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If you’re looking to keep pigeons at bay in your garden, one flower colour could be the key.

There are many ways you can keep these pests out of the way without them causing any destruction so you can still enjoy viewing them and hearing their beautiful birdsong. One of which is to plant a certain colour of flowers, as it apparently it acts as a warning to pigeons, according to Sefton Meadows Garden Centre.

The experts say that white flowers act as a ‘danger’ colour to pigeons and can deter the opportunistic feeders from making a mess and excess noise.

They said: “White is a ‘danger’ colour to birds, much in the same way that red is a warning colour to humans.

“Many birds use the white plumage in their feathers to show each other that there is danger ahead, so planting a variety of white flowers around areas you want to keep protected might be enough to stop pigeons from landing”.

Thankfully there are plenty of gorgeous white flower varieties that you can choose from, but the experts have shared a few of their favourites, reports the Express.

These include:

However, many want their gardens to be full of plants with colour, so instead they should stick to planting colours in areas that don’t need pigeon protection.

White flowers aren’t the only anti-pigeon measure that gardeners can take – installing decoys of their predators could be just as effective.

Pigeons, like all animals, are instinctively wary of their natural enemies and will “stay well away” when they sense danger. If a cat or a bird of prey is perceived to threaten your green space, pigeons are unlikely to stick around and “will fly away promptly”.

Many garden centres stock statues of creatures such as hawks, eagles, owls, and cats. Placing a couple of these in plain sight could be an efficient deterrent.

For those interested, B&Q offers the Flying Hawk Garden Bird Deterrent on sale for £12.99. A more affordable option, the Luminous Bird Repellent Hanging Eagle with Music Flying Bird Scarer Garden Decor, is available on eBay for merely £6.83.

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Source: dailyrecord.co.uk

GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – As spring-like weather approaches, so does the desire to start gardening.

Lindsley’s Greenhouse in Green Bay opened for the season on Saturday and saw a rush of customers waiting to pick out the perfect flower pot, hanging basket, and more.

A family-owned greenhouse, Lindsley’s Greenhouse was established in 1955 and has been growing their own plants and providing high-quality plants for over 65 years.

As people are gearing up for the spring season, Jim Lindsley is providing his customers with the best gardening tips.

Newsmaker Sunday: Nationally known gardening expert, Melinda Myers

“It’s definitely early but people have been in their yards getting things ready with this early spring, but you still have to be patient,” he stated. “It’s not quite time to plant much of anything in the ground.”

Lindsley says the early spring-like temperatures are what are drawing people in early and making them want to begin planting early, but that isn’t a bad thing because there are still plenty of options.

“As far as flowers you can think about pansies and petunias certainly can and things like snap-dragon are more cold tolerant,” he explained. “Really anything that you can put in a flower pot.”

Hundreds walk in De Pere to raise awareness for Multiple Sclerosis

Many people have strategically planted seeds in their homes to later plant outside, which can be effective if done correctly.

“Just be careful in transitioning it to the outside,” said Lindsley. “A cold wind can do some damage and even the bright sunlight that they’re not used to.”

He also wants to remind people that living in Wisconsin, you never know what mother nature will do so he recommends you wait until mid-May before really getting into a lot of planting.

Lindsley’s Greenhouse is located at 733 Lime Kiln Rd in Green Bay but to stay updated on the greenhouse or contact them with any questions, you can visit their Facebook page.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFRV Local 5 – Green Bay, Appleton.

Source: yahoo.com

April showers bring May flowers, or so the saying goes. Years of unceasing drought brought many a perennial flower garden to its knees in the Santa Clarita Valley. But the past few years of bountiful rain makes one’s gardening heart flutter with possibilities. 

However, before going too crazy and risking gardening disappointment, it’s important to remember that the normal climate in the SCV is considered to be a Mediterranean climate, approaching a semi-arid climate, with hot, dry summers. 

With the ever-present threat of drought and constant messages to conserve water, even in “moist” years, how can you balance conservation and a beautiful garden? 

So, that begs the question, what should you plant for beautiful summer blooms?

