Fall Plantings for Spring Birds

Although many folks wait until spring to do landscaping and gardening, they have greater luck attracting wildlife if they thought further in advance and made Fall Plantings for Spring Birds. In this presentation by educator-naturalist Bill Hilton Jr. of Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History, you'll learn what kinds of trees, shrubs, and flowering herbs are helpful to birds (and small mammals) and how you can take advantage of the fall planting season to assure that wildlife has appropriate shelter and food for the coming seasons. The discussion also deals with the importance of water and how to have a balance of natural and artificial food sources at your backyard feeding station.

(Photo © Hilton Pond Center) Pinxter-Flower (Wild Azalea)

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Form & Texture in the Winter Garden

A garden can be filled with components that makes it a delight even in winter. The secret is selecting plants that not only have attractive foliage in spring and summer, but that have equally appealing bark, twig configuration, and general shape--all of which provide Form & Texture in the Winter Garden. This talk by educator-naturalist Bill Hilton Jr. of Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History concentrates on how to visualize a winter garden and select plants to fill it. Come ready to appreciate gardening at a time of year when most people are huddled around a stove instead of enjoying the backyard landscape.

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Goin' Natural: Growing Native Plants in Your Own Backyard

In their efforts to grow bigger and bolder plants in their gardens, far too many homeowners select inappropriate ornamentals and overlook the beauty of native species that are already adapted to local conditions. In Goin' Natural: Growing Native Plants in Your Own Backyard, educator-naturalist Bill Hilton Jr. of Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History discusses the perils of invasive foreign plants and how they can be replaced --often much more effectively--by native trees, shrubs, and herbaceous flora.

(Photo © Hilton Pond Center) Shining Sumac Berries

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