Garden Decor

Want to maximize a small garden?

Start by creating a focal point. Find a spot that is highly visible from several strategic locations and provide an anchor for the garden plot. You may use unique garden decor such as a garden statuary, or a fountain. Choose something that will command attention, but also looks comfortable in its surroundings.

Gardening in containers can really maximize the space available. Place containers in corners and beside a garden statuary or birdbath to increase flow and height variation. Birdfeeders and decorative birdhouses will add interest and activity to your little garden.
Grow flowers in containers in window sills, on porch or stoop and atop garden walls to increase available garden area.

Using containers on and on top of walls draws the eye upward to add perceived space.

Birds may be wary of new foods. If you add something new to your bird-feeding station, offer it in a familiar place. (A great use for your angel birdfeeder!)
If you buy a lot of seed, store it in a cool, dry place, in a rodent-proof, metal can. Check the seed often for mold. Dispose of any seed that is questionable.

Do not feed birds any foods that contain chocolate. An ingredient of chocolate—theobromine—is toxic to birds just as it is to dogs and cats.

Do not use seed that has been stored for an extended period of time; it may grow mold, which can contain harmful toxins.

Complements of cornell.edu

Grit

Birds “chew” their food in their muscular, stomach-like gizzards. To aid in the grinding, birds swallow small, hard materials such as sand, small pebbles, ground eggshells, and ground oyster shells. “Grit” will therefore attract many birds as a food supplement. You can purchase grit at most feed and pet stores. If you decide to provide eggshells, be sure to sterilize them first. You can boil them for 10 minutes or heat them in an oven (20 minutes at 250 degrees). Let the eggshells cool, then crush them into pieces about the size of sunflower seeds. Offer the eggshell in a dish or low platform feeder, separate from your seed feeders.

Go to www.gardendecoressentials.com for bird feeders, angel birdfeeders, st. francis birdfeeders, back yard birdfeeders, cherub birdfeeder, white wood church birdfeeder, and much, much moore!