Author Archives: Delores

Become a Winter Bird Watcher

Nothing is more beautiful than looking out your window to see the bright red of a cardinal or the lovely colors of a blue jay perched on a bare winter branch. Bird watching in the winter is an amazing experience, and even the chatter of a chickadee can bring a smile to even the grayest winter day.

While most folks enjoy cold days snuggled up warm and dry in their homes, winter is the ideal time to venture outside to bird watch. The bare trees make it easier to observe birds in their natural habitat, making winter the best time to sharpen your bird identification skills.

Here are a few tips to make your backyard winter bird watching a success.

Bird feeders, unfrozen bird baths, and suet feeders are all ideal for attracting birds to your yard.
Provide food and water every day. Once birds realize your yard is a consistent feeding stop they will keep coming back.
- Stop by Wings & Things located inside the Produce Market at Wingard’s Market for a complete line Cole’s Birdseed and Suet, perfect for winter feeding.
Position your bird feeders in a sheltered corner of your yard that is protected from winter winds.
Plant native trees where they can be seen from your windows.
Leave stocks of wildflowers on throughout the winter such as dried flower heads of asters, coneflowers and other native plants for birds to feast on when other food is scarce.
Wildflower stalks also provide places birds can seek refuge from storms and predators.
Invest in a pair of binoculars so you can get up close to the birds that visit your backyard.

If you’re a new bird watcher, winter is the ideal time to begin. Your yard is quiet this time of the year, and it’s easier to chart and log what you see before the onslaught of migrating birds starts showing up. Make it an enjoyable winter pastime that involves the whole family. Make a chart and leave it on a clipboard by your favorite viewing window.

Here is what you’ll want to record:

Name of the bird. (If you are not sure what it is, leave a bird field guide close by for identification)
- Stop by Wings & Things located inside the Produce Market at Wingard’s Market and pick up the bird field guide “Birds of the Carolinas.”
Date observed
Time of day
Place in the yard you saw it. Birdfeeder, brush, tree, birdbath
Activity (eating, nesting, drinking, etc.)

By keeping good notes of what you see you may uncover a pattern as to when you see the most birds in your yard. You’ll learn the behavior of the birds that call your backyard home, and over time you’ll find out how to keep them coming back year after year.

In our South Carolina yards, you can expect to see one or all of the following species. How many can you log from your own backyard?

If you want to enjoy bird watching even more, here are a few Apps and Bird Watches you may want to check into.

Winter Bird Watches

Project Feeder Watch at Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Great Backyard Bird Coun t
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology runs citizen scientist programs called eBird and NestWatch that let people report the species of birds that you see in your yard.

Smartphone Birding Apps

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Here at Wingard’s Market, we specialize in providing outstanding customer service, offer professional gardening advice, and answers to your everyday gardening questions. Stop by and visit our Beautiful Gift Shoppe and Fresh Produce Market while you stroll under century-old pecan trees. It’s truly a Garden Wonderland!

Located at 1403 North Lake Drive in Lexington, SC. Call us at (803) 359-9091

Attracting Purple Martins to Your Yard

Please note: Wingard’s Market will not be hosting any Purple Martin tours for the 2019 Season.

Central South Carolina and especially Lake Murray is known to be a favorite nesting spot for the beautiful and graceful Purple Martin.

Preferring to have a water source nearby (swimming pools, ponds, lakes) they are not your typical backyard bird. Members of the Swallow family, Purple Martins historically nested in cliffs and hollow trees, but today they thrive in man-made nesting structures. Typically social birds, they love to nest in colonies and will very likely return to the same nesting site year after year.

Purple Martins flock to Lake Murray

Understanding the Purple Martin’s particular needs is the key to attracting and enjoying these beauties in your yard.

Where most of your favorite backyard birds will visit your bird feeder, Purple Martins feed mainly on flying insects, which they catch in flight. Even grabbing a drink of water is different from your standard backyard bird. They will fly over open water and skim the surface to dip their bills in for a drink, instead of perching to sip like most birds. If you want to encourage them to your bird feeding areas, you can offer bits of crushed eggshells.

As with attracting any bird to your backyard, if you provide their basic needs for survival (food, water, shelter and nesting sites), you can invite them in.

