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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1989-05-17, Page 26PAGE 26. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MAY 17, 1989. If cutting grass is for the birds check the alternatives If you are the owner of a home which has a large yard, you are fortunate indeed. You may not think “fortunate” is quite the right word though, as you push the lawn mower once more across that green expanse. However, with a little planning and some special plantings from your local nursery, you will not only decrease the amount of grass which seems to endlessly need cutting, you’ll attract birds and perhaps butterflies. “You must agree, sitting and watching birds and butterflies beats grass cutting as a backyard pastime,” says biologist Alan Wat­ son at the University of Guelph’s Arboretum. To help you in your pursuit of backyard bliss, it is important to consider what aspects of plants will attract birds. These include cover, food, and nesting material. The cover can be important from the standpoint of safe places for birds to nest (robins and cardinals will nest in thick vines), to offering areas where birds can roost at night, or escape the neighbour’s cat. With respect to food, it is necessary to plan to have fruits and seeds becoming available over a period of time, rather than just in the fall. For example, seviceberry (Ame- lanchier sp.) yields bird-attracting fruit in June; raspberries (Rubus sp.) are ready in July and eldeber- ries produce fruit in late August or early September. Also, don’t forget, it is not just the birds that you are after; butterflies can be attracted to your yard if you plant flowers such as foxglove (Digitalis sp.). At The Arboretum, the Gosling Wildlife Gardens are well under way, following the design develop­ ed by Landscape Architect, Kather­ ine Dunster. The gardens, which were offi­ cially opened last May, take their name from Philip and Jean Gosling of Guelph, who have provided financial support for the project. The Gosling Wildlife Gardens are made up of five “backyards”, which include structures such as fences, garden walls and patios, planted with a large number of plants, ranging from trees and shrubs to Herbaceous material to fulfill the requirements of cover, food and nesting material. There is a pathway system through the gardens; brochures are presently being developed to help the homeowner identify the plants and their value to wildlife. Sunrooms brighten gour life Sunrooms are designed to be lived in year round, especially during the winter. On sunny days, this design can provide some heat to the main building but at night or on heavily overcast days auxiliary heating is required to maintain comfortable temperatures. Like all attached sunspaces, sunrooms should be oriented with­ in 30 degrees of south for optimum performance. They should have a solid, insulated roof with an over­ hang to reduce overheating in the summer and heat loss in the winter. Skylights can be added to allow light into the back of the sunroom. These sunspaces typically have a large south wall of vertical, double- glazed glass and solid, well insu­ lated east and west walls. Sunroom floors and wail surfaces should be made of heavy energy absorbing materials such as tile, brick or masonry. Windows should open at the floor and ceiling levels to improve cross ventilation and reduce over­ heating in the summer. Some of the plants you will find in the gardens include: Snowy Mountain Ash (Sorbus decora); Red Jade Crabapple (Malus “Red Jade”); Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis); Highbush Cranberry (Viburnum trilobum NOT Vibur­ num opulus, the European High­ bush Cranberry; it has fruit that is so sour, no self-respecting bird will go near it); Autumn Olive (Elaeag- nusumbellata); Hazelnut (Corylus americana); Gray Dogwood (Cor- nus racemosa); Red raspberry (Ru­ bus strigosus) (the birds will share these with you); Downy Service­ berry (Amelanchier laevis) and Staghorn Sumac (Rhustyphina). These trees and shrubs are readily available at most nurseries VISIT ZEHRS GARDEN CENTRE TODAY! FLOWERING FUSCHIA, BEGONIA IMPATIENCE, CARNATIONS OR GERANIUMS HANGING BASKETS SEED GERANIUMS QQ 3.5 INCH V V ASSORTED BEDDING PLANTS BOX '' VISA 'WL ' WE ACCEPT VISA & MASTERCARD ON PURCHASES OF NON-FOOD ITEMS. THE GARDEN CENTRE HOLIDAY WEEKEND GODERICH LISTOWEL WINGHAM GARDEN CENTRE HOURS sat.9-5 sat 9-5 sat. 9-5 SUN. 9-4 SUN. CLOSED SUN. CLOSED MON. 9-5 MON. 9-4 MON. CLOSED 1 PRESIDENT'S CHOICE MAGIC SOIL * 50 LITRE 5199 fa NATURE'S CHOICE PINE ■■■a ’ ▼'V PRESIDENT'S CHOICE i LAWN MAGIC 29920 LITRE ■■■ W : BARK CHUNKS 56 LITRE 6.99 | PRESIDENT'S CHOICE BLACK EARTH TOP SOIL I 25 LITRE 1l99 NATURE'S CHOICE DECORATIVE WHITE MARBLE CHIPS 3.99 NO NAME SUPER PEAT MOSS 85 LITRE 3199 J NATURE'S CHOICE 100% ORGANIC 6-3-5I LAWN FERTILIZER 10 kg 9199 NO NAME SUPER WEED & FEED 20-5-10 LAWN FERTILIZER 0.99 PRESIDENT'S CHOICE SUPERIOR 24-6-12 LAWN FERTILIZER , „ 9.99 NATURE'S CHOICE SHEEP MANURE 2.99 NO NAME PATCH & GROW LAWN REPAIR KIT 2 kg 1.99 PRESIDENT’S CHOICE BOVINE MANURE „ „ 2.99 NO NAME SPOT WEED KILLER 900 mL 2.99 and some, such as the Sumac, Crabapple and Mountain Ash, will also add winter interest to your garden with their coloured fruit. You might have more success attracting wildlife if you can per­ suade your neighbours to do some- planting of their own. “And that shouldn’t be too difficult once they see that you are spending less time cutting your grass, and more time enjoying your yard,” Watson said. Wait until they see your under­ plantings (herbaceous plants under the trees and shrubs) of Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis) the hum­ mingbirds will be lining up); Bor­ age (Borage officinalis), Globe Thistle (Echinopssphaerocepha- lus); Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa); and Glory of the Snow (Chinodoxa luciliae). To attract butterflies, you must include food plants for their cater­ pillars; birch, oak, willow, ash, spice bush, wild grape, and roses (yes, you want some caterpillars on your roses), the fruit of Rosa multiflora also feed Mockingbirds and Thrushes. Of course, many of the flowers in your underplantings will provide nectar for these larvae after they become adults. “The Gosling Gardens will take at least five years to develop, after which there will be a continuous evaluation of the effectiveness of the various plantings, bird and bat houses, and feeding stations,” he said. And that information won’t be kept secret from homeowners. “We will make visitors aware of the plantings which we have found are best at attracting wildlife. We are also planning a wide range of programs that will use the Gosling Wildlife Gardens as their focus,” Watson said. In the meantime, pick up a catalogue at your local nursery, design an outline of your yard and start on your elder (Sambucus canadensis) and plan to visit the Gosling Wildlife Gardens at The Arboretum. Many species of wild­ life will be glad that Yew (Taxus sp.) did!