Wildflowers 

With all the recent rain it is likely your gardens still have a healthy moist water reserve several inches deep. If you throw a handful of wildflower seeds into your gardens, for example California poppies, you still have a high probability of being rewarded with sprouts in just a few weeks and if nurtured they should bloom within 60 days, if not sooner.  

They will die back fairly quickly with the approaching summer weather but are joyful to experience, even if it only for a few weeks.  

Weather will determine the success of this project. If the mild spring continues you will be glad you took a chance of bringing these beautiful blooms to your garden. If the fierce summer temps make an early appearance, it might all be for nought.  

Seed packets of mixed wildflowers can be found at most garden stores or online.

Classic Perennials 

There are some classic “old-fashioned” perennials you can plant that seem to enjoy the dry, harsh summers that the SCV experiences in a normal year.  

If you baby them through their first summer there is a good chance you will be rewarded with perennial summer blooms for years to come with little maintenance.  

Here is a list of suggested hardy perennials:

Santa Barbara Daisy 

If you want a multitude of showstopping blooms this summer the Santa Barbara Daisy is a vigorous, no-maintenance garden plant with gray-green leaves and profusions of yellow-center flowers.  

The Santa Barbara Daisy blooms profusely from spring through fall and attracts butterflies and beneficial insects. 

The petals start out as white but then fade into pink or purple.

Matilija Poppy 

The perfect addition to a no-maintenance garden is the Matilija Poppy. This not really a shrub, not just a flower grows riotous foliage and is one of the largest and showiest California poppies. Large white petals with a crinkled texture surround yellow centers, giving this poppy a cheerful appearance. Its flowers, which can be as large as seven inches across, are attractive to bees and butterflies. 

Lily of the Nile 

A native to Africa Lily of the Nile is a low-maintenance perennial perfect for warm climates. Blooming in late summer they grow large spherical flower clusters atop long stalks. The flowers are funnel-shaped and typically blue, purple or white. The attractive, thick, dark green leaves are sword-shaped. Lily of the Nile is a great container flower.  

African Iris 

The African Iris is an easy-maintenance plant perfect for planting along a walkway. This this summer bloomer loves hard-to-grow spots, bearing dozens of white flowers from spring through summer. The African Iris has a long season of flowering from spring through fall. The plant thrives in full sunlight and is very drought-tolerant. 

California Fuchsia 

Everyone loves beautiful fuchsias. Fuchsias can bring bold color to a drab landscape. A long bloomer and heat-resistant the California fuchsia offers intense hot-red or orange flowers all summer. California fuchsia flowers are perfect for hummingbird pollination. The flowers provide an important nectar source for many pollinator species, including bees and hummingbirds. This is a hardy wildflower with trumpet-like blooms, different than many hothouse fuchsias, but no less lovely.  

Bird of Paradise 

Bird of Paradise adds a tropical flair to any no-maintenance garden with glowing orange blooms. Plant one, or plant a group, to give your garden a dramatic centerpiece. It is a classic for traditional drought-tolerant gardens.  

Kangaroo Paw 

Another tropical-inspired perennial, the Kangaroo Paw is a slender bloomer that can grow five-foot branches which add height to your summer garden. It produces delicate flowers that are tubular and resemble a cute kangaroo’s paw, from which it gets its name. Flowers from spring to mid-summer.  

Bear’s Breeches 

Bear’s Breeches is a funny name for what is a tall and beautiful flowering perennial. These easy-maintenance plants can shoot up flower spikes in summer up to 4 feet high. Bear’s Breeches is also distinctive for its huge, coarse leaves which adds an interesting “texture” to garden plantings.  

Blue Passionflower 

The Blue Passionflower is a hardy vine that likes full sun. Plant along a trellis, fence, or arbor and watch it climb. Or let it sprawl unsupported as a ground cover. It has large flowers that bloom all summer. Flowers are extremely showy and colorful, including a mix of white, purple, green and burgundy red. The blooms are also sweetly fragrant and attractive to butterflies.  

