Innehållsförteckning för April/May 2020 från Birds & Blooms

I know it’s spring when the wavy variegated tulip leaves pop up in the strip of grass between the sidewalk and the street in front of my house. It’s such an odd location for a tiny patch of tulips (a bulb or two were probably deposited there by a squirrel), but every year I admire them and watch for the bright red blooms to emerge. Sometimes I catch the flowers at their prime and snip a few to display on the counter for a couple of days. There’s something about fresh flowers in the house that lifts my spirits. It’s a special treat that I indulge in only during spring and early summer—and when I walk into a farmers market, I typically make a beeline for the bouquets. A plot…

East of the Rockies, an oriole that’s smaller and much darker than a Baltimore dashes through the flowering trees. The bird you’ve spotted is probably an orchard oriole. The two birds share similar markings, but where a male Baltimore oriole has a bright pop of orange, the orchard oriole sports a darker chestnut color. Female orchard and Baltimore orioles look alike, too. They share a warm-hued chest, head and tail feathers, but the female Baltimore has touches of tangerine orange while the orchard’s color runs closer to greenish yellow. Female orchard orioles are the primary nest builders (though their mates may sometimes help), constructing their homes in forks of branches. Over the course of a week, they weave grass and other flexible plant fibers into a pouch or a basket,…

1 Tempting Tomatoes Goodhearted tomato LYCOPERSICON ESCULENTUM ‘TEMPTING TOMATOES GOODHEARTED’ For a plant that tops off at a mere 12 inches, Goodhearted packs a prolific punch. Sliced in half, each cherry tomato-sized fruit looks like a heart. 2 Berried Treasure Red strawberry FRAGARIA ANANASSA ‘BERRIED TREASURE RED’, ZONES 4 TO 9 Here’s a berry that is both ornamental and edible. This strawberry’s semi-double cerise blooms are everbearing, so you can enjoy the flowers even if critters nibble the fruits. 3 Mardi Gras Fun snack pepper CAPSICUM ANNUUM ‘MARDI GRAS FUN’ SERIES These sweet peppers come in yellow and purple Mardi Gras colors as well as red and orange. Only 18 to 30 inches tall, they can be grown in pots. For best flavor, let them reach full color. 4 Clancy…

Q Do you have any tips for planting sunflowers early in the season? Joy Chanin MARIETTA, GEORGIA Melinda: Consider covering young seedlings to protect them from birds, small mammals and cooler soil temperatures in early spring. Place lightweight floating row covers over new plantings. These fabrics allow air, light and water through, but trap heat around the plants. This speeds seed germination and helps protect young seedlings from unexpected cold weather. The covering also keeps out birds and discourages other animals that may try to snack on your sunflowers. Q What’s the name of this flowering tree in my yard? Julie Williams BEAUFORT, SOUTH CAROLINA Melinda: Your tree is the invasive princess tree (Paulownia tomentosa). Its ability to produce millions of small winged seeds that are easily spread by the…

GET AWAY Go to the Birding & Blues festival in Pacific City, Oregon, April 17-19. The event is a celebration of spring migration and live music. birdingandblues.org Grow Western monarchs still need help. The Xerces Society is encouraging gardeners across the country, but especially those in California, to plant native milkweed. SHARE YOUR PARK PHOTOS We’re kicking off the Your Parks photo contest with our sister magazine Country. Enter photos in three categories—scenery, recreation and wildlife—that show the beauty of national, state and local parks. The grand prize is $1,000! Enter by July 13 at birdsandblooms.com/yourparks. birdsblooms @birdsblooms birdsblooms…

NECTAR ROBBERS Orioles and hummingbirds love nectar, and they pollinate flowers by inadvertently transferring pollen from bloom to bloom as they feed. Orchard orioles sometimes bypass a flower’s pollen entirely, piercing the flower’s base and getting a taste for free. TINY FLIER The orchard is the smallest of the eight oriole species found north of Mexico. It has a wingspan of a little more than 9 inches, a few inches larger than a yellow warbler. For comparison, the Baltimore oriole’s wingspan is nearly 12 inches. ORCHARD ORIOLE RANGE MAP…

PURPLE CONEFLOWER ECHINACEA PURPUREA Look for the common and botanical name at the top of the tag. PLANT TYPE PERENNIAL ZONES 3 TO 8 Double-check that the plant is hardy in your zone. Perennials within your zone are more likely to survive winter outside. HEIGHT 2 TO 5 FEET WIDTH 1½ TO 2 FEET Pay attention to the size of the mature plant, and look at the placement recommendation to make sure it has room to grow. BLOOM SEASON JUNE TO AUGUST PLACEMENT 1 TO 3 FEET APART WATER NEEDS NORMAL/DROUGHT TOLERANT PRUNING NEEDS CUT DOWN IN LATE WINTER NATIVE TO CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST U.S. See if the plant is native to your area. Natives tend to attract more wildlife. CARE LOW MAINTENANCE USES BORDERS, MEADOWS OR NATURALIZED AREAS Glance at the suggested uses to see where it fits best or…

JUST KEEP FEEDING When springlike weather arrives, it’s tempting to let feeders go empty. Remember that it’s actually a critical time when natural food is hard to find because wintering birds have eaten most of the weed seeds, wild berries and hidden hibernating insects. So even as the temperature rises, local birds still need a hand, and your feeders may help get them through until more spring insects start to appear. SUET UP FOR ACTION Suet, both raw beef suet from the butcher and commercially produced suet cakes, is a popular winter food. While it attracts birds in spring and summer, it requires more attention. Some kinds of suet cakes melt in warm weather, so look for those specifically designed as all-season bird food. And because raw suet turns rancid…

