Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2023 i Birds and Blooms Extra

It is our second spring living in this house, and we are prepared! The sugar-water and orange feeders are clean and ready to be hung, the sunflower seed is stocked, the Kaufman Field Guide to Nature of the Midwest is in its place next to the binoculars—now bring on the birds! When we moved in, I immediately started a yard birds list in the Notes app on my phone. But after 20 species, and before spring migration, I transitioned to paper and hung the list on the refrigerator so my husband and I could both jot down new birds. I know we spotted a few types of warblers in the yard last year. In fact, I remember yellow warblers singing nearby so often that we stopped being excited about them.…

1 Dandy Man Purple rhododendron RHODODENDRON X ‘LAVJ2011’, ZONES 4 TO 10 A spring bloomer with large trusses of blooms, Dandy Man will please any gardener. It’s best grown in areas with partial or full sun and in soil that is both moist and acidic. Plant it in a large container for an extra showy spring entryway display. Its maximum size is 8 feet by 8 feet. Why we love it: Dandy Man was specifically developed with northern gardeners in mind, so it’s quite cold hardy. 2 Ebb Tide rose ROSA ‘WEKSMOPUR’, ZONES 6 TO 11 This floribunda rose has deep purple blooms and a spicy fragrance of cloves and citrus. The luscious double-ruffled flowers have more than 35 petals per bloom and reach 3 to 4 inches wide. Full…

One of my favorite spring birds is the prairie warbler. They return every year to Gilbert’s Corner Regional Park in northern Virginia near where I work. I am a night shift nurse and often stop after work to walk the park, listen to the prairie warblers and other birds singing, and try to capture some photos with my Nikon D780. I love this photo because the prairie warbler is looking right at me, as if he is as curious about me as I am about him. Every time I see a prairie warbler is just as exciting as the first time! They are gorgeous, and I love their buzzy little songs! Laura Frazier KEARNEYSVILLE, WV I’m an amateur birder, and I look forward to the spring warbler migration here in…

I TOOK THIS PHOTO OF A LOTUS FLOWER and nearby seedpods at Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens in Washington, D.C. This photograph has an interesting composition, brilliant colors, contrast between pink and green, and sharp detail in the beautiful bloom. James Stone BURKE, VA THE BEAUTY OF THIS MUM with spoon-shaped petals is stunning. I love plants of all kinds and enjoy photographing them, especially with the macro lens on my Canon EOS 70D camera. Wendy Spierling SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY GORGEOUS IN A natural setting, the blackberry plant provides fruit for many birds and animals, including raccoons, foxes and deer. I found this beautiful grouping at the Mineola Nature Preserve in Mineola, Texas, during one of my hikes there. The white flowers and green leaves against the totally black background…

Japanese beetles invade our garden every spring. I put a squirt of lemon Ajax dish soap and a cup of water in a pot, then knock the beetles into the pot. Martha Russell CARMEL, ME To keep slugs from eating tender young foliage, use horticultural-grade diatomaceous earth sprinkled around plants. Fresh herbs such as lemon balm also keep bad bugs away. Kathy Eppers ALEDO, TX To control ants, I sprinkle cinnamon along their trails and on their hills. Jennifer Broadstreet Hess MARION, KS We put a bluebird house at the edge of our garden, and the birds manage the bugs for me. The plants lure the bugs, which are an easy meal for the bluebirds. Monica Partington RALEIGH, NC I’m a big fan of companion planting. One of my favorite…

280 All 300 species of cranesbill geraniums are perennial, so they’ll come back each year. Plus, you can choose from roughly 280 species of Pelargonium geraniums, which are usually grown as annuals. 4-8 True geraniums, called cranesbill geraniums, form mounds of cup-shaped flowers. For a cool periwinkle color, try Johnson’s Blue, hardy in Zones 4 to 8. 1753 In 1753, a Swedish botanist mistakenly identified a flower from South Africa as part of the Geranium genus. Now reclassified as Pelargonium, that flower is still referred to as a geranium as its common name. 65 Overwinter pelargoniums in a sunny spot indoors if you keep your house between 60 and 65 degrees. 30 Before scents were made in labs, perfume companies used oils made from geranium leaves. At least 30 Pelargonium…