Food – Purple Martins almost never visit bird feeders. They will skim over open grassy areas feeding on flying insects. As a bird landlord, you will want to avoid using insecticides in and around your yard that would kill off their main diet source.
Water – If your home is near a natural water source you already have a good chance they will find your yard home-worthy.
Shelter – Purple Martins are aerial birds and prefer open areas, as opposed to tall trees and bushes. They are agile fliers and will soar and dive around open spaces looking for food. Keep brush and vines cleared away from the base of their nesting boxes. They will avoid any areas that also attract ground predators, such as cats, raccoons, snakes and squirrels. Provide perching spots such as wires, clotheslines or antennas, far away from bird predators.
Nesting Sites – These birds are cavity-nesting birds and prefer old woodpecker holes, specialized gourds, and bird houses that are perched high off the ground in open spaces. The perfect spot for nesting is about 60 feet from your house and 40 feet from any large trees. The standard rule to constructing a Purple Martin house is there should be no trees taller than their houses within 40 feet. If you remember one thing it should be this: trees and Purple Martins do not go together. They construct their nests with dried pine needles, dry twigs, straw, leaves, grass, and feathers. Offer a stash of these favorite nesting materials in an unused suet feeder where they can get to it easily.

This is just a quick guide to attracting Purple Martins to your yard, but we have so much more to share with you stop into Wings & Things inside the Produce Market for more information.

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Located at 1403 North Lake Drive in Lexington, SC. Call us at (803) 359-9091

Tuck Your Garden in for a Winter Nap

You’ve spent a better part of the last few months reaping what your garden has sowed. It’s served you well, and it’s earned some time off. Before you say goodnight until spring here are a few end of the season tips to help your garden take a long deserved rest.

Nothing makes gardening chores harder than having to do maintenance and cleanup in freezing temperatures, so find the time now before the cold freezing winds and rains come.

Use this as your chore checklist:

Gather herbs and flowers for drying.
Collect and dry seeds to save for next year.
Plant spring flowering bulbs. Our climate is not suitable for tulips. Crocus, daffodils, and hyacinths do much better.
Plant trees and shrubs! It is still a good time to plant.
After the first hard frost, pull up and discard This also includes the tomatoes and squash plants in your vegetable garden.
After the first hard frost, cut back your perennials and mulch them with a heavy layer of leaves or straw. Do not cut back dead stems of lantana until after new growth emerges in the Spring.
Pull weeds.
Till the soil around any exposed areas and add a layer of compost, leaves or manure and lime.
Cover strawberry beds with straw.
Remove all dead or diseased canes from your rose bushes.
After the first frost, mulch your rose bushes with compost or leaves.
Give evergreen shrubs a light pruning only if absolutely necessary. It’s better not to prune until early spring, just before new growth begins to flush.
After perennials have quit blooming, divide all crowded
Remove any broken limbs from your trees by making a clean cut close to the trunk.
Mow your grass as late in the season as the grass grows.
Keep up with fallen leaves and don’t let them over winter on your lawn. Mulch them with your lawn mower and add them to your perennial and bulb
Bring your “house plants” indoors, before the temperatures start falling below 40 degrees at night. Be sure to spray for insects before bringing them into the house. Even if you don’t see signs of insects, there are probably insect eggs on plants that have been living outdoors, and they will infest your house pretty soon.
Now is the time to do a soil test. Your test results will come with recommendations for amendments, which should be applied as soon as possible. Some amendments take a few months to start working and will need to be applied before you plant in the Spring.
And don’t forget the birds. They will be counting on you this winter. Now is the time to clean out your bird feeders and bird baths and stock up on birdseed. Keep water in your birdbaths unless temperatures are expected to drop below freezing.

By taking extra time this Fall to properly put your garden to bed, you’ll be sure to have gardening success next spring. And as always time flies and before you know it we’ll start emailing you about Spring annuals and Mother’s Day roses, and you will find yourself with Spring fever all over again!

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Located at 1403 North Lake Drive in Lexington, SC. Call us at (803) 359-9091

Create a Wildlife Friendly Backyard

Providing a suitable habitat for the wildlife in your backyard starts with you. Many of us don’t realize that the things we do contribute to the elimination of the natural habitat for birds, butterflies, and other wildlife in our backyards.

The Foundational Four
In order to create a wildlife habitat in your backyard, there are 4 things that every habitat needs and those are Food, Water, Cover, and Space to Raise Young.

There are things you can do that can provide adequate habitat for wildlife. Creating garden spaces that include native plants, water sources, nesting boxes and other features will add value to your yard and give wildlife a safe place to live and grow.

Feeders, Boxes, Plants & Pets
There is surprisingly a lot more to bringing birds to your backyard feeder that you’d think.

Invite wildlife to your backyard:

Planting more trees and shrubs is a major factor in attracting wildlife to your backyard.
Provide at least two places for wildlife to mate and raise their young. Mature trees, wetlands, shrubs, and wildflower patches are good choices.
Animals need a safe place to drink and bathe, add a garden pond or birdbath away from cats and other household pets.
Nesting boxes and bird houses are a great way of making up for the impact urban development has on natural nesting habitat.
Build a brush pile with yard debris to provide shelter for wildlife.
Add bird feeders near trees so birds can fly to cover and provide adequate food through the winter when natural foods are scarce.
Provide food for wildlife by planting native vegetation that supplies wildlife with nuts, berries, nectar and seeds throughout the seasons. Plant native plants suited for your growing conditions.
Studies show that year-round supplemental feeding at birdfeeders actually enhances the health and longevity of bird populations.
Eliminate the use of pesticides. Caterpillars, bugs, bees, and butterflies are the most harmed by pesticide use.
Domestic cats are a leading cause of songbird deaths. Keep them inside and away from your backyard wildlife areas.
Invite your neighbors to join you in creating friendly environments. Several joining yards designed to attract wildlife would be more effective than one single backyard.

