Provide Winter Meals for Wild Birds

An American robin feasts on native holly berries in the Blomquist Garden. 
Photo by Cathi Bodine

by Katherine Hale

Winter is the hardest time of year for wild birds. Just when they need to eat the most to keep themselves warm, the cold drives the insects they depend on into hibernation. Even fruit and seed eaters aren’t safe, with unpredictable bouts of ice, snow and inclement weather cutting off access to their food sources.

Like support stations at a marathon, backyard feeders bearing sunflower seeds and suet offer birds a lifeline in stressful times, with quick and easy boosts of the calories and fat they need to survive. Feeding birds is a safe, easy and fun way to help local wildlife, and it also allows adults and children alike an up-close-and-personal opportunity to connect with nature.

Feeders aren’t the only way to help birds, of course. Native trees like dogwoods, hollies and wax myrtles provide welcome bursts of seasonal color—along with food and shelter for hungry fall migrants and overwintering residents alike. Withered seed heads of ornamental grasses and sunflowers can be left up after the frost for foraging juncos and sparrows. (You can cut them down in the spring to make room for new foliage or plantings.) Native plants also serve as hosts to caterpillars and grasshoppers, allowing insectivores like bluebirds and warblers to thrive. And of course brightly colored flowers are the best way to draw in nectar-drinking hummingbirds.

But the wonderful thing about bird feeders is that they are open to everyone—no land or garden required. For those who don’t have access to much outdoor space, or who are waiting for their plants to mature, bird feeders offer an effective and immediate alternative. As long as you follow a few simple rules—making sure there are bushes or other cover nearby for birds to shelter in; cleaning the feeders regularly to prevent disease; and keeping cats and other pets indoors—the only limits are your budget, imagination and time.

What birds frequent your feeders depends on the kind of offerings you set out. Woodpeckers appreciate suet. Chickadees and cardinals love black oil sunflower seeds. That said, part of the fun of setting up a bird feeder is that you never know who might drop by. Visitors to the Blomquist Garden of Native Plants frequently spy a pair of mallard ducks hanging out under the feeders, commuting from the pond nearby. Online resources like eBird, iNaturalist and Feeder Watch provide space for the scientifically inclined to share and document their findings.

Bird feeders in the Blomquist. Photo by K. Julian.

The beauty of bird feeders is that they allow you the opportunity to watch wild birds up close, with a house or windowsill serving as a blind. Beginning and seasoned naturalists don’t even have to step outside to see the resulting antics, which speed up as weather conditions worsen. The result is live-action drama worthy of a reality show, as the dominant chickadee scolds its flockmates away from the choicest morsels, or a red-shouldered hawk shows up to try and snag a feathered meal of its own.

If you’d like to try making simple bird-feeders of your own out of pine cones, lard and other natural materials (no nuts or nut products involved), join us for our annual Winter Wonderland Festival, on Sunday, December 8, from 2-4 p.m. at the Doris Duke Center. The family-friendly festival is free for Duke Gardens members, and $5 per child for non-members. (Please register in advance at http://duke.is/tZhVcV.) In addition to winter-themed crafts, there will also be storytelling, cookie decorating, festive music and our resident snowperson, Snowflake. Hope to see you there!

For more plant and nature stories about Duke Gardens, check out the Garden Talk column on our website. 

Lecture & workshop preview: Planting in a Post-Wild World

Take inspiration from the Piedmont Prairie in the
Blomquist Garden of Native Plants.
Photo by Annabel Renwick.

By Katherine Hale

Native plant gardening is all the rage these days, and rightly so, but so often the reality falls short of its true potential.

The problem isn’t with the plants themselves. North Carolina native species are robust, colorful and charming, and they provide food and shelter for a wide range of birds, bees and other creatures. It’s really an organizational problem.

Effective design is what separates a beautiful meadow or functioning rain garden from a high-maintenance nightmare. Traditional garden placement, in which plants are treated as individual units separated by wide swathes of grass or mulch, just doesn’t measure up to the organic vitality and sustainability of landscapes organized by Mother Nature. But letting things run wild doesn’t always produce aesthetically pleasing results, bring in the species you’d prefer, or keep the homeowners’ association off your back.

