepare tasty sauces. It is recommended also to intercrop it with cucumbers.
Siamo anche su WhatsApp. Segui il canale ufficiale LifeGate per restare aggiornata, aggiornato sulle ultime notizie e sulle nostre attività.
Quest'opera è distribuita con Licenza Creative Commons Attribuzione - Non commerciale - Non opere derivate 4.0 Internazionale.
We talked to World Happiness Summit organiser Karen Guggenheim about the connection between the planet’s health and our happiness.
The new generation of high-performance wood materials offers unexpected hi-tech possibilities to the worlds of design and architecture.
A group of experts in Tokyo suggested pouring radioactive water from Fukushima into the open sea. A marine biochemist explains the consequences of this absurd decision.
By recovering clothes discarded in the West, Togolese designer Amah Ayiv gives them new life through his high fashion creations.
All catwalks in July will be broadcast online: after Paris, it’s Milan Digital Fashion Week’s turn. And the biggest beneficiary is the environment.
Disabled travellers need not fear Japan. Accessible Japan founder Josh Grisdale tells us about his commitment to opening the country’s doors to everyone.
Kalongo Hospital in Uganda is on high alert. Medics are facing the pandemic amid an already precarious healthcare situation, in a country with only 55 intensive care beds.
Indigenous peoples in the isolated region are suffering from poor access to health, with several cities becoming hotspots of coronavirus in the Amazon. Indigenous leaders, health experts and NGOs are calling for international help.