What’s in your backyard?
Birds – Mammals – Snakes – Lizards – Turtles – Frogs & Salamanders – Pollinators & Insects

Make creating a wildlife sanctuary a family affair. Discuss how you are helping design areas that will give wildlife a natural place to thrive and grow. Plan new gardens with a specific wildlife in mind. Create a butterfly garden, plant flowers that bees use to produce honey, add nest boxes and bird houses to save the birds, and add water features and habitat for small mammals to enjoy.

Learn how you can “Certify Your Garden” to show your commitment to wildlife!

Do you have questions about Backyard Birding or Wildlife?

Zach Steinhauser, our resident Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Specialist would love to help. Check out of Ask Zach page for answers or submit a question by emailing zach@wingardsmarket.com.

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Located at 1403 North Lake Drive in Lexington, SC. Call us at (803) 359-9091

Drying Herbs for Winter Use

You’ve been tending to your herbs all summer long, and you’ve been enjoying their fresh flavor in all your summertime dishes. Now it’s time to start planning for winter by drying them to enjoy even longer.

Here are a few harvesting tips to get you started:

Herbs that are harvested when their oils are at their peak will have the best flavor when dried.
Herbs grown for their foliage should be harvested just before they flower.
Harvest herbs that are grown for seeds as the seed pods change color from green to brown to gray, but before they open.
Collect herb flowers, such as chamomile, just before full flower.
Harvest herb roots, such as chicory and ginseng in the fall after the foliage fades.

To get the best flavor from dried herbs, it’s important to pick the leaves for drying at the correct point in the growing season.

When to harvest:

Harvest early in the morning, after the dew dries, but before the heat of the day.
Lavender, parsley, and tarragon: Harvest in June and July, just before flowering. Cut back the plants to half their height to encourage a second flowering in the fall.
Mint: Harvest in June and July.
Thyme, summer savory, and sweet marjoram: Harvest in July and August.
Basil and sage: Harvest in August and September.
Harvest early and frequently to encourage plants to produce new growth.
Chives, basil, mint, parsley, and oregano grow back quickly and benefit from the constant pruning.

“Tender herbs in the mint family – basil, tarragon, lemon balm, and the mints have a high moisture content and will mold quickly if not dried quickly, says Clemson Cooperative Extension Service.”

Preparing your herbs for drying:

If the herbs are clean, do not wet them. Otherwise, rinse dust and dirt from the foliage, shake off the excess water, and spread the herbs out to dry on paper towels or dishcloths until all surface moisture has evaporated. Remove any dead or damaged foliage.

Hang small bunches of them upside down in a dry, cool, place such as a closet. If you are worried about them dropping leaves, suspend each bunch inside a paper bag ventilated with tears or punched holes. Close the top with a rubber band and place where the air currents will circulate through the bag.

Once the herbs are dry, their flavor is best preserved by keeping them in an airtight tin cans or tightly sealed jars. Dried herbs should be used within a year.

For a list of over 30 herbs to add to your garden, check out our publication “Basic Guidelines for Growing Herbs.“

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Located at 1403 North Lake Drive in Lexington, SC. Call us at (803) 359-9091

The Taste of Summer

We are so fortunate to live in South Carolina where we have an abundance of fresh produce at our fingertips all season long. If you are like us, we like to eat and we love to cook with summer produce! Our Produce Market is bursting with an array of fresh produce supplied by our local farmers.

Simple is always better when using fresh fruits and vegetables, let the quality of the season’s finest shine through. Simple seasonings and light dressings are all that is ever needed to enhance the flavor of fresh produce.

Summer doesn’t officially end until the middle of September so we still have plenty of time to enjoy what is in season now.

We love them all, but here are a few of our favorites:

Blueberries

By far blueberries are the most popular of all the summer fruit. The tiny pop-in-your-mouth fruit is a favorite of children. Filled with antioxidants they are one treat that is a healthy option to sugar-filled treats. Store your berries in a single layer, and do not wash until you are ready to use them.

In our house, our kids always loved them frozen as an afternoon snack during our hot South Carolina summers.

Corn

The best batch of sweet corn is one that is purchased as soon as it’s picked. As corn ages the sugars turn to starch which lessens its sweetness. To pick the best ears look for deep brown silk tips where the silk is still pliable and not entirely dried up. Open the tip end and make sure the kernels are plump and milky when pinched.

