Pike Nurseries Ladybug Weekend @PikeNurseries @BravePrAtl #PikeLadybugs #PikeLadybugLaunch

I was invited to attend an event at the Pike Nurseries in Toco Hills.  It was a wonderful informative session all about ladybugs.  Part of it was what plants/flowers attract ladybugs (and other beneficial insects) to your garden.  These include Red Geranium, Coleus, White Cosmos, Purple fountain grass, Sunflowers, Dill, Fennel, Purple Basil and many others.  These were a couple of planters that incorporated some of these plants that are premade at Pike.

They are also selling packs of ladybugs for you to release into your garden.  Best time to release them is at dusk.  You can keep them in your refrigerator until you're ready to release.  They slow down and "hibernate" when it's cool, making it easier to keep them.  At dusk, they start getting ready for night and settle in.  When released, they will likely be thirsty, so water the plants around the area you plan to release them slightly.  Then, release them at dusk around the bases of your plants.  You can leave the container out to make sure all ladybugs are out.

We did a release of ladybugs into the Pike flowers.  This is opening the container which had hundreds of little ladybugs.

I had ladybugs on my hands, so this is my attempt at getting them into the plant base.

Pike Nurseries is having a ladybug weekend this Saturday and Sunday (April 23 & 24).  The garden center is giving away a free 150-count packet of ladybugs per purchase, while supplies last.  You can find informational sheets on creating a ladybug friendly garden, coloring sheets, and cool ladybug facts on the Pike Nurseries web site.  You can also get information on how to win a $100 Pike gift card.