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May 13, 2008 | 6:57 PM PST
Tag: birds
Yep, It is both Bats & Martins. Didn't have very many this pm only about 4 birds and 3 or 4 bats-not flying together. This pm is windy and cloudy, so the weather has something to do with their feeding. Didn't have many birds at the bird feeder, either. Expecting rain-I hope.
Nothing like the show last nite. Kinda chilled this evening. Going to bed early-
Later gators!
May 13, 2008 | 1:07 PM PST
Tag: birds
Ok-my boss is gone for the day, so I'm gonna try this again! -- Last nite, right at dark, I could see over my neighbors house 15-20 birds (bats?) flying about 20 -25 feet off the ground-Zooming and darting about-then they came closer to my house, and lower to the ground, actually maybe 10 feet or less above the peak of my roof! Peanut was barking like crazy, and the 2 kittens were looking straight up "BIG-eyed". I swear they were birds, Martins, but this was almost too dark to see. And no sound! Are Martins still out that late? No sound. I don't think they were bats, but I do have 3 or 4 bats I see occasionally....MMM? Haven't had much problem with mosquitoes yet, but it is swarming season for termites. GET EM, BIRDS!! Bats? Anyway, I hope it happens again tonite-I'll try to take pics (a lot of good that does me!!)
Anyway, we picked beans again yesterday, and more bell peppers. Should have eggplant and zuccini by the weekend. The tomatoes are looking real good, and surprisingly, I don't have any bug problem (yet). My angel trumpet had 3 blooms yesterday, and my Morning Glory Tree had its first bloom, and has lots of buds. My hydrangea I bought for $1.00 at Lowe's at the end of summer is about 6 inches high and blooming! One BIG bloom.
Question for you East Coasters-My son has (which I am babysitting, along with the dog), several Venus Flytraps and one Pitcher Plant. I'm slowy killing off the Flytraps,and he had so many of them. One is blooming (these are very small plants), and I had to move them to stop the kittens from slapping em around. The Pitcher Plant is blooming also-small plant, 2 big blooms. Do they need full sun? Part sun? Deep Shade? I know I'm supposed to keep them wet-and I do (well not all the time, but mostly!) He wants to bring them with him when he goes to Ca. the end of June. I want to keep them healthy. Comments?
May 8, 2008 | 8:18 AM PST
Tags: birds , fox , garden scare-away tactics.
May 8th - this date always stops me in my tracks - like I am supposed to remember something. It's because May 8th was my original due date for when my daughter was supposed to have been born - but she decided to come April 8th instead - a whole month to the day - earlier. So she just celebrated her 23rd birthday last month and I still have to stop and think what am I supposed to remember about May 8th. Weird huh? Anyway - it is overcast and colder today and wet from yesterday's rains.
The goose family is out walking around the front yard. I saw beautiful Indigo buntings yesterday and again this morning along with the colorful cardinals, goldfinches, rose-breasted grosbeaks and red headed woodpeckers. Oh Yes, the Heron is here this morning too. He is keeping his distance from the geese as papa goose tried to run him off the other day. He tends to favor fishing among the bush willows on the west side of the pond. Safer there, I guess. He usually tries to make a complete circle all around the pond, slow and deliberate. I'll have to dig up the poem I wrote about the Heron on here, and the Kingfisher poem too.
Everything is so lush from the abundant moisture we've had and the flowering trees everywhere have all outdone themselves this year. The lilacs are blooming now. I only have 4 coz my little bush is only 3 years old but in town all the flowering trees and bushes are just breathtaking. Anyway mine smells soo good mmmmm! I have to stop and take a sniff every time I pass by it.
I saw our fox coming "home" this morning, so I followed him - first from window to window as long as I could see him and then I carefully opened the door and peeked around the corner and sure enough, he had gone to the terrace garden. I'd say that pretty much confirms those holes up there are his "den".
Having all this "life" outside my windows almost feels like "family". I feel so blessed to live here among them.
That is until the deer and rabbits etc start nibbling my garden . . . Oh I still feel blessed but I want to be able to harvest what I have worked so hard to grow.
I haven't gotten my "scare-away" devices set up in my gardens yet but I know I'd better soon coz I have already harvested some baby spinach. I usually hang some CD's so they twist and flash in the wind. Originally I hung them from lines strung between poles but they have a tendency to wrap around and get all tangled, so I have taken to staking the lines down with garden staples to the ground. That way they still twist and flash but at least they stay put.
My husband got me some zapper stakes but they are kind of expensive and don't really cover much area. I accidentally touched one with my arm while weeding Whoa! that zap stays with you a long time! It is supposed to sear into the minds of deer when they touch it with their sensitive noses that they don't want to do that again [or go there].
I hang mesh bags of dial soap in my orchard trees along with strips of scented dryer sheets - it seems to work fairly well. The only time I've had trees damaged was when I forgot to do this to a couple new trees I planted - dummy me! One must be ever vigilant as they can be soo destructive! This year I am going to try the scarecrow thingee that has a motion detector and squirts water whenever anything wanders into the garden. I just hope I have enough water pressure for it to be effective!