One of our favorite ways to enjoy sweet corn is grilled. Peel back the corn husks and remove the silk. Spread ears with one tablespoon butter, sprinkle with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper and then close the husks back up. Wrap each ear of corn in foil and place on the grill and cook for about 30 minutes or until the corn is tender.

Figs

If you have a fig tree in your yard you know the figs are ripe when you hear the tree buzz from the bees that are feeding on it! But if you don’t, our Produce Market has freshly picked figs for you…without the bees! Figs spoil quickly, so use them up fast. Their delicate fragrant taste is the perfect complement to desserts, baked goods and a great addition to savory foods like meat and cheese.

We love adding fresh figs to salads and sliced on crackers with ricotta cheese and honey.

Peaches

Row after row of peach orchards in the Midlands supply us with the freshest peaches found in the country. When buying peaches look for fruit that is firm to touch without brown spots or wrinkling. To tell if they are ripe don’t be afraid to smell them. Sun ripened peaches will smell as good as you expect them to taste. To keep them freshest longest don’t wash them until you are ready to eat them.

The best way to eat a fresh peach is outside where you can let the sweet juice drip down your arm.

Tomatoes

We are big advocates for the sweet taste of Heirloom tomatoes…no other tomato compares to the flavor these funny looking tomatoes give. The unusual shape and size should not deter you from trying them. Tomatoes that have been vine ripened have the best flavor and are the best way to describe summer!

There’s no other way to eat a fresh tomato than with a little sea salt, fresh cracked pepper, fresh basil, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Yum!

Zucchini

Summer is the perfect time to enjoy summer squash! Zucchini is the most popular, but the crookneck, yellow and pattypans are just as delicious. When at its freshest you can roast, grill, steam, fry or bake them. When buying look for small squash that is bright green or yellow and free of spots and bruises. Stay away from the larger squash that will be bitter and lack flavor.

We have a sweet tooth here at Wingard’s, so our favorite way to enjoy zucchini is when it’s made into zucchini bread, warm out of the oven, smothered with butter!

Stop by the Produce Market and see the array of local produce brought in daily by our preferred local farmers!

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Here at Wingard’s Market we specialize in providing outstanding customer service, offer professional gardening advice, and answers to your every day gardening questions. Stop by and visit our beautiful Gift Shoppe, Fresh Produce Market, and take a stroll under century-old pecan trees through our Garden Wonderland!

Located at 1403 North Lake Drive in Lexington, SC. Call us at (803) 359-9091

The Sting…The Burn…Those Pesky Fire Ants!!

If you live in the South, you are sure to have had a run-in with annoying fire ants. If you’ve ever stepped on an ant hill, you know it only takes one sting to remind you to watch where you’re walking and always wear shoes!.

Here in the Midlands, our sandy soil makes prime real estate for ants. Their mounds can reach up to 50 to 200 mounds per acre if not adequately controlled. During warmer months, the ants will swarm to reproduce and create new colonies continuously.

Have you ever wondered why you can’t get a handle on controlling fire ants and why they always come back?

Here’s the answer:

Winged male and female fire ants fly high into the air and mate. Wind currents can carry the airborne ants several miles.
Even if you kill every mound in your yard, newly mated queens are steadily dropping out of the sky to start new colonies.
Even if you don’t see any mounds, new ones are continually being built and will soon be large enough to be seen above ground.

Is it a lost cause? Should we just learn how to cohabitate with the ants? – No

There is a method for getting rid of fire ants once and for all! The most efficient way to control fire ants are to hit them with a one-two punch method.

Use granular fire ant baits (Fertilome Come & Get It) as the foundation of your fire ant control program.When used correctly, baits will give around 80 to 90 percent control, leaving a lot fewer mounds to spot treat than if you rely on mound treatments alone. Granular fire ant baits contain slow-acting insecticides or insect growth regulators that disrupt development of the immature fire ants. The key to using baits successfully is to spread them over the entire yard, rather than sprinkling them on top of individual mounds. Application rates are low, only around 1-1.5 pounds per acre, which is only a fraction of an ounce per 1,000 square feet. Worker ants will collect the granules, carry them back to the mound, and feed them to the immature ants. Baits should be applied three times per year: spring, summer, and fall.
Rain will wash the bait away. Make sure to check the forecast and spread the bait when it will be sure to have a few days exposure. Also, fire ants generally feed late afternoon or evening which makes a perfect time to spread bait.
Keep a can of one of the dry fire ant mound treatment products (Bayer Fire Ant Killer) on hand to spot-treat mounds that survive the bait treatments.Dry mound treatments are applied directly to the mound; just sprinkle the specified amount evenly over the top of the mound and walk away. It will take a couple of days to a week for the mound to die out. For mounds that need to be controlled immediately use a liquid drench. Dilute in water as indicated on the label and pour the drench over the mound. Liquid drenches kill quickly but are more messy and time-consuming than dry mound treatments. The key to success with drenches is to use enough liquid to thoroughly soak the mound, about 1-2 gallons.

