Critter Bonanza!

Today we have experienced another inch of snow in Central Ohio!  As the snow  accumulates on the ground, critters accumulate on the feeders.  I opened the front door and I seen at least eight squirrels on the feeders, groups of cardinals, house finchs, and mourning doves.  I was amazed, I never see this many animals all in one tree.  It seems as the snow starts to pile up, it gets harder for animals to find food, and resort to easy targets like feeders.  I actually seen a squirrel hanging upside down eating black oil sunflower seeds while cardinals were feeding, it was a sight.

 While placing feeders around your house is a good way to attract critters to your landscape and providing food, its also important to have plants that provide a safe structure and wind barrier.  Evergreen trees are great to have in the landscape because it provides protection for just about any type of critter out there.  In addition to evergreens, ornamental plants that provide nuts or fruits late in the season are great to have as well if you want to attract a diverse population of animals to your landscape.  Ormamental trees include: hawthorne, crapapple, and callery pear are great for providing fruit late in the season.  Ornamental shrubs include: barberry, burning bush, cotoneaster, and winterberry are great for fruits and seeds as well.  Evergreen trees that are dense and provide good protection includes: colorado spruce, norway spruce, and ponderosa pine are good for providing ample shelter.  In addition to shrubs and trees, birds tend to be attracted to the seed heads of ornamental grasses which includes: maiden grass, zebra grass, and feather reed grass.  I hope this article was helpful, and always keep a bird bath defrosted especially in winter!

Poinsettia Project #1

I am doing an experiment on water sensitive plants like that of the poinsettia plant. Most times at retail stores or garden centers the plants are stressed from overwatering. People tend to have a hard time keeping poinsettias alive from then on; so I thought this experiment would help everyone out that’s having this problem. I have a moisture gauge that display’s the moisture level in the soil and it’s numbered from 1 to 10, 1 being very dry and 10 being extremely wet. The moisture levels of the two pots are 4, which is ideal for poinsettias, because they tend to hate wet feet.

In my experiment I will eyeball the first poinsettia to judge its watering needs, the second one I will use the moisture meter to judge its watering needs. Overwatering is the most common mistake most people make, it stresses the plant therefore the plants will shed their leaves. In my hypothesis, I believe the poinsettia I eyeball to judge it’s watering needs will end up being the one that I will accidently over water.

Both poinsettias are getting partial sunlight; the air temperature is around 70 degrees Fahrenheit. I will post the progress weekly of each plant, and hopefully this will help the over watering issue!

Wait till late December to plant bulbs in Central Ohio...

It has been so warm in Central Ohio this winter my Hyacinths are starting to emerge from the ground already!! It's sad to see because once it gets cold and stays below freezing; it’s really going to interrupt the progress they have made. Spring bulbs are very hardy; being as early as it is will damage them and set them back for a year or two. So I am waiting until right now to plant more daffodils and tulips in my beds, simply because it’s still mild and wet out. I'm hoping it will stay below freezing in January. Having mild winters with a lot of temperature fluctuations can become very hard on plants, so it’s very important to have enough mulch around plants to help keep the soil temperature from fluctuating as well. For mulch, I love to use a mixture of shredded leaves and compost because it provides protection, and as a source of nutrients in the spring. During early spring months, I take the mulch and till it into my garden to get more uses out of my winter mulching!

(Healthy daffodil bulbs)

(Unhealthy daffodil bulbs)

Wild.... WIld.... Lights at the Columbus Zoo

Today was the day I was going to visit the Wild Lights at the Columbus Zoo, for reason's other than freezing of course!  The lights were all LED this year which looked spectacular.  Here is a picture of the entrance (below).

I went last year and it was nice, but this year was unbelievable because the LED lights that were used were very bright, and saturated with color.  It was a really great time, the Columbus Zoo puts on a light show that is located around the pond by the entrance.  The picture of it is below.

Besides having a really good time and freezing, there were plenty of ideas floating around my head for future light shows at my own home.  Lighting in the landscape really sets it off at night, it seems to give the property more depth and added value.  For next christmas, I will be prepared and ready to go full force!

Growing Greener: Neck Pain / Daydreaming about garden chores#links#links

Growing Greener: Neck Pain / Daydreaming about garden chores#links#links

4 Easy steps when selecting bulbs

I have planted many bulbs in my lifetime, besides the sore back, or bruised knee's when planting large amounts of bulb's, the final result is a beautiful display of color in the spring!  there are some guidlines you should follow to have success with your bulbs next spring.  Rule number 1: Every bulb that you purchase should be firm, and free of mushy spots.  Rule number 2: The outside of the bulb should be dry and free of any disease, especially mold.  Rule number 3: Make sure the bulb isn't damaged, ie: smashed or cracked.  Rule number 4: Make sure that the bulbs are displayed in some type of clean bedding material, this will prevent disease from forming and keeps the bulbs nice and dry.  If you follow thses four rules, you will have a better chance of seeing every bulb you plant emerge from the ground!

Suitable tree's for flower beds

As you finish raking up all the leaves in your yard, pruning out dead or diseased branches, or doing other fall clean up around your home its the perfect time to look for suitable trees to place flower beds under next spring!  Fall and Winter are perfect times for planning next years gardening agenda.  As you glance around the yard looking for a suitable tree, or planning to plant a tree in an existing flower bed, the trees I mention today are the most suitable trees for flower beds.  The top shade tree species are Oak and Sweetgum, while the top ornamental tree species are Crabapple and Dogwoods.  The tree species you want to stay away from are Maples and Lindens.  The reason some trees are suitable and some aren't has to do with how invasive the lateral roots are;  this can be observed at parks.  Like silver maples, the later roots of the tree are very invasive and are usually raised above the soil line making it difficult to establish flower beds.  The rule of thumb I use is making sure the tree is a "taproot", because the root system of this type is alot like a carrot the roots extend down deep without lateral interference.  Well that's that, feel free to to expand on this idea!