At this time of year, I will be a little embarrassed by some areas of my garden. What I want is for friends and family to come to the front sidewalk to admire her beauty. Instead, things like the beautiful flowers of the past are now almost dead. Since I sowed the seeds.
There is so much “Adams family†in rags that you can start decorating Halloween early as a joke. Shouldn’t I get rid of it? Hmm. Again. There is a lot of life left in what is aesthetically visible on the other side of the hill. So I’d rather see the birds than get compliments, so I leave the dead.
As the cold and winter seasons approach, we enter the house with a well-stocked refrigerator. Our only downside may be ice and snow here and there. What about wildlife? Some birds move to warmer climates, fruits and berries grow all year round, and there are lots of plump insects. However, many people (seed eaters and nut eaters) stay here during the winter. What can they eat if we make the flowers dead and leave nothing to look for food?
In my garden bed opposite, the main bird attraction is the blueberry (Echinacea). The heads of these brown broken seeds bring in the American Goldfinch, always clad in shiny feathers. It makes my heart happy. It is similar to the flower stalk of anise hyssop. At this point there are only a few small flowers left on each, so I still think about pruning the stems to make the plants cleaner. But then I notice that the bees always come to these flowers. Like Echinacea, the heads of the aster seeds seem to be shaking, but when they finally stop blooming, I’ll leave them too.
Some seed heads are more attractive than others and have what landscapers call “winter interest”. For example, a hairy-headed wild bergamot flower turns into a pretty little vase-like structure made from a set of small tubes. There are small seeds at the root of each. I don’t know if birds and other creatures eat these species, but I’ll save them just in case.
I know my eyes only see a small part of what is happening in nature. Why do I have to intervene just to please my good feelings? Well, like most (if not all) of us, I like things to be nice and nice. But it is not necessarily one or the other. And all the while I realized I could change the placement. This means that you can make the garden in front of your house more accessible and create more violent spots elsewhere on the premises. It is definitely more than time to start a new approach. (Maybe I figured this out many years ago, so I’ll share this partly to make you laugh.)
Not surprisingly, there are plants that can be specially grown to provide winter food for birds and other wildlife. In his book “New Gardening for Wildlife: A Guide for Nature Lovers,†author Bill Melliez lists some of the best “weeds†for wildlife gardens.
- Milkweed (perennial) – attracts butterflies, especially monarchs
- Dandelion (Perennial) – Favorite Seeds of American Goldfinch and Pine Siskin
- Quarter Lamb (Grade 1) – Preferred seeds for songbirds such as the house finch
- Tade / Smart Weed (1st year) – Favorite seeds of songbirds and highland hunting birds
- Chickweed (Grade 1) – Favorite seeds of songbirds
- Mullein (biennial) – The tall stems of the flowers contain seeds and protect small insects on the snow.
This is by no means the complete list. Whether you’re gardening underground or on a deck, patio, or planter, have fun trying what you can leave to serve your fall and winter food with yours. Please give me.
Pam Baxter is a passionate organic vegetable gardener living in Kimberton. Email [email protected] directly or email PO Box 80 in Kimberton, PA. Share your gardening story on Facebook’s Chester County Roots Pam’s Book for Kids and Families, Great Life Lessons Learned from Nature’s Little Secrets
s is available on Amazon at Amazon.com/author/pamelabaxter.