Patience in the Fall

It may be cold and blustery outside, but it’s not winter yet!! The Dahlias are still blooming and the bees are still doing their thing!! Be patient in your garden at this time of the year. Don’t rush pulling up Dahlia tubers and let your perennial flowers and hardy annuals gently go to seed! It will help the plants and the pollinators! 🥰 This incredible photo was taken by @purcellfoto at our stand during Apple Fest!

Puede ser frío y ventoso afuera, ¡pero aún no es invierno! ¡¡Las dalias siguen floreciendo y las abejas siguen haciendo lo suyo!! Ten paciencia en tu jardín en esta época del año. ¡No te apresures a arrancar los tubérculos de Dahlia y deja que tus flores perennes y las anuales resistentes se conviertan suavemente en semillas! ¡Ayudará a las plantas ya los polinizadores! 🥰¡Esta increíble foto fue tomada por @purcellfoto en nuestro stand durante el Apple Fest!

#picaflor_farm

A Wet Spot? Here's Great choice for Birds

Do you have a wet spot in your yard you just don’t know what to to do with? Over the year you’ve tried all kinds of things with no success. It’s not always wet- sometimes during the summer the area is dry and during those times you've tried planting lots of things in that spot: flowering perennials, bushes, even a tree - but, sadly, your plants always die as they sit with wet feet!

You've found a. perfect spot for a wonderful deciduous shrub filled with colorful red (or or yellow) berries in the fall that last all winter long. It's the striking and bird loving Winterberry! It’s so cheerful and adds color and texture to your yard during the long winter months.!

But the best thing about it is that in late winter when you least expect it you’ll begin to see the birds eat the berries! Robins and catbirds, cardinals and mockingbirds and you might even see an occasional overwintering bluebird nibbling on one. And then of course you’ll get a sweet flock of cedar waxwings that will make your day!

To get a gorgeous crop of berries you'll need to plant a male and female plant close to each other, but both bring interest, The leaves are a wonderful shade of green that contrast with the red berries!

And now, during the fall, is the time the time to plant this sweet addition to your yard!

Beekeeping

One of the real joys in my garden has been the addition of honeybee hives. It has made me so much more aware of pollinator needs and how to make my yard a better space for all pollinators. From having water available, to an ongoing awareness of when my flowers are flowering, when bees are visiting them, which flowers they visit, and what wildflowers they are attracted to and I should nurture!

Visiting the hives always teaches me something new. My daughter and I inspect the hives together and this builds wonderful memories!

Here’s a short video of a queen emerging from a queen cell! We saw this together! And in just a few weeks we’ll be harvesting honey and beeswax!

But most important of all keeping bees makes us better at creating pollinator- friends spaces!