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Gardening for Pollinators and Wildlife – Dec. 3, 2022

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Shannon’s Note

The holiday season is in full swing, and we are approaching the shortest day of the year. For me, this is always a time to look behind me at what this year was like and to look ahead to what I want next year to look like.

It’s also a time for planning and sorting through all those projects that I want to do (which is always more stuff than I have time to do) and picking those projects that I want to concentrate on. Anthony and I are talking about embarking on some massive pollinator and wildlife habitat projects on our property in the coming year. We’re still in the research and planning stages, but if we decide to do them, I’m sure we’ll be documenting the projects pretty heavily through our Backyard Ecology videos.

Do you have any pollinator and wildlife garden or habitat projects that you are planning for the coming year? If so, I’d love to hear about them. It’s always fun to hear what others are planning. Or, do you have anything that you’re struggling with in your pollinator garden or wildlife / pollinator habitat projects? If so, let us know. We’re happy to help if we can.

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Nursery Update

The plants we’re overwintering in the nursery have been put to bed for the winter. But, that doesn’t mean that we aren’t doing anything for the nursery. We are busily putting together the lists of plants that we want to grow for next year, getting seeds prepped for their winter treatments, and much more. I’m also taking a course in ecological landscape design as we constantly strive to improve our own understanding and knowledge, especially as it relates to landscape architecture, so that we can better help our consulting clients who live in more urban and suburban settings.

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As you are thinking about gifts for the upcoming holiday season, I’d be honored for you to consider giving my books, honey, or a gift certificate for our native plants / consulting services.

Upcoming Deliveries

My winter deliveries began last month. The winter deliveries will last until April, and will occur once a month in Bowling Green and Glasgow. Next weekend (Friday, December 9, and Saturday, December 10) will be my last deliveries before Christmas. Honey, books, and gift cards for native plants or consulting services are all available and would make great presents during the holiday season.

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Available Items:

Books, Gift Certificates, and Honey

Attracting Pollinators and Wildlife to Your Yard: 15 Free and Easy Ways ($11)
Planting for Honey Bees in the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys ($32)
Honey from my bees in Barren County ($15)
Gift Certificates – good for any of my products or services
(you choose the amount)

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Pre-Order Logistics and What to Expect

  • E-mail the following information to shannon@busybeenurseryandconsulting.com
    • List of items, sizes, and quantities that you want to order.
  • Ordering deadline: noon on Thursday, Dec. 8.
    • Orders are filled in the order that I receive them.
    • I will make sure I have everything you want and send you the total for the order.
  • On the day of the delivery:
    • I will have your order ready to go when you arrive.
    • You can pay by cash, check, or card.

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December Tasks When Gardening for Pollinators and Wildlife

  • If you are planning to plant native wildflower seeds in the spring, consider going ahead and doing it now.
    • Many of our native wildflower seeds need to experience a winter before they will germinate.
    • You can simulate that by doing a cold, moist stratification in your refrigerator or you can plant the seeds now and let Mother Nature provide the winter for you.
  • If you have a larger prairie or meadow area that you can burn, talk to your county’s NRCS agent or private lands biologist to determine whether now is a good time to do a prescribed burn.
  • If bush honeysuckle, wintercreeper, or English ivy are some of the invasive species on your property, then you can continue treating and removing them.
    • If you are using herbicides, be sure to read and follow the label.
  • Clean out any birdhouses that you have on your property.
    • Make any necessary repairs to the birdhouses at this time as well.
  • Take time to breathe and enjoy the holidays.
    • Have fun watching the birds feed through the flower heads that you left standing in your yard.
    • There will be plenty of time for planning and other pollinator and wildlife gardening tasks next month.
    • If you are looking for a good field guide either for a gift or to put on your own wish list, Anthony recently made a video talking about some of the ones we like. (See the resources below for a link to the video.)

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Relevant Backyard Ecology Resources

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Busy Bee Nursery and Consulting

Helping you create the pollinator and wildlife habitat of your dreams, so you can enjoy your land and care for the plants and animals that also call your property home.

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