The cranberry cotoneaster gets its common name from the abundant red fruit it bears in the fall, which resemble cranberries. It is a low, wide-spreading shrub with a stiff branching pattern. Young shoots grow in a herringbone pattern from older wood and form a dense, impenetrable tangle. Flowers are small and pink, blooming from May to June. They are attractive but not overwhelming. The glossy …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… leaves to support your plants and wildlife instead of bagging the leaves up and leaving them for collection: Help pollinators survive the winter An increasing number of people are trying to … the leaves from your lawn and moving them to your perennial beds. That way, you’re allowing for a more natural cycling of nutrients— and providing habitat and a food source for wildlife including insects. Soon-to-be butterflies, for instance, take shelter in the winter …
Type: Plant Info
… To kick things off, our Nature Preschool students answered some Very Big Questions on love for us. Now we have a crush on all of them. In love with summer roses Summer is the time when … June 3 – September 24 #loveinbloom2023 Included with general admission; parking fee applies for nonmembers. Buy admission Poems While You Wait July 8 & August 5 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free with … Just come with an idea for a poem. A poet will peck away on a manual typewriter and…. You get your own poem to keep—something special, something deep. We tried it. And now we’re in a …
Type: Blog
… who fills homemade bird feeders with thistle in the Enabling Garden, Garden visitors can get close views of a northern bird species called the pine siskin. Gregarious little birds, pine … from year to year, and when it's a particularly lean winter, the siskins fly south looking for food. They readily come to feeders filled with thistle seed. Siskins were particularly … antics of the siskins and their more common counterpart, the American goldfinch, as they vie for favorite perches on feeders and trees. Pine siskins start courting and choosing mates as …
Type: Birding
… rotation. Most orchids rotate 180 degrees in a process called resupination or, if you want to get technical, “blooming upside down.” The fancy petal known as the lip usually faces up. When the bloom rotates, the lip faces down and provides a landing platform for bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. The rotation also exposes the lip to more sunlight, … the orchid is the dark purple-ish part. One good turn deserves another Orchids are best known for this feat, though a few other species also rotate, including tropical pitcher plants ( …
Type: Blog
… As days get shorter in fall, the diminishing hours of sunlight trigger processes that turn summer-green … moisture, and genetic makeup of each plant, are the way deciduous plants prepare themselves for winter. Leaf Pigments Several types of pigments are always present in plant leaves. The … grass, flame grass, and Dallas Blues switch grass, to name just a few. Come on over and see for yourself! …
Type: Plant Info
… and whether there are signs of insect and rodent damage. The work comes at a critical time for Joshua trees, iconic plants of the Southwest. Joshua trees provide habitat and food for a host of animals; the plants are an essential part of the Mojave Desert ecosystem. But … Joshua trees will be saved. Maddy: It takes good ol’-fashioned manual labor and teamwork to get a big project done! Working side by side in the soil and getting to talk about life and our …
Type: Blog
… inspired by the bright, high-held flower spikes of the tall species, comes from the Greek word for "flame." Although some species have become common garden plants all over the world, nearly … stake them, Hawke recommends doing it early in the season. The phlox in the evaluation garden get blown around by wind as they grow, he says, which strengthens their stems. In a more sheltered site, they might flop more. Though its phlox cultivars get a layer of mulch to hold in moisture, the Garden never fertilizes or sprays its evaluation …
Type: Plant Info
… gone forever. Then there were those species that had reached such critically low numbers that, for all practical purposes, they were functionally extinct for me. Birds like the prairie … and egg laying as early as February. Eagle nests are usually built in living trees and can get quite large, as the long-lived adults add additional material to the same nest each year. One … eyes to the sky and you may be rewarded with a glimpse of our national symbol. Next time you visit, don't forget your zoom lens and binoculars to catch a glimpse of the Garden’s cast of …
Type: Blog
… few native plants to your garden. They can offer food, shelter, nesting material, and a place for insects and birds to lay their eggs. They tolerate the vagaries of an ever-changing climate. … nearly three billion since 1970, a number that scientists have called staggering. The reasons for the decline are numerous, but habitat loss and the resulting lack of food plays a significant … pears or rhododendrons. A lack of insects—especially caterpillars—means little or no food for hatchlings. Adult birds must spend energy flying longer distances from the nest looking for …
Type: Plant Info