Indian Paintbrush 

Indian Paintbrush is a native wildflower that can be grown from seed in the home garden. It is perfect for a hummingbird or butterfly garden. Tubular flowers bloom in the summer with bright red, orange and yellow clusters atop tall stems. This plant actually prefers to grow in rocky or sandy soil and is found growing naturally along bluffs, hillsides and other dry places. Indian paintbrush is the larval host plant for several species of butterflies and moths.

Source: signalscv.com

Hunter-gatherers were better off than Neolithic farmers, diet-wise — until Earth was hit by seasonal extremes caused by Jupiter’s gravity

Published Apr 28, 2024  •  Last updated 7 hours ago  •  4 minute read

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Stunning florals are synonymous with springtime, and chances are, every social channel you’re scrolling through is bursting with beautiful blooms.

As at-home floral arrangement and gardening both grow in popularity, gardeners in spaces of every size are looking to fill their outdoor spaces with a variety of bouquet-worthy botanicals, seeking the best seeds to plant, and finding top techniques to try for this growing season.

Whether 2024 is the year you’re starting your first flower garden, or you’re a seasoned pro looking to bring your backyard to the next level— these are the five trends to watch this spring.

Meet the Expert

Emily Lucas is a cut flower gardener and content creator at Linen and Sage Cut Flowers based in Alberta, Canada.

Want more gardening tips? Sign up for our free gardening newsletter for our best-growing tips, troubleshooting hacks, and more!

Cut Flower Gardens

Clive Nichols / Getty Images

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Whether you’re looking to maximize your designated cut garden area, or are an apartment dweller filling a balcony garden with florals and greenery, this spring is the perfect time to experiment with DIY vertical gardening methods like trellises, hanging planters, and containers.

“I have noticed a huge increase in backyard home-cut flower gardeners finding creative ways to grow flowers to maximize space,” Lucas says. “Those with smaller spaces, like me, are making the most of containers and raised beds.”

Cottage-Style Gardens

Deborah Cerbone

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Much like the cozy, romantic cottagecore aesthetic for interiors, cottage gardens reminiscent of the English countryside have become a staple source of inspiration for gardeners on this side of the Atlantic.

“The English cottage garden style is here to stay,” Lucas says. “This trend has taken over the cut flower community, with colorful pastels and seasonal blooms mixed together to create a relaxed, yet wild and natural feeling.”

Another advantage of this unstructured look is that it appeals to a variety of guests: both people and pollinators. Filling a garden with a mix of flowers nearby makes your backyard much more appealing to birds, bees, and butterflies.

Eco-Friendly Choices

ev-Lcmn / Getty

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Planting flowers with pollinators in mind is an ideal starting point for creating a planet-friendly garden this spring, and there are endless eco-conscious decisions you can make when planning for the 2024 growing season.

“I hope that as cut flower gardens become more and more popular—it inspires flower growers to understand their impact on the environment,” Lucas says. “There is a growing number of cut flower growers using regenerative practices and plastic and foam-free flower arrangements.”

More and more gardeners have been planting and harvesting with environmental impacts in mind each year, and flower gardeners can do their part by picking varieties that thrive in rain gardens, opting for drought-tolerant flowers, and repurposing household materials as flower pots and planters.

Read Next: Creating Your Own Pollinator Garden Is Easier Than You Think—Here’s How

Read the original article on The Spruce.

Source: yahoo.com

When do hydrangeas flower? We asked gardening experts

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Hydrangeas are one of my favorite plants, although I have a few others too! I eagerly await their buds coming into full bloom each year and their show-stopping floral display. 

What’s more, hydrangeas have a long flowering season, meaning once they’ve started to flower, you can continue to enjoy them for several months. Then, even once the flower heads begin to fade, you can put away your best pruning shears and forget about deadheading, as the flowerheads provide a striking architectural structure in the garden.

Southern Living Plant Collection. “However, the exact timing can vary depending on the specific variety, weather conditions, and planting Zone.

It will also be affected by the environmental conditions of where it’s planted and the vagaries of the current growing season. Lorraine Ballato, horticulturist and resident hydrangea expert at the New York Botanical Garden, says: “I have several oak leaf, quercifolia hydrangeas. But they don’t flower at the same time since one gets more shade and another has better moisture-retentive soil.”

