Wildflowers in Spring

We are really lucky to have a wide variety of native wildflowers growing in the woods at our nursery.  What's interesting, is that many of these are now in our gardens. We didn't plant any of them -- they just showed up!  We're thinking the birds must be bringing in the seeds. Or, they're showing up in the mulch that we put on the garden beds.

Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) - a hummingbird magnet!  Grows 1-2 feet tall and self seeds when it's happy.

Our area has wet soils and is heavily wooded, so it's great habitat for native wildflowers.  Most of these are rare and protected species (illegal to dig up), so we value them even more!

Enjoy the photos of these lovely native wildflowers.  If you want wildflowers in your garden, please buy them from a licensed nursery that has propagated these plants to ensure that the wild populations aren't destroyed. That way, our treasured native wildflowers will be available for generations to come to enjoy!

Wood Anemone (Anemone quinquifolia) - a low-growing spring ephemeral that blankets the ground in our woods.

Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum).  The leaves look like speckled trout, hence the name.  Nodding flowers that form seed pods that will expand the area of this plant quickly in the right conditions.

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis).  The flowers appear first above the deeply lobed, fan-like foliage. The roots have a red sap, which is how this plant got its name.  

Jack-in-the-Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum). These are amazing flowers!  It has one or 2 very large leaves that are divided into three leaflets.  The flowers are followed by a cluster of red seedpods or fruit.  Just amazing.

Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica). We first noticed these growing in our lawn!  They are about 3-inches tall and have strap-like leaves.  The flowers are so dainty and beautiful! 

White Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum).  These blanket the woods in the spring!  The leaf characteristics are in the name "tri" or three that appear in what's called a whorl.  The large flowers start out white and then fade to pink.  Just gorgeous!

Wood Violet (Viola sororia). The pretty little violets are all over our garden and woods.  They self-seed readily to the point of becoming weedy in our vegetable gardens!  But, even though they are common for us, they're still uncommon where their habitat has been lost.

We're so glad to share these photos of our native wildflowers.  Please remember that if you want these rare and protected plants in your garden, please buy them from a licensed nursery that has propaged these plants so that the native plants are not destroyed and are available for future generations to enjoy!

Clouds of Amelanchier Blossoms

The Amelanchiers are at their peak right now in mid May here in Wisconsin. The shrubs are covered in blossoms!  They surround you in blossoms  -- it's like walking through clouds.

Amelanchiers in full bloom in May

There are many species and varieties of Amelanchier.  Some are shrubs and some grow as small trees.  As you can see, they're covered in white blossoms in the spring, which are followed by blue fruits that birds absolutely adore!

Blossoms cover these plants in May

It's hard to describe what it's like to be surrounded by these plants when they're in full bloom.  It's like walking in the clouds.

Amelanchier grandiflora 'Princess Diana' in full bloom

Amelanchier canadensis on the left and Amelanchier grandiflora 'Autumn Brilliance' on the right

Amelanchier arborea - the most tree-like of the Amelanchiers

The blossoms aren't just beautiful. They're an important nectar source for insects in the spring.

Amelanchiers are commonly called Juneberries ('cause their fruit ripens in June), Serviceberries and Saskatoons.  As noted above, birds go crazy for the fruit.

Amelanchiers are most often grown for its sweet fruit that is relished by birds. Over 42 species of birds eat the fruit! The fruit is also good for eating out of hand and for jellies. Native Americans used Amelanchier fruit in making Pemican, a staple of their diet.

Amelanchier fruit

Amelanchiers are very winter hardy and easy to grow in average garden soil from Zone 3/4 to 8.  Most aren't bothered by disease and insects. And, they're native to North America!

They're also very showy in the fall with orange to red foliage.

We offer a wonderful shrub version of Amelanchier canadensis, called 'Regent'.  See our Web site for information about this variety.

Here's a video of the Amelanchiers in bloom.  Enjoy!

Daffodils!

If there's one bulb to plant in your garden, it should be daffodils!

Daffodils!