If you stay diligent about controlling ants with a One-Two Punch method, you can start to enjoy your lawn again!

Save the Bees – What you can do to help.

Honey bees, bumblebees, and other bees are disappearing at alarming rates, and they need your help!

As gardeners, it is our responsibility to reach out and save these yellow pollen-dusted bees from extinction. Bees play a vital role in pollinating over 150 crops grown in the US each year, which equals at least every third bite of food you take each day. Bees pollinate some of our primary food sources such as apples, blueberries, citrus, melons, pears, plums, pumpkins, and squash. Bees also pollinate plants fed to livestock, as well as fiber-producing plants such as cotton, one of South Carolina’s leading crops. It’s essential to our health and our food supply that we take an active role in preserving the plight of the honey bee.

How can you help?

Whether you live in the city or in the country, there are a few ways you can attract bees to your garden and help save these little workhorses from disappearing.

Plant bee loving plants native to your area. In South Carolina, plant native bee balm, coneflower, goldenrod, and milkweed.
- For a complete list of native plants and flowers, we carry please click here.
Bees love these flowers the best: bee balm, coneflower, fennel, goldenrod, hosta, lavender, lantana, lobelia, salvia, sunflower, sedum, sweet alyssum, yarrow, and zinnia.
Bees love blue, yellow and purple flowers. Shallow blossoms like daisies, asters, zinnias and Queen’s Anne’s Lace are their favorites. Notice, they are not so interested in red flowers, like hummingbirds are.
Plant flowers so that you have something blooming year-round. For early spring, plant forsythia, in the summer try St. John’s wort, in the fall plant pansies, and make sure your landscape has camellia’s for a winter bloom.
Don’t forget the flowering herbs such as basil, mint, oregano, sage, thyme, and rosemary,
Add fruit trees such as apples, lemon, pears, plums and cherry trees.
Plant vegetables and herbs and allow some of them to go to seed, such as lettuce, garlic chives, and broccoli.
Learn to love weeds especially dandelions, clover, milkweed, and goldenrod.
Bees thrive on single flowers …those with one ring of petals. Those provide more nectar and pollen than double flowers.
Bees are more attracted to flowers that grow in clumps.
Plan your garden so something is always in bloom.
Plant one square yard of the same kind of plant.
Plant your garden in bright sunny areas.
Reduce the size of your lawn to add more bee friendly plants.
Provide shelter by leaving pieces of old wood to make nests in.
Offer them fresh water by floating a piece of wood for landing in your bird bath.
Add a bee hive or a bee house to your garden.
Limit the use of insecticides. Instead of spraying for mosquitoes, use multiple pots of lemon grass, citronella and lemon balm. Spray plants that have an insect infestation with insecticidal soap, which won’t hurt the bees.

Did you know?

One honeybee colony has a foraging range of 18,000 acres.
It takes 12 bees their entire lifetime to make a teaspoon of honey.
Honey bees visit 2 million flowers to make one pound of honey.
Field bees visit 50 to 100 flowers during each trip.
Honeybees fly 12 to 15 miles per hour and flap their wings 12,000 times per minute.
Honeybees are covered in hair designed to trap pollen. Even their eyes have hair on them.
Honey is essentially dehydrated nectar from flowers. Bees eat honey and pollen from flowers. They ferment the pollen first and mix it with honey in order to be able to digest it.
A strong hive may contain up to 60,000 bees.

Don’t be afraid of the bees…enjoy them. It’s fun to watch them fill their tiny legs with bright yellow pollen and take it back to their hives. Observe them, photograph them, and encourage them to live in your garden.

Do you want to learn more about adding bees to your South Carolina garden? Check out this article put out by the Clemson Extension Office on Native Bees.

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Here at Wingard’s Market, we specialize in providing outstanding customer service, offer professional gardening advice, and answers to your everyday gardening questions. Stop by and visit our beautiful Gift Shoppe, Fresh Produce Market, and take a stroll under century-old pecan trees through our Garden Wonderland!

Located at 1403 North Lake Drive in Lexington, SC. Call us at (803) 359-9091

Save the Flutter of Orange & Black

Take an afternoon stroll through the gardens at Wingard’s Market and you’ll be sure to spot the flutter of the orange and black wings of our favorite butterfly the Monarch. We are on a mission to save the most recognized and beloved butterfly in North America!

Butterflies add to the spectacular color show we enjoy every summer, but their numbers are dwindling due to the loss of their favorite habitat, the milkweed plant.

With the recent decline in milkweed, butterfly and garden enthusiast are coming together to save the only plant the female monarchs lay their eggs on…the milkweed.

Known for following the milkweed as they spread northward after the Ice Age, Monarchs return to the southeast every spring as soon as the milkweed start to bloom. Over the course of one summer, the Monarch will produce three generations that will feed on their host plant until fall when the last generation returns to Mexico to wait out the cold winter.

As a home gardener, you might wonder what you can do to help. The answer is very simple: Plant lots of butterfly-friendly flowering plants, such as the milkweed.

The joy you’ll get from spotting the distinctive white, yellow and black striping of the monarch caterpillar on your milk plant is incredible. It’s fun to watch them grow and take flight as a beautiful butterfly.

There are over one hundred species of the milkweed plants that are native to North America, and many make excellent additions to any garden.

Some of the best varieties of Milkweed for the Midlands are:

Asclepias tuberosa – Common name: Butterflyweed
Asclepias syriaca – Common name: Milkweed
Asclepias verticillata – Common name: Whorled milkweed
Asclepias incarnata – Common name: Swamp milkweed
Asclepias viridiflora – Common name: Green Milkweed

Here are a few tips for caring for and adding milkweed to your garden:

Plant species that are native to your region.
Look for a sunny place where the butterflies can spot the plant from above.
Avoid using pesticides and herbicides around milkweed.
After the eggs hatch, the larvae will begin eating the leaves of the host plant. Don’t worry if the host plant is defoliated. It will recover.
Deadhead milkweed flowers to prolong blooming during summer.
At the end of the season, allow the plants to form those attractive pods that look great in dried flower
Silky, parachute-like seeds will begin to drift out of the mature pods in late fall, spreading and reseeding themselves.
Cut back old milkweed stalks in late winter, before new shoots start to emerge.

Make a gardening effort to encourage the return of the monarchs to your garden. Your effort will be rewarded with the addition of color and activity for years to come.

Creating a Backyard Garden You Love

What does your ideal outdoor space look like? Is it a place to entertain or is it your escape and relaxation retreat?

Choosing the right plants and accessories can set the tone for a beautiful backyard garden that appeals to all of your senses. The sights, sound, and smells you add will help create the atmosphere you dream of.

If you think you don’t have the time or talent to create a beautiful backyard garden, just put a few of these tips in place and see how it all comes together. They will make a huge difference in how you use and enjoy your outdoor space.

Add Color

We understand that a visit to the garden center can sometimes be overwhelming. The array of choices you have is endless! Keep these couple tips in mind the next time you plan to purchase new plants for your garden.

Visit Wingard’s Market every month of the year and buy a perennial or evergreen that is blooming at that time. Plant it in your garden, and you’ll have something blooming year round.
Add splashes of color to break up all the green and to add contrast throughout your garden.
Group plants with the same foliage or flower color for a greater impact. Think of your garden like a color wheel and plant to create a balanced effect.

Add Garden Art

There is no better way to add a piece of your personality to your garden then with garden art. Outdoor art comes in many different forms and from a wide variety of different materials. Flowers and plants are beautiful on their own, but when mixed with colorful birdbaths, garden statues, fountains and whimsical decorative elements you can bring out the beauty of nature.

When adding art keep in mind the space and scale of your garden. Adding a simple birdbath to a small garden is the perfect addition while a large water feature will help add depth to a larger space.

Add a Focal Point

Creating a focal point in your garden can add interests and depth to your space.

Sitting areas, water features, and even a fire pit can make excellent focal points. They add pleasant conversational areas and can act as an extension of your indoor space that makes you garden both functional and beautiful.

Look at your space and determine your style. Do you like the simple, clean lines of ceramic pots or the rustic charm of an old iron gate? Decide what appeals to you and design around that.

With a little planning, you can turn your backyard garden into an oasis for all to enjoy. Add large containers filled with your favorite blooms to the natural decor of your space. Ease the transition between your indoor space and outdoor space with cobblestone or stepping stone pathways.

Be Patient

Backyard gardens evolve from season to season. Gardeners are always adding, moving and enhancing their spaces to reflect their use and personality.

Don’t let your outdoor spaces overwhelm you. Start out small and add or update a new area each year or season.

If your landscape is beginning to feel more like a hodgepodge of plants, and you need some help creating your ideal outdoor space, check out our Landscape Design Services. Look around the area and get a feel for what you like and don’t like this Spring. Engage our designer in the summer to create a plan for you. Then you’ll be ready to plant in the Fall, which is the absolute best time for planting.

Inviting Birds to Your Garden

The first step in inviting birds to your garden is to look at your yard from a bird’s point of view.

If you took a bird’s eye view of your garden, do you have elements that would be appealing to wildlife? Is there a dying tree or wood that has knotholes that could be converted into a home for a bird family? Would that pile of brush you’ve wanted to dispose of make a good place to build a nest and provide shelter?

Taking time to identify the habitat that already exists in your yard is the first step in creating a bird-friendly environment.

Birds need gardens as much as gardeners need birds. If you can provide some basic bird needs, they will help keep the insect population down around your home. A single bird is known to munch on 500 to 1,000 insects in just one afternoon.

By providing a few basic needs for your fine-feathered friends, they will reward you with beautiful songs and flight throughout your yard.

Food, water, shelter, and a place to raise a family are all they need:

Food – Every type of bird likes a different combination of food, but to attract the most birds to your garden offer millet and black oil sunflower seeds. Beef suet should be added in the winter so a bird’s body can maintain heat in the cold weather. Woodpeckers especially like this winter treat. Plant shrubs, trees, and other plants that produce nuts, berries, fruits, and seeds whenever possible. You can find dried mealworms, black oil sunflower seeds and suet cakes in the Gift Shoppe at Wingard’s.
- Here is a list of the most common local birds to South Carolina and their favorite meals:

Indigo Buntings enjoy a mix of nyjer thistle seed and sunflower chips.
Bluejays will belly up to the bar for black-oil sunflower seeds or peanuts.
Mockingbirds will not stop to sing you a song unless they see suet or dried fruit.
Rosefinches will visit you all year long if you offer sunflower or nyjer seeds.
Goldfinches will brighten your day if you supply sunflower or nyjer seeds.
Cardinals enjoy sunflower seeds and finely cracked corn.
Chickadees will sing for oil-type sunflower, cracked nutmeats, and suet.
Eastern Bluebirds are typically insect eaters but when food is scare they like small peanut and sunflower kernels as well as suet.
Mourning Doves will meet at your feeder, usually in pairs, if provided an oil-type sunflower seed, milo, finely cracked corn, canary seed, hulled oats, or millet.
Woodpeckers will scout your yard for suet and sunflower seeds.

Water – The relaxing sound of moving water will grab a bird’s attention. Elevate your birdbath to protect it from cats and other predators. The ideal water source should be at least 3 inches deep and three feet off the ground. Use a heated birdbath in winter to avoid freezing. And a battery powered “water wiggler” will keep the water flowing all year long.
Shelter – Birdhouses explicitly built for the type of birds you want to attract is always ideal, but cover and housing can be provided in many forms throughout your yard. Dense shrubs, dead logs, brush piles, pine trees and even tall grass can provide protected shelter for your flying friends. All birds don’t like to be exposed to open areas where predators can attack and will look for protected areas where they can perch and escape quickly. In the Gift Shoppe at Wingard’s, we have decorative bird houses as well as simple functional ones, and birdhouses that are good for bluebirds, wrens and chickadees.
Nesting – Each species of bird has different requirements for nesting. Adding ready-made bird houses to your yard is the perfect place to start with providing a secure place for them to raise their young. You can also provide bits of soft material for lining the nests. We carry appropriate materials that you can hang outside for the birds to use.
Planting for Birds – Creating a backyard with a variety of plants that birds love will ensure a steady food supply and shelter for years to come.
- Here are some of the most common bird loving plants and trees you can find in our garden center to add to your yard:
  - TREES: Crabapple, Dogwood, Persimmon, Wax Myrtle, Birch, Willow
  - SHRUBS/VINES/GRASSES: Mahonia, Barberry, Blueberry, Hawthorn, Honeysuckle, Holly, Pyracantha, Rose, Viburnum, Juniper, Fountain grass, Camellia, Nandina, Beautyberry, Boxwood
  - PERENNIALS/ANNUALS: Phlox, Marigold, Sedum, Sunflowers, Yarrow, Zinnia, Red Hot Poker, Redbud, Bee Balm, Black-eyed Susan, Blanket Flower, Coral Bells, Coreopsis, Salvia, Cone Flower.
  - Concentrate on planting a variety of native plants that do well in South Carolina gardens and are bird friendly.

Here are just a few of the many products you can find in our Wildlife Room in the Gift Shoppe at Wingard’s Market.

More tips for attracting birds
It can take time to attract birds to your yard even after you have provided some of their basic needs.

Here are some additional tips:

Keep grassy areas of your lawn trimmed to allow for insect loving birds to feed easily.
Prepare your yard year-round to accommodate migrating birds.
Keep cats and other bird predators away from bird feeders and houses.
Provide ample perches and stopping points around your feeders for easy access.

Patience is required when inviting birds to your yard, but once they have become accustomed to your surrounding, they will provide you hours of enjoyment for years to come.

Plan to make this year’s vegetable garden the best one ever!

The key to a successful garden …is planning.

It’s the start of a new year and with it comes new dreams for a successful garden. While planting is still a couple months away, there are many things you can do now. To be a successful vegetable gardener, you’ll need to understand what it takes to keep your garden happy and healthy. Here are the basics.

