We tend to think of beetles in the garden as pests. After all, so many of them are. Japanese beetles will munch our raspberries and roses, cucumber beetles wreak havoc on plants in the Cucurbit family, and flea beetles knock back eggplant seedlings. But not all beetles are bad; some are beneficial. Here are five beneficial beetles you might spot in your garden, how they help, and how to attract more of them.

Soldier Beetles (Chauliognathus spp.)

We have two soldier beetle species we commonly in Virginia, the margined leathering (Chauliognathus marginatus) and the Pennsylvania leathering (Chauliognathus pensylvanicus). As adults, these beetles look a lot like orangish-colored fireflies, though they lack their nighttime flash. In Virginia, margined leatherwing adults are present in the spring, and Pennsylvania leatherwing adults are present in the fall. Both species feed on nectar and pollen as adults, helping to pollinate the garden. 

Soldier beetles may be even more helpful in their larval stage. At this stage, they look more like caterpillars or worms than beetles. They have a black velvety coating and many segments. These little guys are voracious predators that live in the topsoil and leaf litter for one to three years before reaching their adult phase. They feed on caterpillar larvae and the egg masses of aphids, Colorado potato beetles, and grasshoppers.

To attract soldier beetles to your garden, maintain a suitable habitat for them at each life stage. The larvae need leaf litter and soft soil to overwinter. Adults thrive when there are brightly colored flowers for nectar, like goldenrod, zinnias, cosmos, butterfly weed, and milkweed. They also benefit from water sources, just make sure they can get out of it so they don’t drown.

Predacious Ground Beetles (Pterostichus spp.)

If you spend a lot of time in the garden, you’ve probably seen some of these beetles scurrying around. They are medium to large beetles that may be black or have a metallic green or orangish sheen. One of the most common species P. melanarius is native to Eurasia but now inhabits most of North America. 

They are effective predators that spend their time searching though your garden for slugs and other insects to feed on. Some species will even climb into the lower branches and stems of garden plants to feed on aphids. 

There are many ways to support these beetles in your garden. Good undisturbed habitat is key for them. Going low-till or no-till increases ground beetle populations. Rows of cover crops like clover between garden beds also encourage them. Some farms are also experimenting with “beetle banks.” Beetle banks are refuges of native grass and plants near garden beds that grow tall. They serve as a stable, insulated habitat for overwintering beetles.

Checkered Beetles (Cleridae spp.)

We have at least 18 species of checkered beetles in Virginia, and their appearance, habitats, and feeding habits vary. They tend to have an elongated body shape, antennae that are usually clubbed at the tips, and ornate patterns in red, yellow, orange, or blue. All checkered beetles are predatory insects in at least one life stage. Depending on the species, they may feed on ants, weevils, grasshoppers, wasps, other insects and their larvae and eggs.

Many checkered beetles are also pollinators in their adult stage. They feed on flower pollen and their entire bodies are covered coarse hairs which are perfect for catching grains of pollen and carrying them onto the next flower.

Like other beetles, avoiding excessive tilling can help these beetles survive the winter in their larval stage. Providing other shelter with cover crops, mulch, and log or rock piles is also a great way to encourage these species. Adult beetles of many checkered beetle species are also attracted to flowers like Queen Anne’s lace, sunflowers, Dara, and dill.

Lady Beetles (Coccinellidae)

Lady beetles are among the best-known beneficial insects. Thanks to a few cartoons and memes, these pretty beetles have earned a reputation as aphid destroyers. Most beetles of this genus do even more! Adult and larval lady beetles feed on thrips, aphids, mites, scales, and other soft-bodied insects. They’ll also eat the larvae of other insects, like that of the asparagus beetle. The obvious exceptions are squash beetles and Mexican bean beetles, which are also from this genus. 

Lady beetles tend to be small beetles with hard, domed backs. While many have the classic red and black colors, their coloration can vary widely with species. There are lady beetles in shades of yellow, red, brown, and orange with white or black spots or strips. There are several species of lady beetles in our area, including a few native species like the convergent lady beetle (Hippodamia convergens), two-spotted lady beetle (Adalia bipunctata), and spotted lady beetle (Coleomegilla fuscilabris).

Places to overwinter in leafy debris or dead plant material is key for attracting lady beetles. Adult lady beetles also need nectar and pollen before breeding, so flowers can also help attract populations to your garden. Lady beetles enjoy flowers like yarrow, dill, fennel, Dara, and sweet alyssum.

Flower Longhorn Beetles (Cerambycidae)

As their name suggest, these long slender beetles have long antennae that sometimes exceed the length of their body. The adults feed on nectar and flowers and are lesser-known pollinators. In their larval stage, some species are decomposers, helping to break down dead and decaying wood making nutrients available for your plants.

