Wednesday, September 30, 2015

For The Birds

 The Fall is such a wonderful time of year for gardeners in Southern California. It is the best time of year to plant almost anything other than tropicals since the soil is still warm, the air is still mild (or at least in theory) and the rainy season is on its way. Plants like trees, shrubs and perennials planted in the fall have a chance to establish their root systems in the warm soil before the spring growing season starts, giving them a distinct head start. However we have been having such hot weather along with the continuing drought, it has just not been the right conditions for doing any planting yet. This hasn't kept me away from the nurseries though, as I dream of cooler days to come.

 Instead of bringing home plants doomed to struggle in the heat, I decided to enhance my bird friendly accessories in the way of a few pretty new birdhouses and a new feeder to hold nyger seeds. Rodents don't like these bird seeds and since I stopped feeding the birds a few years ago due to the growing population of rats and mice that were making the feeders their local dining preference, I'm hoping this will attract the small songbirds that do like the seeds.

There is something about the light that is especially lovely this time of year. The days are getting shorter, the nights are getting cooler and soon it will be time again to focus on the indoors and family and holidays, but hopefully there will be a window of opportunity to replace many of the plants that have disappeared during this long, hot dry summer, that just couldn't tolerate another year of drought.

4 comments:

Sheila said...

I love these birdfeeders! I'm up in OC fairly often and would love to check out some of these nurseries. Which are your favorites?

Sheila said...

Sheila, We have some wonderful nurseries, although I am sad to say we have recently lost a few lovely smaller ones. It seems that the local nurseries have a hard time competing with the big box stores.

Of course the nursery where I got these birdhouses is a must see, if only to gain some inspiration - that would be Roger's Gardens in Corona del Mar. Then because I live in South County, Plant Depot in San Juan Capistrano is one of the larger nurseries in the area with a great selection. I also like Dana Point Nursery on PCH in Dana Point because it is one of the few remaining smaller nurseries with unique items and plants. Whenever I am up in the Lake Forest area I make a point of stopping in Green Thumb, just off the 5 Freeway and El Toro Road. There are also a number of Armstrong nurseries in the area which are reliable too. If you head up towards Orange I know there used to be a number of nurseries in that area that I don't get up to visit much, but they are worth looking into. Good luck and have fun!

Sheila said...

Sheila, what a great list! Thank you so much. I can't wait to check out these nurseries. While I've been to Roger's Gardens a few times and really marvel at their design sense, I agree that they are more for inspiration. I love the smaller nurseries as well, so I think Dana Point Nursery may be first on my list. And with the rain this weekend - and a few more sprinkles today! - I'm thinking more and more of searching for some new treasures in the garden. Happy Monday and thanks again for such a great list of nurseries for me to discover!

uk.essay-writing-place.com said...

Last picture reminds me of Alice in wonderland. It is so magical and stunning!