For the love of birds in your backyard habitat

Ah, fall. A glorious patchwork of vibrant colors splashed like a sunset across landscapes. I'm a fall junkie. Love the changing leaves, hearty soups, fall bounty and harvest celebrations. Plus, it's a great time to plant before old man winter visits.

When planning your landscape, consider plants that provide habitats for birds and other wildlife that are integral players in the delicate ecosystem. 

The National Audubon Society suggests planting native plants that provide nuts, seeds, fruit and nectar.  Browse the site for shrubs, grasses, vines and trees that provide shelter and food sources for specific birds along with great tips and resources you and your family can enjoy together.

Chickadees, cardinals and finches love seeds found in coneflowers, asters, grasses, fir and maple. 

Yellow-rumped warblers and bluebirds will flock to fruit-bearing shrubs like elderberry, blueberry and pokeberry and hummingbirds hover for nectar around columbine, lobelia, Bee Balm and the new Bloomtastic! butterfly bushes Lavender Veil and Purple Splendor. 

Majestic trees like walnut, hickory, chestnut and oak provide shelter and nuts for nuthatches and more.

Prepare your garden now and you can have spectacular year round color and beauty and a perfect habitat for wildlife.

                                                 

Let us know your favorite birds and what you've planted to attract them to your backyard habitat

Lynne
Garden Media Group

photos: landscapes: American Beauties Native Plants; Bloomtastic! Buddleia Lavender Veil; Nuthatch: WikiCommons

Roof Top Gardens flourish from Hong Kong to Philly

Green roofs are springing up from Hong Kong to Philadelphia as more and more cities and communities realize the benefits green roofs provide for people and the environment.

From growing edibles to planting colorful perennials and natives that attract beneficial wildlife, green roofs provide a relaxing escape from the noise and pollution of city life. As an added benefit, roof top gardens reduce rainwater runoff that contributes to flooding and pollution, and help cool buildings by absorbing heat.

With so much to offer, even big corporations like Philadelphia based PECO Energy have jumped on the green roof bandwagon.

They partnered with  PHS (Pennsylvania Horticulture Society), known for the prestigious Philadelphia International Flower Show, to design and maintain PECO's 45,000 square foot green roof  perched eight stories high above the crowded streets.

PHS provides plans, plants and maintenance, and conducts walking tours where visitors can enjoy breathtaking views of the city along with areas that feature large planters filled with a variety of native grasses and perennials.

This fits nicely with PHS's green initiatives to educate and grow stronger communities by supporting urban farming and community gardens, restoring vacant land, planting trees and more.

Around the world, rooftop farms are springing up on top of skyscrapers like in Hong Kong, where urban dwellers of the modern asphalt jungle grow fresh fruit, veggies and herbs for better health and wellness and the incomparable fresh taste of homegrown food.

From walking tours to a peaceful escape from a harried day, nothing beats the simple pleasure of enjoying Mother Nature where green meets blue.

Let us know if your city is planning to add rooftop gardens and if not, why not? Cost to build and maintain? Or not enough interest?

Lynne
Garden Media Group
photos credits: NYC Rockefeller Center rooftop gardens by David Shankbone, Wikipedia Commons