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CONFLOWERS – A GREAT ADDITION TO YOUR GARDEN
One of our favorite garden plants is a native called purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea).
This native perennial is a magnet for butterflies, bumblebees and other pollinators. In addition, its seeds devoured by a number of birds such as sparrows, eastern towhees, nuthatches, Carolina chickadees, tufted titmice, and northern cardinals.
One of things I like best about the plant is that it blooms from May until September.
While it will make a great addition to most Georgia flower gardens, when you purchase purple coneflower plants you need to know if you are buying true native coneflowers or one the many cultivars on the market. These plants bear fanciful names such as Secret Affair, Avalanche, Coconut Lime, cotton candy, Fatal Attraction, Lilliput, Meringue, and milkshake.
While these variety might be of value to wildlife, far too often cultivars are showy but lack the ability to produce nectar, pollen and seeds. I can attest to the value of native purple coneflower, however, I know nothing about any of the cultivars sold in nurseries across the state.
If you have found any of the cultivars of value to wildlife, please let me know.
BE CAREFUL WHERE YOU PLANT TRUMPET CREEPER
One of my favorite native vines is the trumpet creeper. The problem is experience has taught me you have got to be careful where you plant it.
Trumpet creeper is a great wildlife plant. Its thick foliage provides nesting and escape cover for birds and other wildlife. In addition, the vine’s large showy blossoms are a great source of food for a variety of pollinators ranging from bumble bees, moths, and butterflies to orchard orioles and ruby-throated hummingbirds. It sounds like this is a plant that all wildlife gardeners would like to see growing in their yards; unfortunately, this is not the case.
The problem is that the trumpet creeper aggressively spreads for the spot where it is planted. In fact, it is not uncommon for trumpet creeper to spread 35 feet or more. Consequently, I would recommend that you never plant trumpet creeper close to your home, barn or other structures. If trumpet creeper reaches a building, it will quickly attach itself and potentially cause damage to the structure. It matters not whether the exterior is covered with brick, wood or siding, trumpet creeper will attach itself to the material.
That being said, it does well growing along fences, arbors, and the like. I have even seen it grown beside poles to create a trumpet creeper tree.
CONTAINER GARDENING FOR WILDLIFE MADE EASIER
Gardening for wildlife is being adopted by an increasing number of gardeners each year. One form of wildlife gardening that is growing by leaps and bounds is gardening in containers.
While container gardening is nothing new, growing plants that are of value to wildlife is. Container gardening for wildlife allows gardeners to attract wildlife to small places. In addition, is allows people that are physically unable to engage in traditional gardening to continue their hobby.
One of the problems that plagues container gardening is moving large pots from one spot to another. A large container full of soil is very heavy and difficult to move about. In addition, it can be quite expensive to buy enough soil to fill a large pot.
An excellent way to solve this problem is to fill third to half of the pot with a lightweight filler. Innovative gardeners are using variety fillers such as plastic bottles, bags and nursery pots as fillers Some even employ large chunks of Styrofoam. Others are using organic fillers such as pinecones, and wood chips.
If you want to make container gardening for wildlife less expensive and easier, you should consider using lightweight materials as fillers.
If you have used this technique, I would appreciate it if would let me know if your efforts proved to be successful.
BACKYARD SECRET-WEBSITE THAT PROVIDES INFORMATION ON NATIVE PLANTS IN YOUR AREA
The number and variety of native plants that grow in your yard plays a key role on determining what species of wildlife will inhabit your yard. The problem is trying to determine which plants will grow in your neck of the woods.
The National Audubon Society has simplified the task of trying to identify which native wildlife-friendly plants grow in the county where you live.
If you want to access this information, go to the National Audubon Society’s website. Once there scroll to the window labeled Plants that Grow in your Area. You will see a place where you enter your zip code. Type in your zip code; press the Enter button and the plant list for your area will appear.
BACKYARD SECRET – NANDINA BERRIES ARE POISONOUS TO BIRDS
During the spring, the urge to plant flowers, trees and shrubs is high. For those of us that are trying to enhance our yards for wildlife we are on the lookout for plants that are attractive and benefit wildlife. With that in mind, sometimes you find a plant that is beautiful and provides food for wildlife.
A plant that appears to fit the bill is nandina. It has dark green, evergreen foliage and bears a crop of shiny red berries. As such, the plant seems to add a touch of beauty in the winter. In truth, you should avoid it.
