Brenda Lynn

The flowers of native perennials and annuals are excellent nectar sources for bees, hummingbirds and butterflies, but to really up the impact of your pollinator-friendly garden, plant a flowering tree. The amount of nectar and pollen potentially gleaned from a single tree may be equal to that of an entire field of wildflowers. Trees also provide shelter for native nesting bee species and carpenter bees.

As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases made through affiliate links. There’s nothing quite like pulling a crisp root vegetable from newly thawed ground and prepping it for the table in just a few minutes. Radishes, carrots, turnips and beets are cold-hardy staples that fill the gaps when little else grows. Because they are so versatile, they too easily become the only root crops we bother to grow.

First signs of spring are legendary, particularly in places blanketed in snow for much of winter. Where I grew up, near Washington, DC, we eagerly awaited the American robins’ arrival. They usually appeared in March, whistling a hearty tune: “cheer up, cheer up, cheerily, cheer up!” The mere sight of Mama Robin bearing twigs for a secret nest was enough to carry us through the last cold, wet weeks of winter and into spring.