Fresh Faces and the Evil Eye

With the end of April here, there are twenty-three bluebird chicks being fed and nourished by doting parents. Within the next week, ten of them probably will be out in the world learning the ways of chasing their own food. In addition there are forty-four eggs being incubated so the bluebird season is well on its way.

We have nests in seventeen of the thirty-three boxes. This is a slight increase over the number of nests last year at this time. Also, there are chickadee and titmouse nests in three of the boxes but we don’t include those in our data.

Unfortunately there is evidence of predators in the bluebird nests as some of the eggs have disappeared. The nests themselves don’t seem to be disturbed and we don’t find the eggs on the ground near the boxes so perhaps snakes are invading and eating them. Also, we are seeing the stick nests of house wrens in one box. The wren is persistent and we do remove them because, at this point, they are only the beginnings of nests and no eggs have been laid. If there are eggs or chicks in those nests, it is not lawful to remove them.

House sparrows have chosen one particular box for their use. They are a threat to the bluebird population so their nests are being removed also. House sparrows are not native birds and, therefore, not protected by law. They are messy birds and use lots of trash in their constructions. We’ve found materials such as cellophane, cigarette butts, and goose feathers. Like the house wrens, they will destroy bluebird eggs as well as chicks and sometimes prevent bluebird parents from entering the box.

As we peek into the nests, we are finding that the mother bird sometimes refuses to leave the box. We knock on the side of the box to make the bird fly out and when we open the panel to peek in, the bird is in there and just gives us the evil eye. When mama is glowering at us and refusing to budge, then we just tell her we’ll wait until next week to see what she’s hiding. Maybe her mood will be better then.

That’s the status of things along the bluebird trail here at the garden the last week of April.

Spring Cleaning in the Garden

Spring is here and now we are looking for those April showers that will bring May flowers and save us the trouble of watering our plants. There are a few clouds this afternoon, maybe we'll get lucky. If you have irrigation it is a good idea to test the system for leaks, adjust the heads so they are not watering the sidewalk, and check the run time so it does not allow runoff. Water conservation is everyone's responsibility.
Here at Daniel Stowe we are cleaning up, pruning back and enjoying the cool weather and colorful garden while we work. It is important to get ahead of those late winter/early spring weeds. Henbit and chickweed are the most common and pulling them before they have a chance to set seed will save time later. Prune spring flowering shrubs as soon as they are done blooming, this includes forsythia, spirea, quince, cherrylaurel and azaleas. Now that leaves are out we can remove any winter damaged branches and cut back the fig tree by one third. If you have naturalized daffodils it is important to leave the foliage alone (no knot tying) until it turns brown. These leaves are feeding next year's bulb. If they are trying to produce seed it is OK to trim off the very tip so energy is not wasted on seed production.
Finally, there is a fragrant flowering, silver leaved shrub in bloom in the woods right now that merits our attention. This is Russian-olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia) also known as Silver Berry and Wild Olive. While it has long been cultivated in Europe and sometimes used along highways here (as is it's cousin Autumn Olive) we should be on our guard.It has invaded the piedmont woodlands and is as thick as privet in many locations. Make it's removal part of your spring cleaning in the garden this year.

The Come Sit A Spell Connection

Come Sit A Spell has been open at the Garden for over a month now with over 13,000 people visiting the Garden for this new exhibit! We started working on this project early 2009 and my involvement started in July 2009.

Come Sit A Spell: Views of the Southern Garden is an exhibit that reflects the importance and beauty of the southern front porch and how it has evolved over the years. We asked artists what inspired them about the front porch, what memories did it evoke, and to incorporate that into their piece.

The beginning stages of the exhibit came with a solicit to artists and for a sketch of their entry. As entries started coming in we were amazed at the creative pieces that we were seeing, and truly blown away for what the inspirations were for the artist pieces. One piece was inspired by memories of childhood and playing in tree-houses, another from playing with the Garden hose in summer, and one artist used the magic of nature that she enjoyed with her children and painted two Adirondack chairs with Day and Night Garden Fairies! It was such a pleasure to talk with the artists, schools and community groups about their pieces and their excitement to be involved with our new exhibit!

Working closely with the artists was such a wonderful experience...getting to know them, their inspiration, working with them throughout the entire process truly provided me with a connection to the exhibit that I was not expecting. I hope that you will feel the same connection when you visit the Garden to pieces for Come Sit A Spell!

Southern Superstars in the Garden

We lucky southern gardeners are blessed with some of the best options for landscape plants. Our mild winters enable us to grow many plants that would not be reliably hardy in northern climes, though our tough summers can sometimes test a plant’s limits (not to mention a gardener’s). While it’s hard to limit to just a few, I’ve selected a few of my own favorite plants to highlight below. These are plants that will really go to work for you and show their stuff during the upcoming spring and early summer months. I've focused on woody landscape plants and perennials, since you will have these for years to come once they are planted.

Woody Landscape Plants add structure to your landscape and provide winter interest through their shapes and texture—often called the ‘bones’ of the garden because they provide the framework for other plants. We’re not just talking trees—shrubs, in particular, are often overlooked. I tend to lean towards flowering trees and shrubs, as I want to get as much seasonal interest as I can out of each plant. Beautiful flowers, often accompanied by lovely fragrance and interesting fruit later on, are exceptional bonuses in my book. Consider adding the following southern superstars to your garden:

The fluffy white floral clusters of the Snowball Viburnum (Viburnum opulus) stop passersby in their tracks here at the Garden, and will do the same at your home. It resembles a massive 25-30’ hydrangea—gorgeous! As it fades, the blooms of the Fringe Tree (Chionanthus virginicus) are gearing up. They are more delicate—feathery dangles that change from pale chartreuse to a soft white as they develop. Though it seems exotic, it’s actually a southern native. Another great native is the Oak Leaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia), which begins its floral show in June. Its snowy white panicles are visually cooling, and then turn a soft pinkish red color as they dry and remain through the summer. It’s a shrub with multi-season appeal as it provides fall color and winter interest with its peeling, cinnamon-colored bark.

Perennials live for multiple years-- often many, many years-- though they die back to the ground each winter and re-grow from the roots once spring weather is conducive to their growth. Collectively, they provide a changing palette of color and texture through the season as they come in and out of bloom, so add interest and keep the garden from looking the same throughout the season. Many are referred to as ‘passalong plants’ since you can divide them and share them with friends as the clumps increase in size from year to year. There are many choices (really!), but here is a sampling of some of my own favorites for the southern garden:

Creeping Phlox (Phlox subulata) is one of the first perennials to show color in spring, and heralds the onset of many old-fashioned favorites like spicy-scented Sweet William (Dianthus barbatus) and simple but lovely Shasta Daisies (Leucanthemum superbum). Yarrow (Achillea spp.) offers lacy, fine textured foliage as well as flowers and will re-bloom for a long time if spent flower heads are removed—called deadheading—as will many other perennials including Coreopsis (Coreopsis spp.), Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), Beebalm (Monarda didyma), and Speedwell (Veronica spp). All of these are very easy to grow, and will provide years of pleasure for very little work on your part.

As you can see, there are many wonderful plants for great southern gardens—those listed above provide just the briefest of starting points, and I didn’t even include bulbs, or vines, or … the list is endless. However, those are blogs for another day. Now, get outside and plant a superstar in your garden, or drop by and enjoy a few plantful moments here. Happy spring, everyone!