Why? Rabbits and deer don't eat them.  They are available in a variety of sizes, shapes and colors -- not just the common yellow trumpets, not that those aren't fabulous!!

Here's a few examples of the varieties we have in our gardens.  We just adore these flowers and desperately need to see them in the spring!

Oh, and did we mention that daffodils come back reliably every year? And they multiply over time, so one bulb will grow to many bulbs?  Oh yeah, and they make great cut flowers!!  What's not to like?

We also adore Narcissus, which are in the Daffodil family. These have incredible fragrance. The common "paper whites" that we start indoors in the winter are Narcissus.  They are similar to Daffodils in appearance, but the fragrance puts them in a whole different category.  Be sure to plant some Narcisuss, too!

Snow in May?!

Wow, what a weird "spring" we're having this year!  First, lots of snow in April.  Lots!  Take a look at this photo from April 23:

Big snowstorm on April 23, 2013

Well, that was crazy!  Then it warmed up and we thought that spring had finally arrived.  Here's my dog lounging on the last snowbank a few days later when the temps got into the 60s:

Then, the forecast called for more snow.  What?!  We couldn't believe it.  And we were in the bullseye for getting the most snow.  The day before it hit, the Orioles and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks returned!  We were so worried about these tropical birds surviving the snow and cold.  Here's what we woke up to on May 2, 2013 - 14 inches of snow!

14 inches of snow on May 2, 2013!

But, we heard the birds calling. It is spring and it is May after all!  We made sure there was lots of seeds, suet and jelly out for the birds.  And this is what we saw:

Oriole on snow-covered feeder in May

Here's a bird house with a snowcap

We're hoping for warm weather and sun tomorrow.  It's in the forecast, at least!  Let's hope for more normal weather the rest of this spring and summer.

Full Moon Bird Migration!

Spring has finally arrived!  The warm weather and the full moon brought in a lot of new migrating birds yesterday.  They're all a few weeks later than usual, but we're so happy to see them.

 

 

Lots of birds migrate at night, especially during a full moon.  The light of the moon guides their way.  And they're protected from most predators at night.  

 

We know they migrate at night because we see them and hear their songs in the morning, where they weren't there the day before.  Plus, those who study bird migration have long-known about night-time migration of many birds by capturing birds in nets -- primarily at night -- for monitoring and banding.

 

After last night's full moon, we've heard and seen Brown Thrashers, Tree Swallows, White Throated Sparrows, White Crowned Sparrows, Chipping Sparrows and Bluebirds!  These have joined the really early migrants that got caught in our late spring snowstorms in April: Red-winged Blackbirds, Fox Sparrows, Grackles and Robins.

 

Here's a photo of a Brown Thrasher taken last evening. It was trying to get suet out of the feeder.  They're hungry after a long flight to get here.

 

Brown Thrasher
 

 

The male Brown Thrasher has a beautiful, long and variable song that doesn't seem to have a definitive beginning and end. It sounds a lot like a mockingbirds type of call. Some describe the call with the words, “plant a seed, plant a seed, bury it, bury it, cover it up, cover it up, let it grow, let it grow, pull it up, pull it up, eat it, eat it.” So, lots of people know it's time to plant their gardens when the hear the Brown Thrasher singing!  I like that idea.

Here's a video we took last year of a male Brown Thrasher singing in our garden:


We're always so happy to hear the twittering of the Tree Swallows as they fly like dolphins in the sky around the pasture. Pairs of these acrobatic birds go from birdhouse to birdhouse as they establish their territory, renew mating bonds and claim a nestbox.  They line their nests with feathers.  If you're patient and lucky, sometimes you can offer them feathers by throwing them up in the air.  They'll swoop in a grab the feather in their mouth and fly off. It's an amazing experience -- try it!



A Tree swallow on a nest box

Another beautiful bird that nests in birdhouses in the pasture is the beloved Bluebird.  They have a sweet, faint call that reminds me of a Robin call. Actually, they're related!  These birds really need our help, so providing nest boxes really makes a difference in their population.  Be sure to keep the box protected from predators and monitor them throughout the summer.  They'll raise two clutches of babies each summer here in Wisconsin.

