Remember the days when neat and tidy borders were made using boxwoods trimmed to perfection and flowers planted in regimented rows? Those times have changed and birds are leading the revolution. The most popular gardens in the area may look a little unkempt, and that is just the way our feathered friends like it. Here’s how to turn those garden borders into bird watching hotspots that will delight and possibly terrify your grandmother.
Bring Hummingbirds Right To Your Window!
Check Price'Grandmother's Cottage' Berry Border: A Living Memory Lane
I remember spending summer afternoons at grandma's house, picking berries with the bees buzzing around. It was a blast! Thrushes and catbirds dine on an all-you-can-eat buffet from their berry mix which includes blackberries, raspberries, and flowering perennials. The secret? Let the berry canes sprawl a little, like grandma did when her knees started to bother her. The birds love the mess!
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Another complaint from the HOA about that untamed corner
Goldenrod and Joe-Pye weeds are taking over! The violation notices are an honor! This untamed area has attracted a whole new class of tenants, as finches and sparrows appear to view your HOA's definition of "unsightly" as a perfect oasis. And we love that for them, and you! We love garden choices that annoy the neighbors!
The Brush Border: A Step Up From A Bird Bath
What do the wrens and towhees think about your pruned branches from last fall? They love them! Just throw some leaves over your border-pruned branches and you’ve built them a 5-star bird spa! The birds will love your natural haven way more than those concrete bird baths from the garden center!
Your Mother's Old Rose Garden Just Went Crazy
Your mother deserves praise for nurturing those hybrid tea roses. Mixing in some native roses and not deadheading to allow some rose hips to develop is especially clever. She is probably attracting cardinals and cedar waxwings with their “messy” garden. There is much to be said for imperfectness.
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The Seed Head Collection Your Neighbors Won't Be Able To Get
Do you recall when you’d do a ‘winter cleanup’ by cutting everything down in October? Those days are gone, and your goldfinches couldn’t be happier! Leaving the coneflowers, black-eyed Susans, and sedums makes you a winter feeder for your feathered friends! Your neighbors may call your gardening 'lazy,’ but you’re running a high-end restaurant for birds!
The Mulberry Edge is worth every single stain!
We understand that every June, your white sidewalk gets taken over by a major purple stain. However, we appreciate that there are Tanager Family Birds nesting there. And the purple stains on the sidewalk remind us of some more extreme stain contest competition. Plus, what is a laundry challenge compared to hosting the most popular bird diner in the neighborhood?
The \"Let It Be\" Border That Finally Paid Off
What about the border that you did not bother to keep up with in your grandson's baseball season last year? Look at the benefit your neglect has provided for the birds! Chickadees and titmice use the wild asters and volunteer saplings that moved in while you were away. Wild birdwatching is at its finest. Some of the best gardening is done when you are not gardening.
The Second Act Of The Vintage Holly Collection
Who would have thought that when you put those holly bushes in during Kennedy's presidency, you would give robins and bluebirds the perfect winter bed and breakfast? The dense evergreen foliage creates lots of little cozy roosting spots, and those pretty little berries provide crucial food during winter months. I guess the landscaping from the 60's is finally getting the appreciation from the local bird community that it deserves!
Elderberry Screen is Better than Any Other Privacy Screen
You put in that giant satellite dish, and we got some elderberries instead of a fence. Now instead of a fence, we have a green bird and privacy sanctuary that is much more entertaining than anything on television. The elderberry bushes will attract beautiful and entertaining birds like cardinals and orioles. We get a wonderful nature show right in front of our house.
The Impressive Briar Patch You Almost Cleared Out Last Spring
Thanks for again not following through with your ‘cleanup project.’ The overgrown roses and blackberries have become some of the most exclusive nurseries in the neighborhood. And those thorns that snag your gardening sleeves? They are certainly keeping aestrid predators away from the nesting cardinals and thrashers. Sometimes, the best features of a garden are the ones we almost get rid of.
The 'Gone Native' Border Your Father Might Question
Your father’s freshly mowed borders have become a lovely showcase of natural grasses, coneflowers, and blazing stars. He may comment on your ‘unkempt’ style, but the goldfinches and indigo buntings certainly appreciate it. Sometimes progress involves breaking the old norms, especially when the outcomes are this stunning.
Hidden Mysteries of the Bird Society in Your Grape Arbor Overgrowth
The grape arbor got pretty wild, didn't it? Well, it seems like it is serving a new purpose, as a few mockingbirds, catbirds, and thrushes have created a little bird club and nesting spots in the vines. While the small seedless grapes don't turn into wine, they make great food for the birds. Sorry a bird club is in our grape arbor, but it is cool to see how some of the best garden features come from a lack of maintenance.
