Insects And Critters | GardeningCalendar.ca

An Overview of Garden Plant Suggestions for Birds

Julianne Labreche, Master Gardener, Ottawa-Carleton N= Native Plant Bird Friendly Shrubs and Small Trees Evergreen Trees for Birds Deciduous Trees for Birds Perennials for Birds Bird-Friendly Annual Flowers Bird-Friendly Vines Grasses for Birds These are alternatives to Miscanthus, considered an invasive plant species. www.ontarioinvasiveplants.ca/grow-instead Groundcovers for Birds Useful Birding Apps Merlin Bird ID Website: merlin.allaboutbirds.org…

Birds | Local - Ottawa | Master Gardeners

Gardening for Birds: Gardening for American Goldfinches

Author: Julianne Labreche, Master Gardeners of Ottawa-Carleton; published with permission One pleasure every summer is watching American goldfinches forage for seeds among the flowers and grasses of my front-yard pollinator garden. These beautiful little birds, only about 10 cm in length, are attracted to many of the same plants as butterflies. According to The Cornell…

Birds | Local - Ottawa | Master Gardeners

Gardening for Birds: Planting for Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds

Author: Julianne Labreche, Master Gardeners of Ottawa-Carleton; published with permission Twenty-three different kinds of hummingbirds have been identified in North America, but the rubythroated hummingbird is the only one that visits our Ottawa and Ontario regions. Ruby-throated hummingbirds are not only beautiful but truly remarkable. Weighing less than a nickel, these tiny birds migrate north…

Insects And Critters | Local - Ottawa | Master Gardeners

Rose Pests: European Rose Sawfly and Rose Plume Moth

Author: Amanda Carrigan, Master Gardeners of Ottawa-Carleton; published with permission I like roses but grow only two hardy kinds – cinnamon rose (Rosa majalis) and rugosa rose (Rosa rugosa). Neither is affected by disease, yet every year my roses get attacked by caterpillars. Two different types turn up in May and June and wreak havoc…

Birds | Local - Ottawa | Master Gardeners

Gardening for Birds: Planting for Blue Jays

Author: Julianne Labreche, Master Gardeners of Ottawa-Carleton; published with permission The blue jay is notably recognizable by its shrieking, sharp calls and its beautiful blue, white, grey and black plumage. Considered to be an intelligent bird, it has a complex social system and tight family bonds. Where you can find Blue Jays These birds are…

Birds | Local - Ottawa | Master Gardeners

Gardening for Birds: Planting for White-Breasted Nuthatches

Author: Julianne Labreche, Master Gardeners of Ottawa-Carleton; published with permission White-breasted nuthatches are sometimes called ‘upside down’ birds because of their unusual ability to perch and move upside down on trees. In any position, they can probe into bark furrows, cling to a tree, and move up and down to forage or hide food. It…

Birds | Local - Ottawa | Master Gardeners

Gardening for Birds: Planting for Black-capped Chickadees

Author: Julianne Labreche, Master Gardeners of Ottawa-Carleton; published with permission Frequent visitors to my backyard garden are the curious little black-capped chickadees. They are easily recognizable with their black cap and bib, white cheeks, and warm buff-tone flanks and sides. Usually they visit my garden in small flocks for safety. Sometimes they arrive with other…

Birds | Local - Ottawa | Master Gardeners

Gardening for Birds: Planting for Sparrows

Author: Julianne Labreche, Master Gardeners of Ottawa-Carleton; published with permission Many different species of sparrows visit my backyard garden, no matter the season. Sparrow sightings in the Ottawa area include song sparrows, chipping sparrows, swamp sparrows, house sparrows, white-crowned sparrows, and white-throated sparrows, among others. Even the dark-eyed Junco is part of the North American…

Birds | Local - Ottawa | Master Gardeners | Winter

A Winter Garden for Birds

Author: Julianne Labreche, Master Gardeners of Ottawa-Carleton; published with permission My bird feeders are a source of life in the stillness of winter. From my backyard window, I can watch the fluttering of wings at the edge of the garden. Northern cardinals perch on snow-covered evergreen branches. Woodpeckers hide black sunflower seeds in the crannies…

Fertilizer | Insects And Critters | Local - Ottawa | Soil & Seeds | Veggie Bites

Watering with Fish Emulsion Fertilizer

With the continuing heat, I try to do most of my watering in the early morning. I have a nice big green watering can to which I add about two teaspoons of fish emulsion fertilizer. I will be using this for all of my tomatoes, roses and other vegetables. Greetings fellow gardeners, It is a…

Birds | Garden Landscaping | Local - Ottawa | Master Gardeners | Veggie Bites

Art in the Garden at Kiwi Gardens

The cool thing about these sculptures was that many of them would move with the wind. Lots of ideas for art in my own garden. In addition to the stand-alone sculptures, I loved all the colourful glasswork. Greetings fellow gardeners, Today it is warm and humid. This is great weather for mildew to form so…

Pollinators | Seasonal | Spring

Releasing Bees from Their Cocoons

Bees released from their cocoons seemed very attracted to the sweet-smelling lilacs, and there were primulas and tulips nearby. One of the most wonderful things I discovered when I started studying pollinators was that butterflies and moths love heavily scented plants. Greetings fellow gardeners It has been an interesting few days. Rain and sun and…

