Birds and Blooms Blog

It’s that time of year again! The Biggest Week in American Birding is open for registration. Also called “the warbler capital of the world,” we’ve been going to this area of Northwest Ohio for the past several years and Birds & Blooms is considered a major sponsor of the festival.

While anyone can show up and go birding in this area, I would really encourage you to actually register for the festival. By doing this, you’ll be able to participate in special walks and events open only to those who are registered. Birds & Blooms will be hosting one of those events! We are the hosts of the evening social on Thursday, May 8. We will be providing pizza to festival attendees, and we’ll also be soliciting people to be in a brand new video we’re making. Please consider stopping by to be in our video! Also on May 8, I’ll be giving a talk about “Gardening for Birds.” You can sign up for that through the same registration process. The proceeds from this talk will go directly back to support the non-profit, Ohio Young Birders.

If you’ve been on the fence about whether to go to Biggest Week or not, I really encourage you to give it a try. It’s a fairly rural area of Ohio, but the area businesses and community are so welcoming and inviting to birders. I know the Holiday Inn Express in Oregon has a special rate for birders (as does many of the hotels). And a couple of my favorite places to eat include Eagle’s Nest Sweet Retreat and Blackberry Corner Tavern.

Have you ever explored a garden that transported you to another place and time?

Last week, I met with several garden-blogger friends in Miami, Florida and we set off to explore Vizcaya Museum and Gardens.  For many of the bloggers, the warm weather was nothing short of heavenly and we were anxious to explore the tropical treasures located within the gardens of Vizcaya.

Vizcaya is the former estate of James Deering who spent a lot of time and money to create a piece of Italy in Florida.  To achieve this, he used plants adapted to Miami’s tropical climate while creating the illusion of a European garden.

The home, completed in 1918, was open to explore and is filled with many wonderful historical pieces that James Deering brought over from Europe. The house opens out onto the Bay of Biscayne and a stone barge was built as a breakwater to protect the home against the rising tide.

The formal gardens consist of 10 acres of formally landscaped areas, mirroring French and Italian gardens from the 17th and 18th century.  The garden was created to create the illusion of different rooms.  On the outer edges of the formal gardens lie 25 acres of natural forest.

As you walk from the house into the gardens, you are greeted by low hedges formally-pruned into mazes, reminiscent of gardens seen in Europe.  The large fountain takes center stage with Southern live oak and palm trees in the background.

Directly across from the house is a magnificent outdoor room that is called ‘the Casino’ (top right).  Between the house and the Casino, lie the majority of the gardens.

Walking through the gardens, we frequently heard the sound of water that was contained with in various water features.  I especial loved the step fountain in the middle.

Spanish moss hung from from the Southern live oak trees and mangrove forests along the outer boundary of the grounds gave the gardens an ‘other-worldly’ feel.

My favorite of the garden was the ‘Secret garden’, which was a grotto that you and to take stairs down into.  Along the wall by the stairs were wall planters that contained a variety of beautiful succulents.

Brightly colored, tropical plants grabbed your attention in the bottom of the garden.  Yellow Peruvian Candle (Sanchezia speciosa) contrast beautifully in front of the fuchsia-colored Ti Plants (Cordyline ‘Red Sister’).

Limestone was present throughout the gardens and was used extensively, giving the garden an old, aged look that made it seem much older then it is mirroring the illusion of a European garden.

The gardens of Vizcaya don’t have a regular flower garden.  However, flowering plants were seen throughout the entire garden.  Orchids (bottom left and right) grew outdoors and were hanging from containers and growing in the trees themselves.  Most cultivated orchids are epiphytes, which means that they receive water and nutrients from the air.

The fuzzy, purple flowers of Mexican bush sage (Salvia leucantha) really pop visually against the red wall.  This drought-tolerant perennial attracts both butterflies and hummingbirds. (I have seen this perennial grown as an annual at the White House and as a perennial in Florida.  I also grow this as a perennial in Arizona.)

Statues were placed throughout the garden that adds to the formality of the garden, contributing to its European theme.

I urge you to take time to visit Vizcaya Museum and Gardens.  In addition to the small glimpse that I have shown you, the gardens contain a mangrove forest, a tea house, giant staghorn ferns, colorful succulents, bromeliads and air plants just to name a few.

For me, the start of waterfowl migration is a great indicator that spring is just around the corner. When the ducks and geese arrive, I know it won’t be long before the warblers and other songbirds follow.

Here in central Indiana, the arrival of the ducks and geese coincides with all of the frozen lakes and reservoirs beginning to thaw. One of the best parts of viewing waterfowl during this time of year is that all of the birds are concentrated in the small slivers of open water making it very easy to see a wide variety of species from one spot. One of our local reservoirs, Eagle Creek, just opened up and immediately experienced a surge in the number of ducks and geese that were using the area. In just 30 minutes, and without my scope since I had sent it in to be repaired, I found 11 species!

This male Mallard is one of the many species of ducks and geese that I found.

Greater Scaup are uncommon inland but with the Great Lakes almost completely frozen over, many have been reported on inland open water areas.

Have you been out looking for waterfowl in your area recently? If so, what species have you seen?

Snow may still be on the ground, but by now just about everyone can be thinking about starting some seeds indoors to get ready for spring! I’m no seed-starting expert, so I try to stick to seeds that are easy to start, especially those that will produce flowers that attract butterflies. No matter where you’re located, these five favorites are easy to start indoors from seed and are sure to bring in butterflies when winter finally lets up! (Many of the photos in this post came from our Community members. Click here to see more beautiful butterflies enjoying the flowers listed here.)

Zinnias. Growing zinnias from seeds is very satisfying. They sprout within a couple of days, and flower in just a few weeks. You can start them indoors about 6 weeks before you’ll be ready to transplant outdoors, or direct-sow in your garden after the last frost. Try: Zahara Mix or Profusion Sunrise

Top: Sandra Williams, Steve Woodie; Bottom: Daphne Hall, Sandra Williams Zinnias bring in butterflies of all kinds!

Cosmos. Cosmos are another fast bloomer, and they’re great for cutting to bring indoors too. There are two types (C. bipinnatus and C. sulphureus) each available in a variety of colors, so choose the one(s) best suited to your garden. If you’re starting indoors, plant about 6 weeks before your last expected frost. Try: Peppermint Candy or Towering Yellow

Marigolds. This old-fashioned garden standby deserves more attention in butterfly garden. Choose the full double-bloomed varieties for their capability to hold water between the petals, giving thirsty butterflies a great place to stop for a sip as well as some nectar. Start indoors about 8 weeks before you’ll be ready to transplant. Try: Park’s Whopper Mix or Antiqua Hybrid Mix

Top: Jill Staake, Sharon Sheron; Bottom: Daphne Hall, Karen W. Marigolds, sunflowers, salvia, and cosmos are easy to start from seeds and attract butterflies in droves.

Salvia. There are hundreds of species of salvia, and most of them are great for attracting butterflies. Choose those native to your area for direct-sowing in spring, or start indoors about 4-6 weeks before transplanting time. Try: Summer Jewel Pink or Fairy Queen

Sunflowers. Many folks grow sunflowers for birds, and are surprised to find butterflies visiting the giant blooms! Sunflowers come in so many heights and sizes now that it’s easy to find one (or more) to suit your garden space, even containers. Start them indoors 2 weeks to give them a chance to sprout, or direct sow fairly deeply so they won’t be eaten by birds or other critters. Try: Sunny Babe or Sunny Smile

Need some tips on growing flowers that attract butterflies from seed? Visit our Community forums and ask other Birds & Blooms fans for advice!