Bluebird

We've also heard the first Chipping Sparrow.  I got a glimpse of him this morning as he was announcing his arrival.  They nest in our rose bushes and make a grass-lined nest a few feet off the ground. They'll also nest a few times each summer and raise batches of babies.  We regularly check the nests for Cowbird eggs to ensure that the little "Chippies" don't end up raising a parasitic Cowbird instead of their own babies!



Chipping Sparrow

And one of our favorite migrants is the White Throated Sparrow. It stops at our gardens for about two weeks each spring and fall on its migration north and then south.  I can't wait to hear their song, which sounds like "Old Man Peabody, Peabody, Peabody." 



White Throated Sparrow

We highlighted this sweet little bird in a posting last year: White Throated Sparrows. 

To learn more about bird migration and the birds we've highlighted on this posting, be sure to check out All About Birds at Cornell University. It's a great resource for those who want to learn more about their backyard birds!

Where's Spring?!

Winter just doesn't want to let go of it's grip on us this year.  We got another snowstorm last night and today it looks like January instead of April!

Here's what our gardens looked like last year on April 2, 2012:

We've had four weekends in a row with snowstorms in late March and through April.  Spring just can't make any headway here in Wisconsin.

So, what might be causing this "stuck" weather pattern that we're in?  One theory for this is called "arctic amplification."

I first heard about this from meteorologist, Paul Huttner in his blog.  His quick explanation of arctic amplification is that it works like this:

1.  A warmer Arctic reduces temp contrasts between the poles and tropics.
2. Less temps contrast = slower jet streams.
3. Deeper, more "amplified "Rossby Waves" (that change weather patterns) get stuck in place for longer periods.
4. Stuck jet streams = fewer changes and more persistent droughts, floods, cold outbreaks, etc.

Next time you watch the weather report, take a look at the maps showing jet streams and fronts. They're always in curvy, wavy lines.  So, the longer and wider the curves of the jet streams, the slower they move, apparently.

As gardeners, we set our gardening patterns on the weather patterns for planting, pruning, harvesting and enjoying.  Who knows, maybe this arctic amplification theory is right?  Or maybe it's just one of many reasons to explain the late spring we're having.  Either way, I can't wait to see the daffodils again!

If you'd like to learn more about arctic amplification, here's a really good and fairly easy to understand video by Jennifer Francis of Rutgers University.

Fox Sparrows and April Snowstorms

A Fox Sparrow in the snow during an April snowstorm in Wisconsin

This spring has been tough on the early migrating birds.  We had a brief warm-up in early April, which brought in the first of the early migrants: Red-winged Blackbirds, Grackles, Robins, Song Sparrows and Fox Sparrows.

And then winter returned.  We've had blizzard-like conditions the last two weekends that dumped another 6 inches of snow on the gardens.

As a result, the bird feeders are really popular with lots of frantic bird activity.  We've never seen birds in such a hyper-active mode at the feeders as they gobble up the seeds and suet.

But, this has given us a chance to see migrants up close and in flocks. We usually see only one or two Fox Sparrows, but this year, we're seeing flocks!




Fox Sparrows are larger than most sparrows and they have an orange-color to their feathers.  They like to scratch around in the dirt for bugs and other good things to eat.  You'll see them kicking their legs back and forth as they forage for food.

And, they've been singing!  We've had lots of opportunities to hear their beautiful call.  To hear the song, go to the Fox Sparrow All About Birds page (Cornell University).

We're on the migration path for these birds from their winter homes in the southern U.S. to their breeding grounds way up in Canada to Alaska.

The snowstorms and cold weather had us worried about these migratory birds.  Imagine having to fly hundreds of miles and then land in the middle of winter with little food to recharge your energy!  We're glad that they readily ate the black-oiler sunflower seeds at our feeders.  We hope that helped them get through the late snowstorms here in Wisconsin.

