Birds & Blooms - USA (2021-02)

50 birdsandblooms.com FEBRUARY I MARCH 2021

ASK THE EXPERTS

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MEET THE EXPERTS

Kimberly and

Kenn Kaufman

are the duo behind

the Kaufman Field

Guide series. They

speak and lead

bird trips all over

the world.

Melinda Myers, a

nationally known

award-winning

garden expert and

TV/radio host, has

written more than

20 books.

Q I received this from a neighbor who was

using it as a ground cover. Can you identify it?

Rhonda Mitchell OCEANSIDE, CALIFORNIA

Melinda: Your free flowering plant is a Streptocarpella,

which is hardy in Zones 9 to 10 and blooms all year when

grown in a bright location as a houseplant. It is a relative of

the African violet and needs the same growing conditions.

Place your plant in a warm, draft-free area and water it well

when the top inch of the potting mix starts to dry. It likes

moist soil, but overwatering leads to root rot. Use tepid

water to avoid damage caused by cold water on the leaves,

or water from the bottom by setting the pot in a shallow

saucer of warm water for an hour. Fertilize it from spring to

fall with a dilute solution of flowering houseplant fertilizer.

Q I’ve been trying to feed

dried mealworms to my

bluebirds. How can I keep

them from blowing away?

Rose Scaffidi DUNBAR, WISCONSIN

Kenn and Kimberly: Dried or alive,

mealworms make a wonderful addition to

the bird feeding menu. Live mealworms

are pricey and present the added challenge

of keeping your investment from crawling

away. While somewhat less appealing to

birds, dried mealworms are less expensive,

are easier to store and won’t go crawling

off. To keep them from blowing away, mix

them with birdseed in a high-sided tray

to block the wind. Soaking them in warm,

clean water, then draining and putting

them in the feeder will make them heavier

and less likely to blow away. Birds may also

find them more appealing.

Q My husband planted single daffodil bulbs

to naturalize our lawn. Half produced blooms,

and the other half had only leaves. How did

that happen? Dawn Shaw HAMPSTEAD, NEW HAMPSHIRE

Melinda: Daffodils can be challenging to naturalize

in the lawn. The foliage needs to be left intact

after flowering for the plant to replenish energy

for next year’s flowers. This means allowing

the surrounding grass to grow and keeping the

daffodil leaves in place for at least eight more

weeks after flowering. Removing the leaves

too soon can prevent flowering. If you allow

the leaves to stand and store energy for next

year, you should see flowers on the plants.