| ||
| ||
| Landscaping & Gardening Information | ||
|
|
|
Garden for Birds #3
Well, another week is passing us by. I want to thank everyone who writes me back. Gardens and birds can bring total strangers together. ISN'T IT GREAT! I feel as though I'm getting to know you and we are becoming neighbors. You may have fledglings by now. None for me just yet. Even with Michigan weather, things are changing in the yard everyday now. Birds come and go. Plants seem to grow a foot some days. New blooms, new plantings. Chipmunk is still on the loose. Karen is in a battle with some rabbits munching down her pansies. Baby powder works wonderful until it rains. Same with ammonia water. I may have to break down and get some liquid fence. Oh well......................... Last week I was pointing out ways to attract more birds by building under the tree canopies. There are birds that live in all levels of a forest and our yards. By gardening with this in mind, attracting several birds will be easier for you. PERENNIAL GARDENING Perennial gardens can be a bit of a challenge, yet fun in many ways. Trees and shrubs become more permanent fixtures in out yards. As with trees and shrubs, write in on your plans where and what you maywant to plant. Consider bloom time, how tall your plant may get. What kind of spread will your new plants have? Will it be invasive? Do you want to color coordinate by planting several shades of pinks or yellows? What about reds and blues? What will grow in shade and what requires sun? WHEW! ! ! So many questions I think I'm getting a headache. FEAR NOT MY FRIEND! One thing nice about gardening for birds....... IT'S YOUR YARD! You can do what you want and however you want to do it. If you have enough of the attractors planted, birds will come. Let's go ahead and get started. Now I know I said it's your yard, but I'm going to help you spend some ofyour money. You get the rest of the fun. You get to plant and watch things grow. You get the rewards of watching nature come to life in your yard. GETTING STARTED Once again, go to your zone maps and see what is hardy in your area. Check out the local nurseries and garden centers. Look in specialty catalogs. I like to have something a bit unique if possible. You know, that one plant that no one else has. In landscaping, plants are done up in odd numbers. 1....... 3........5 etc. One is an accent plant, something you want to show off or highlight a certain area. Groupings are attractors. Groupings can brake up a mundane landscape. Highs and lows. Breaks in the landscape force the eyes to follow more closely. If you noticed on our walk, your eyes followed every up and down. You were able to catch colors and wildlife you would've missed if you were watching and walking a straight path. So it goes in your yard. WHAT TO PLANT Some very common perennials are: Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia). Goldfinches love the seeds from these late summer bloomers. Coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea). Finches and other small seed-eating birds are attracted to the seed heads late into the fall. Did you know there are several other seed-producing plants that you may have in your yard right now? How about daylilies (Hemerocallis). Yes, if let go, nice seeds can form on these perennial favorites. Blanket flower (Gailardia) Again, season long seed heads. Crocosmia (Crocosmia 'Lucifer') Besides being great hummingbird attractors, Crocosmia have seed pods similar to daylilies that open up to show their delights to the birds. Perennial sunflowers (Helianthus multiflorus) In late summer into early fall this plant continues to bloom and will fill up with goldfinches. LOSE THE CLIPPERS It is so tempting to want that nice groomed look in our yard. Yet, to make it bird friendly, you will need to lighten up on the clippers and pruning sheers. Keep some of those old faded bloom stalks standing. Don't be so quick to cut back that branch. Your work of art is on going and you will figure it out. It's fun when you can add a planting or move them around. Birds will find your yard more friendly when they have a place to rest and feed. Think of the nesting possibilities. Another bonus is strangers that will stop just to peek at your masterpiece. That will give you a warm fuzzy. An important part to any yard is of course your personality. Be sure to put plenty of your personality into your yard. time to go. Until next time my friend. Be sure to smile, you might confuse someone Ron http://www.backyardbirdingtips.com/ Ron Patterson has been feeding and caring for backyard birds for the past 40 years. He is always looking for better and safer ways to fees and garden for birds. Ron is a Michigan Certified Nurseryman as well. This gives him the expert experience and knowledge needed to garden for birds. You can find Ron's weekly newsletter "Backyard Birding Tips" at: http://www.backyardbirdingtips.com/
