Top Q&A Homeowner Questions

January/February 2008

What is there to do in the garden in January?

The Hotline hibernates in January and wakes up slowly in February. Forsyth County Cooperative Extension can send you their attractive Month-by-Month Landscaping Guide.  Call 336.703.2867.

One suggestion for January is:  “feed and water the birds during cold weather. Birds are the gardener’s friends.” Birds certainly add winter interest in the garden, and you can attract them even if you live in a high population area. Numerous varieties of feeders are available at box stores and at bird specialty shops. Near the feeders are bags of seeds and suet delights.

A platform feeder placed on your deck or attached to a pole set outside a window, especially one with a comfortable chair nearby, will reward your efforts in no time.  Martin County Extension agent, Jim Kea, offers some good suggestions at http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/martin/twigs/feedbirds.php
He reports that cardinals, chickadees, grosbeaks and finches prefer sunflower seeds, while juncos and towhees, ground feeders, favor seed blends heavy with millet. Woodpeckers will belly right up to suet blocks in wire baskets.

While thinking about birds, why not consider bird-attracting plants you can add to your garden in the spring and sketch out a plan where to plant them. Check this site: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/birds/bird_index.html

Everett Davis, agent in Robeson County, suggests lots of ways to attract birds: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/robeson/edcolumn/2004/121604.php
He has several peanut butter projects which will entertain not only the birds but children in your circle.

Water for the birds is even more important than food, especially when temperatures drop below freezing. In this event, be a pal, break the ice and add water to the bird bath or shallow pan.

Besides controlling insects, some birds, like hummingbirds, provide an extensive pollinating service in the United States and around the world.  Who doesn’t rejoice to see and to hear birds hopping and twitting in the shrubbery and up on the feeder?