They'll be leaving for their summer breeding grounds soon -- if our weather ever warms up!  Yup, another snowstorm is in the forecast.  Sure hope the snow melts sometime in May!

The Secret Cardinal Song

The Cardinals are really starting to sing now that the days are getting longer.

Male Cardinal

They start to get territorial once spring really arrives.  But, they're still showing up in large groups at the feeders in the early evening.

A gathering of cardinals in the evening.

This week, I filmed a male Cardinal getting his song back.  If you listen carefully at the end of the loud call, you'll hear a secondary trill. It's very subtle and not loud. It's like a "secret call" that only attentive listeners (and other Cardinals) can hear. You can see his beak moving as he sings the secondary trill.


The Cardinals are wonderful to have in our gardens. They're the first to sing in the morning and often the last to sing at night. And they sing from March through September!

They love black-oiler sunflower seeds and nest in the many of the shrubs we have in the garden. Of course, year-round water is a must and really attracts the birds to the garden!

House Finches!

A male House Finch showing off his beautiful red color in the winter garden

House Finches are wonderful to have in your yard and garden. The males show pretty reddish colors on their head and chests. Both males and females have brownish stripes on their bodies.

The males have a beautiful song that they sing throughout the year, but mostly in the spring and summer.

These birds have recently moved from the Western U.S. to the Eastern U.S. and are now common in rural to urban areas.

House Finches eat mostly seeds and fruits, and are one of the few bird species that feeds its young seeds and other plant material -- no bugs!

House Finches on a tube feeder eating black-oiler sunflower seeds

An interesting fact about House Finches is that the red color of the male depends on the food it eats! Some foods make the colors redder and some make it more a lighter color, from pink to orange! That's why there's so much color variation in these birds.

The female House Finch is primarily brownish color with brown stripes on its head and chest.

A female House Finch

Purple Finches are closely related to House Finches but have less stripes on the males. It's hard to tell these apart sometimes.

House Finches are very social birds and are almost always seen in flocks. They'll nest repeatedly throughout the summer - in some places up to 6 broods a season!

If you're fortunate to have these pretty birds in your garden, be sure to keep your feeders clean -- especially the tube feeders. These may spread an eye disease that are affecting House Finches. We actually take down the tube feeders in the summer to protect our House Finches.

To attract these birds to your yard and garden, use black-oil sunflower and thistle seeds in feeders. Since they love fruits, be sure to plant fruit-bearing shrubs like Aronia, Juneberry, Viburnum and Winterberry. These provide food, shelter and nesting spots for House Finches and other birds. And be sure to provide water. Sometimes water attracts more birds than anything else -- especially in the winter.

Learn more about House Finches and hear their lovely song at Cornell University's All about Birds Web site.

New Roses for 2013!

Harlow Carr a beautiful new rose!
Photo courtesy of David Austin Roses

It's only 8 degrees above zero this morning, so we're dreaming of spring!

And there's nothing better than seeing colorful photos of beautiful roses to help brighten a cold winter day. So, here's a highlight of the new roses we're offering this year.

New English Roses

We've grown the lovely English roses for years and are so excited to offer some of the best to our customers this year. English roses are developed by David Austin and have the best characteristics of Old Garden roses, along with all features we really want in roses today: repeat bloom, fragrance, hardiness and healthy foliage.

Until recently, most of the English roses weren't hardy enough to get through our supercold winters here in Wisconsin. But, David Austin and his team put alot of work into developing "gardener friendly" roses that are much hardier and easy to grow. And, lucky us, that included some yellow-blooming varieties!

So, here are the new English roses we're offering this year.

Charlotte

Charlotte is one of the most beautiful of the English Roses and one of the most winter hardy! Did we mention that it's also wonderfully fragrant? Oh, and it repeat blooms all summer, too!

