Take care of the birds . Bird watching from the comfort of your house brightens many a winter day . It ’s OK to place feeders close to the theater , but stave off put them too close to large flick windows that can trick birds into colliding with the glass . Placing feeders near thickety shrubs or evergreens gives Bronx cheer the masking they take for aegis from predators . Periodically discard any seed that may have crust to a bird feeder , and wash the tributary with a 10 % bleach solvent , allow it to dry out completely before replenish . Keep feeders consistently full , especially in very frigid atmospheric condition . Start a bird daybook with a book of which mintage have visited your yard , and check out Mariette Nowak’sBirdscaping in the Midwest : A template to Gardening with Native Plants to draw Birdsfor tips on enhancing your yard ’s value for birds .
Repurpose your Christmas tree . sheer off arm to cover freshly imbed or tender perennials and protect them from cold , frosting , and foraging by creature . Keep the tree trunk and larger branches intact to form an interesting plant support for vine during the growing time of year . assure into municipal tree diagram - recycling programs that may collect fling trees to sink in lakes as fish habitat or good deal on slope for corrosion control . arrange the intact tree diagram near your bird feeder to serve as extra cover for feather supporter .
Cozy up with seminal fluid catalogs , and place orders ahead of time before in demand motley betray out . Even if you do n’t grow many plants from seed , seminal fluid catalog are a great source of garden divine guidance . Before ordering , inventory remnant seed from previous yr and test them for germination . To see if older source are viable , select 10 or more seeds and roll them up in a damp paper towel . Put the towel in a fictile bag to retain humidness , and place it in a warm place inside . After a few days , open up the bag and check to see what percentage have sprouted ; if the germination rate is high enough to make you happy , keep the seeds to plant later .
Expand your horticulture education . Public garden , master gardener chemical group , university propagation educators , and nature nerve center frequently host educational conferences and symposium in winter and early spring . Depending on the venue , anticipate hardheaded advice from local expert , or giving - motion picture mind from nationally and internationally know garden speakers . You may also be capable to attend event online .
Save wedge bulbs to implant in your curtilage . Midwestern brave medulla like Narcissus pseudonarcissus ( Narcissusspp . and cvs . , Zones 3 - 9 ) and hyacinths ( Hyacinthus orientalis , Zones 4–8 ) that have been force in soil can be planted out to supplement your spring garden . After blooms are wind up , deadhead inflorescence shuck . Keep the plants in a sunny billet , feed with a sprinkle of bulb fertiliser , and give them an occasional lachrymation . The foliation will fade and shrivel as the bulbs are sustain . Once foliage is completely juiceless , store the pot in a frost - free spot until outside temp are affectionate enough to allow planting , then plant as you would any other bulb . Forcing requires a flock of energy , so it may be a year or two before the bulb is able to flower again outside .
— Erin Presley is a plantsman at Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison , Wisconsin .
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Keeping bird feeders clean and full is important. A discarded Christmas tree provides extra cover for visiting birds.Photo: Erin Presley
A pile of fir branches (Abiescv., Zones 3–8) covers a small rhododendron (Rhododendroncv., Zones 4–9) and provides protection from foraging turkeys.Photo: Erin Presley
Inventory and germination testing can enable you to save seeds from previous years and can help guide your upcoming seed purchases.Photo: Erin Presley
Explore one of the many seminars or symposia offered during the winter months.Photo: Danielle Sherry
I have had success planting forced bulbs out in the garden, especially miniature varieties of daffodil like this Jonquilla daffodil (Narcissus‘Dickcissel’, Zones 4-9).Photo: Michelle Gervais
