Garden Gab

By now, most folks who are involved in gardening, farming or ecology have heard about the disappearance of honey bees.  Along with disease, parasite and privation, honey bees are also experiencing massive die offs due to Colony Collapse Disorder,  a process scientists are still studying.  Most of America’s wild bee population has disappeared and even domestic hives raised by beekeepers all over the world are taking heavy hits.  While the average gardener may not be able to do much about Colony Collapse Disorder until more research is made public, there are many things we can do to eliminate or reduce other stressors on the bee population.

What value does the honey bee have?  Why should we care what happens to them?  Besides the products of wax, honey, even medicinal uses of both their products and the very stings we fear, honey bees are the primary pollinator for over a third of the crops that make up the world’s food supply.  No other insect or animal can do this as well as the honey bee does, nor can any of our technology do it as efficiently as the honey bee. 

So here are some steps to help the honey bees thrive in our new, urbanised world.  First, starvation is a very big problem for honey bees.  Their primary food comes from wildflowers.  As meadows are cut or cultivated and lawns are sprayed to kill weeds, these wildflowers disappear.  Find a ground cover that you can live with in your garden that also feeds the honey bee.  Dandelions are an excellent choice, but if you find these too invasive, clover or daisies are also good options.  You can also purchase a wild flower mix in your region to scatter on the edges of the garden if you want to maintain that clean look in the center. 

Leave a far corner of your space undisturbed, especially if it contains a mulch pile or old wood.  Make sure that children don’t go near by erecting a barrier (such as a small fence) and mark it so it doesn’t get run over by the lawn mower.  Bees will be attracted to undisturbed areas as a place to build a hive.  Honey bees will not sting unless provoked.  If you feel more comfortable you can purchase supplies to keep a domestic hive instead.  Conversely, if you have small children, are allergic, or simply don’t feel comfortable with a hive in your space and you spot one, call animal control rather than trying to deal with it yourself.  Animal control will collect the hive and bees safely and move them to a new home or give them to an established keeper where they can thrive.  The good news is, when honey bees move in, the yellow jackets move out since they enjoy different flowers.

Use bee friendly insecticide and weed killers.  Many of these products are available in bee-friendly form and are just as effective as the more toxic alternatives.

Add fresh water to your space.  If you don’t already have a shallow birdbath, you can help three types of animals by planting one in your garden.  Butterflies, birds and bees all appreciate fresh water.

Of course, most of these steps will help many different forms of wildlife in your space, since many animals and insects face the same dangers, disappearing habitats and food supplies, scarcity of water and removal (accidental or otherwise) from human neighborhoods.

Migrating birds face ever increasing dangers and their numbers diminish every year, largely due to losses during winter and spring migrations.  The spread of developed land has greatly reduced the number of resting spots birds on migration can find, so many weaker or younger individuals become stragglers and eventually perish on their long trip.  You can help these stragglers take a break, rest up and catch up on the great migration.   Make your outdoor space an hospitable rest stop for birds with just a few simple changes.  

The first thing to think about is shelter.  Most birds feel safest in a place that offers many retreat options and is hidden from plain sight.  A good way to create this effect even if you have few or no trees in your yard, is to create a bracken pile, plant full, healthy shrubs, or to create a rockery.   A bracken pile should have a variety of logs, branches and twigs as well as being covered with a layer of leaves, pine needles or dirt to cover the larger holes and offer some camouflage.  If you prefer a tidier look to your space, berry bushes provide ample cover and fruit for migrating birds while maintaining an orderly, pretty appearance.  A rockery, too can be very pretty adding plants will add more cover for your birds or a fountain will give your birds plenty of water.  Just remember to leave lots of space between the rocks for birds to hide, and if you live in an area with snakes that prey on birds, make sure your rockery doesn’t abut a hill where snakes can dig deeper dens under the cover of your rockery.  All three of these options will also provide habitats for worms and bugs that some birds love to eat.

In the next post we will share recipes for both suet balls and peanut butter treats to help your birds.

The large, striking copper Seville Bird Feeder is easy to maintain and a gorgeous element in your garden www.theshopperslink.com

Providing habitats for wildlife in your garden

Meeting all four basic needs of the wildlife you intend to attract (food, water, shelter and escape routes) will encourage habitual visitors.  While food and escape routes may vary wildly depending on the variety of species you want to encourage, something that is basically similar to most species is some form of shelter within your space. 

Many small birds and mammals prefer to nest in close, grassy thickets where they are protected from harsh storms and predators are less likely to reach them.  There are two good ways to simulate these thickets in your yard.   The first method is to drag fallen branches from surrounding woods into a brush pile in a corner of your yard, preferably in a sunny area.   It is important that the brush pile remain undisturbed after being created so animals will feel safe building their homes inside.  Adding fallen leaves or grass clippings to the pile will help animals line their nests and holes.   This method is a good option for those gardeners on the east coast of the U.S., but for those who live in central and southwestern regions of the country, a brush pile ought to be avoided in favor of other methods.   The brown recluse and black widow spiders favor undisturbed wood piles as ideal habitats and using this technique could bring unwanted and dangerous pests into your space.  Instead, consider low growing hedges or a rockery. 

Hedges will encourage birds and small mammals to nest and are much tidier and more pleasant looking for formal gardens than woodpiles may be.  Again, make sure to lay your hedges out in the sunnier parts of your space and bank the base of the hedges with dead leaves or mulch to add cover for your nesting wildlife.  Hedges can be kept trimmed without disturbing any occupants as long as the heart of the shrub is left intact.

A rockery is a good alternative for gardens with water features or for desert spaces.  Rockeries will attract frogs and newts or reptiles like small lizards or garter snakes.  They can also provide cover for small mammals like shrews, field mice and ermine when surrounded by tall ornamental or field grasses.  Many birds will be attracted to rockeries, sometimes to nest, but more often because it will provide a habitat for the insects that songbirds especially, love to eat.   When you build a rockery, it is important to have an idea of what kind of animals you most want to attract.  A gravel base near a water feature is important when trying to attract amphibians so that the rocks may be moist without allowing the whole thing to sink in a muddy mess.   Reptiles, however, prefer a dry sandy base in a sunny spot with lots of gaps between the rocks, and mammals may prefer a rockery that’s built out from a dirt mound, allowing them to tunnel farther in during winter months.  The most important part, no matter which you are trying to attract, is not to make the rocks too tight.  A rockery should not be like a stone wall but should have many gaps and crevices for animals to escape into.  There are several ways to make your rockery fit with your gardening style or to make it blend in with its landscape.  The quickest way to achieve growth on your rockery is to encourage lichens and moss by painting your rocks with milk, yoghurt or sugar water and seeding these areas with small slivers of lichen from wild sources.  You will also need to fill some of the gaps with potting mix or mulch to add plants with shallow root systems.  Ground crawlers work best, but you can even plant dwarf trees and shrubs like junipers or tea roses successfully.  When you are trying to attract wildlife, native plants are always best since they are more familiar and are more likely to bear the food your wildlife needs.  However, rockery plants are a booming industry and many greenhouses specialize in rockery friendly species