We can all give a hand to Mother Nature

Saturday, April 22, marked Earth Day. This Friday, April 28, marks Arbor Day. Probably the two most unremarked holidays in the nation are ironically the most important days of this century.

Anyone who cares — or even reads — knows the dangers of the destruction of the rainforests (and many of our country’s own) and the desecration of Mother Earth by pipelines, coal and other mines, poisons from pesticides/herbicides, exhaust pipes and factory emanations — and countless more, which have all contributed to the death of millions of birds, bees, butterflies and countless other species from miniscule to massive.

In our lovely mountain surroundings, it’s easy to be complacent about our own personal environmental efforts at protection, conservation and preservation — but the overall picture is not a reassuring one. We can (and must) keep trying, however, and perhaps once again lead the way by doing the right thing: Let nature’s creatures take care of the jobs for which they were created and help them out by turning away from pesticides and other destructive practices.

Remember, it was Sandpoint that outlawed phosphate laundry soap/detergents years ago, leading even Spokane to see the light and follow suit!

In the garden scene, my yard at least is still too sodden to even rake away the cottonwood leaves, even though the native primrose (Cowslip) is opening up, the beautiful black Hellebore is in full and glorious bloom and the daffodils are following suit. Too, I discovered my very first wild violet today, a heart-thumping happening for me, since they — and the daffodils (which are my birth-flower)- are my special favorite flowers.

A word about daffodils: Members of the wide-ranging Narcissus family, they are especially treasured in our area, since they are shunned by deer. Available in many forms, daffodils all take to our cold winter climate, and while that hardiness alone recommends them, their toxicity to deer makes them winners. My favorites, the common yellow trumpet daffodil, and the lovely, fragrant Poet’s Narcissus — return faithfully each spring. The family boasts an enormous variety of shape, color and size from trumpet to curled; from yellow to white, pinks and combinations thereof; and from giant to mini, gracing every possible facet of the landscape.

Another summer resident has returned for our delight and entertainment. A lone little Rufous hummingbird showed up a couple of weeks ago — even in the miserable cold, never-ending rain! I immediately cooked up some “juice,” cooled it, filled and hung out one of my feeders. With no blooms to speak up to provide nectar, they’ll need our help to get through until blossom-time.

Here’s the classic recipe, with some vital caveats:

Mix one part granulated sugar to four parts water (I use cup measures). Bring to a boil, boil 2 or 3 minutes to totally dissolve sugar, cool. Fill and hang your feeder. It is not necessary to add red food color; most feeders have color in their construction, and the birds will find it. I recommend pure cane sugar, since many corn and/or beet sugars do not guarantee no-pesticide use in their growing.

Never use honey in place of sugar; it contains botulism spores toxic to birds! Too, commercial nectars, often sold with feeders, are not recommended, since they contain a horrendous variety of additions that are not efficacious for the tiny hummingbirds’ systems. Discard them and make your own.

Clean your feeder with hot water at each refill, removing any mold. Replace with fresh nectar every three to five days to avoid fermentation.

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For those of you who plan to purchase or otherwise obtain a tree(s) for Arbor Day, here’s a planting “how-to” from the Arbor Day Foundation.

n Unpack tree and soak in water 6 to 12 hours.

Do NOT plant with packing materials attached to roots, and do not allow roots to dry out.

n Measure root/rootball width, then dig a hole wider than seems necessary, so the roots can spread without crowding, removing any grass within a three-foot circular area.

To aid root growth, turn the soil in an area of up to 3 feet in diameter.

n Plant the tree at the same depth it stood in the nursery, without crowding the roots.

Partially fill the hole, firming the soil around the lower roots. Do not add soil amendments. Shovel in the remaining soil. It should be firmly but not tightly packed with your heel.

Construct a water-holding basin around the tree. Now, give the tree plenty of water.

After the water has soaked in, place a 2-inch deep protective mulch in an area 3-feet in diameter around the base of the tree — but NOT touching the trunk. Water the tree generously every week or 10 days during the first year.

Containerized trees are a different matter: When transplanting, be sure to keep soil around the roots. Always handle your tree by the rootball, not the trunk or branches. If ball seems rootbound (a great tangle of matted roots), help prevent root girdling by vertically cutting any roots that show tendencies to encircle the rootball. Prepare a large area by digging soil as much as five times the area of the rootball (if possible). Hole depth should be the same as the rootball depth, and the top of the ball should be even with the ground surface when you have placed the tree.

Return the soil to the hole, pack firmly but not tightly around rootball. Water, place a 3-foot protective circle of mulch around the three but not up to the trunk. (Leaves and/or straw are fine for mulch).

A properly planted tree will grow twice as fast and live at least twice as long as one incorrectly planted.

On Monday, May 3, the final program of the Bonner County Gardeners series will be held at the Ponderay Events Center: Promoting a Healthy Landscape for Bees by Stephen Augustine, a local Beekeeper — Stephen will discuss the importance of bees and other pollinators and practices that will help create a habitat for these beneficial (and rapidly declining) insects. Call BCGA at 265-2070 and leave a message or phone number, or email at bcgardeners@gmail.com.

Valle Novak writes the Country Chef and Weekend Gardener columns for the Daily Bee. She can be reached at bcdailybee@bonnercountydailybee.com or by phone at 208-265-4688.