Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2021 i Birds and Blooms Extra

I don’t maim everything that I plant, but sometimes my thumb is more yellow than green. Just ask the clematis on the side of my front porch. It was a bit unruly at the base, but my mother-in-law, Deb, offered a simple solution. She told me to lop off all but a few inches of the plant in early spring. Easy-peasy, I thought, then made the cuts and waited. Weeks passed, and my nubby little plant lay dormant, slowly drying out. I was certain I’d killed the poor thing. I chose a sunny day to dig up what was left. The echoes of Deb saying “It seems like a lot but you really can’t hurt it” were ringing in my head. But as I rounded the corner with my shovel,…

1 Pink Elf French hydrangea HYDRANGEA MACROPHYLLA ‘PIA’, ZONES 5 TO 9 Coming in at only 18 inches tall and 24 inches wide, this hydrangea is small but it’ll turn plenty of heads with bright pink blooms that make excellent cut flowers late spring through summer. Go easy on the pruning and give it some winter protection in Zone 5—this fast grower blooms on old wood every year. Why we love it: It thrives in shady spaces where showy color can be hard to come by. 2 My Monet weigela WEIGELA FLORIDA ‘VERWEIG’, ZONES 4 TO 6 Both hummingbirds and butterflies are big fans of the pink, trumpet-shaped flowers that grace this dwarf shrub in spring and summer. An easy-care plant that tolerates sun, it grows up to…

SET THE SCENE To be a good bat landlord, it’s important to install a house in a place where bats are protected and have access to important resources. A spot with sun exposure that’s close to water and a mix of farmland and natural areas is ideal. Once you find the perfect location, mount the house on a pole and add a metal predator guard for extra security. BAT BENEFITS Accommodating bats may seem daunting, but it’s worth the effort. They eat pesky backyard bugs, and some even pollinate flowers.…

Q I read that hummingbird feathers are not the bright colors we see. Can you explain this? Cheryl Curtiss TACOMA, WASHINGTON Kenn and Kimberly: It’s true. When we look at an Anna’s or ruby-throated hummingbird, for example, we’re not really seeing green pigment on their back feathers or red pigment on their throat feathers. Instead, those are structural colors. The feather itself is just dull and dark, but it’s covered with transparent layers of particular shapes that operate like a prism. They bend the light and reflect back only certain colors. This is why the colors can seem to change, too. Those red throat feathers may look orange, gold or even green, depending on the angle of the light. Q What’s this bird at my jelly dish? Georgia Detwiler MARCELLUS,…

I was just learning to use my camera when I captured this gorgeous American lady butterfly on a white coneflower in my yard. Photography is a great hobby that gives me a closer look at the incredible beauty of butterfly wings, which I could not see otherwise. Deborah Billings WATKINSVILLE, GEORGIA Butterflies are one of my favorite things to observe and photograph. Getting a picture of this American lady in my current home of North Carolina brings back childhood memories of my family farm in upstate New York. Jason Baden CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA CATERPILLAR The caterpillar varies in coloring but is typically yellow or black with bands wrapping around. Look for white spots on abdominal segments and large spines accented by reddish bases.…

7 The northern cardinal gets top honors, representing seven states total: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia. 1848 Utah selected the California gull after its heroic eating efforts in 1848, which saved many Mormon settlers from losing their crops to an insect plague. 2 Though Maine is home to two species of chickadee (black-capped and boreal), the state’s choice is officially listed as simply “the chickadee.” 19 Nineteen birds represent only one state each, including the greater roadrunner (New Mexico), common loon (Minnesota) and brown pelican (Louisiana). 1920s The General Federation of Women’s Clubs gets credit for first launching the idea of adopting state birds during the 1920s. 1 Good news! One state bird was able to move off the endangered species list—Hawaii’s nene—thanks to conservation…

FloralBerry Champagne St. John’s Wort Hypericum x inodorum ‘KOLCHAM’, Zones 5 to 9 With a multiseason appeal, this small shrub is ready to shine. Its long stems are ideal for cutting when the flowers are on full display or when they’re replaced by creamy white berries in autumn. Attracts: Light needs: Full sun to part shade. Size: 3 feet tall and wide. Grown for: Borders, containers and fall and winter interest. Foliage: Dark green and resistant to rust. Similar cultivars: Plants in this series burst with blooms and berries. Check out Sangria for its red fruit or go with Rosé for deep-pink accents. NEW PLANT ALERT! This St. John’s wort variety is a fresh arrival on the garden scene. Look for it at your local nursery or order it online…

When you think about grass, mowing, watering and fertilizing may come to mind. But those tasks apply just to lawns. With ornamental grass, maintenance is far less intensive. Still, you can take actions to make sure your ornamental grasses sail into fall and make it through winter looking sharp. “Many homeowners like ornamental grasses because they are drought tolerant and are rarely bothered by pests,” says Iowa landscape designer Dori Hein. “They seldom need fertilizing either. Fertilizing ornamental grasses may actually cause them to flop over.” But low maintenance does not equate to no maintenance. “Summer is the best time to keep an eye on watering needs, especially during the plant’s first year while it’s establishing roots,” Dori says. “I like to put down a natural mulch, too, because it…