Charlotte Rose, photo courtesy of David Austin Roses

Charlotte is also "gardener friendly" in that it's very easy to grow. It has healthy foliage and is very winter hardy. It grows well in the cold regions of Zone 4 with minimal cane dieback. All you have to do is prune the canes back to green growth in the spring and get ready for a summer of blossoms. If you live in the nothern part of Zone 4 or up in to Zone 3, be sure to cover the crown in the fall with a layer of mulch up to about 6-inches to protect the plant from really cold temperatures.

Charlotte was named after David Austin's granddaughter. So, you know it's a great rose to be worthy of that name!

Charlotte has compact, bushy growth to about 4-feet tall and 3-feet wide. Plant size will be smaller in colder climates. This is a great choice for a hardy, yellow-blooming shrub rose.


Charlotte Rose, photo courtesy of David Austin Roses

If you're interested in ordering this rose, it's available to order online on our Web site.

Crown Princess Margareta

Crown Princess Margareta has beautiful and wonderfully fragrant blossoms in a lovely apricot color. The blossoms appear in clusters all summer long, since it repeat-blooms 'til frost.

Crown Princess Margareta, photo courtesy of David Austin Roses

Over the years, we've had so many customers ask us for a climbing rose that has yellowish, fragrant blossoms. We told them they had to move to a warmer climate or be prepared to do some major work to protect the plant from the cold. Well, this rose is pretty close to what we've been looking for!

Crown Princess Margareta has tall, arching growth, that makes it suitable for a low climber for those who are looking for that elusive winter-hardy yellow-blossomed climbing rose! This rose grows to about 5-feet tall and 4-feet wide. So, the tall canes can be attached to a trellis or pillar where you can "train" it to grow up the support.

Crown Princess Margareta, photo courtesy of David Austin Roses

Crown Princess Margareta is also very healthy and hardy, and thrives in a range of climates and growing conditions. It is winter hardy to Zone 4 with minimal cane dieback -- just prune in the spring and it quickly regrows to bloom all summer

This rose was named after Crow Princess Margareta of Sweden, who was the granddaughter of Queen Victoria. She was also an avid landscape gardener and loved roses.

The Crown Princess Margareta rose is a great choice for those looking for a fragrant, apricot/yellow rose with taller growth. One of our new favorites!

If you're interested in ordering this rose, it's available to order online on our Web site.

Harlow Carr

Harlow Carr is a beautiful and very fragrant rose that covers itself in pink blossoms all summer! It is noted as being one of the most free-flowering of all the English Roses.

Harlow Carr, photo courtesy of David Austin Roses

To make this lovely rose even more wonderful, its healthy foliage and winter hardiness make it very "gardener friendly."

Harlow Carr is is winter hardy to Zone 4 with minimal cane dieback -- just prune back a little in the spring and get ready for a summer of blossoms. This rose blooms best when spent blossoms are removed (called "deadheading").

Harlow Carr has compact, mounded growth to about 4-feet tall and 3-feet wide. It's great for adding to your mixed border or as a low hedge.

Harlow Carr, photo courtesy of David Austin Roses

This rose was named after the Royal Horticultural Society garden in Yorkshire, UK.

The Harlow Carr rose is a great choice for a hardy, pink-blooming rose that has wonderful fragrance and the charm of an old garden rose.

If you're interested in ordering this rose, it's available to order online on our Web site.

New Rugosa Rose 

Marie Bugnet

Marie Bugnet is one of the first roses to bloom in the garden. The fragrant blossoms are a beautiful pure white that appear in clusters all summer. As you can see in the photo below, the buds have some pinkish-red color on the petal edges.

Marie Bugnet Rose

Marie Bugnet is a Rugosa rose, but has lighter-colored leaves and not as deeply veined leaves as a typical Rugosa rose.

Marie Bugnet is the sister of another lovely rose, Therese Bugnet, and has the same winter hardiness but is smaller in size.

This beautiful rose grows into a mounded shrub with light-green foliage with red canes that are attractive in the winter. Marie Bugnet has healthy foliage and is completely winter hardy. Winter hardy to Zone 3.

If you're interested in ordering this rose, it's available to order online on our Web site.

We hope these colorful photos of roses gave you an enjoyable break from winter!