Specific Chores:
Purchase locally grown
strawberries! Move
houseplants outside if
desired.
Help tall flowers such as
foxgloves and peonies stand
up to heavy spring rains by
putting a stake beside the
crown and tying the stalk
loosely with green twine or
twist ties.
When lettuce, cabbage,
and kale grow out of their
rosette and start to flower
its called bolting and these
have outgrown their
usefulness.
If spring rains have been
sparse, begin irrigating -
especially plants growing in
full sun. But make sure it
is done to establish deep
rooting by watering for long
periods only once or twice a
week.
These Birds Are
Humming To A Yard Near You
Attention nature lovers:
if you are interested in
attracting hummingbirds to
your yard, here are a few
tips for you:
There are two ways to
attract hummingbirds,
commonly referred to as
"hummers." The
best way is to provide their
favorite nectaring blossoms,
usually red in color.
You will have to choose
your plants carefully. Many
landscape plants are not
suitable for nectar-seekers.
Plants such as Coral Bean,
Red Star Hibiscus, Lantana,
Trumpet Vine, Coral
Honeysuckle, Butterfly
Milkweed, Red Basil,
Cardinal Flower, Scarlet
Morning Glory, Cypress Vine
and Standing Cypress are
recommended. Most of these
require full sun.
It is best to plant a
variety of species and to
arrange these flowers in
several groupings. Nesting
hummingbirds are aggressive
and territorial around their
food source, so having more
than one flower garden will
allow several hummers to
feed at the same time
without conflict. The
hummers feed most
comfortably from blossoms
two feet or higher above the
ground.
Hummingbirds use nectar
in these plants to sustain
their fast-paced lifestyle.
In fact, hummers give new
meaning to the old clich‚
"eat like a bird"
- they must feed every 10-15
minutes from dawn until
dusk. Hummingbirds will eat
more than half their weight
in food and eight times
their weight in water.
The other way to attract
hummers is to provide a
sugar-water mixture in
feeders. If you choose to
supplement the bird's
natural diet in this way,
you will need to protect
them from hazardous, spoiled
solutions. Sugar solutions
can be made using one part
white granulated cane sugar
to four parts water. Heat
the sugar solution to help
dissolve the sugar and after
it has cooled, pour it into
a red feeder. It is not
necessary to add red food
coloring. The birds will be
attracted to the red
feeders.
Sugar solutions must be
kept fresh. The feeders
should be placed where rain
will not dilute the nectar
and where they won't be in
direct sunlight.
Use sugar only. Using a
sweeter solution, a sugar
substitute, or honey might
be lethal to hummers. Also,
it is important feeders are
cleaned with hot water and
white vinegar, never with
soap or bleach.
Oftentimes, sugar
solutions attract more pesty
ants than they do birds. A
simple solution is to
moisten the hanging wire
with a little vegetable oil.
In addition, many
commercially available
feeders come equipped with
plastic bee guards.