What’s a busy, conscientious, nature-loving gardener to do?

In two upcoming events at Duke Gardens, landscape architect Claudia West will illustrate that it is possible to have a garden that is ornamental, functional and ecological all at the same time. The secret is to mimic the way plants layer and space themselves in the wild. It’s unorthodox but highly effective, and it’s not an exaggeration to say this will revolutionize the way you see the world.

West’s lecture on Thursday, March 30, will be based on the groundbreaking book she co-wrote with colleague Thomas Rainer, “Planting in a Post-Wild World: Designing Plant Communities for Resilient Landscapes.” Duke Gardens is pleased to host this event as part of the annual Taimi Anderson Lecture Series.

Drawing on key archetypal landscapes—grassland, woodland and forest—West will explain how to find the one that best suits your project or property, and how to find specific species from that landscape that will work in your eco-region. She’ll also detail how to lay out the plants in functional groups based on their roles in the landscape, and how to space plants to avoid any pesky weeding after installation. The Piedmont Prairie in the Blomquist Garden, for instance, could be the perfect inspiration for a backyard meadow featuring native wildflowers and drought-tolerant grasses, or perhaps a border around a more traditionally mowed lawn. Aside from a few basic ground rules and concepts, the limits are only determined by your imagination and creativity in applying them.

Haven’t read the book? Don’t worry—copies will be available for purchase on site with a book signing reception following the lecture. The lecture is free for garden members and Duke students, and $10 for the general public.

For those who prefer a more informal approach, West will also offer a small group workshop on Friday, March 31. Capped at 25 people, this is the perfect opportunity to ask West specific questions about plant selection or home or garden projects and get personalized feedback. The workshop is $80 for Gardens members, and $99 for the general public. Lunch will be provided for participants.

Finally, if you’re inspired by West’s enthusiasm for native plants and eager to try out these principles for yourself, don’t forget our Spring Plant Sale on April 1, and the Preview Sale for members the evening before. Here you can purchase grasses, shrubs and other native perennials selected for their premier ornamental qualities, with unique colors and textures you can’t find in the landscaping section of the average big box retailer—and use them to create a beautiful, ecologically-designed and resilient native garden of your own.

EVENT DETAILS:

“Planting in a Post-Wild World” lecture: Thursday, March 30, 7 p.m.

“Planting in a Post-Wild World” workshop: March 31, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Location: Doris Duke Center, Duke Gardens, 420 Anderson Street, Duke University, Durham.

Information/registration: gardenseducation@duke.edu or 919-668-1707.

Spring Plant Sale: Saturday, April 1, 8 a.m. to noon.

Preview Sale for Members: March 31, 4-6 p.m.

Blogger Katherine Hale is an intern in the Blomquist Garden of Native Plants at Duke Gardens and a graduate student in the Field Naturalist program at the University of Vermont. 

A Garden for Today and Tomorrow

Work with your natural environment to shape a garden
that will thrive. Photo by Robert Ayers.

It is very satisfying to step back at the end of a day spent gardening and admire all that you have accomplished. You’ve enriched your soil, pruned existing plants and helped your new plants settle in so they can delight you with their flowers.

Now it’s time to consider tomorrow and beyond.  Ask yourself: How can I build a garden that works with the forces of nature and not struggle against it? Gardening becomes so much easier when you consider nature a partner.

Begin by considering your garden from various viewpoints:
     - How is the soil—is it healthy, with microbes and organic material?
     - How does water move through your garden? Does it travel rapidly, with little chance to soak in? Or does it stay in place for days at a time?
     - What is the history of your garden area? Was it built upon long ago, or recently? Was it farmed?
Are there a number of existing plants, and what types are they?

Whether you grow vegetables or flowers, you can learn how
to work more harmoniously with your garden. Photo: R. Ayers.

The answers to these questions provide a starting point so you can create a garden that is unique to your site and takes advantage of the natural forces already at work.