I am hoping the fox will deter the rabbits this year. Last year we had a population explosion of rabbits so this year I'm sure the fox will help bring the balance of nature back in that respect.
May 2, 2008 | 8:56 AM PST
Tags: iris , roses , birds
I am indeed a happy fairy. I got to visit with family and friends this week and even work outside a little. My seedlings are coming up and everything is so green and pretty. I bought some pentas, lantana, pink sage, purple salvia and white periwinkles for my front beds and got that planted. I have a few more irises that have bloomed.
I also have a few rose blooms.
The above rose was one of those $4 packages from Walmart labeled as a 5 petal red rose. What a surprise! We will keep it.
The other morning I had my sprinkler on and red bird came for a shower.
Hope yall can see him up on top of the fence. Every time I run the sprinkler, he comes for a bath.
My jasamine is starting to bloom and the back yard smells heavenly. Yesterday afternoon I stayed outside and crafted and was visited by so many birds and even a good many butterflies came flittin' through.
I started more seeds yesterday-cosmos,gaillardia,bl
ackeyed susan and of course, more zinnias. I found some zinnia seed called fruit smoothie. They are supposed to be purple and orange. Sounds pretty.
See yall later.
May 1, 2008 | 6:37 AM PST
Tag: birds
I guess I need to be more careful when leaving the garage door open, to make sure doors into the house are closed. I am taking plants in and out of the garage as part of the "hardening off" process and unbeknownst to me, that must've been how the little wren got in.
anyway, this morning, I walked into our upstairs M. bedroom and heard a rustling noise - then noticed a little brown thing jump onto the floor but it wasn't a mouse coz the next thing I knew it was flying at the window trying to get out -- it was a little wren! So I guess it has been taking a tour of my house -up through the stairwell into the sunroom and such. Now the question was - how was I going to get it out? I decided to prop open the back door then went into the kitchen where the wren had just flown. The bad thing about interacting with birds like this is that they are so flighty 'coz they get freaked. It kept flying at the kitchen window. I got a broom and gently coaxed it until it found the open door and flew out. Hurrah! Success!
While cutting wood about a year ago, my husband noticed a hole in one of the logs he'd cut and a hollowed out basin in the segment just below it. We stacked the 2 back together in the corner by our front door and last summer wrens made a nest in it. I thought that was a little odd being so close to a door we use a lot. So whenever we'd open the front door - the little wren would fly out and perch in the burning bush at the edge of the front flower bed and keep a lookout.
One year, not long after we first moved here, one flew in through the balcony door and was flying around the sun room. I am normally scared of flighty birds but I was actually able to scoop it up in my hands and release it back outside. [We don't leave the balcony door open except for going in and out]. I guess wrens are curious.
In other bird news, I saw the first Rose Breasted Grosbeak of the season at my feeder this morning. My birdwatcher friend says she's seen the indigo buntings already too. I've seen a brown thrasher but as I told her, I am too busy messing with plants to do much birdwatching. I saw a flicker which looked like she was feeding young through a hole in a tree by my garden tho'. Anyway -- plants are much easier to study coz they sit still and let you look at them. The indigo bunting are beautiful tho' - I have seen more birds for the first time since we moved here than ever. Things like a rufous sided towhee, indigo bunting, blue grosbeak, and this winter a snow goose landed on our pond along with 3 Canadian Geese. My bird book says it is rare to sight them east of the Mississippi so that was a real treat. I keep a notebook bird list by my computer which sits next to a large picture window overlooking balcony and pond and front yard birdfeeder. Most interesting is the migratory seasons coz we get different birds that are just passing through.
A few days before Hurricane Katrina hit the gulf coast a pair of cormorants showed up on my pond! In 2006 a pied billed grebe showed up and stayed for almost 2 weeks. That one took me a while to ID.
Right now a pair of goldfinches are at the feeder, papa goose is asleep in the front yard and mama on the nest. Robins are boppin' . . and its never completely quiet in the country once spring arrives for the air is always filled with bird song. Whether we are fully conscious of them or not, the birds add much to the experience of nature.
When my son was 3 years old, we took him on a hike through a forest in NY. We stopped to rest on some large rocks, common to the area and our little "sage" spoke up and said, "You know? there's always a song in the forest." Our jaws dropped as my husband and I looked at each other dumbfounded at the profundity of our little 3-year old. It blessed me so much - I have never forgotten it.
Mar 6, 2008 | 9:32 PM PST
Tags: seeds , blooming , birds , lily , strawberries , snow
We're supposed to get 2-5 inches of snow here tonight---maybe....the line they draw is around 10 miles south of here, and the snow is supposed to be south of that, just hope the snow remembers that and stays where it's supposed to.
Last week we were supposed to get 10 inches of snow, and we didn't get any, while all around us they got 5-12 inches of snow. That is the kind of mis-forecast I like!
Tomorrow I am going to start some seeds indoors and see how I do. I've said before that I don't have much success at that, but you know the old saying, "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again". So I will.
I have just a few packets of seeds right now that I've been gathering little by little, so tomorrow I will start some Crimson Rambler Morning Glory, Heavenly Blue Morning Glory, some old fashioned single bloom hollyhocks, and some peppers and tomatoes. I'm also going to try to plant some spinach outside and see what happens.
I'm waiting on a Stella d Oro lily I ordered that hasn't shown up yet, I love that bright yellow color.
I have some zinnia and marigold seed too, but I don't know if I'll start them now or not, I usually just throw them down outside when the time is right.
There is more I'm going to try, in time. I have always wanted to grow strawberries, and just haven't committed to them yet, but this may be the year.
My knee that was giving me trouble still is, a little, but it is much better, and I can't wait to get outside and start doing something. The birds are singing, the peepers are peeping, the crocuses are blooming, the daylilies are sprouting, the brown grass is even standing up straight--everything knows that spring is almost here, and I feel so antsy, just waiting, waiting, waiting......
Feb 2, 2008 | 11:00 AM PST
Tags: birds , buds and bumps
And sunshine make for a good day. It did not start off that way however. Here is a bit I shared with Meska this morning.
"Good thing I slept well last night as in the dark of 6am I got up half asleep and banged into the bathroom door. Seems my hubby was already in there and it scared him. I went back to bed to recover from that fright in the night. and at 7am I heard him scream like a banchee, didn't know where he was, turns out he had fallen/sat down into the bathtub. There he sat like a chicken in boiling water with the shower curtain all around him. Not hurt but dumbfounded. He has weakness in his legs and arms but he managed to get up by himself for the most part. What a way to start the day. I am going to go for a walk and then work with my inside plants and check for seeds that need to get started early, set up the sunroom for seed trays, try out a method to use those rope lights as a way to keep the trays warm and fill the bird feeders. It will feel good to do some 'dirt stuff'. "
I did take that walk and took the DH with me. Felt like it would be good for him to de-stress after his early morning happenings. Was a bit cool, a hooded sweatshirt felt good. And the neighborhood was busy with cars bringing youngsters to play basketball at the school across the street. Always something I enjoyed - just knowing the school was being used during the weekend. This is a great neighborhood, lots of people walk and jog, push the babes in the strollers. Has a good feel to it.
Then I managed to get 5 bird feeders and 2 suet feeders put out. Found a new one on a trip to Walmart that was on sale. I think it will be squirrel proof. We will see. I bought two types of summer flocks, one is an orange color and the other a bright pink. Think I will wait a couple of weeks before I put it out. Don't want them to get overly chilled.
Took a few pictures of things that are perking up in the yard and will post them later today. I think those are buds on my SunShine blueberry bush. I have three but only one has the buds. There are daffodils in bud and some other bulbs coming up from their deep sleep. Can't wait to see them. Sure hope we don't get a bad freeze just as they bloom. That is always so sad. Found several of my hardy Cyclamen have begun to show their heads
Yesterday Park Seed got an order for some copper plant stakes that were buy 1 get 1 free and some seed for growing 'roses'? It was too tempting not to try. 'Rose Angel' Rose is the name and you can plug that in on their website to see them. Supposed to be easy to grow and flower the first year. I'll let you know.
I have a list ready to be sent to The Dutch Blub company where I have a credit for 16.99 due to a Razzmatazz coneflower did not make it. Hardy Fuchsia, coneflower mix, bleeding heart (which I have not yet kept alive in the past), candle flower, yellow butterfly asclepias, firecracker flower, a Black Gamecock Iris (for my DH), and some everbearing strawberries. With my $25 dollars off a $50 order and my credit, this will be a nice haul.
I must admit after all the 'before daylight' events in this house I do not have the energy level of most days. Still want to work in the sunroom and move some pieces around. I am going to put the little greenhouse away from the windows to start with and see how the seeds do with the grow light and the makeshift heat pad. Have a good day!
More to Come Later
Oct 27, 2007 | 6:39 PM PST
Tags: myna bird , magpie , birds
There are two types birds in the garden that I managed to get photos of. Above are two magpies. Magpies used to swoop on the chickens at my old house. These ones seem more tame and they follow behind me when gardening so that they can dig out the worms that I've uncovered. They seem a bit more submissive.. which is a relief! In the past, magpies have swooped and pecked my head - once so hard that I thought I'd been cut open!
I like the Myna birds but this is not a good photo unfortunately. Below is a better picture that I found on the internet.
I've caught them inside the chicken coop a few times, sampling the chickens' food. They've stopped doing that lately. Because they are small, I find them quite adorable and they are forgiven for stealing food.
Oct 2, 2007 | 10:11 AM PST
Tags: birds , goldfinch , feeders
I added a bird feeder about 10 feet from my garden. It is for gold finches, after about 3 weeks of waiting for them they finally found the feeder. I love watching them in the morning. Sometimes they come around mid afternoon for a snack too.
