American Goldfinches, April 2010
What can you find in a nature garden? Here’s an update on mine. I hope you’ll be inspired. Do let me know what is happening in yours.
Beautiful Birds
Back in December 2009 I asked the question How Long Does it Take Birds to Find a Feeder?
If you hang a feeder full of thistle (niger) seeds which goldfinches love, and goldfinches are gone until spring, then the answer could be 5 months, or more.
Five months is how long it took these little golden American beauties to turn up in my garden. It was worth the wait!
House Finch, May 2010
Also recently spotted at my niger feeder: mourning doves (they eat the seeds which fall to the ground), sparrows (which I don’t care for), and house finches.
Fearless Robins
I’ve done a lot of digging in my garden this year and American robins have been my constant companions. Compared to the other birds, they’re fearless and don’t mind getting close enough to grab juicy worms.
Robins make me laugh with their antics – they seem to be reluctant to fly and can be seen running away from people and cars in my neighborhood from January through December.
Blue Bird House, June 2010
Scolded by Nesting Birds
Nest boxes are prime real estate in my neighborhood. I’m going to have to put up some high rises next year.
My west neighbor had chickadees break into his siding this spring. When he chased them out, the sparrows moved in.
Then my east neighbor hung up this cute blue bird house. Chickadees were soon raising a family. Now, in June, wren parents are busy scolding anyone who gets too close and their youngsters can be seen out and about being fed.
I’ve never seen so many birds raising young around my garden since I moved here over 10 years ago. I’d like to think my nature gardening efforts are paying off, but maybe it’s because the cat who used to keep down the birds and rabbits is gone. Either way, it’s all good.
Phlox in Woodland Garden, June 2010
Beautiful Native Flowers
Native woodland and prairie flowers are so beautiful and delicate.
Not many flowers will bloom in woodland shade when summer comes around. These pink phlox are the stars of my summer shade garden.
Rain Garden Flowers
I’ve added a bunch of new native plants to my back yard this year, with the addition of my rain garden.
And my rain garden has had a really good testing. It’s been a crazy spring, with my whole back yard looking like a river several times. And the rain garden stood up to it all!
Cephalanthus occidentalis (button bush), June 2010
One of the new plants in my rain garden is Cephalanthus occidentalis, or button bush. The button bush came to me in a 5 gallon plastic pot, from which a massive central root had escaped.
The root had been hacked off before it left the nursery and I was a little worried about how the button bush would settle in. I’m pleased to report that it’s doing amazingly well, has put on significant growth, and is now flowering.
I can’t wait for the red cardinal flowers, Lobelia cardinalis, in my rain garden to bloom in July. Of course I’m hoping for some hummingbirds and butterflies. Meantime I’m enjoying my prairie garden.
Butterfly Weed and Spiderwort, June 2010
Prairie Garden
Asclepias tuberosa, the orange butterfly weed, is an itinerant visitor to my prairie garden. This year it has shown up and looks delightful next to the blue spiderwort, which has been in bloom since April.
The Liatris pyncnostachya, purple blazing star, will soon be in bloom. I feel like the flowers are my friends who step me through the Kansas year.
Native flowers keep me going outside in the summer heat, provide a rhythm to my days, and give me a sense of place. I recently wrote a post for Carole Brown about Falling in Love with My Garden.
I hope you will grow to love your garden as I do, if you don’t already. Share the wonders of native plants and wildlife with your children and neighbors. I’m sure they will thank you.
Your turn – please leave a comment. What are your favorite native plants? Did any birds nest in your neighborhood this year?
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The birds have been completely uninterested in my bird houses, but the woodpecker snags on the property have hosted chickadees, red-bellied woodpeckers, titmice and bluejays, and I’m starting to wonder if the female hummingbird who’s taken up residence in the garden and defended it so vigorously against all comers has a nest somewhere.
My buttonbush hasn’t seen fit to bloom this year, but I’m very enamored of my rose mallow, which is putting out huge saucer-sized red flowers. (The fact that I live in a climate where I can stick a type of hibiscus in the ground and it GROWS still completely blows my mind…)
UrsulaV´s last blog ..Stupid Vegetable Question
Ahhh, Alison, thank you for the lovely walk through your nature garden. It sounds heavenly. If not gardening and letting weeds and flowers grow wild is nature gardening, then I’m doing great and the cardinals love it. We have a pair that flit about our garden come spring.
katie´s last blog ..5 Tips to Help You Get Back in the Game
@UrsulaV – a hummingbird nest would be lovely! You’ll have to keep us updated. Maybe I need a guest post from you.
@Katie – I wish it were as simple as just letting weeds grow. Most of the weeds, unfortunately, tend to be annuals and many of those are not native. Keep reading here though and you’ll soon want to add a few native plants. I’m going to be sharing how to do that with simple, manageable projects.