Leave the seeds - feed the birds
21 October
Whether you garden for wildlife with native plants or you have a more traditional garden with lawns and flower beds there comes the time when things start to shut down for the approaching winter. There is a choice - cut down the stems and tidy up now or leave everything until the spring.
What would you rather look out of your window and see? Birds or no birds? The choice in our winters is as stark as that.
Here are two birds, a Dark-eyed Junco and an American Goldfinch eating seeds from Joe-Pye Weed left strictly alone. They will be cut in the spring. Birds or no birds - it’s not really a contest is it.
All of these little birds look plump to bursting! I have an ancient flowering quince thicket to the back of the yard that is loved by so many creatures ... including me! They take shelter under it and in the thick branches any time of year. It is very pretty in early spring and some creatures and birds like to eat the blooms. They also seem to have a never ending supply of tiny insects, I think it is a wonderful plant to add to a field or somewhat wild area.
Sadly they cut all the Joe Pye weed in the community garden as part of the winter clean uo.