Birds and Blooms Blog

March is here and spring is on its way.  Now, for many of you whose backyard garden is covered in snow – it may seem like spring will never arrive.  But rest assured, it will eventually come to even the coldest, snowiest  garden.

If you have not already planned this year’s backyard garden, it isn’t too late.  To get started, ask yourself these four questions, which will help you grow a successful garden this year.  Let’s get started…

1. What did well in your garden last year?

If you grew vegetables, maybe you had a bumper crop of tomatoes or leaf lettuce.  Maybe you planted perennials or annuals that did well in your garden.  Include plants in your garden this year that have done well in your garden in the past.

*Last year, I planted large pots with a combination of vegetables and flowering annuals.  The vegetables grew well and the flowers made the pots look pretty.  For information on how to grow vegetables in containers, click here.

2. What did NOT do well in your garden?

Growing a garden always involves some experimentation.  Even green thumbs have failures in the garden.  You cannot have success without experiencing failure.  That is how we learn what will do well growing in our garden.

If a plant did not do well in your garden, do you know why?  Was it planted in the wrong place?  Did it get too much or too little water?  If you cannot figure out why a plant did poorly, save yourself money and frustration by not repeating the same mistake.

*Last year, I was excited to try growing corn that was supposed to do well in containers.  However, mine was a failure.  It started out well, but then stalks flowered at different times so it was not well pollinated.  I suspect that the corn in the center received more water then those on the outside, so it flowered before the others.  I will not grow this again.

3. What would you like to try in the garden for the first time?

Do you plant the same flowers or vegetables every year?  Spice things up in the backyard garden by trying something new.  You can grow a variety of herbs in a pot, learn how to make jam from your fruit trees, find new varieties of your favorite annual flowers or try growing a new vegetable in the garden.

*I grew Swiss chard for the first time and loved it!  I use it mixed with leaf lettuce in salads and my kids like it too!  It grew very well for me and I will be planting it again.

This year, I want to try growing sunflowers in my half whiskey barrel.  I will need to provide support for them so that they don’t fall over.  I may try using rebar and twine to keep them supported.

4. What plants/seeds will you need to order?

Gardening catalogs are a great way to get inspired to begin planning your garden.  You can find a list of free gardening catalogs here.  Order your seeds/plants early before they sell out. They will mail them to you at the appropriate planting time for your area.

For a list of new plant introductions, click here.

Before you know it, spring will be here and your backyard garden will ready for you to get out and start gardening.  So, start planning now for a successful growing season!

While birding on the East Coast a few weeks ago, one of my favorite stops was in Cambridge, Maryland where we were able to photograph several duck species. The main species that are found in the area and are close enough to be photographed are American Wigeon, Lesser Scaup, and Canvasback. This area was by far the best location for photographing Canvasback that I have ever seen and I was able to take advantage of the close birds and great shooting conditions!

One of the most difficult aspects of photographing the duck species at this location was the huge number of ducks that were present. In order to get great shots of individual birds, you had to find one bird that was far enough from the main group that you would only get that individual in your shot. With a group of about 800 ducks in the area, this was no easy task. It took some time but my patience paid off!

I could have easily spent 2 to 3 days here working to improve on the photographs that I was taking. Where could you spend a lot of time photograph duck species?

In the April/May issue of Birds & Blooms, we featured a travel piece on butterflies in Southern Texas. This is definitely the place to go if you love butterflies. More than 300 species have been found here!

We promised you more great places to visit in The Valley. Thanks to Kenn Kaufman of Kaufman Field Guides for suggesting these. He’s spent a lot of time in The Valley over the years, so we really appreciate the tips.

9 PLACES TO CHECK OUT IN THE VALLEY

1. Falcon State Park near Falcon Heights
2. Bentsen State Park near Mission
3. Quinta Mazatlan Park near McAllen
4. Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge near Alamo
5. Sabal Palm Audubon Center near Brownsville
6. NABA Butterfly Park near Mission
7. Frontera Audubon Center near Weslaco
8. Estero Llano Grande State Park near Weslaco
9. Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge near Rio Hondo

We have a new partnership with Leica Sport Optics that we’re really excited about! The Leica optics reps have always been really great with us when we go to bird festivals, and now we’re partnering with them to bring some of their videos from the field directly to you!

Since we spend a lot of our days in the office, we’re not always out in the field. This is where Leica comes into play. They are out there bird-watching all the time. And they take some pretty amazing photos and videos that we know you’d love to see. We’ll be featuring those photos and videos right here on the blog, as well as the Birds & Blooms iPad edition!

For our first video, I pulled a video from Leica’s rep, Jeff Bouton. It shows the red belly of a red-bellied woodpecker! Many people find it difficult to see the red belly of this bird, and they even question the name. But this video clearly shows the bird’s red belly. It’s very cool to see. Thanks again to Leica Sport Optics for sharing. Go give them a “like” on Facebook to support our new partnership, and look for more videos to be posted soon!

 

My mom is in town visiting from snowy Ohio, so we decided to head out and explore someplace we’ve never visited here in the Tampa area: the Sunken Gardens in St. Petersburg. These gardens were one of Florida’s original “roadside attractions” from the days when families would load into the car and head south, stopping to see whatever caught their eye along the way. (It’s from the same era as Weeki Wachee’s mermaids and Miami’s Monkey Jungle.)

In 1903, George Turner purchased the site and drained a shallow lake to create his gardens, about 15 feet below street level. He planted palms and tropical plants, creating a lush oasis that people soon started to visit for 25 cents apiece. It was especially popular in the 50s and 60s, though it fell off a bit in later years. In 1999, the city of St. Petersburg purchased it and returned it to its former glory.

Many of the large royal palms are 100 years old or more, and the stands of bougainvillea have trunks as big around as your waist! The shady glens include tropical plants like crotons and low-growing palms, and sunnier areas have flower gardens perfect for attracting butterflies. Learn more about the plants found in the gardens here.

No roadside attraction in early Florida was complete without flamingos, and today’s Sunken Gardens still houses a few.

One charming spot in the garden is home to the “Growing Stone”. The sign next to it reads: This fossilized limestone rock was originally discovered in the center of the sinkhole lake which formed Sunken Gardens. Legend has it that “he who sits upon the ancient stone shall be granted tranquility, inner harmony, and the talent to make things grow.” Traditionally, the first day on the job for Sunken Gardens employees always includes a visit to the Growing Stone.

All in all, this quiet location in the middle of urban St. Petersburg is an unexpected place to stroll the paths in peace, admiring flower gardens, butterflies, towering palms, and calming foliage. If you’re interested in visiting, click here to learn more. Have you been to St. Petersburg’s Sunken Gardens? Tell us about your experiences!