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| Garden of Dreams near Child Development Center - 11/12/14. Some plants are still un-pruned to provide food for the birds. |
Late
fall and early winter are important pruning times in Southern California
gardens. Many California native plants,
particularly those from drier low elevations, are dormant from late summer
until the winter rains. That’s why fall
has traditionally been a major pruning season.
To get a better sense of the seasons in S. California gardens see: http://mother-natures-backyard.blogspot.com/2014/09/seasons-in-southern-california-garden.html.
If
you garden in S. California, you’ve no doubt noticed that different birds visit
your garden in fall and winter. California
is an important stop for birds migrating along the Pacific Flyway – a giant
bird ‘freeway’ in the sky. Some birds
just stop to refuel; others spend the winter in our delightful wild-lands and
gardens. Either way, these birds – along
with resident birds and insects – require food in fall and winter.
The
past two years have been particularly hard on California wildlife. Even with decreased water use, our gardens
are still wetter and more productive than the drought stressed wild-lands. That’s why we’ve seen more wildlife than ever
in our gardens this year. A recent visit to the 'Garden of Dreams' on campus demonstrated this dramatically. There were at least 75 birds, of all sizes and at least 5 species, busily eating in that one little garden!
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| Goldfinch eating Annual sunflower (Helianthus anuus) seeds |
From
native pollinators and butterflies to large animals like deer, creatures are
desperate for food and water - and so they come to our gardens. As wild-lands suffer from climatic extremes,
our gardens play an increasingly important role in providing food, shelter and
water. In all years – but particularly in
years when food is scarce – we need to manage our fall pruning
responsibly. That's why the 'Garden of Dreams', 'Heritage Creek Preserve' and the 'Earth Sciences Garden' will look a little more raggedy this month. We're doing it to save the birds!
For more see:
