WELCOME SPRING & FEATHERED FRIENDS
Here in Texas, you know Spring is on its way when the hail, thunderstorms
and tornadoes start rolling through and NOAA.org becomes your most
visited website at home and at work!!
Luckily, Spring isn't all growling, ferocious lion. My favorite part of spring is .........
seeing the new green everywhere. It's so refreshing after the brown, dead,
boring look of a North Texas winter! The leaves on the trees are new and green.
The grass is bright and green. Spring showers dust off the last bits of winter
and make everything look fresh and new! Welcome Spring!!
When you mention "garden", everyone has a different mental picture. For some
people, it's a lush, country garden. For others, the more formal garden with
benches and statues and terraces come to mind. I personally prefer a more
natural garden, where bulbs are scattered around for splashes of Spring color,
then perennials pop and bloom. The backdrop is a solid green canvas of
established holly bushes and boxwoods, plum trees and Rose of Sharon shrubs.
It's an informal, natural, casual environment that lets me just relax and enjoy
my little piece of nature.
In my garden, the paperwhites and narcissus have already started blooming,
the daffodils are budding and the deciduous shrubs and trees are starting to
show the slightest bit of budding. The birdfeeders have been busy with locals
as well as migratory visitors.
As you can see, I love the outdoors and nature. I enjoy gardening and watching
birds, but I'm not what would be considered a true birdwatcher. Watching the
birds at my feeders is one of the ways I can unwind and relax without having to
think ! One way to integrate a love of gardening and a love of nature is by
incorporating birdbaths, birdfeeders and bird houses into outdoor decor.
There are many ways to incorporate "avian architecture" and accessories into
your garden. Birdfeeders can be hung from a sturdy, tall tree branch.
If you have a deck or terrace, you can use shepherds hooks that attach directly
to the deck railing. This is a perfect solution for apartment or condo dwellers.
There are also wrought iron and tubular steel or aluminum shepherds hooks that
can be stuck directly into the ground or into a large planter. Don't be afraid to
be creative in using otherwise wasted or vacant space, like the side of storage
sheds, on the backyard fence posts, etc. Just be sure to hang birdfeeders
at least shoulder high off the ground, and away from flat surfaces to keep feline
friends from feasting on your feasting feathered friends!
Birdhouses are a little bit different from birdfeeders in that they need to be
hung or mounted at least 6 feet, preferrably 8 feet, off the ground. Think of it
this way. The birdhouse is the birds' bedroom. Most of us wouldn't want
someone watching what we do in our bedrooms and the birds are no exception.
Also, the typical birdhouse doesn't have locking doors, so the only way to keep
predators out is to put plenty of "open air" between the birdhouse and potential
predators! Enjoy the feathered family but allow them some space.
Birdhouses also come in many decorative styles, shapes and sizes. Some are made
of sturdy pine or cedar and are intended for outdoor use. These come in both
hanging and pole-mount styles. Hanging options are much the same as for birdfeeders,
but remember to "hang 'em high". Pole-mounted styles require a tall wooden or
metal post to be installed in your yard, but you can also use a shorter post or pole
for mounting them from atop the deck railing or attaching them to fences. Before long,
you'll have families of feathered friends in your birdhouse!
Other birdhouses are made of thinner, less durable materials and are really more
decorative in nature. Many "can be" used outdoors, but are best reserved for
indoor or use. These can be decorated with silk flowers and craftsy artificial birds,
butterflies or bees using a hot glue gun. You can even paint them in colors to
match your decor - from mild to wild. Again, be creative and bring some of the
feel of the outdoors into your patio or home decor. Make it whimsical or formal
or anything in between.
Birdbaths come in many styles and sizes. Hanging birdbaths can be displayed in
the same manner as discussed above for birdfeeders and birdhouses. You can
take advantage of the "sprinkling" that's sure to happen when the birds are
bathing and place the hanging birdbath over some plants. Let the birds help
you with your watering chores! Just be careful not to over-water when
you're cleaning out the birdbath!
The more common variety of birdbath is the familiar free-standing birdbath. These
are typically made of concrete and they are generally two-piecers, having a concrete
base with concrete "bowl" that fits on top of the base. These free-standing birdbaths
can be a lovely addition to your garden area. Use them as the focal point of a sitting
area or in a section of your garden. For maximum stability, place a concrete stepping
stone that is a couple of inches larger in circumference than the base of the birdbath.
First, set the stepping stone where you want the birdbath, outline with landscapers
paint non-toxic marking powder, then dig out that space to make a 1-inch area for the
stepping stone to be set into. Be sure it's level so you have a solid base for the
birdbath. Once the stepping stone is in place, the birdbath will sit securely on the
stone, reducing the possibility of tip-over or wobbling.
Some people enjoy the natural concrete color of commercially produced birdbaths.
I chose to use non-toxic acrylics to paint my birdbath. One of my birdbaths features
a squirrel hanging on a tree trunk. It just didn't look right in the drab, gray concrete
color, so I decided to paint it. First I used a natural sponge to dab on the brown "tree trunk" colors ranging from umber to sienna. The darker shades went on first to fill the
crevices. The medium shades went next and became the bark color. Next came the
sienna for some highlighting. I finished my "masterpiece" with light strokes of a metallic bronze shade. Instead of the drab concrete gray, I now have a garden work of art that
looks like antiqued bronze instead of concrete. Since my birdbath is tucked under
a nice, full plum tree, it has retained its color for seven years with no maintenance.
You can use birdfeeders, bird baths and birdhouses as the focal point of a garden.
If you want to place it in the middle of an open area, use materials that blend with
your garden style to make a path that leads to it. You can make a more formal garden
area using pavers, stepping stones, decorative stone, flagstone, pebbles, or any
combination thereof. Add a garden bench or arbor across from the focal point
to create a peaceful outdoor sitting area.
If you have a side or back garden area in mind, place the birdbath or birdfeeder
towards the back of that area, but not up against a structure. You don't want too
much splashing or other "stray matter" gunking up your house or fence.
Once your bird feature is in place, add some plantings around it. At least one tall
shrub within 3 or 4 yards of the bird feature provides a secure spot for birds to
scope out the feature or to hide in case Fluffy appears. For color or base plantings,
place taller plants to the back and shorter blooming plants to the front. Remember to leave room for maintenance access, especially for feeders and bird baths. If you don't clean
these out occasionally, you could be breeding nasty mosquitos or ther unfriendly beasties.
Again, I encourage you to be creative. Just because an item starts out one color
doesn't mean you can't change it. Use soft, subtle colors in a more formal setting
or bold, brilliant colors for a more mod look. The whole point of having these
bird-cessories is to enjoy them! Make it fun. Make it bold. Make it subtle.
Make it loud. Whatever your taste, make it you!
Until next time.......
Have a wonderful day!..Happy Spring .and Happy Decorating!
Cathy Carlton
CarltonsGifts.com
Quikonnex:
http://quikonnex.com/channel/page/carltonscorner-gifts
QMTP:
http://carltonscorner.quikonnex.com
email:
carltonsweb@att.net
You can find many styles of bird bath, birdfeeder, birdhouses, fountains and
wind chimes at my website.
CLICK HERE for March New Arrivals.
If there's something I can help you with, just
QMTP me. (QMTP stands for Quikonnex Message To Publisher. It's sort of like
email, but the message you send gets posted to my private message board so I
can see it and respond to you.)
