Apr 21, 2012 | Blog, Flowers, Spring, Summer
Flowers don’t have to be the only colorful thing in your garden this summer. It’s fairly easy to make your garden a haven for birds.
The easiest way to get started is to do a little research on what birds are native to your area. It’s possible to attract migratory birds, but since they don’t stay for a long time, the best bang for your buck is to decide what local species you want to attract with your garden.
After you’ve figured out what birds are native to your region, it’s fairly easy to make your garden bird-friendly for those specific species. There are many resources that list what various birds prefer to eat and how they prefer to nest, which are the two main considerations for attracting them to your garden.
Some birds prefer to nest in shrubbery, while others prefer taller trees, and others will happily live in a nesting box. Some of the tree-dwellers prefer deciduous trees, and others pine trees. To attract a yellow warbler, for example, the ideal garden would have a small willow tree near native berry-producing shrubbery. To attract a house wren, provide low-lying shrubbery or brush piles, or a nesting box.
Obviously, the larger your property and gardens, the more birds you can attract, but even a small garden can be made bird friendly. The house wren example needs only a nesting box in a back corner and some small shrubbery to be attractive.
Some considerations for all species of birds:
- Include flowering & fruiting plants in your garden
- Provide shallow basins of water for drinking & bathing
- Eliminate the use of pesticides & poisons, which can be harmful to the birds and kill off the insects they like to eat
- Mark nearby windows with cues to prevent collisions
- Keep cats & other pets away from the garden so they don’t scare off the birds
The great thing about attracting birds to your garden is that it’s a two-way street. They can often help keep your garden free of insect pests. The house wren in the example above will eat almost any insect. The yellow warbler is known for its appetite for moths, mosquitoes, and beetles.
One of the more obvious questions concerns putting a bird feeder in your garden. While this will attract lots of birds, it also will attract rodents who will not be shy about digging around your garden for fallen seeds. It will also mean that you need to be more vigilant about weeding around the feeder.
With just a little bit of research and some small changes to your garden you can add a whole new dimension to your garden!
Mar 24, 2012 | Blog, Spring
With the early and beautiful spring we’ve been experiencing in Northeast Ohio, a lot of people are thinking about their gardens. Lots of people are already out cleaning up the winter’s damage and pampering their early-blooming bulbs.
Spring clean-up should involve the obvious things like getting rid of all of the debris and leaves that ended up in your garden over the winter, but also pruning your shrubs and trees. It’s important to get them pruned before new growth starts and the bugs come out.
After you do your clean-up, it’s time to get your flower and vegetable beds ready to plant. If your soil is mostly clay like much of Northeast Ohio, you’re going to need to loosen it up after a wet winter. Loosen the soil to a depth of about a foot with a pitchfork or hoe (use a shovel first if it’s really bad), and then amend the top 3 inches with some good organic material.
Leaf humus or Sweet Peet both do a great job of adding more organic material to the clay-heavy soil of this area. A hoe or a roto-tiller will help you mix the organics in with your existing soil. It’s important to break up your soil thoroughly, especially if planting seedlings.
Once you’ve got your soil prepared, we recommend laying down 2 inches of mulch for proper moisture retention and weed control. Mulch can be too much of a good thing if it’s laid too thick, especially around the bases of perennials and new plantings, so take care to thin it out in those areas.
This is also a good time to start your seedlings indoors in a nice sunny spot to get them ready to plant in a few weeks. Even if you’re not growing your plants from seeds, you can start sketching out your garden and getting your plan together.
A herb garden is a simple and easy way to have fun in your garden while providing fresh flavors for your cooking all summer and into the fall. Herbs are easy to grow and start easily inside.
After a dreary winter, it’s time to get outside and prepare your gardens for a beautiful and bountiful summer.
On your next visit, mention this newsletter to receive $5.00 off your order.
May 23, 2011 | Blog, Mulch News, Spring
When determining the best type of mulch to use in your landscape, there are many factors to consider. What is the look you want in your landscaping? Is the mulch for a playground, garden, or landscape area? What texture do you need for your landscaping? Are you putting mulch on a sloping area? Do you like cypress mulch vs wood chips? Are you looking at a playground area and interested in Kid Karpet ™ mulch? Do you want a 100% all organic mulch?
We know mulch can be very beneficial to your landscaping. Besides drastically cutting down on the amount of time spent on weeding, mulching your garden has these additional benefits:
- Adds curb appeal to your home.
- Adds contrast and texture to plant beds.
- Suppresses weeds and makes weed pulling much easier.
- Helps fight pests
- Helps retain moisture for plant roots, which will then require less watering.
- Protects plants from temperature extremes.
- Affordable solution for a natural pathway in your garden or landscape.
- Improves soil condition for plants as it gradually decomposes and encourages earthworm activity.
- Great natural cushion for play areas around the home.
- Keeps mud from splashing up on flowers and vegetables when watering or when it rains.
With so many choices available, Three-Z can assist you with selecting the mulch that will be best suited for your garden and landscape needs. We have been in the mulch business for over 30+ years and have the knowledge to prove it. Our staff can help you with making the right selection, assist figuring how much mulch is needed, and work out a delivery schedule, or equipment rental, if needed.