Helen
Oct 1, 2007 | 3:32 PM PST
Tags: garden , tomato , zuchini , herbs , veggies , weeding , birds
I live in a condo and have a small garden which goes around 2 sides of my patio. I also have a raised bed container where I have all my herbs growing. This year was bad for Japanese beetles, they seem to love eating my basil and mint. I ended up having to coverup the basil with a light blanket I found at gardeners.com. I have a rabbit too, he likes the beets I had growing around the patio. I covered up the beets too.
Helen
Jul 20, 2007 | 6:58 AM PST
Tags: veggie , Pond , Daylilies , Squash Vine Borers , Tomato , Cukes , Zukes , raised beds , Banana Peppers , dogs , racoons , birds
Still dry but we are supposed to get some rain this afternoon. I should have watered last night but was just too tired. Been fighting a summer cold and trying to convenience myself I am not going to catch it. I am sure it will sneak up and bite me sooner or later. I don’t have time to be sick!
Gave some more pond plants away. I potted up some off shoots of the lotus and four leaf clover, added some hyacinths, water lettuce and gave them to a co worker who just put in a pond. My pond is still full!! Loads of lilies still blooming, but nothing from the lotus yet.
We will get the new raised bed up this weekend and do the soil prep, to have it ready for a fall veggie planting. Want to do some peas and beans and more greens. My yellow tomatoes have been the best producers so far. They sure are yummy. The red varieties are producing, just not as big or as many. I think the vine borers have finally discovered my zukes, I have two plants withering that I will pull out tonight. L Cukes are still doing great and I have one with dinner every night. I think the heat is starting to get to the peppers. The banana peppers are curling. I have been checking to be sure that they have adequate even water. Any suggestions?
More of the new daylilies are getting ready to bloom. These should be the Crimson Shadows. I have to late season ones that I hope will bloom also. One is called Late Embers and the other Fall Pink Melon. The two blooming now are called Go Figure.
Have the inevitable weed pulling and deadheading to do as well. Been lazy about the weeds in the flowerbeds with heat we have been having. The black and white brigade has been promised a trip down to the lake in the morning, so we will be up before the heat and I will have no excuses after that. The boys will be good and tired after a swim and Briar will have a good long ball session. They deserve it after being put aside a bit while company’s been here.
Rob now has the timing of the raccoon family’s visits down. They show up on the deck at about 5am every morning now and he knows it. No barking this morning, he just sat at the sliding glass door to watch them eat their breakfast. The babies are growing fast. Got a couple of dark pix of them this morning and will try to get them posted tonight.
The bird feeders have been really busy in the evenings. I am seeing a lot more indigo buntings this year. Not sure if there are more than normal or I am just providing a better seed selection. Must make some more of Gene’s suet for the pileated woodies. They are now daily visitors too.
Jul 9, 2007 | 7:55 AM PST
Tags: rain , temperatures , grass , mowing , Brandywine tomatoes , Sweet 100 cherry tomato , Burpee Beefsteak tomato , Rutger tomato , birds , Watermelon , Celeste Fig Tree , Fertilizer stakes , Eggplant , Black Beauty Eggplant , Compost pile , RidX , Asparagus , Jersey Knight , Purple Passion
There has been alot going on, even though it has rained a majority of the last two weeks. If it didn't rain in the morning it would later in the day. The temps have been great though, not over 85 and even had one afternoon that was down to 72 because of the storm passing through. Of course I couldn't take advantage of these nice temps too much because of the rain and soggy ground. The grass had gotten so tall it was kind of rediculous. Everytime I though I was going to be able to take out the mower.....I would go and check the radar on the comp. and there was a big green and yellow spot comin' right at me. So I just waited. Tall grass for awhile doesn't hurt anything. Just isn't that comfy to walk in, especially when wet. I haven't had to water the garden....obviously, very nice.
Some of the tomatoes have been doing great. The cherrys and the Brandywine especially. We have been harvesting beautiful tomatoes everyday off of the cherry and every couple of days off of the Brandywine. The Burpee Beefsteak has succumbed to some kind of wilt....it was supposed to be resistant! Oh well, just won't grow that kind again. I also plan to cover that area of soil with plastic so it can cook over the rest of the hot summer. Hopefully that will help keep it from spreading if it had the notion. The Rutgers would be doing great if it wasn't for the beefsteak next to them. Some of the leaves on the Rutger that is closest to where the beefsteak was have started to show signs of the wilt as well. They are so far along though I don't think it will have a drastic effect on the harvest though. I just harvested the first tomato off of the Rutger. ALL LARGE TOMATOES MUST BE HARVESTED BEFORE FULLY RIPE. The birds have decided that they are going to snack on them at breakfast if I let them ripen completely on the plants. Almost penny size holes!!! So I am just beating them to the tomatoes.
In the center area where I had the Giant Pumpkin.....The watermelon has completely taken over. There aren't even hardly any weeds popping up because the vines are so thick. I have some of the baby watermelons getting some good size on them. They seem to just jump in size overnight. I am encouraged that the melons themselves are getting bigger. Being that they were seeds saved from an unknown cultivar I had no idea what they would do. Here is a picture of one of the bigger watermelons.
The fig tree has about 40 little figs on it and has started to sprout some new growth as well. It also has some tiny red dots on some of the leaves. I need to put some more fertilizer stakes around it. I am hoping to train it as a bush and keep it about 6ft. tall. If I have to trim it after that I want to try to sprout the pieces I trim to grow more.
The eggplant have continued to do good. There are a good amount of baby eggplants on most of the plants, and I have harvested a few more. I don't know what is a GREAT crop for an eggplant but I am happy with what is there. Three of the kinds that I started from seed stay on the smaller size, like a large orange. The ones that I tasted have been delicious. Now there are some of the Black Beauty ones swelling in size, here is a picture of them. Very shiny and dark purple.
The way my compost pile is set up, is just not working. Its not cooking very fast. I don't have it covered, its in the shade and I don't stir it. LOL, It will get there maybe by this fall. We cleaned out the chicken house yesterday and added all of the waste and old hay to it. I also sprinkled over the rest of a bag of "compost maker" that I had left. It doesn't seem like that stuff works very fast though. Maybe I haven't added enough of it. Yesterday at church I was talking to a farmer that said someone told him that RidX works great on a compost pile. I have no idea whats in that...don't know if it would be considered organic or not. I am going to make sure it is all piled up really good and then cover it with a black tarp that I have, maybe that will help it along as well. I don't think letting the rain just wash through it the last couple of weeks has helped either. I am hoping that by this fall it will be broken down enough to use on the perennial beds. Don't want to use it on the veggie garden because I add grass clippings from the back yard, which is where the doggies have their outhouse. ;)
The asparagus is doing better than I expected. It is still sending up shoots, very surprised about that. It also has put on seed pods on a few ferns. They are still green though. I accidently broke the tip off of a new shoot awhile back....so I had to taste it, it was very yummy. Now I can't wait until next spring. The only thing bad that has happed has been puppy damage. Before I sold 3 of them they got into one of the beds and were running around. They broke off a few of the ferns. Aggravating!!! Only one puppy left to sell!!! Thank God she is calmer now that the others are gone. I think that I need to make some kind of support frame to go around the ferns though. They are really leaning in some places. That can be a project for early winter. Next spring the ferns should be thicker too which should help as well. Here are a couple of pics. #1 is ferns on the Jersey variety and #2 is new shoot coming up on the Purple Passion variety.
Jun 27, 2007 | 9:50 AM PST
Tags: Cherries , birds
Sometimes when I tell people that I do edible landscaping I get blank stares or even worse I get a look like I am from some alien world. I really have no idea what could be going through their head, but my guess is that they are either drawing a total blank on what edible landscaping is or else picturing in their head something like a front yard filled with rows of corn instead of grass. For some I think it might be like hearing me speak a foreign language and having no clue on what is being said. It is times like that when I wish I had pictures with me of some of the incredible beauty that is possible with edible landscaping, so they could get a sense of why this topic excites me so much.
One of the pictures I wish I carried with me was of cherry trees drenched in pink or white blossoms.
My picture from this spring doesn’t do this tree justice.
When I lived in Japan I was amazed by the Japanese people’s celebration of the blossoming of the cherry trees. Every year they celebrate their sakura (cherry blossom) festival with great emotion and exuberance as a way of welcoming spring and a new year. The cherry blossom is seen as being an incredibly powerful symbol of beauty and renewal.
I see people plant various ornamental cherry trees and am really sad by it. They are missing out on the best part of edible landscaping, the fruit. At times I hear people seem to associate fruit bearing trees as being a burden or chore, as if the fruit is a nuisance. They’d much rather completely rely on the grocery store for all their food and not bother dealing with all the strange things that could fall off a tree and mess up their manicured lawn. I have difficulty describing how frustrated I am by this way of thinking.
My dream is someday to see the best qualities of the ornamental cherry trees successfully crossed with the qualities of the best fruit bearing trees. I believe it is possible that some day we will see things like weeping cherry trees covered in delicious red or yellow cherries, it is just a matter of time before someone does it.
My cherries are enjoyed so much by my family members that they never make it far from the tree before being eaten. I feel lucky to personally get even a few each year. As soon as my kids discover that the cherries are ripe enough to eat, they tend to drag my step ladder out and pick the tree clean. The only evidence I usually see of a good harvest of cherries is a forgotten step ladder and cherry pits around the base of the tree.
Here is a picture of the unripe cherries from a few weeks ago.
Since taking this picture, those cherries have turned red and begun being consumed by eager kids and birds.
Even if you don’t want to harvest the cherries, they can be a great way to attract birds to your yard, since they love cherries. But if you are like me and want to enjoy your own cherries, you will need to find ways to discourage the birds from taking all your fruit. This time of year is when cherries are ripening, when birds are flocking to cherry trees, so steps need to be taken to safeguard your cherries.
Things I have tried or seen that has worked to discourage birds:
- Bird Netting
There is netting sold that you can drape over your trees to block birds from being able to get in to the tree. This is probably the most effective way to protect your fruit. It is also the most work intensive, since it involves putting on and taking off a net, which depending on the size of your tree could be quite a chore. Personally, I go for the easier methods. - Flashy Objects or Ribbons
I’ve been told that flashy ribbons or flashy objects like CDs/DVDs that move about in the wind will discourage birds from going near the tree. I am not sure exactly why this works, but have heard theories that it scares them, as if the tree was on fire or had some unfamiliar threat looming on it. - Bird Scarecrow Predators
I’ve seen people use large balloons or balls with large eyes painted on them to scare birds away, or replicas of bird predators. I’ve also heard that for this to be effective the object needs to be moved to different locations from day to day. - Grow Sour or Yellow Cherries
Birds seem to prefer red sweet cherries, so if you grow the sour pie cherries or a less common yellow sweet cherry, birds will be less attracted to it.
If you are buying a new cherry tree to feed and attract birds, then you won’t mind getting a full size one, which can get something like 40 feet tall. Otherwise, I’d suggest looking for a dwarf tree that is at a much more manageable size. I’ve found that the taller trees are very difficult to pick the fruit from. There are nurseries that offer grafted cherry trees that are dwarfs and more disease resistant. Another option is to grow bush cherries.
Some cherry trees are partially or fully self-fertile, like the named varieties Lapins, Stella, Glacier, White Gold, Black Gold, Vandalay, or Sweatheart. If you aren't getting a self-fertile variety, you will need to get two different varieties for pollinating each other. Tart or pie cherries are self-fertile but unable to pollinate sweet cherries.
One other thing I would like to point out that cherry trees not only are a good source of fruit, but the wood is also valuable in the use of home interiors, cabinetry, and photo paper. Before removing a cherry tree you might want to check with wood brokers to see how valuable it is.
Jun 8, 2007 | 3:38 PM PST
Tag: birds
I am so sad. I was all set to get bird feeders, enjoy them out in the yard...nice cat proof ones. But no, now I can't. Seems that some birds here in Seattle have contracted Salmonella and the birds are dying.
Seems they are passing it by sitting on the feeder then the next bird gets it by stepping in the last birds 'mess'.
Oh well, hopefully (for the birds) this will pass soon.
May 23, 2007 | 10:47 AM PST
Tags: elephant ears , cone flowers , leaf lettuce , spinach , birds , peppers
So that means that the decks won’t get finished. Oh well.
Brought some pallets home last night and will work on getting them put together for a compost bin. My Friday is today, so tomorrow I will work on that and can start filling it with the pile I have been saving.
Just putts’d around last night dead heading flowers and checking on things. I bought a cone flower and put it in the ground. I think I am going to get some more and put them in the bed where the squirrels did a number on my petunias. There are already some sunflowers coming up there from the bird seed. I left them to grow for the birds.
I need to harvest more lettuce and spinach tonight, so salad is in order with dinner. Checked the peppers and they are all blooming now or have little peppers. The cukes and squash are going crazy since it has warmed up again.
And surprise, surprise…one of the elephant ears that I planted before the freeze and that I thought was a lost cause suddenly made and appearance over night. It wasn’t there when I was checking on things last night and viola! this morning it is 4 inches high!! I hope the other two made it also. Guess I will know in a few days.
Watered the herbs on the deck and filled the bird bath on the deck with fresh water. Came back in and watched all the birds come to bath while I cleaned up the dinner dishes. One tit mouse was a hoot, it would sit on the side of the bath then slip off the side into the water and waded across a few times; none of the usually flapping and fluttering with this guy (must be a kid with an aversion for bathing). A chickadee came and soaked itself really well then sat in the tree preening itself. The Summer Tanagers come to bath every evening also, and last night they did some bee hunting from the tree, picking off a few victims from the verbena potted on the deck railings. They caught them then took them back to the oak to bang them to death against the limb before eating them.
May 21, 2007 | 12:30 PM PST
Tags: Birds , Deck , Daylilies , veggies , dogs
What a beautiful weekend!!! Lot’s of sun, perfect temps and best of all no humidity.
The rest of the daylilies I ordered came Friday night by the UPS man. The dogs were out front with me when he delivered the flowers. He gave them all a cookie, said he keeps them in his truck because some dogs aren’t very nice to guys that they think are mailmen. He got a big kick out to the black and white brigade, all three sitting at the same time and looking up at him when they realized he had treats. He said he wished all dogs were so polite to him!
I got brave and decided to give the dogs their lion cut for the summer. Left their manes, front leg feathers and tails. I hate doing it and hate how they look but I know they feel better with all that hair off.
I got busy at 7AM Saturday morning prepping the bed I put the daylilies in. Put some more mulch around the pond where it was wearing thin from the traffic to the hose bib. Hubby cut the grass and then we gave everything a good watering.
The veggie patch is growing, we had our second salad out of the garden and there are loads of maters. Yummy. I staked and tied of the green beans and caged the tomatoes that I have in containers because they are starting to get big. My carrots tops are growing but there isn’t a lot of activity happening under ground. Is that normal? Never planted carrots before. Lot’s of blooms on the bell peppers and a couple of peppers well on their way.