Reminiscent Coral Rose Rosa, Zones 4 to 9 This stunning rose will look right at home in cottage gardens, mixed borders or hedges. The flowers keep on coming, even without deadheading. Snip the blooms and bring them inside to adorn your home with a burst of pink. Attracts: Light needs: Full sun. Size: 2 or more feet tall and 2 feet wide. Grown for: An easy way to get the look of classic roses but with little maintenance. Foliage: Dark green leaves. Care tip: In early spring, prune back by at least 1/3 of its total height. Cut right above a healthy bud. Fertilize then too. NEW FOR 2023! Rose lovers, this beautiful modern take on your favorite classic shrub is for you. It’s brand-new to garden centers this year,…

Nothing is better than picking a bowl of sweet and tangy blueberries right from your garden. Not only are they an antioxidant-rich superfood, but the plants (Vaccinium spp.) are easygoing, high-performing shrubs you’ll be glad you planted. And if you can spare any for the birds, they’ll thank you too. Blueberries deliver color throughout three seasons—blush pink spring flowers, indigo summer fruit and blazing orange-red fall foliage. “I personally love them because they are super low maintenance while being both ornamental and edible,” says Kristen Pullen, woody ornamental portfolio manager at Star Roses and Plants, which offers compact, patio-ready berry plants of many kinds, but especially blueberries, in its Bushel and Berry collection. Choosing Blueberries “The first thing is to know your USDA growing zone,” Kristen says. “And the second…

Q A male rose-breasted grosbeak appeared in my California backyard last May. How’d he get here? Neil Farrell SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA Kenn and Kimberly: Rose-breasted grosbeaks are mostly eastern birds, spending the summer in the northeastern U.S. and eastern Canada, and wintering from Mexico south through Central America to northern South America. Their main migration routes are east of the Rocky Mountains. But every year some stray from the normal routes used during spring and fall migrations, and they show up at scattered sites throughout the western states. This seems to happen most often in spring, probably involving birds that go off course as they move north out of Mexico. Q This male house finch was at my water fountain with a fledgling. I noticed he transferred water to…

Backyard warbler sightings can be pretty rare, since most of these birds don’t frequent feeders. From time to time, though, yellow-rumped warblers will drop by for a snack. Specialty Eaters Like many other warblers, yellow-rumps gorge themselves on insects throughout the warmer months. But they switch to berries in fall and winter, especially bayberry and wax myrtle fruit. “It’s actually difficult for animals to digest wax, but the yellow-rumped warbler can,” says Kevin J. McGowan of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Bird Academy. “Wax myrtle and bayberry are abundant along the East Coast, and because this warbler can eat their berries, it can winter all the way north to Nova Scotia.” In fact, Kevin theorizes that this is why yellow-rumps are one of the few warblers to visit backyard buffets.…

Anemone BOTANIC NAME Anemone coronaria. ZONES 10 to 13. Annual elsewhere. TYPE Seed. SIZE Up to 11/2 feet tall and 6 inches wide. BLOOMS Flowers are about 4 inches wide. Others in this series are available in blue-purple, red or pink. Appear in midspring. USES Beds, borders, cutting gardens and pots. Poppy BOTANIC NAME Papaver nudicaule. ZONES 4 to 9. TYPE Annual in warmer climates; perennial in cooler regions. SIZE 12 to 18 inches tall and about 1 foot wide. BLOOMS Flowers are up to 4 inches across, and other varieties come in yellow, pink, orange, red or mixed. USES Beds, borders and cottage gardens. OPTIONS GALORE If you like the crinkly petals of these two plants, you’re in luck! With hundreds of species and cultivars of anemones and poppies…

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 get a one-year subscription to Birds & Blooms. In the March issue, we hid it on page 20. 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 April 13, 2023, and ends on June 14, 2023. 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:…