Nature lovers have a fondness for their backyard birds that is often reserved for dogs, cats and other pets, even though feathered friends tend to come and go with the seasons. Turns out, birds are more like pets than you think, as the same ones often show up at the same feeders year after year. “People really underestimate the cognitive abilities of animals in general, which is their ability to perceive, integrate and use information,” says Carrie Branch, a postdoctoral fellow at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. She studies communication and cognition in birds, with a special emphasis on chickadees. “They learn. And to learn, you have to remember things. They learn from their experiences and remember just like people do.” Making memories that last. Memory duration varies from bird…

answers on the bottom! True or False? A. LAVENDER, popular for its soothing scent, originates from the Mediterranean. B. DWARF BEARDED IRISES do indeed grow very small. They have a maximum height of 8 inches! C. THE AMERICAN PASQUE is the state flower of North Dakota, designated in 1903. ANSWERS 1. PETUNIAS 2. PASSIONFLOWER 3. WATER LILY 4. ALLIUM 5. CROCUS A. TRUE B. FALSE; THEY CAN GROW UP TO 15 INCHES. C. FALSE; IT IS THE STATE FLOWER FOR SOUTH DAKOTA.…

Find the Hummingbird In each issue, we hide a hummingbird like the one above left. If you find it, enter to win at birdsandblooms.com/contests. Winners receive a one-year subscription to Birds & Blooms. In the February/March issue, we hid it on page 43. HIDDEN OBJECT GUIDELINES No purchase necessary to enter to win. Purchase will not improve your chances of winning. Sweepstakes is open to legal residents age 18 years or older of the U.S., its territories and possessions, or of Canada (excluding the Province of Quebec). Sweepstakes begins on March 4, 2020, and ends on May 5, 2020. Visit birdsandblooms.com/contests for official rules. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. Sweepstakes sponsored by RDA Enthusiast Brands, LLC. Contact Us! CUSTOMER CARE For subscriptions, renewals, gifts, payments, account info and inquiries: Email: customercare@birdsandblooms.com Visit:…

1,500,000 Every year, more than 1.5 million people visit Washington, D.C., for the National Cherry Blossom Festival in mid-March through early April when the trees are in bloom. This year’s celebration will be held March 20-April 12. 3 For fresh cherries straight off the branch, plant a sweet cherry tree. They are generally not able to pollinate themselves, so you need at least two trees—and it’s better to have three. 2 Cherry trees offer two benefits: lovely blooms and fruit. Pick an ornamental if you’re interested in bunches of spring blooms but little to no fruit. Look for orchard varieties for large, edible sweet or tart drupes. 75 Sweet and tart cherries of many varieties are grown in the U.S. Michigan accounts for nearly 75% of the tart production, while Washington grows…

Mock Orange Philadelphus spp., Zones 3 to 11 This easygoing shrub can be grown in a range of soils and amounts of light—just avoid soggy, poorly draining patches. Plant this beauty near windows or anywhere you often pass to get a whiff of the richly scented flowers that bloom in spring. Pick a cultivar with flowerbuds that are hardy in your region. Attracts: Light needs: Grow in full sun to part shade. Size: Many cultivars are smaller, but some reach up to 10 feet tall and 5 feet wide. Grown for: Fragrant blooms and butterfly benefits. Foliage: Oval, dark leaves. Cultivars to try: Grow Illuminati Tower or Tiny Tower for spires of yellow-centered white blooms. WILDLIFE BENEFITS Many species are large enough for birds to nest, and the nectar-filled flowers…

1 Beacon impatiens IMPATIENS WALLERIANA, ANNUAL If you’ve been missing your favorite shade blooms because of the worldwide downy mildew infection, there’s new reason to rejoice. Plants in the Beacon series were selected for high resistance to this deadly and widespread disease. Why we love it: Beacon impatiens are the same easy-care plants, now available in six colors: bright red, violet shades, salmon, orange, white and coral. Supplies of seeds and plants may be limited this year. 2 Main Street Beale Street coleus SOLENOSTEMON SCUTELLARIOIDES ‘MAIN STREET BEALE STREET’, ANNUAL OR ZONES 10 TO 11 You know the first coleus to receive the coveted All-America Selections award must be good. Rich red foliage 24 to 36 inches tall holds its color in sun or shade, which means it’s right at…

I was enjoying a warm, lovely North Carolina spring day when I looked toward a walnut tree and saw an active adult male yellow-rumped warbler protecting the bird feeder I had hung.Phylicia Clemens LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA FOUR LOOKS There are four forms of yellow-rumped warbler, all with distinct appearances. Myrtles (shown above) are found in the East and far north, while Audubon’s can be seen in the West. The other two forms are found in Mexico and Guatemala. It took hours and many thousands of pictures to learn how to photograph birds well, but sometimes there are moments when things just fall into place. Baltimore orioles are regular visitors to our farm, but I couldn’t get them to come within shot. I sat outside waiting for such an opportunity, and…

1 Stroll the main Desert Discovery trail to see an incredible collection of hardy plants that prove the Southwest is far from barren. This loop features the Sybil B. Harrington Cactus & Succulent Gallery, home to a 15-foot euphorbia native to Saudi Arabia. 2 Delve into the local culture on the Plants and People of the Sonoran Desert trail and learn how inhabitants like the Apache used native vegetation to survive the difficult environment. History springs to life through re-creations of local residents’ households. 3 Explore the Harriet K. Maxwell Desert Wildflower trail as cactuses, succulents and wildflowers burst into bloom. Keep your eyes peeled for Anna’s, black-chinned and Costa’s hummingbirds that flit through the gardens, sipping from the colorful blooms. SPECIAL EXHIBIT Experience the butterfly life cycle up close.…