Blooms in chartreuse hues steal the show in any garden
1 Green Star gladiola
GLADIOLUS, ZONES 8 TO 11
This rising star is ideal for adding tiers of height to your garden. About 10 to 12 of the 3-inch florets along the stem open all at once during their July and August performances. Butterflies are also big fans. Grow Green Star near burgundy, purple or white blooms.
Why we love it: Reaching 4 feet tall, these pastel giants add drama to summer bouquets.
2 Envy zinnia
ZINNIA, ANNUAL
It’s not the color of these nearly 3-inch double and semidouble chartreuse blooms that invokes garden envy—it’s how easy zinnias are to grow. They grow quickly from seed, pop with color all summer long and they make lovely cut flowers. Plus their 2-foot height shades out weeds.
Why we love it: In addition to all the pros of zinnias, they happen to be hummingbird and butterfly magnets.
3 Little Lime hydrangea
HYDRANGEA PANICULATA, ZONES 4 TO 8
Little Lime is a dwarf version of the popular Limelight hydrangea, but it still puts on a big show. Growing between 3 and 5 feet, it makes an attractive border for smaller spaces. Sturdy stems mean this smaller specimen knows how to hold its head up high, refusing to be overshadowed.
Why we love it: Although gorgeous in pale green, it’s pretty in pink in the late summer, as it begins to blush when fall is in the air.
4 Green Gambler hellebore
HELLEBORUS, ZONES 4 TO 9
This story is from the February/March 2019 edition of Birds & Blooms.
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This story is from the February/March 2019 edition of Birds & Blooms.
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Sense or Nonsense? - Why some birds can taste and smell - but others can't
Does a porcelain berry taste like a blueberry to a gray catbird? Does a block of lard smell like frying bacon to a northern flicker? The short answer is no. While some avian species do have a well-adapted sense of taste or smell, they can't distinguish between flavors and odors the way humans can. They're not picking up every ingredient in the suet you put out, says José Ramírez-Garofalo, an ornithology researcher at Rutgers University in New Jersey and the director of Freshkills Biological Station in Staten Island, New York.
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Even if you haven't heard of Canada jays, you've heard of their relatives. Members of the corvid family, they belong to the same group as American crows, blackbilled magpies, and jays including blue, Steller's and scrub. "Unlike many of the other jays, a Canada jay doesn't have a crest of any kind; it just has a rounded head," says Dale Gentry, director of conservation for Audubon Upper Mississippi River.In 2018, the Canada jay's name was changed from gray jay, but Dale thinks the former adjective was fitting. "Most of its body is shades of gray with some white," he says. "There are different subspecies that have different physical traits, but most of them have some lighter coloring on their foreheads, upper breasts and throats, each with a darker streak that starts at each eye and goes back."
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