Author Archives: Ashland Garden Club

Nan Quick’s Diaries for Armchair Travelers

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All- My newest travel article has just been published, and it’s a long one:
“RAMBLING THROUGH THE GARDENS & ESTATES OF KENT, ENGLAND. PART ONE.”
 Click here to read:
 Nan Quick 
Nan Quick’s Diaries for Armchair Travelers
www.nanquick.com
 

How to Attract Wild Birds to Your Yard this Winter

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Oregon_Junco_

Oregon Junco

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Wild birds can sometimes use a little help from us to thrive in winter.

“In the springtime we focus on providing nesting sites and food for migratory birds, whereas in winter our winter residents and migratory birds still need food, shelter and water,” said Dana Sanchez, wildlife specialist for the Oregon State University Extension Service.

“These things are not found so easily in winter.”

Lesser gold finches, robins, juncos, chickadees, varied thrush and other species call Oregon home during the winter. They’re scrambling for what little there is to eat in the cold days – namely, insects, seeds, and berries.

“In addition to winter residents we get some altitudinal migrants,” Sanchez said. “When it’s warmer in the Willamette Valley than the higher elevations, we have birds that come down to the lower elevations to try to root arthropods out of the moss on tree branches and visit feeders. Some birds also eat the fruits of hawthorns and snowberries.”

During these frigid months, it is more important than ever for birds to conserve energy, Sanchez said. As humans keep a financial budget during leaner times, birds must maintain an “energy budget,” she said. Birds are limited in their ability to store excess fat because of their biological need to fly.

Oregonians can help birds by providing dense shrubbery or evergreens to serve as shelter from the weather and other challenges. Small birds, especially songbirds, need to find shelter quickly from raptors and other predators, Sanchez said. They also need shelter in close proximity to food so they don’t have to expend as much energy flying to find sustenance.

“Consider native plants because they are more adapted to conditions we have here in Oregon in the winter, and many are adapted to resist heavy deer damage,” Sanchez advised. “Choose shrubs that offer a perching structure.” Oregon grape is one good choice. Birds also look for insects to eat in leaf litter and under the moss and lichen that grows on shrubs.

Below are some additional tips to attract wild birds to your yard and to help them survive the long winter.

  • When choosing shrubs for your yard, include wildlife-related questions in your research. Some non-native shrubs produce berries and fruits that are acceptable to wildlife, but have fruits or berries that are toxic. For example, although long hailed as a wildlife-friendly landscaping shrub, berries of the Nandina species contain toxins that can harm birds or other animals.
  • Prevent water in birdbaths, hummingbird feeders and other dishes from freezing by rotating with fresh water throughout the day or covering it lightly.
  • Be sure to clean bird feeders regularly to prevent disease.
  • If you add a water feature such as a pond, “realize that other things could use that water, like raccoons and bullfrogs,” Sanchez said. “Providing habitat for native wildlife is really important but be careful about what comes uninvited.”
  • Offer a variety of feeders positioned at different heights and locations around your yard. Also provide a variety of feeds. The diversity will attract a variety of birds with different feeding habits.
  • Consider providing suet, a high-energy food for birds. Other good choices include specially designed feeders that offer black oil sunflower seeds or Nyjer thistle seed. Other birds will enjoy a standard style feeder that supplies a mix of seed types. Finally, some Anna’s hummingbirds now remain in the valley through winter. Feed them the standard mixture of dissolved sugar – four parts water to one part sugar. But keep an eye on nighttime temperatures. It might be necessary to bring your feeders in at night and set them out again each morning so that your hummers will have liquid food available.

For more information about wild birds, see the OSU Extension guides below.

About Gardening News From the OSU Extension Service:
The Extension Service provides a variety of gardening information on its website at http://extension.oregonstate.edu/community/gardening. Resources include gardening tips, videos, podcasts, monthly calendars of outdoor chores, how-to publications, information about the Master Gardener program, and a monthly emailed newsletter.

By Denise Ruttan, denise.ruttan@oregonstate.edu, on Twitter at @OregonStateExt
Source: Dana Sanchez,  Dana.Sanchez@oregonstate.edu
This story is also online at http://bit.ly/OSU_Gardening2314

How to get rid of moss in your lawn

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CORVALLIS, Ore. – With the rainy season in full swing, it’s time to count yourself in one of two camps: You either love or hate the moss that invades Pacific Northwest lawns.

But if moss is your nemesis every winter, there are some things you can do to combat this ancient plant, according to Alec Kowalewski, turfgrass specialist for the Oregon State University Extension Service. Moss is a sign of too much shade and wet soil conditions, he said.

“One of the best ways to control moss is to increase sunlight,” Kowalewski said. “If you have a shaded lawn, I would suggest pruning your trees to a height of six feet and keeping the branches open for sunlight. Decide whether it’s more important to you to have trees shading your lawn or a healthy stand of turfgrass. If turfgrass is a priority, thin the density of your trees to increase sunlight.”

If you don’t shine more light on your lawn, moss will come back every year no matter what other steps you take to control it, Kowalewski cautioned.

Consider improving the drainage of your lawn as well. Install a bioswale or rain garden to catch stormwater runoff, Kowalewski suggested. Water less frequently and more deeply during the hot days of summer. Don’t stress out your lawn either, he said: “Heal” your lawn to keep the moss at bay.

“Turfgrass, like all other living things, requires sunlight, water and air movement to photosynthesize and grow,” Kowalewski said. “If there’s a problem with any one of these three things, you can expect moss and weeds to invade your grass every year.”

Here’s one way to stress out your lawn: The more grass you remove when mowing your lawn, the more likely moss will invade, Kowalewski said. Grass mowed to a height of less than two inches will open the door for plant competition, he explained.

Fertilize your lawn with 2-4 pounds of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet two to four times per year in the spring and fall to increase the density of the grass and decrease the density of moss, Kowalewski said.

Additionally, several gardening products are available for moss control. Kowalewski recommends potassium soap as well as sulfate products such as ferrous sulfate, iron sulfate and ammonium sulfate. These are all non-synthetic, environmentally friendly options, he said. Apply by spot treating as soon as moss appears.

Sulfur products such as these will lower the soil pH, making conditions acidic – but turfgrass does not like acidic conditions, Kowalewski said. So an occasional application of lime, which will raise the pH, is recommended when you are making frequent sulfur applications, Kowalewski advised.

If you decide to use a synthetic pesticide, Kowalewski recommended that gardeners choose products with carfentrazone as an active ingredient. Read labels and follow all safety precautions when using pesticides.

“It’s not a long-term cure,” Kowalewski said. “If you applied pesticides or other moss control products but you did not improve your turfgrass density or sunlight exposure, moss is going to come back next year. The most important factors to improve are sunlight, water and air movement.”

Kowalewski holds the N.B. and Jacqueline Giustina Professorship in Turf Management within OSU’s College of Agricultural Sciences.

By Denise Ruttan,
Oregon State University Extension Service

To learn more, see the OSU Extension publication “Maintaining a Healthy Lawn in Western Oregon” at http://bit.ly/OSU_EC1521.

Source: Alec Kowalewski, alec.kowalewski@oregonstate.edu