Bees Need Water and the Bee Hotel

Bees need water and this water is a good source for the bees in the hotels. My pond has some cattails that need to be cut so the new growth can flourish. Another native plant I have near the pond is a bog plant called Arrowhead (Sagittaria latifolia). Greetings fellow gardeners I have been staying…

Birds | Garden Tourism

Gray-black Warbler (Setophaga nigrescens)

During this season, we have a large number of visitors at the Vallarta Botanical Garden from the winter territories of Canada and the United States. In the same way, we receive a large number of feathered traveler, (known as birds!) from those territories, who come in search of food and warmer temperatures. This is the…

Local - Ottawa | Master Gardeners | Pollinators | Veggie Bites

Bee Hotel Research

Judith makes observations, including on bee and wasp diversity, as part of research done by a PhD student, as the bee hotel is dismantled for the season. While the weather is still incredibly mild, I am seeing many of the signs of autumn. Most of the trees have lost their leaves and the chickadees are…

Local - Ottawa | Plants | Pollinators | Veggie Bites

Bird Netting for Roses in Winter

This week, Judith shares how she prepares her roses for winter, including the use of netting and the importance of snow cover. The temperature today is confusing. It is nearly Halloween, and the temperature is in the high twenties. It does, however, give me more time for my garden cleanup. I haven’t finished cutting back…

Birds | Local - Ottawa | Plants | Shrubs

10 Shrubs with Berries for Fall and Winter Bird Treats

Berries are an irresistible treat for birds, particularly in winter when food is scarce. The fruits produced by these shrubs provide calories and crucial nutrients that birds need, particularly during the cold winter months when other natural food sources are nonexistent or buried in the snow. Here are some of my favorites to consider for…

Gardening | Gardening Basics | Insects And Critters

How To Use Neem Oil on Plants

Wondering how to use neem oil as a natural fungicide on plants? Find out below. Neem oil is a vegetable oil that, in addition to its many benefits, protects plants from insects, mites, or fungal infestations. It is completely safe to use, and won’t harm people or animals or endanger wildlife in any other way….

Featured | Plants | Pollinators

Plants that Attract Monarch Butterflies

Monarch butterflies are superb pollinators, and if they are fed plants they enjoy, they will pollinate your entire garden. Butterflies require two kinds of plants to survive: host plants and food plants. Plant a monarch butterfly garden because their populations have been progressively dropping in recent decades, mostly due to habitat loss and pesticide usage….

Fertilizer | Insects And Critters | Soil & Seeds

Diatomaceous Earth Keeps Insects Away

Insects are all at once the friend and the foe of the gardener. Beneficial bugs help with pollination and can help to keep the population of other insect species under control.

Gardening | Gardening Basics | Insects And Critters

Top 5 Plant Killing Diseases and Protections

Plant diseases can ruin your day! If you have several ornamental or edible plants in your garden, it’s a good idea to have a strategy to identify plant diseases and take immediate action to stop the spread of the disease in infected plants. Why Does the Garden Get Infected by Pests and Microbes? Plants are…

Planting Peas from Seed

Pea seeds are also placed in cardboard tubes, which keep them safe even after they’ve been planted out. Greetings fellow gardeners, Bee and Bee Cocoon Study This Saturday Lydia Wong, the PhD student who was conducting an experiment in my yard, returned with her two bee hotels and temperature gauge. Last year she collected…

Birds

The Top 8 Plants That Attract Hummingbirds

We’ll be talking about 8 different plants that appeal to hummingbirds, going into the details of their origin, life cycle, and appearance. But first, let’s understand what exactly are the traits of plants that attract hummingbirds.

Local - Ottawa | Master Gardeners | Pollinators | Seeds and Bulbs | Veggie Bites

Bumblebees and Seeds

I never realized how much I did not know about bumblebees. And, this week I started going through the seeds that I collected and chose several that I want to test. I really wanted to test the pepper seeds that I collected to see if the seed was viable. Greetings fellow gardeners, Bumblebee Photo…

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An Overview of Garden Plant Suggestions for Birds: Insects And Critters

An Overview of Garden Plant Suggestions for Birds

Gardening for Birds: Gardening for American Goldfinches

Gardening for Birds: Planting for Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds

Rose Pests: European Rose Sawfly and Rose Plume Moth

Gardening for Birds: Planting for Blue Jays

Gardening for Birds: Planting for White-Breasted Nuthatches

Gardening for Birds: Planting for Black-capped Chickadees

Gardening for Birds: Planting for Sparrows

A Winter Garden for Birds

Watering with Fish Emulsion Fertilizer

Art in the Garden at Kiwi Gardens

Releasing Bees from Their Cocoons

Bees Need Water and the Bee Hotel

Gray-black Warbler (Setophaga nigrescens)

Bee Hotel Research

Bird Netting for Roses in Winter

10 Shrubs with Berries for Fall and Winter Bird Treats

How To Use Neem Oil on Plants

Plants that Attract Monarch Butterflies

Diatomaceous Earth Keeps Insects Away

Top 5 Plant Killing Diseases and Protections

Planting Peas from Seed

The Top 8 Plants That Attract Hummingbirds

Bumblebees and Seeds

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