One reason why it should keep out of your yard is that it is on the Georgia Invasive Plant List. That means it spreads across the countryside and thereby threatens native plants.
The second reason is that its berries are toxic to birds. It seems the berries contain cyanide compounds that produce hydrogen cyanide. Typically, when a bird eats a small amount (1-2 berries) of the berries it will not die. The berries, however, pose a greater threat to cedar waxwings. The reason for this is they often gorge themselves on the red berries. This is especially true when other food sources are scarce.
Keep this in mind when you are considering possibly adding nandina to your landscape. This is a case of where what you do not plant is as important as what you do not.
BACKYARD SECRET – PLANTING GROUPS OF PLANTS BENEFIT HUMMINGBIRDS AND OTHER POLLINATORS
If you are looking for a simple way to benefit hummingbirds, butterflies and other pollinators, plant nectar plants in groups of the kind. You will find that mass plantings enhance the beauty of your yard and makes it easier for these valuable backyard neighbors to locate plants bearing nectar.
With that in mind, plant no less than 3-5 of the same variety together. If have enough room for larger plantings, masses of plants measuring two to three are even better.
I hope you will try this simple technique this year. I suspect that, if you take this advice, the pollinators will love it and you will wonder why you have not adopted this gardening trip before.
BACKYARD SECRET – MOST EXOTIC PLANTS IN OUR YARDS HAVE LITTLE OR NO FOOD VALUE FOR NATIVE WILDLIFE
Some experts say that at least 80 percent of the plants growing in our yards are exotics that have little or no food value for native wildlife. This has contributed to the decline in native plant and animal populations in suburban settings.
Just one example of this is studies have shown there is 35 times more caterpillar biomass in native woody vegetation than is found in exotic woody plants. This is important because caterpillars are a key source of food for many wild animals. For example, 96 percent of terrestrial birds eat caterpillars.
With this in mind, if you are interested in increasing the variety and numbers of native animals in your yard, expand the number and diversity of native woody plants that grow on your property.
FLOWERING DOGWOOD
AFTER FREEZE NECTAR SOURCES
This week much of Georgia suffered through the first freezing temperatures of the season. At our home in Monroe County, the temperature fell to 27º. Realizing that spelled trouble for many pollinators my wife and I brought in two plants (scarlet sage and pineapple sage) that have been hosting cloudless sulphurs for the past few weeks.
When the weather returned to normal, we put them back on our deck. In a matter of minutes, they were once again being visited by cloudless sulphurs, syrphid, and hover flies. While our efforts did not benefit many pollinators, they did provide a few with much-needed food. In addition, we extended the time we can enjoy watching pollinators at work in our yard.
Based on our success I decided to visit our local nursery (Mossy Creek) to see if any of their plants had survived the cold and were hosting pollinators.
I no sooner got out the door of my vehicle when one of the nursery’s staff called me over to look at a stunningly beautiful butterfly. The butterfly turned out to be a zebra longwing; it was the first I have seen this year. The whole time that I was there, the butterfly fed at lavender pincushion blossoms.
While I watched, an American lady joined it. Nearby, an Ocola and fiery skippers, and a couple of American ladies visited marigolds. All of these plants had survived the severely cold weather.
Later, our daughter told us that a hover fly was feeding on a late four-o’clock bloom beside her house. She also saw several pollinators visiting coneflowers at a nursery in Columbia County.
Admittedly, the weather was not kind to our gardens this year consequently; we did not have many sources of nectar available deep into the fall. However, we pledge to do better next year.
If you want to help late pollinators in your yard, the first thing you need to do is find out which pollinator plants can survive cold weather in your neighborhood. One great place to learn find this information is your local nursery. There is no better time do so than after our recent freeze. Armed with this knowledge you will be better able to address the food needs of the pollinators living close by.
When I returned home, I was carrying four pots containing cold-hardy plants that we are going to add to our yard.
BACKYARD SECRET – WHAT IS THE BEST TIME TO SEE MONARCHS IN GEORGIA DURING THEIR FALL MIGRATION?
The best time to catch a glimpse of fall migrating monarch butterflies is during the months of September and October. Records, however, suggest the greatest number of these butterflies pass through the state in mid-October.
With that in mind, if you want to see these large orange and black butterflies, spend some time outside during the next few days.
Good luck!