The pond is off and running again. Everything is coming in great. The lotus is filling in and the four leaf clover is ALL over. We had one lily and my hyacinths are making little hyacinths already. No blooms yet on the cannas but they are growing nicely. All but one of the 25 cent gold fish dozen made it. They are growing fast and giving the four big fish a run for their money. We had zillions of tadpoles a couple of weeks ago but no signs of tadpoles and no little frogs at all. I think the fish have been eating tadpoles; the new fish sure are growing fast!
After doing some shopping I spent the rest of the afternoon watching the birds between loads of laundry. The blue jay pair has three fledglings and their wings and beaks are busy keeping their brood fed. The whole family spent most of the afternoon in the trees near our deck. I never realized that they would feed their young from my feeders. I guess I would use any resource I could if I was in their position. The young were certainly demanding. I also wonder if they are teaching them to come to the feeders. I guess that is possible. The cat birds are actually visiting my feeders as well. That is a first, normally I see them down in the blackberries but they have never come to the deck before. The rest were the usual crowd.
Sunday afternoon we started in on sanding the deck and prepping for re-staining. I am very sore this morning but the hard work will pay off. Just a bit more sanding to finish and we will be ready to stain. I am taking Thursday and Friday off this week and will start on the lower deck. Hubby is off Friday and will help finish up then. Other than the decks and the shed cleaning, which still needs to be done, I think we are almost ready to take a break from all the work and finally sit and enjoy the fruits of our labor.
May 18, 2007 | 9:52 PM PST
Tags: greenhouse , pergola , moratorium , bamboo windchimes , beans , peas , birds , lilacs , rugosa rose , iris , groundcover , marigold , petunia , pansy , rainy weather , pussy willow
<growl> I just wrote a whole entry and then when I went to post it the auto time out had logged me out. What an annoyingly short time period.
There's no way I'm going to remember to update this thing every day, that's becoming clear.
It's been rainy, cooler, and windy this week, so I'm not getting much done out in the yard. Which is actually just what I needed, because while we were spending all our time outside, the *inside* has been going to pot! We're having a dozen people over on Sunday afternoon, and I'd've been ashamed to have company with the state of our house earlier this week. It's looking better now. :)
I did get some stuff done--I got some of my ornamental pots planted. The smaller urn already had purple pansies in it, but the dogs have knocked it over half a dozen times, so it needed to be topped off. And moved! I did the larger urn in marigolds, purple petunias, and ivy. And a hanging basket in ivy, nestled in the pussy willow. I did two window boxes off the side of the back porch, both in marigolds and a silver vining groundcover I forget the name of. I still have some annuals and ivy left, and a dozen or so ornamental pots. I just need some potting soil.
My beans and peas are sprouting, I'll put them out in the bed early next week once they're big enough to not be so tempting to the birds. The irises are blooming. The lilacs are done for the year. The rugosa roses are going strong, and they smell heavenly, even from 15 feet away.
With the wind, I couldn't help but put out the bamboo windchimes I hadn't hung yet. They're scattered around the yard, and I love the sound of them. The new one I just bought dropped a chime already, and needs to be repaired. I don't understand why they don't build them more durably; it didn't even last 24 hours.
I moved all my unplanted plants over out of the way, since they were accumulating and looking pretty cluttered. They nearly cover a 4x4 ft piece of plywood. I am now instituting a moratorium on purchasing plants until they are all in the ground. Or pots. ;) I managed to resist temptation when I walked through the Walmart nursery this afternoon. I may make an exception for perennials on clearance at Lowe's.
Started looking into permits for the greenhouse and the pergola.
May 14, 2007 | 2:50 PM PST
Tags: veggie , birds , Pond
I I had a wonderful weekend and a wonderful mother’s day, because I got to play to my yard the whole time and hang out with the boy!!
I picked a whole colander full of lettuce and spinach from the garden Saturday and we had a big salad with our dinner. Used some of the fresh herbs on the deck to make a dressing. Yummy! My tomatoes are going gangbusters and everything else is coming along. It was really warm this weekend with record highs. But we have a cool down this week so that will be nice.
Ryan and I went to the pond store and got some water lettuce and hyacinths for the pond. We spent most of Sunday morning just running errands, going to the produce stand and having lunch. A good mom and son day. When they turn 20, their idea of a good time isn’t really hanging out with mom. But I think if you asked him he probably wouldn’t deny he had fun!! We also got some more 25 cent gold fish and added them to the pond. The originals are now about 6 inches long and did great over the winter so we got them some friends. My lotus now has six leafs and all the lilies have buds. Looking forward to the lettuce and hyacinths multiplying and helping to shade the water.
The daylily farm called to confirm that my order was dug and packaged and will be sent out today. Of course now I can’t find my receipt and don’t remember what I ordered! Oh well, I like surprises. I have been saving room in one bed for them and listening to hubby grumble about the bare spots. I keep telling him they are coming. Whew! Now they finally are.
The yard got its second haircut this weekend. I am so glad we did the front as well as the dog yard. It looks great and feels wonderful on the bare toes!! Zoysia was the way to go. Even with the trees it is doing great.
