I'm making plans for a winter garden to cheer me up next winter. Any thoughts?
In a season of gray and brown, winter gardens add color, variety and action. Select shrubs and trees with year-round green or colored foliage, such as yellow or blue junipers. Ground covers such as Christmas fern or Allegheny pachysandra are good evergreens, too. The shiny leaves of Southern magnolia and hollies gleam. Red-, yellow- and orange-berried plants are fantastic, especially winterberry. Those berries, plus nuts and cones, attract birds whose antics will liven each day. Water features, too, attract birds and wildlife and are always changing with reflected light. Deciduous plants also contribute. Bark comes in surprising colors and patterns, while black raspberry shoots add showy lavender shades. Plan to leave seed pods and dried flower heads of perennials over the winter — their myriad shapes, such as the black dots of black-eyed Susans, punctuate the garden, and they draw more birds. Think about adding hardscape, too, such as pathways, statues and walls. These give the garden structure, provide interest and are transformed by snow or ice.
I'm concerned about a bald eagle nest near our home. It seems like one of the pair is in the nest all the time. Is it sick? Is it hibernating? Should I call someone to investigate this?
Incredibly, bald eagles lay their eggs early in the winter and must sit on them to warm and protect the eggs until they hatche in spring. The eagles do not like to be disturbed, so no action should be taken.
Plant of the week
ZZ plant, aroid palm, eternity plant
Zamioculcas zamiifolia
The botanical name of this tropical houseplant is a mouthful, so it has become known simply as ZZ plant. Native to east Africa and known as a "plant of steel," it does not disappoint. It adapts well to low light conditions in the home or office, and is not bothered by many pests and diseases. As ZZ plant matures, multiple arching stems sprout leaflets so smooth, shiny and dark green, they almost look artificial. Growing to about 30 inches, the plant prefers bright, indirect light but tolerates low light. It also prefers moist, well-drained soil but can tolerate drier soil because its rhizomatous roots enable the plant to store water. Easy to propagate by division, it will also grow slowly from leaf cuttings.
— Marian Hengemihle