How Do Birds Stay Warm in the Winter?

 

Photo source:  Birds and Blooms

"How do birds stay warm and handle extremely cold temperatures? Discover the survival superpowers of birds that brave wintry weather."  Comment from Birds and Blooms

I often wonder about how birds adapt to bad storms, especially hurricanes.  Where do they go?  If they are merely perched in a tree, wouldn't the wind blow them away?  Nature fascinates me.  I also wonder about how they move according to the season.  Why didn't nature just put them where they are meant to be and create them to adapt.  I'm a curious person, what can I say.

Click here to go to the Birds and Blooms article.

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How To Power Up Your Raised Bed Soil Before Spring

 

Photo source:  Old World Garden Farms

"Re-energizing your raised bed soil is one of the most important tasks you can perform to bring life back to your soil – and keep the plants you grow inside of them strong, healthy and productive. And the best part of all – it’s so easy to do!"  Comment from Old World Garden Farms

Click here to go to the article to learn those important tasks.

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Indoor Plants You Can Easily Propagate This Winter (Plus 5 to Skip)

 

Photo source:  Better Homes and Gardens

"Indoor plants are easiest to propagate when they’re actively growing in spring or summer. But if you’re looking for a fun winter project or need to salvage a broken stem or fading plant, you can potentially propagate houseplants in winter, too.

In this guide, you’ll discover 8 of the easiest houseplants to propagate during the winter months, plus a list of plants that are not good candidates for winter propagation because they don’t root well at this time of the year."  Comment from Better Homes and Gardens

I have propagated plants all year long with great success.

Click here to go to the Better Homes and Gardens article.

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Citrus Trees You Can Grow in Pots and Containers This Winter

 

Photo source:  Martha Stewart

"Growing your own citrus tree can be an incredibly rewarding experience, and you don’t have to live in a warm climate to make it happen. While not every tree is ideal for indoor cultivation, there are several varieties that thrive in containers, allowing you to enjoy fresh fruit right from your own living room. With the right care—namely ample sunlight—these resilient plants can flourish inside, and really liven up your space."  Comment from Martha Stewart.com

I've had citrus trees in the past, but never in containers or indoors.  Very interested in growing them in containers and would love to grow them indoors.  

Click here to go to the Martha Stewart.com article.

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Seeds And Feeds To Attract Cardinals This Fall & Winter

 

Photo source:  This Is My Garden

"Attracting these graceful birds to your backyard during the winter months with food not only provides big interest for you and fellow bird watchers, but more importantly, provides a critical source of nutrition for the cardinals as their natural food sources become more and more scarce."  Comment from This Is My Garden

Since I love Cardinals so much, I feed them so I will be rewarded with their singing.  This article is of great interest to me so that I will know I am doing what is best for them.

Click here to go to the This Is My Garden article.

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Great Ways To Use Coffee Grounds In The Fall

 

Photo source:  This Is My Garden

"All of those grounds that come from that coffee are valuable to gardeners. And in so many ways! And with an overabundance of coffee being made as the weather turns cooler – it’s time to put all of those grounds to great use."

It is amazing how those things that we regularly throw away from the kitchen are so useful in the garden.  We just need the information on how to use them correctly for great results.

Click here to go to the This Is My Garden article page.

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Winter Sowing

Moving our clocks forward is around the corner which means so is spring!  Here in Florida, there is already a change in the air and it has been very pleasant to get out there and do pre-spring clean up.

Get an early start on spring by starting your seeds indoors.  There are so many methods and don't necessarily have to be expensive.  Utilizing egg cartons is my favorite method for seed starting.  The following article from HGTV Gardens has some other great ideas.

In the past I purchased my seeds from the popular catalog companies, which can get rather pricey.  Last year, I ordered lots of seed from Amazon.com which saved me quite a bit of money.  Check them out!  Even better . . . do a search on free seeds and you will find lots of offers for limited amounts of free seeds.  

Join a seed swapping group and get tons of seed for the price of postage unless you find a local seed swapping group that organizes get togethers.  In the past I've even swapped plants with other gardeners with great rewards of getting a ton of new plants for free and making some awesome gardening friends.  Back in the day, we hosted some awesome plant and seed swaps complete with BBQ grill going and everyone bringing a cover dish.  Loads of fun!

Gardening doesn't have to be fancy or expensive.  Just use your imagination and do your research!

I'm so ready for spring!!!

Winter Sowing

Satisfy the itch to garden in January by starting seeds—outdoors. Winter sowing techniques are super easy and reliable.

by Julie A. Martens, HGTV Gardens

"Get your hands dirty this winter by starting seeds outdoors using a practice called winter sowing. This method forgoes supplemental lighting and pricey seed-starting kits and lets nature’s rhythms coax seeds to sprout. Winter sowing is simple and yields sturdy seedlings that are ready to grow. If you have avoided starting seeds because you lack space or sunny windows, check out winter sowing.

To get started with winter sowing, you’ll need supplies you probably have around the house. Plastic containers, like milk jugs, 2-liter bottles or clear-lidded clamshell-type containers serve as a mini-greenhouse for the seeds. Use a box cutter or pen knife to cut around the middle of the container. Leave roughly a one-half inch section uncut to act as a hinge. What you’re doing is creating a hinged container that opens. Clamshell containers don’t require cutting.

Punch drainage holes in the bottom of the container. Use a lighter to heat the tip of the screwdriver to make punching through plastic easier. The container forms a mini-greenhouse for your seeds. Cut slits in the lid of the container to provide ventilation and prevent heat build-up. If your container has a lid (milk jug, 2-liter bottle), remove it.

Fill the container with 2 to 3 inches of soil. Winter sowing works best with a soil a mix that’s light and drains well. Bagged commercial peat moss and perlite mixes work great. Avoid mixes that feature water retention agents or moisture control properties. Wet soil thoroughly, place seeds on the surface, and add additional soil as needed to cover seeds. Pat the soil lightly to ensure good seed to soil contact, and close your container. Use a piece of duct tape to hold the container closed. Be sure to label containers with planting date and seed."

Photo and Article Source

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Waiting for spring!

Hurry Spring!!!

We are in Zone 9 . . . it is really rare for us to get
 freezing temps that burn the plants.

Well, this year it started early in November and just about killed everything that last year's unusually cold winter didn't kill. Big time bummer!!!  I always rely on taking cuttings and starting them during the winter months when I have had the best luck.  There isn't too much to take cuttings from.

Out of all the hibiscus I had, only one remains.  I am feeling fortunate that it is my favorite, the fluffy red doubles . . . very easy to propagate.  The plan is to take the cuttings now and take the chance that more cold weather won't kill any new growth that it encourages.

The aucubas are a bit crispy, but there is still some green . . . more cuttings!

The cold weather started for us in November, just when the black eyed susan vines were starting to bloom and cover the fence.  I didn't take photos :(  Time will tell how hardy those gorgeous vines really are!  They just might come back, especially after the hard rain we had yesterday.

I'm really down about the damage, but the good news is that future freezes won't make much more damage.  It  has already happened!  I'm just looking forward to Spring and starting over again.

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