“Easy Steps to a Resilient Garden” is the perfect Duke Gardens class to address these questions and more, for gardeners at all levels. The class will meet for two Tuesday sessions, Nov. 1 and 15, from 6:30-9 p.m. Instructed by Jan Little, landscape architect and director of education at Duke Gardens, the class will focus on harnessing nature to make your life easier.

We will discuss water harvesting and how you can minimize the amount of supplemental water used (and paid for) in your garden. You will learn simple methods to assess your existing soil and determine how best to improve it for plants.

Lastly, we will consider your garden dreams and how they match up with the existing situation. This will help you match your garden to the site and have a garden that is healthy and thriving without a lot of toil.

Spend more time admiring your garden and less time maintaining it!

For more information about "Easy Steps to a Resilient Garden," or to register, please email or call 919-668-1707.

The Blomquist Garden of Native Plants: A Museum in the Woods

The Blomquist Pavilion. Photo by Sue Lannon.

By Sarah Leach Smith

Visitor Services Coordinator

This post marks the first in a series highlighting the curators and plant collections of Duke Gardens. It is thanks to them that we are a world class botanic garden!

Curator Stefan Bloodworth. Photo by Cecelia Xie.

When walking through the Blomquist Garden of Native Plants, many people find themselves thinking a common thought: "I feel like I’m in the middle of the woods!"

The Blomquist Garden is one of four unique gardens in Duke Gardens. Its curator, Stefan Bloodworth, is glad that people feel like they are in the middle of the woods rather than the middle of the city of Durham. As with each distinct area within Duke Gardens, this garden has a unique history and mission. 

The Blomquist Garden was dedicated in 1968 in memory of professor Hugo L. Blomquist, the first chair of Duke University’s Department of Botany. At that time, the garden was an extensive fern collection to honor professor Blomquist’s extensive knowledge of native ferns. The collection was about one-quarter of the size of the present-day garden.

Bloodworth’s tenure as curator of the Blomquist began in 2002. By that time, the garden had expanded beyond ferns to include other types of plants native to the southeastern United States. The collections were well established, but Bloodworth was excited to put his spin on things. His background was in forest ecology, landscape design and carpentry.

McNabb Family Bridge and Stream. Photo by Rick Fisher.

Since his arrival, Bloodworth has worked to advance and evolve the Blomquist Garden in several ways. One of his first goals was to incorporate signature hardscapes that would complement and enhance the existing landscape elements. When planning for these projects, Bloodworth is deeply thoughtful with his aesthetic. From the material type and origin to the structural design, everything has to have a reason for being used.

One recent project is the McNabb Family Bridge and Stream. The integration of the wood and metal in the bridge serves both a functional and aesthetic purpose, tying together nature and man-made materials. The wood was locally sourced  southern reclaimed sinker cypress, and the metalwork, integrating sculptural accents inspired by native species, was created by a local artisan.

Close-up of metalwork on the McNabb Family Bridge. Photo by Bob Ayers.

“Everything has a purpose. There are stories everywhere, in every element of the design,” Bloodworth says. 

This same philosophy encompasses the horticultural goals that Bloodworth has for the Blomquist. “Just like every landscape architecture design decision you make has a story behind it, so does every planting decision that you make.”

Bloodworth wants the garden to communicate the idea of “conservation horticulture” to its visitors. He takes into account ecosystem science and wildlife habitat design when creating new spaces. His aim is to create a “museum in the woods” to help visitors understand that they are in a botanical garden with unique and special collections, and he uses educational signs to interpret the space and help people appreciate what they are seeing and experiencing.

A male red-bellied woodpecker in the Blomquist. Photo by Stefan Bloodworth.

One of the “exhibits” in Bloodworth’s museum is the Steve Church Endangered Species Garden. Created in 2004, this collection of plants aims to educate people about the importance of conserving rare species. Most of the species in the collection have a sponsoring organization or a custodial partner, such as a fish and wildlife agency or a botanical garden, which is responsible for monitoring and actively conserving these plants in the wild. The sponsoring organizations will also take action as needed to promote the protection of the species’ natural habitats and ex-situ conservation. Visitors can learn about these organizations from interpretive signs in the Endangered Species Garden. Smartphone accessible QR codes included on the signs link visitors with in-depth information about each species, including the names of the groups charged with their care.