She also highlights the different bloom cycles in the U.S., stating that the bloom cycle is earlier in the South, whereas in the Northeast, it is much later. The variety will also make a difference: “The latest ones to flower are the paniculatas, panicles, like ‘Limelight’, ‘Firelight’, and ‘Quickfire’ that prefer sun, but those that get less sun will flower later.”

When hydrangeas bloom depends on their type

Although Ballato says the “schedule” will be different for each garden and planting Zone, the following is a general guide to when hydrangeas bloom:

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Smooth hydrangea, arborescens hydrangea
Early June and beyond

Oakleaf hydrangea, quercifolia hydrangea
June and beyond

Bigleaf hydrangea, hydrangea macrophylla
Early to mid-June, and some varieties bloom a week or two later

Panicle hydrangea, hydrangea paniculata
July and August and beyond

Climbing hydrangea, hydrangea anomala petiolaris
Late June and beyond

Vater adds that bigleaf hydrangeas, also known as mophead or lacecap hydrangeas, such as ‘Dear Dolores’, are known for their large, round clusters of blooms and typically flower from spring to fall. “New flower buds tend to appear earlier in spring compared to other types and will continue to rebloom on old and new wood throughout the season,” she explains.

However, Vater adds: “Panicle hydrangeas, such as ‘White Wedding’, bloom a bit later in the season, generally from summer to fall.

Did you know?
Apart from hydrangeas blooming at different times, did you know that you can change the color of hydrangea macrophylla from blue to pink or from pink to blue? Discover how to change the color or hydrangeas.

Signs that your hydrangea is about to flower 

If you’re like me and are keen to watch for the early signs that your hydrangeas are getting ready to flower, there are a few indicators to look out for. Vater says: “Look for the plant to break dormancy — little green buds will appear along the length of the stems — and then examine the plant for bud formation.”

You can expect the buds to form in early spring, around April or May for many regions. As they mature and gradually increase in size, they may change color. She adds: “The stems that bear flowers might become noticeably thicker and sturdier than non-flowering stems. This indicates that the plant is directing resources towards flower development.”

How long do hydrangeas to bloom? 

One of the reasons I love hydrangeas so much is their long flowering season. “They hold their flowers for the entire season and change color as they age,“ says Ballato. 

Once they’ve finished blooming, Ballata says that many gardeners, like me, leave the flowers on the plant for winter interest and to provide a habitat for birds.

She also mentions that remontant varieties, also known as reblooming hydrangeas, including bigleaf and mountain hydrangeas, push up new flowers throughout the season. But why are these hydrangeas so prolific? This is because they can produce blooms on old and new wood, meaning you can enjoy the flowers from spring through to fall. One particular powerhouse of blooms is ‘Endless Summer’, which can produce flowers from early summer through to October. 

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What would prevent a hydrangea from flowering? 

If you look forward to seeing the buds and blooms emerge, it can be disappointing if your plant doesn’t perform. However, there could be several reasons that are impacting your plant’s flowering success.

Ballata explains a wide array of environmental conditions can affect performance, including light, moisture, soil conditions, pruning habits, fertilization, and where the plant is positioned in winter. “Weather is another big issue,” she adds. Fluctuating temperatures once the plant has broken dormancy can spell disaster for successful flowering.

Should you deadhead hydrangeas?

There are two rules when deadheading hydrangeas. Deadhead them during the flowering season to promote new blooms but leave them intact at the end of the season. Vater explains: “Flower heads can be removed as they fade by clipping the spent bloom from the top portion of the stem. This will signal to the plant to put more energy into producing new blooms. However, near the end of the growing season, some varieties of hydrangeas can provide winter interest with aged blooms left in place.”

Ballato agrees: “The spent flower heads provide a measure of winter protection — like an umbrella.”

She also advises: “Stop any cutting and fertilizing when night time temperatures are consistently below 60°F. That’s when some of the hydrangea varieties set up their buds for the following year, and you don’t want to push any new growth for about 6-8 weeks after that temperature change.”

More from Tom’s Guide

Source: tomsguide.com

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