Attention Bird Gardening Enthusiasts

self | February 12, 2005 | sweetliberty

[GodBlessUSA]

I hope our walmart carries them this spring. This year I have to work on earlier blooms. By August my garden is full but it takes too long. I also want to add more foliage color. This plant looks perfect. I started working on that last fall and will do more this year too. I love clematis and vines, I'm hoping to do more of them.

I love the idea of mixing the moon flowers with the morning glories. You have given me some great ideas that I will be doing this year! I'm so eager to garden. We are getting 6 inches of snow today so I have to be patient :)

[Quester]

Looks like a good choice, Becky.

Made me wonder why I've never planted any Nandina.

Turns out that its not hardy enough for our winters up in these parts.

According to one site I looked at ... your plants should max out at about 2 foot all around.

I envy you that you're able to do some planting now.

Everything still looks all bare and frozen up here. I'm looking forward to the weekend ... highs should get up into the 40's.

Enjoy. ;^)

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

I've been wondering about clemetis. I read a on a package of them that the like their roots shaded. I was wondering if they would grow on my arbor. It catches full sun all day. But the ground that the roots would be in get some shade??? Do you know if they would work.

Becky

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Well, I hope they are a good choice. I've gotten mixed directions on them. The tag that they came with said they prefer shade. So at first I gave up on using them because where I put them gets alot of sun. But then I got to noticing that along the main road thru our town, ALOT of places had them where they can't possibly be in a lot of shade, and they looked heathly. So I'm taking a chance, because if they work they are just what I'm looking for. The directions on the internet sites I looked at said sun to part shade. I can't figure that tag.

Becky

[GodBlessUSA]

Hi Becky
I have Clematis on my arbor with roses. I love them! I just make sure I mulch them and water well. At first, I was intimidated growing Clematis but they are easier than I thought. I always pick the easier of the varieties. Some are tougher to grow than others. A lot of the Clematis I grow are on Shrubs or plants that shade the roots for them. I have a white, Henryi (spell?), on a green Holly. I just love it. My computer crashed and I lost a lot of pictures. I wish I could show you this one.

[GodBlessUSA]

Hey, where did everyone go? LOL

Here's a picture of a Titmouse after grabbing a nut :)

[MamaTexan]

Nice picture!

I always wondered if the plural of titmouse was titmice, or titmouses. :)

Still grey, drippy weather around here. Very depressing.

I did try getting more bird pictures myself...had some great shots one day, too.

Then I discovered the digital camera can't take pictures through the window. :(

[GodBlessUSA]

Oh no, I would have love to have seen your pictures.

I always say Titmice. I have no idea if I'm right. LOL

We just had about 6 inches of snow but this time it's melting fast. Whew.

I'm going through garden catalogs. Oh, that's so dangerous. I have to wait and buy plants at stores!

[sweetliberty]

That's a great picture. The Titmice do think big. It's funny to see such a little bird tote off a whole peanut.

I've been busy messing with my feeder pole. Took me forever to get the hole deep enough, and even so I had to cement it to get it straight. Finally got it all done this morning. Some of the birds are annoyed now that their feeder isn't where they think it should be, and to make matters worse, I moved the birdbath, too. Some of the others don't care. And of course, while I was out there working on it, I got other ideas of what I want to do. How much of it I will actually do is another matter altogether.

My Red-wing Blackbird numbers have grown significantly. I think I'm going to end up with whole flock of them at this rate. I like them, I just hope they don't overwhelm some of the other birds. And then, I've got the danged Grackles trying to move in, too. I never saw a one here until recently. Babe, I think you cursed me with these d**n birds!

[MamaTexan]

We just had about 6 inches of snow but this time it's melting fast.

Brrr! That makes me cold just thinking about it.

I know what you mean about the catalogs.

Every time I go through one, my wish list gets longer!

[sweetliberty]

"I always wondered if the plural of titmouse was titmice, or titmouses"

In all the books I've seen, it is written as "Titmice."

[sweetliberty]

"Then I discovered the digital camera can't take pictures through the window"

Takes great shots of the screen though.

[MamaTexan]

In all the books I've seen, it is written as "Titmice."

Phew! That's what I thought too.

That proper English grammar thread got this poor Texan all confused.

:-0

[MamaTexan]

Takes great shots of the screen though.

ROFLMAO!

Lady, you are such a hoot!

[sweetliberty]

I figure I'm just going to have to spend a lot of time out there so they get used to me being close. I know if I'm out there long enough fiddling around with something, they start going on about their business and ignoring me. Some of them have gotten incredibly close...like arm's length away, but do you think I ever have a camera handy at those times? Noooooooo....

[GodBlessUSA]

I had a time with a pole last year also. I'm glad you got yours done. What a heck of a time they give us getting them set up but it's so worth it.

It took so many years for many of the birds to be use to me outside. I'm a nut though and will sit on the deck in the middle of winter. Chickadees and Titmice will come the closest. Woodpeckers, especially, Downy sticks around. This year, I was surprised how tolerant the Nuthatches are of me. It's great fun seeing them so close. It's amazing. It's almost as though we earn their trust.

There is a Bird-Sanctuary, not too far from us, where the Chickadees, Titmice and Nuthatches eat from your hand. I bring my daughter from time to time. It's an incredible experience. My daughter was thrilled to feed a Chipmunk from her hand too! I'll take some pics. the next time we go. I wonder, does anyone know, are Chipmunks out during the cold weather?

[GodBlessUSA]

My last post isn't showing up but it's in my ping list. I even left and came back. Hmm, odd. Maybe I wrote too much. LOL

[sweetliberty]

"are Chipmunks out during the cold weather?"

I have chipmunks that apparently live under the house. I saw then pretty regularly in the winter, although they are timid little things compared to other chipmunks I have been around.

[sweetliberty]

I'm so excited. There was a Mockingbird in the yard, and at the feeder, this morning. He wasn't a very big one, either, but he managed to run off 3 of the Red-winged blackbirds, and they don't seem to scare off that easy. I had just decided to get one of those fruit, jelly and mealworm feeders, although I haven't yet. Now I will have to hustle up on that.

[GodBlessUSA]

Congratulations!! That's wonderful. I adore them too. I find it funny how they sometimes run off other birds. I saw one last year doing this and it wasn't even at feeders he ate at. What I found funny is that he only did it sometimes.