During the hot days of summer, mulch becomes a necessity. Even native plants can suffer and flag during super hot, long dry spells. With thick, well placed mulch, you will be able to take advantage of the few drops of midsummer moisture that may fall. During this time, you will often see birds scratching in the mulch and poking their nosey beaks into the wood. They are keeping bugs to a minimum around those plants- and in so doing, keeping the plant healthier. You may also see more spiders this time of year. MOST of them are harmless and necessary to all gardens. They keep harmful garden pests in check as well. (Of course, touching spiders is always a bad idea. Even non-venemous ones can and occasionally do bite. )

Even with the oppressive heat, it is very important to go out once a day (preferably morning) and do a ‘walk about’ in your garden. Keeping a close eye on your plants and such will help you keep a good pulse on what is going on with your plantings. By constantly checking, you are able to identify which plants may need a little human help to make it through a particularly harsh spell of weather or temperature. Sometimes just a cup of water poured at the roots of a new planting can keep it alive enough to send it through to another season. Remember when you are walking through to make a quick check of the birdbath and feeders. Fresh water is literally a life-saver for birds and small mammals. Make sure watering areas are kept very clean and full of fresh water. Hummingbirds are particularly sensitive to bacteria that grows in old sugar water. Make sure to thoroughly clean feeders once per week. Use a q-tip and pipe cleaner to clean out ports. Use very hot water and you can also throw a handful of tiny gravel in the feeder with the hot water and shake well to clean out stubborn bacteria or mold. Make sure to rinse feeder well before refilling.

The hummingbird nectar recipe is:

1/2 cup sugar mixed into 1 cup nearly boiling water and stir until dissolved. Then add 1 cup cold water and mix in and pour into feeder.

*DO NOT add in food coloring for any reason-it may actually harm the hummingbirds*

Keep up the good work gardeners!!!!!!!!!

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As Spring begins to wake up the sleepy earth, the first jewels of the season arrive to drink from the deep, rich, early blooming flowers. The Ruby-throated Hummingbirds zip through the yard in a flash making you almost unsure that you’ve actually seen one! The male goldfinches shed their drab winter gear for their bright sunny summer suits as they flirt with the air flaunting their new look. The air is alive with the special sounds of Spring Peepers and courting birds. A lone butterfly skims across the loropetulum only to be joined by three others. And we smile with contentment at the new sights and smells of Spring after the quiet Winter. For the moment, we can lose the distraction of life long enough to remember how miraculous this time of year can be. We can enjoy the newness of the air and ground. How can you encourage this awakening of Spring to visit your yard in its full glory? Plant, plant, PLANT!

The first step is to do a little research during the long Winter. Set up several bird feeders outside of your favorite window and make a little seating area with a pair of binoculars resting nearby. Get a good bird identification guide (I prefer Field Guide to Birds Eastern Region by Donald and Lillian Stokes) to identify your soon to be visiting feathered friends. I recommend putting out a black oil sunflower seed feeder, a nyger thistle seed feeder, and a suet feeder as well as a shallow birdbath. Then, you sit. Grab a nice cup of hot coffee and relax, ready to watch your visitors. Keep a notepad nearby to write down all the different types of birds that you see so that later you can research their favorite foods. Some birds are insect eaters and some seed eaters or nectar drinkers and even others are fruit eaters (checking the beak is the key-more on that another time). Variation in your garden is the key to attracting a variety of visitors.

My garden is filled with a little dabble of everything. I have heavy nectar producers, heavy protein filled seed producers, and fruit/berry producers. The insects-well they come with the territory! Check out a native plant guide from your extension office or your local library to see which native plants will provide the most for the wild creatures. Remember to look closely at what types of light and water you have in your yard so that your new native plants (and in turn the birds and butterflies) will flourish. Remember to check your bloom times as well. Early Spring nectar producers are as important as first frost bloomers. Plants that hold their seeds indefinitely are also a necessity for birds like the goldfinch and even the large songbirds. Nothing cheers me more than a Cardinal sitting on the dried sunflowers in the dead of winter having his natural feast. I do feed my birds all year. I like to draw them to the feeders for easier observation and photographic opportunities, but they still take full advantage of the natural plantings as well. That’s handy if I forget to fill the feeders! Remember in your garden plantings to also include trees and shrubs and vine tangles for nesting spots and host plants for butterflies. The joy that the birds and butterflies bring to me is something I can’t possibly describe. Give it a try! See how fast you fall in love!!!

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Why plant native?

The first question people ask me when asking for advice on what to plant in their yard is always “Why should I plant native plants?” My general answer is “You cannot afford not to!” Native plants and the native animals and birds they draw are in great danger from habitat destruction and climate changes. Saving them is becoming more and more of an individual gardener’s quest. Large tracts of untouched wilderness are becoming a rarity. Each of us has a chance in our yard to bring back native plants and, in turn, native animals and birds.

Native plants are not only drought tolerant (another problem many areas of the country are facing more and more often) they are also more pest and disease resistant than imported plants and trees. They also tend to draw more of the native wildlife than tropicals or imports.

There are some characteristics you should look at when choosing native plants, shrubs, and trees. Do smart research. What I mean by that is, research the plant you are interested in to see if it is a food source or shelter for native birds or wildlife. Does it provide a fruit of some type on which the wildlife could feed? Does it provide nectar or is it a host plant for butterflies? Is it a plant that requires special treatment that I may or may not be able to provide?

Think about your own planting area and what types of wildlife you’d like to attract. Do you like butterflies? Then, you’d need sunny areas and natives like milkweed and certain types of trees like willows to serve as hosts for the caterpillars. Do you like birds? Then maybe wax myrtle trees or blackberry brambles would be the thing for you. Perhaps you have woods nearby and would like to attract deer? Maybe a row of corn or tender greens would be best for you. It is easy to personalize even a backyard to your tastes as well as to the tastes of the the native wildlife and wild bird populations.

Finally, planting native plants can be financially smart. They hang on during low rainfall times so replacement due to death via drought happens much less often. They are more easily obtained. Check with local forestry departments or local extension offices to see where you can get cuttings, rooted starts, or even whole plants from areas that are being developed and plowed under. Find like-minded gardeners and share plants with each other. And, get native perennials from nurseries or retailers when they are done blooming and the sellers are closing down for the season. The plants may not look as beautiful as they did in the growing season, but as long as the roots are healthy, they’ll come back in full force. You can also plant seeds-a much cheaper alternative to plants.

Remember, it’s up to us to keep native populations going! Get out there and Grow it Native!

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