Make this Holiday One for the Birds

Winter Gardening Tips

Fruit trees can be planted now from containers while the soil is easy to dig. Water living Christmas trees frequently while they are indoors, and put them outside after a week or ten days. Spring bulbs can still be planted now—they make lovely gifts for friends and relatives.

Sasanqua camellias, like the bright red ‘Yuletide,’ have lovely, delicate flowers that bloom through the winter months. Find a place for one of these hardy shrubs in the landscape.

Attracting Birds to Your Garden

Watching birds feeding, bathing, and playing in your backyard is a joy for almost anyone. Birds are beautiful and help reduce plant damage from insect pests, making them a welcome addition to the garden.

• Bird Feeders:
  • Cylindrical plastic feeders: Fill with a good birdseed mix to attract nuthatches, chickadees, juncos, rufous-sided towhees, and sparrows.
  • Window feeders: Stick to windows with suction cups for close-up viewing, especially nice during bad weather.
  • Niger seed (thistle) feeders: Tubular feeders with small holes, popular with goldfinches.
  • Feeding tables: Attract larger birds like robins, finches, and evening grosbees.
  • Hummingbird feeders: Filled with sugar solutions to supplement flower nectar; Anna’s Hummingbird visits year-round.
  • Oriole feeders: Bright orange feeders that attract orioles with their distinctive whistle and colorful plumage.
• Birdbaths:
  • Attract birds year-round for drinking and bathing.
  • Concrete birdbaths are stable and decorative.
  • Hanging birdbaths work well in some locations.
  • Site near trees or bushes for safety while birds dry off and preen.
• Bird Houses (Nesting Boxes):

  Provide a safe place for birds to raise their young. The size, type, and entrance dimensions of the box determine which species will use it. Specialty boxes are available at bird supply stores.