Discover color in foliage. I don’t know why people think of flowers
when a garden is mentioned. Blooming plants make a noticeable
accent only when in bloom and in sufficient numbers to be seen
from a distance. On the other hand, foliage is present in large quantities
all summer long, presenting their leafy faces to the sun and our own
admiring eyes.

Many plants qualify as colorful additions to our garden. One of
my favorites is the large leaf hosta in dusty blue shades. One
clump of this easily found plant covers a square yard of area,
nodding with the breezes and even sending up racemes of lilac
blooms in June. Large leafed coleus can be treated as a potted
plant for good effect as accent pieces. Platter sized caladiums
adds a point of focus in your garden. Don’t pass up decorative
grasses with their tall tan fronds supplying motion as well as color.

Evergreens that shine with sunny yellows and chartreuse are
the golden arbor vitae and variegated hollies. Reds are
represented by Japanese maples, especially the finely divided
miniatures. When visiting your local nursery in the Spring, choose
plants with extra light or dark foliage for accenting the ubiquitous
leaf green. Flowering weeping varieties of some trees sport leaves
of a golden color like the golden chain tree. Twisted willow leaves
are of a jade green color. Large Norwegian maples are to be
avoided because they absorb too much light in the garden and
grow too large for most spaces.

With the instant effect of colorful leaves painting a picture in
your garden, you are then free to place the finishing touches with
your favorite flowers. Just think of the painting it would make!

Retirement downsized my garden but not my enthusiasm.

Here are several tips for creating a wonderful hanging basket or container this summer. The first is to use an artificial soil composed mostly of peat moss. Good soils such as Fafard or Pro-Mix use perlite, peat, and other ingredients to produce a soil that will not compact over the summer. Real garden soil compacts and turns into concrete under the pressure of regular watering. And when it does, plant roots stop growing because they require good open spaces to move into and absorb nutrients. Hard, compacted soils do not grow good plants so do not use real soil in your containers. I re-use my artificial potting soil from year to year. I dump it out of the pot. Chew it up with a shovel to cut up all last year’s roots and add approximately 10 % by volume of compost. The compost increases air spaces and gives plants a boost in healthy nutrition.

Feed your plants weekly. Nitrogen, the engine of plant growth, is water soluble and as you water your containers from the top the dissolved nitrogen is leaving from the bottom. I use a fish-emulsion liquid feed with seaweed to provide all the trace nutrients my plants require and recommend it highly. You can use any liquid plant food (like Miracle Grow or Shultz) to promote growth. Compost tea is the Cadillac of liquid plant food and if you make your own compost tea, your plants will respond with bigger and better blooms as well as increased vigour.

And finally, no matter the size of the container, it is important to soak it all the way to the bottom at each watering. Continue watering until water emerges from the pot bottom. This ensures the roots can reach all parts of the container and grow properly.

Doug Green, an award winning garden author with 7 books published answers gardening questions and gives container gardening advice in his free newsletter at http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com

Well, another week is passing us by.

I want to thank everyone who writes me back.

Gardens and birds can bring total strangers together.

ISN’T IT GREAT!

I feel as though I’m getting to know you and we are becoming neighbors.

You may have fledglings by now.

None for me just yet.

Even with Michigan weather, things are changing in the yard everyday now.

Birds come and go.

Plants seem to grow a foot some days.

New blooms, new plantings.

Chipmunk is still on the loose.

Karen is in a battle with some rabbits munching down her pansies.

Baby powder works wonderful until it rains.

Same with ammonia water.

I may have to break down and get some liquid fence.

Oh well…………………….

Last week I was pointing out ways to attract more birds by building under the tree canopies.

There are birds that live in all levels of a forest and our yards.

By gardening with this in mind, attracting several birds will be easier for you.

PERENNIAL GARDENING

Perennial gardens can be a bit of a challenge, yet fun in many ways.

Trees and shrubs become more permanent fixtures in out yards.

As with trees and shrubs, write in on your plans where and what you maywant to plant.

Consider bloom time, how tall your plant may get.

What kind of spread will your new plants have?

Will it be invasive?

Do you want to color coordinate by planting several shades of pinks or yellows?

What about reds and blues?

What will grow in shade and what requires sun?

WHEW! ! !

So many questions I think I’m getting a headache.

FEAR NOT MY FRIEND!

One thing nice about gardening for birds…….

IT’S YOUR YARD!

You can do what you want and however you want to do it.

If you have enough of the attractors planted, birds will come.

Let’s go ahead and get started.

Now I know I said it’s your yard, but I’m going to help you spend some ofyour money.

You get the rest of the fun.

You get to plant and watch things grow.

You get the rewards of watching nature come to life in your yard.

GETTING STARTED

Once again, go to your zone maps and see what is hardy in your area.

Check out the local nurseries and garden centers.

Look in specialty catalogs.

I like to have something a bit unique if possible.

You know, that one plant that no one else has.

In landscaping, plants are done up in odd numbers.

1……. 3……..5 etc.

One is an accent plant, something you want to show off or highlight a
certain area.

Groupings are attractors.

Groupings can brake up a mundane landscape.

Highs and lows.

Breaks in the landscape force the eyes to follow more closely.

If you noticed on our walk, your eyes followed every up and down.

You were able to catch colors and wildlife you would’ve missed
if you were watching and walking a straight path.

So it goes in your yard.

WHAT TO PLANT

Some very common perennials are:

Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia).

Goldfinches love the seeds from these late summer bloomers.

Coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea).

Finches and other small seed-eating birds are attracted to the seed
heads late into the fall.

Did you know there are several other seed-producing plants that you may have in your yard right now?

How about daylilies (Hemerocallis).

Yes, if let go, nice seeds can form on these perennial favorites.

Blanket flower (Gailardia)

Again, season long seed heads.

Crocosmia (Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’)

Besides being great hummingbird attractors, Crocosmia have seed pods

similar to daylilies that open up to show their delights to the birds.

Perennial sunflowers (Helianthus multiflorus)

In late summer into early fall this plant continues to bloom and will fill up with goldfinches.

LOSE THE CLIPPERS

It is so tempting to want that nice groomed look in our yard.

Yet, to make it bird friendly, you will need to lighten up on the clippers and pruning sheers.

Keep some of those old faded bloom stalks standing.

Don’t be so quick to cut back that branch.

Your work of art is on going and you will figure it out.

It’s fun when you can add a planting or move them around.

Birds will find your yard more friendly when they have a place to rest and feed.

Think of the nesting possibilities.

Another bonus is strangers that will stop just to peek at your masterpiece.

That will give you a warm fuzzy.

An important part to any yard is of course your personality.

Be sure to put plenty of your personality into your yard.

time to go.

Until next time my friend.

Be sure to smile, you might confuse someone

Ron

http://www.backyardbirdingtips.com/

Ron Patterson has been feeding and caring for backyard birds for the past 40 years.
He is always looking for better and safer ways to fees and garden for birds.
Ron is a Michigan Certified Nurseryman as well. This gives him the expert experience and knowledge needed to garden for birds.
You can find Ron’s weekly newsletter “Backyard Birding Tips”
at: http://www.backyardbirdingtips.com/