One of winter's favorite pleasures is to be inside a warm house and look out at the wild birds flocking to the feeder. I love to refill the feeders in the morning after a storm, pouring out my gifts to the birds. They know what to expect and start flirting into the bare trees around the feeders as soon as I open the door.

Feeding birds at home is like running any successful restaurant: You need a good location, a comfortable, clean space and an appealing menu. Different birds have different tastes. So what you put in your feeder should depend on what you would like to attract. Serve a seed special. The superior sunflower seed is the small black-oil type. Most birds who frequent feeders love them.Mimimize the mess. Hulled sunflower seed are more expensive, but there's less waste left behind. Shrubbery and trees offer quick escape routes if danger flies overhead or pounces from the shadows. A sunny spot out of the prevailing winds--near a small tree or shrubs, with a good view of the house--is a perfect spot for a feeder.

If you are new to feeding birds, you might wonder what to offer. In short, offer seeds and water. Many of the birds we see in winter are seed eaters. They have to be: insects are hard to come by this time of year. By setting up a bird feeding station, you are taking your cue from nature, offering the kind of nourishment that the birds are adapted to. You provide a generous, reliable source of food, and the birds gladly come and help themselves, up close, where it's convenient for you to watch them.

The hands down favorite bird seed is sunflower. It attracts many types of birds including woodpeckers, jays and finches. Buy the black sunflower seeds, sometimes called oil seeds. Birds prefer them to the grey and white striped sunflower seeds sold for people because they are higher in oil content. They are softer shelled, hence easier to crack open.

Another essential bird seed is niger. Finches adore niger. You may have dozens of finches visiting your niger feeder at once, which is quite a cheering sight on a winter day. Niger is a black seed, so tiny and light you can blow away a handful with a gentle breath. Buy a yellow seed sock or a hanging feeder specifically designed for niger, and hang it where you can see it from your best viewing window. Up close to the house, even under the eaves, is fine. Finches will become very tame and won't mind your standing two feet from them, on the other side of the window, while they eat.

The only other seed mix I have found my birds like is the dove and quail food. I scatter it on the ground for quail, doves, sparrows and finches. Buy the seeds you know your birds want. Try a few different kinds, depending on the birds in your area.

When starting up a feeding program, be patient. It may take as long as several weeks before the birds discover your feeders. While you wait, be sure to keep the feeders filled. Eventually, the birds will come...and then they will come back! Sometimes conscientious people are concerned about whether feeding the birds will harm the birds. Will the birds become dependent on the handouts? And it's sometimes advised that one should only start feeding birds if certain that the feeding can continue uninterrupted all winter. However, the evidence indicates that feeding is not likely to be bad for birds. They don't settle in and dine at just one place. Finches, for example, follow a circuit each day, visiting a number of feeders and wild food patches, as we know from studies of banded birds that can be identified individually.

With many households feeding birds, it's unlikely that a bird will starve because one feeder goes empty. All the same, birds that come into your yard at dusk on a cold evening are hungry, and one does not like to disappoint one's guests. It's my pleasure to make sure that they always find something to eat in my yard.

Click to print this article.

Flowers in bloom bring such a happy feeling to your home. Forcing bulbs is one way to bring color and life to a room even in the dead of winter.

Whether your bulbs flower on any particular date depends partly on if you used prepared bulbs in the first place. However, timing also depends on how cold you kept the bulbs and at what point you bring them out from their resting place into light and warmth.

Check bowls of bulbs plunged outdoors beneath sand, peat or grit used to keep them cool and dark while roots develop. If the shoots are about 1 inch high, it’s time to bring them indoors.

If you have kept bulbs in a cool, dark place indoors, in a cupboard or loft, check these periodically, too. Bring them into the light when the shoots are 1-2 inches tall.

Wipe the container clean if it has been plunged outdoors, then place in a light but cool position indoors or in a conservatory. Only put in a warm place once the buds have emerged and are beginning to show color, else the stems may be too long and weak.

If you sow grass seed on the surface as soon as you bring the bulbs into the light, you should have an attractive carpet of grass by the time they flower. Just before the bulbs come into full flower, cut the grass to a height of about 1-2 inches, to make it look even and neat.

Most homeowners look at pottery as just a container to hold a plant on the patio or inside the home. But with so many unique shapes and sizes available today, more homeowners are using pots as decoration to add a piece of interest to the home or garden.

Sometimes a pot can be the perfect solution to turning a space that is missing something into a dazzling focal point. Just like a water fountain or a piece of statuary, a well-placed piece of pottery can turn a boring area into a visual treat for the eyes.

Consider glazed containers in unique vase or urn shapes. Tall and slender pottery can be especially stunning when placed in the right location. Instead of just putting out a sea of plants, consider how you can lead the eye to points of interest throughout your landscape or home by using a well-placed piece of pottery.

We have a great selection of pottery. Come in for a visit and our staff of nursery experts will help you find the right container to transform your empty space into a visual delight. In the right setting, the perfect pot will look like a work of art. They make great gifts, too!