Pollinator gardens can help attract flower longhorn beetles. They favor delicate umbel flowers like Queen Anne’s lace, carrot, dill, fennel, and Dara. They also appreciate sunflowers, asters, and goldenrod. 

You can also help protect their habitat and larvae by leaving dead and decaying wood on your property, reducing tilling, and using mulch.

Beetles don’t deserve their poor reputation. Attracting these beetles and other beneficial insects to your garden can help reduce pest pressure, improve pollination, and build healthy soil. 

There are few sights as beautiful as the first flowers of spring. For many, having early flowers is a dream come true. Thankfully, you can have flowers up to a month early by overwintering cool-season flower varieties. Whether you’re a cut flower farmer or just a home gardener, overwintering flowers can be a great way to get a jump on spring.

Overwintering isn’t quite the same as growing in the winter. Instead, we plant these flowers in the late summer or fall, depending on your zone. They will then grow for a few weeks or months before the cool temperatures and dwindling daylight halt their growth completely. In early spring, as the sunlight returns, flowers will take off again, having a significant advantage on spring sown seedlings.

What Flowers Can I Overwinter?

• Rudbeckia
• Sweet Peas
• Strawflower
• Larkspur (delphinium)
• Violas
• Dara 
• Poppies
• Nigella
• Bachelor’s Buttons

Other flowers that we don’t carry that may overwinter include snapdragons, statice, ranunculus, campanula, foxglove, and dianthus.

Protection for Overwintered Flowers

Unfortunately, there is not one perfect setup for overwintering flowers. Your needs will depend on your climate, flower varieties, and of course budget. 

In warm climates, using row cover and wire hoops is often enough to protect flowers in the field all winter long. However, in colder climates and mountainous areas, you’ll want to offer your plants a bit more protection. In these scenarios, a high tunnel is a great option. In northern areas, you can also pair a high tunnel with low tunnels and cover cloth to double your protection. 

There are also a few flower seeds, like echinacea, which benefit from being direct sown in the fall and exposed to cold all winter long. These seeds need cold stratification, or a moist cold period, to break dormancy. 

Planting Flowers for Overwintering

To prepare your beds, loosen the soil with a garden or broad fork and add finished compost. Avoid adding fertilizer. Fertilizer promotes foliar growth, and you want your plants to put their energy into their roots for winter. 

Depending on your climate and crop, start your flowers between August and October. The goal is to give your flowers enough time to develop good roots before winter without letting them get too large. Large plants don’t overwinter as well as small plants and are more likely to suffer soft-tissue damage during hard freezes. 

These cool-season flowers don’t germinate well in the hot weather of late summer and early fall, so you’ll need to start them indoors and transplant them out. Setting up lights in a basement or root cellar can be an excellent option for starting cool-season crops. 

Transplant them into your tunnel when they have two to three sets of true leaves. Pinch back larger transplants. Once they’re transplanted, flowers will take about 4 to 6 weeks to put on good roots for winter. 

It depends on the variety, but for cut flowers you can get away with close spacing. For overwintered flowers, we recommend 6 to 12 inches apart.

Maintaining Flowers Through the Winter and Spring

No matter what flowers you’re growing or what season extension you’re using, mulch is key. All the flowers we overwinter are cool-season flowers. They don’t appreciate the hot days of late summer and early fall we experience in much of the southeast. Mulch acts as insulation, helping keep the soil cool in the fall and keeping it warmer in the winter. 

For cut flowers, we also like to use trellises or supports. These are critical for climbing flowers like sweet peas, but can also improve production for flowers like poppies by encouraging long straight stems and preventing lodging. For non-climbing flowers, creating a grid with mesh or wire fencing suspended parallel to the ground can be a great way to support the stems. 

Plants will continue to grow through the fall until you reach about fewer than 9 hours of daylight. Make sure you cover your plants with low tunnels before temperatures dip below 32°F. 

Watering is another important consideration. You should keep the soil moist but not saturated. During the winter when plants stop growing, the need for watering will slow down or even stop as plants stop growing, especially if you’re in an area where the ground freezes. 

Watch carefully for growth to resume as the daylight lengthens and we get some warmer, sunny days in February or March. You will probably need to resume watering some during this time. You may also need to vent tunnels to prevent plants from overheating. 

Throughout the winter, watch for humidity and disease issues. High tunnels and low tunnels are great for protecting crops, but they can also cause a buildup of humidity, which can contribute to disease issues. Vent your season extension as needed and remove any flowers that show signs of wilt or fungal diseases. 

In March or April, you can remove the row cover from your plants. 

Harvest

Most gardeners will find that this method gives them flowers at least a month earlier than normal. You should be able to harvest cut flowers between April and May.