Bloodworth believes that with its more than 300,000 visitors each year, Duke Gardens has a unique opportunity to teach people about the importance of plant conservation and connect visitors with the organizations working to protect these disappearing species. More information about plant conservation and sponsoring organizations can be found on the Center for Plant Conservation website.

Starry rosinweed. Photo by Sue Lannon.

The Blomquist Garden of Native Plants is a special space any time of the year. Because of the garden's unique collections and wildlife, dogs and bicycles and not allowed. We hope you'll take a stroll through this “museum in the woods” on your next visit to Duke Gardens!

Seed Collecting for Biodiversity and Conservation

By Sarah Leach Smith
Visitor Services Coordinator

It was a cool, gray day in late October. Leaves were starting to change color, there were more seed heads than blooms in the Gardens and the morning was chilly enough that I needed a jacket. While this may be prime time for hot chocolate and fluffy scarves, it is also the optimal time for seed-collecting in central North Carolina.

On this day, I excitedly joined Horticulturist Annabel Renwick and Plant Collections Manager Beth Hall on a seed-collecting trip around Orange County. They were gathering native plant seeds for use in the new Piedmont Prairie, located in the Blomquist Garden of Native Plants. I had no idea what a seed-collecting trip entailed, but I was looking forward to finding out.

We started the day in Chapel Hill, visiting our friends at the North Carolina Botanical Garden.  We had a nice time chatting with our counterparts – seed program coordinator Heather Summer, greenhouse and nursery manager Matt Gocke and curator of habitat gardens Chris Liloia – and it was a treat to briefly stroll through the gardens. The fall color is looking fantastic! Heather sent us on our way with two species of seeds we were seeking, Symphyotrichum concolor (eastern silver aster) and Clematis ochroleuca (curly heads).

Our next destination was a great hidden gem. Niche Gardens is a mail-order and retail nursery near Chapel Hill that specializes in nursery-propagated plants. They have a unique selection of wildflowers and native plants, so they were a natural stop for us on our trip. Annabel spoke with Lauri Lawson, who helped us purchase several native species: Rudbekia laciniata (cut-leaf coneflower), Symphyotrichum cordifolium (blue wood aster) and Scutellaria incana (hoary skullcap). We loaded the flats into the truck and were off.
 
For the rest of the afternoon, we cruised around rural Orange County scouting roadsides for wildflowers in seed. Armed with brown paper bags and sharpies for labeling, we walked along the road and through ditches to find our treasures.

“I was particularly excited in finding such a rich vein of wild flowers,” Annabel told me when we returned to Duke Gardens. One of the highlights of the roadside collection was finding Solidago rugosa (wrinkleleaf goldenrod) in seed. Gathering seeds can be a waiting game, Annabel said. “I have one more outing to collect seed, and I have been waiting for several flowers to go to seed.” Annabel’s wishlist includes Solidago bicolor (white goldenrod), Symphyotrichum grandiflora (large flowered aster), Symphyotrichum puniceum (purple stemmed aster) and Silphium asteriscus (starry rosinweed).

Why go to the trouble of collecting seed from roadside ditches? For Annabel, it’s important that the Piedmont Prairie has “a sense of place," she says. "We want it to contain the progeny of plants whose parents populated the roadsides of this region before there were roads.”

Additionally, growing plants from seeds ensures genetic diversity, unlike asexually-propagated cultivars. Creating a prairie landscape rich in biodiversity is one of Annabel’s primary goals.

Joining Annabel and Beth was a wonderful experience that will cause me to forever look at roadsides in a different way. We are in an area that is so rich with native plant species! We’re excited to be part of this conservation effort and hope you make time to enjoy the Piedmont Prairie on your next visit to Duke Gardens.