Product Spotlight: Gardner & Bloom™
Blue Ribbon Potting Soil

People who love to garden love Gardner and Bloome™ Blue Ribbon Premium Blend Potting Soil. It is formulated for use in all indoor and outdoor container planting applications, and excellent for hanging baskets and raised bed planting. It may be mixed with existing garden soil in beds or containers to enhance soil texture, drainage and fertility and improve the quality of the soil.

Our 100% natural, completely organic peat-based formula includes Alfalfa Meal, Worm Castings, Kelp Meal, and Bat Guano. The extra absorbent, fine-textured blend keeps tender roots moist and aerated between waterings. And it's abundant essential plant nutrients promote quick growth and long-lasting health for all types of container plants.

Gardner and Bloome™ Blue Ribbon Premium Blend Potting Soil contains specially screened bark particles combined with porous pumice promote optimum air space and excellent drainage in the root zone. Gardner and Bloome™ Blue Ribbon Premium Blend Potting Soil includes several species of beneficial Mycorrhizae soil fungi. These living organisms dramatically improve water and nutrient absorption by enhancing the root system of many plant species.

So now you know what so many gardeners know--Gardner and Bloome™ Blue Ribbon Premium Blend Potting Soil is the secret to planting a great garden, no matter the size.

As Henry David Thoreau wrote, "In Wildness is the Preservation of the World."

We can choose to co-exist with the wildlife around us, enjoying their antics and quirky personalities, or we can run around in circles attempting to rid our properties of them. The latter is an exercise in futility; they preceded us, and they've learned how to best us at every turn.

Case in point, the squirrel; an aerialist extraordinaire, its large tail makes it the most recognized mammal on Earth. While the first gray squirrels can be traced back 50 million years via fossil remains found in North America, their name can be traced back to the ancient Greeks; Aristotle called them "skiouros" with "skia" meaning shade, and "oura" meaning tail. Thus the meaning "he who sits in the shadow of his tail" was recorded.

As they do not hibernate, and can have a lifespan of 6 years (given little auto traffic and a reliable food source), feeding our furry friends not only aids the animals, it guarantees an endless source of entertainment. Tree seed is the most important element of their diet, including pine seeds, beech nuts, acorns and hazel nuts. They also thrive on flowers, berries, and shoots, which provide a year-round availability of food. Gray squirrels love maize and mixed squirrel food, but you'll also find them sharing the bird feeders you've set out for your avian visitors. Because of the communal nature of bird feeders, to prevent disease transmission, wash your feeders every three weeks or so, first emptying them, then scrubbing them clean with a weak bleach and water solution. Thoroughly rinse, and allow to dry before refilling.

Squirrels are most active during their mating season, in late winter. The ritual of the chase occurs through the trees at top speed, incorporating breathtaking acrobatics. They communicate using a series of chirps and tail gestures that denote everything from laughter to alarm.

If you've ever attempted to purchase a "squirrel-proof" bird feeder, you'll know that it doesn't exist. These wily creatures will not quit until they have out-baffled every baffle ever invented. There are numerous feeders made specifically for squirrels, but this gardener has found that making it too easy for them takes away too much of their pleasure. However, one very easy-to-make feeder that they will appreciate, can be constructed as follows; take a piece of wood 2" by 2", about 2 1/2 feet in length, skew long nails into it at staggered intervals, and then impale ears of corn on each nail. Pop an eye bolt into the top, hang it from a tree branch, and let the frivolity begin!

How often should I water my potted plants?

Answer:

Outdoor potted plants tend to dry out more quickly and require more water than plants planted in the landscape. This is because potting soils are lighter in composition and less compact than garden soil. The size of the container also limits the water holding capacity. Watering potted plants once a day, or even twice daily, may be necessary--especially if the weather turns hot and windy or your containers are in full sunlight.

Indoors, most potted plants tend to be over-watered. They generally don't need to be watered more than once or twice per week.

The important thing is to check moisture levels often. If the potting soil appears pale or cracked, or feels dry below the soil's surface, then it's time to water. If plants are wilted and droopy, (or just in a plain old bad mood) then they're already seriously stressed and in need of immediate watering and potentially a trip to a therapist.

The use of a moisture meter can be very helpful. If you don't own a moisture meter, get one--it's better than using your fingers to check, and you'll cut way down on your manicure bills.

The idea is to water thoroughly but allow enough time between waterings for the soil to begin drying out. If the potting soil remains soggy for too long, air will be forced away from the roots and your plants may suffocate or drown.

Don't let plants sit in standing water. If a saucer is used under a container, make sure that it does not remain wet for more than an hour or two after watering. Poor drainage and damp soil conditions favor root-killing disease fungi that can develop as root rot and cause the plant to die.

If a potted plant gets too dry, stand the container in a bucket of water so that it can soak water right up into the soil. This is a better method than watering with a hose or can; in that case, the water will run straight through and around the dry soil where it has shrunk away from the side of the pot.