We got the back of the house power washed. The next project is to clean and re-stain all the decks. Once that is done I am hoping we can sit and enjoy the fruits of our labor for a few weekends without working. I did take some time to sit on the deck and watch the birds yesterday. Had all the regular visitors and a rose breasted grosbeak passing through stopped for a bite and a drink on his way north. His mate looks like a sparrow on steroids. She ate her fill and eyed me from the tree a few times. Got some good photos of her, but he was hiding in the cedar by the time I got back with the camera.
May 3, 2007 | 7:33 AM PST
Tags: veggie , birds , Squirrels , dogs
Lots of good steady on and off rain for the last couple of days. The veggies and flowers are loving it. By Saturday, we are supposed to be in the mid 80’s and tons of sun. We have quite a few small tomatoes and tons of blooms. My spinach and lettuce is growing like crazy and I put in another row of lettuce seed. The radishes and carrots are up and going to town too. The peppers have a lot of new foliage and are showing signs of blooming soon. Onions are plumping and the cukes are happy in there new bed.
All the daylilies, dahlias and lilies I planted are all up and doing well. Columbines are still blooming like mad. My new shade bed looks so nice, it really added to the front of the house. The pond side of the front was so busy and this side was a brick wall with a couple of windows. I just need to find something to put in there for winter interest. Is there a holly that does well in part sun? Pictures of all will be posted as soon as the rain let’s up enough to get some good photos.
The sod is well established now and looking wonderful. It will get its first haircut this weekend. Still need to finish the edging around the grass and ring the last of the trees with stone.
Went out front and sat in the rocker to watch the hummer wars last night. We have three feeders in the front and one little guy that takes up a position in the tree where he can guard all of them. I watched as he sat scanning the area, his little head swing back and forth, determined to catch any others trying to steal from his treasure. As the interlopers flew in, he was quick to strike, diving from his perch onto his unsuspecting victims. He successfully knocked one opponent to the ground. After each attack, he then proceeds to test a sip from each of the three feeders to be sure that all is well. I think I will get some S hooks to hang a couple of the feeders from the trees further apart in the yard, so that others have a better chance at a drink.
Anyone need a few squirrels? GRRRRR!!! Went out to the deck to check on my herbs and other pots and the buggers had dug in every single pot on the deck. Oh! And they somehow managed to get to my hanging basket of strawberries and ate every one of those too!! Told DH I needed a gun. He looked at me and said, “What did you do with my wife?” Teehee!
This morning I loaded the deck railing with peanuts and bird seed and hope that will keep them busy enough today and keep them out of my flower pots. I just bought a new finch feeder because they ate the plastic one. I think I have peeved them off, because this one is metal and they can’t get to the seed and they’ve taken revenge on me. I need a dog door to put in the sliding glass door to the deck and post Rob there during the day; he’d take care of them for me. You know that’s not a half bad idea really!
Apr 12, 2007 | 12:13 PM PST
Tags: freeze , birds , garden , vegetable garden , veggies , Pond , Lotus , japanese maple , sod , containers
Another night below freezing last night and another to come Saturday night, will spring ever come back??? They even said the words “snow flurries” for Sunday!! Whaaa!!!
Okay, still waiting on the extra 20 yards of sod to fill the patch and trim out the rest. Rain again is keeping them from cutting the sod. The rest of the grass we have put down is looking great. What a difference in the front yard it makes.
All my container plants were hold up in the garage again last night. I will take them out again for the day as soon as it warms up. We have given up on the rest other than the tomatoes and peppers. Containers in the garage, veggie bed covered and filbert covered. For all the good it will do. But at least it isn’t the 20 degrees or lower 5 nights in a row.
I asked Treeman about my very sad Japanese maple, the news is not good. I will wait a bit and keep an eye on it but odds are its toast. Thanks, Treeman for breaking it to me gently.
The birds are back at the feeders, this cold giving them an urgent need for fuel. Some of the birder talk I get emailed to me is saying that this warm spell we had bringing everything out and now this freeze is going to hurt the birds pretty badly as well. The new tender foliage is now brown and crunchy, leaving the insects nowhere to do their thing and that means no insects for the hungry birds sitting eggs or feeding young. Not good. I don’t know how much good it will do, but I will keep a close eye that my feeders are filled and have water there for the birds.
Hoping we get a bit of a break in the rain we are suppose to get this weekend, so that I can pull up or cut back damaged flowers and access what to do now in my flower beds. Most of the annuals are toast. I planted those just for instant gratification. I really want to get serious and plan out some nice perennials.
The pond is doing well. The lotus was trying to put up shoots when the freeze happened. I had sunk it deeper in the water to protect it and checked it last night and it is still okay. The lilies slowed down but are okay and the four leaf clover is doing well too. The cannas slowed too but are fine, since I threw them in a cooler with the pond grasses and stuck them in the garage. The pond nursery said they would have hyacinths by the end of this month, so I will head over there to get some to add to the pond soon.
I really want spring to return soon, and not go straight into 100+ degrees with humidity. But I am sure my wish is no different from any of us. Hope everyone is doing well and staying warm.