Choose a Location – When choosing a place for your garden consider the following:
- Water supply – Having access to a water source that is easily reached with a garden hose is a must. Providing your garden with consistent water will produce better results. Soaker hoses and drip irrigation systems that can be attached to a water timer make watering less of a chore.
- Drainage – A loose, fertile, level, well-drained soil is ideal. Avoid heavy clays and very sandy soils, unless adequate organic matter and minerals are added.
- Sunlight – According to the Clemson Cooperative Extension, South Carolina gardens should receive at least six hours of direct sun each day. Leafy vegetables can tolerate partial shade; vegetables that produce fruit, such as peppers and tomatoes, must be grown in full sun.
Build Your Soil’s Health – Never underestimate the power of adding organic matter to your sleeping garden. Focus now on adding dead plant material, herbicide free (safe) aged manure, and a rich, healthy compost.
Balance Your Soil – Soil is your vegetable’s food, so balancing it gives you great results. The mineral makeup of your soil is just as important as adding rich organic matter. A typical mineral combination for a healthy soil is a mixture of sand, silt, and clay, with equal parts of each. A balanced soil needs equal parts of organic matter and minerals. There are very few gardeners that have a perfectly rich, sandy loam. Even the best conditions need to be analyzed and improved upon yearly.
- Click here for a complete list of the bulk soils and amendments we carry.
Test Your Soil – Take the guess work out of trying to figure out what your soil needs by testing your soil. We carry Clemson’s soil test collection bags. You can pick up a bag and drop off your sample here, along with $6.00 cash or check payable to Clemson University. We will get it to Clemson for you. We can also help you with instructions on how to gather the soil sample and interpret the test results. The Clemson Extension Office will analyze the soil and send your results, along with fertilizer and lime recommendations for your garden.

Paying attention to your garden now will help you have a successful garden later. Remember, a soil test is your road-map to better soil…“Poor soil yields weak plants, so test now!”

Layout & Design – If you have traditionally planted your garden in long rows you may want to try planting raised beds or earth boxes.
- The EarthBox Gardening System is the ultra-efficient way to grow vegetables and flowers in limited spaces. Get “great results no matter what color your thumb is,” This maintenance-free growing system controls soil conditions, eliminates guesswork, and more than doubles the yield of a conventional garden-with less fertilizer, less water, and virtually no effort. EarthBoxes are available at Wingard’s.

If you consistently have trouble controlling your soil’s health, raised bed planting will concentrate your compost and soil amendments to a confined area rather than wasting it on the paths between the rows. Raised beds, such as square foot gardens will also improve drainage issues and will allow the soil to stay warmer in colder months, such as early spring. By switching your planted areas to raised beds, your plants will shade and cool the ground below and require less watering, less weeding, less mulching.

Check our workshop schedule for our next planned Limited Space Gardening Workshop.

Two excellent mixes (both can be found at Wingard’s) for raised beds are:

Square Foot Garden Mix

1/3 peat moss
1/3 compost
1/3 vermiculite

Wingard’s Vegetable Garden Mix for Raised Beds

pine bark
compost
peat moss
compost
lime
gypsum
organic
fertilizer

Rotating Crops – If this isn’t your first year gardening you may want to plan to rotate your crops. Disease-causing organisms gradually accumulate in the soil over time. Different vegetables are susceptible to certain diseases, so rotating crops help avoid this problem. Crop rotation means planting the same crop in the same place only once every three years.

Whether you have a patio or a lush backyard, you can easily have a successful garden by following these few steps and planning early.

Author Archives: Delores

Become a Winter Bird Watcher

Attracting Purple Martins to Your Yard

Please note: Wingard’s Market will not be hosting any Purple Martin tours for the 2019 Season.

Central South Carolina and especially Lake Murray is known to be a favorite nesting spot for the beautiful and graceful Purple Martin.

Purple Martins flock to Lake Murray

Tuck Your Garden in for a Winter Nap

Create a Wildlife Friendly Backyard

Learn how you can “Certify Your Garden” to show your commitment to wildlife!

Do you have questions about Backyard Birding or Wildlife?

Drying Herbs for Winter Use

“Tender herbs in the mint family – basil, tarragon, lemon balm, and the mints have a high moisture content and will mold quickly if not dried quickly, says Clemson Cooperative Extension Service.”

The Taste of Summer

The Sting…The Burn…Those Pesky Fire Ants!!

Save the Bees – What you can do to help.

Honey bees, bumblebees, and other bees are disappearing at alarming rates, and they need your help!

How can you help?

Did you know?

Save the Flutter of Orange & Black

Creating a Backyard Garden You Love

Inviting Birds to Your Garden

Here are just a few of the many products you can find in our Wildlife Room in the Gift Shoppe at Wingard’s Market.

Plan to make this year’s vegetable garden the best one ever!

Rewards Club Membership

Wingard’s Market