MORE RESOURCES: |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Tips On Caring For Your Cut Flowers Imagine it's a special occasion and you've just received a glorious bunch of roses. You put them in your best vase and you stand back to admire them. Planting Roses The art of planting roses doesn't have to be a complicated thing to do. When you have the right knowledge there is no limit to how beautiful a garden or rosebush that you can create. How to for Lawns - Mowing How often you mow your lawn will depend on a number of factors. Firstly how much time you have to devote to your lawn's maintenance. Edible Flowers in Your Garden Flowers can be an integral part of cooking. While most of us are aware that violets can be candied and nasturtiums can be eaten in salads, there's a bounty of flower varieties that are both edible and delicious. Ecological Landscape Design and Organic Lawn Care There is a growing recognition, that the expanding suburban landscape is having a negative environmental impact. Suburban development often includes vast energy dependant monocultures (perfect, grass lawns). Growing and Preserving Cut Flowers There is nothing more cheerful than vases full of fresh flowers placed around the house that have been grown and cut from your own garden. A cut flower is one that has been cut at the stem and placed in a vase of water. Multi Purpose Tree - Sugar Palm Palm family is unique in the aspect that most of its members have muli purpose benefits to the mankind, unrivalled by few other trees. There are several palm species such as Borassus, Areca, Sago, Fish Tail etc. What Type of Gazebo is Right for You? Top Questions You Need to Ask Having a gazebo in the backyard is an excellent way to enhance the appearance while providing you with a quiet place to sit and relax after a hard day at work. Gazebos are wonderful for barbecue parties, family gatherings, or simply sipping on a cup of coffee or glass of lemonade on a lazy day. How To Attract Hummingbirds Yes! You can attract hummingbirds to your home. Even if you live in the middle of the city, and even if you've never had any luck getting them to come in the past. Bird Baths in Your Yard HOOOOOOOOOOOEEEEEEEEEHas summer come in with a bang!Heat waves everywhere.And where is the rain?Yolanda is at camp this week. Indoor Gardening Tips for Jerry Seinfeld "I have no plants in my house. They won't live for me. Tractors and Their History I recently bought a small tractor for my garden, which prompted me to right this article.The tractor was a John Deere, GT235. The Truth About Tulips Roses may be beautiful but Tulips are magnificent. The huge colorful blooms we associate with Holland make stunning bouquets. Orchid Care - What The Root Tells Us Orchid Care Part 4 Diseases of the RootsOur final part in orchid care part 4 is about the roots of the plant. This is the heart and soul of the plant. Garden Hot Tubs Imagine starting your morning with a saunter out the back door to enjoy a cup of coffee in your garden hot tub, or relaxing just before bed with a lazy soak in your backyard hot tub under the stars. More and more homeowners are taking the plunge (pardon the pun!) and installing a hot tub in their backyard or garden. Growing Vegetables in Containers - The Compact Solution Container vegetable gardens are a great alternative for those that don't have access to backyards. There can be a range of reasons to grow your vegetables in containers. Patio Accessories - Complete The Great Outdoors Patio accessories can range from small to large and of all types of materials and styles depending on your garden décor. Outdoor entertaining on the patio or backyard has skyrocketed in the last few years as people are treating their patios as outdoor rooms. Furniture Benches Are Perfect For Every Outdoor Space The task of selecting outdoor furniture for your natural spaces can seem daunting at times. There are just so many options to choose from that many people get confused browsing through the large collections that can be found in catalogues, stores and even online. You Say Tomato I Say Mosquito Gathering tomatoes or other fruits of the garden might not sound like a dangerous occupation, but with terrorism running rampant these days, even a walk thru the garden can require pre-emptive measures. In fact if you left the screen door open for a minute or so and heard a whiny frequency accompanied by a slight tickle it may already be too late, if that slight tickle was the allergic reaction of your skin cells to the Culex, Aedes or Anopheles mosquito, one of the several species that prefer humans, and are capable of transmitting microbial organisms to living cells. To Salt or Not to Salt Your Pond The important question of whether or not to add salt to your pond is often confusing for beginners and forgotten by experienced pond-keepers. To newbies and pro's alike we have this to say:"Add Salt Today to Keep the Fish Doctor Away"True, there are some negative effects of higher salt levels on plants in the pond, but overall we think it is absolutely the very best thing you can add to your pond in terms of keeping your fish happy and healthy.
|
| home | site map | © 2006 |