Sometimes the best shots happen when you least expect them. On this particular summer day, I was on a hike with my family at a nearby nature attraction. I was thrilled to discover that several cedar waxwings happened to be flocking there as well! Fortunately, I had my camera with me and snapped a glorious shot of one of my favorite birds as it was launching itself from a branch. Mike Brickl DOUSMAN, WISCONSIN While visiting a sunflower field in my town I spotted this beautiful common buckeye butterfly, which I shot with my Nikon COOLPIX P500. I love the contrast of colors on the buckeye with the flower beneath it. Catherine Melloy WAYNESBORO, PENNSYLVANIA Coneflowers have a quirkiness in addition to their many vibrant colors. This one resides in…

Natives Are Not Always What They Seem... Seven years ago, we began to transform much of our 3 acres of lawn into meadows and prairie using native plants. One of the first native plants we added was sawtooth sunflower. It’s native to our area and beautiful, with clusters of yellow flowers atop tall, slender, sturdy stalks. Pollinators love it! But in a few short years, this plant began to take over our small prairies, choking out other native plants. We learned a very valuable (and labor-intensive) lesson about the importance of understanding that some native plants can be aggressive in the wrong setting. We spent more time removing this aggressive native than doing any other task associated with our prairie transformation. Native plants are wonderful, and so very important for…

1 Celebrate the very best of North America’s lush greenery in the Native Plant Garden, featuring thousands of shrubs, trees, wildflowers, grasses and more. Ruby-throated hummingbirds, grosbeaks, vireos and tanagers, as well as butterflies, all stop by this space. 2 Breathe deep and enjoy the lovely scents from more than 650 rose varieties every May through October in the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden. Get inspiration for your own yard by viewing the modern hybrids and classic blooms on display. 3 Wander through the Perennial Garden, a perfect place to visit year-round. It offers four sections, called rooms, designed with specific color palettes or seasons in mind. You can also head to the garden’s website for a mobile, interactive tour of the rooms.…

“I read that blue jays prefer raw, unsalted peanuts in the shell. That addition to my feeders is a total game changer!”Lisa Vulovich STRUTHERS, OHIO Give birds a protein punch by filling your feeders with nuts. These high-energy foods provide the nutrients birds need to breed, migrate or thrive during cold weather—and they attract new customers to your backyard buffet. “Nuts have different nutritional profiles compared to seeds,” says Judy Hoysak, the vice president of product development and marketing at Global Harvest Foods, the makers of Audubon Park birdseed. “Nuts especially are higher in fat. They’re higher in protein as well—much more than millet or sunflower seed.” What to Serve Peanuts are the most popular, but birds also eat acorns, beechnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, hickory nuts, pecans, pine nuts and walnuts.…

TEACUP BIRD FEEDER WHAT YOU’LL NEED • Teacup with matching saucer• Industrial glue or epoxy• Ribbon• Birdseed DIRECTIONS 1. Arrange the teacup on its side, with the handle facing upward, on the saucer. 2. Apply glue where the teacup meets the saucer. Hold teacup in place while the glue sets. Allow to dry according to glue instructions. 3. Tie ribbon to handle to hang and fill the cup and saucer with birdseed. BIRDSEED WREATH WHAT YOU’LL NEED • Nonstick cooking spray• Dried fruits (cranberries, cherries, blueberries)• 1 cup warm water• 2 packets gelatin• 5 Tbsp. light corn syrup• ½ cup flour• ½ cup creamy natural peanut butter• Fluted tube pan• Large mixing bowl• 5 cups birdseed• Ribbon DIRECTIONS 1. Spray interior of pan with nonstick spray. Arrange dried fruit in…

When I was very little, my grandpa, who lived next door, loved to garden. His dinnerplate dahlias, roses, German bearded iris and so many other colorful flowers intrigued me. He let me help him as I grew older. I have been gardening now for over 70 years and my middle son also inherited the gardening gene. He’s surpassed the knowledge I grew up with and we now garden together using many tried-and-true methods. Barbara Melchiori SOUTH KINGSTOWN, RHODE ISLAND Stanley Barrows, my grandfather, let me help take care of his hollyhocks when I was just 6 years old. I am now 71 years young and every time I see a hollyhock flower, I think of him! Karen Holmes COOPER, MAINE Pappaw and Mammaw taught me the most about growing vegetables,…

Find the Hummingbird In each issue, we hide a hummingbird like the one above left. Enter to win at birdsandblooms.com/contests if you find it. Winners receive a one-year subscription to Birds & Blooms . In the July issue, we hid it on page 17. HIDDEN OBJECT GUIDELINES No purchase necessary to enter to win. Purchase will not improve your chances of winning. Sweepstakes is open to legal residents age 18 years or older of the U.S., its territories and possessions, or of Canada (excluding the Province of Quebec). Sweepstakes begins on Aug. 5, 2021, and ends on Oct. 6, 2021. Visit birdsandblooms .com/contests for official rules. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. Sweepstakes sponsored by RDA Enthusiast Brands, LLC. Contact Us! CUSTOMER CARE For subscriptions, renewals, gifts, payments, account info and inquiries: Email:…