Well we don’t have bird seed per se. Just about a half acre of natural stuff. Lots of native plants that we allow to bloom and go to seed before we mow the grass.
We have blue bird boxes, wren boxes, a martin barn. The wrens we keep close to the black berry bushes because they are territorial, and eat spiders etc. not much interest in berries. So they drive off the birds that would eat the berries.
Dad liked the blue birds and Martins, so we put up houses for them, and he spent lots of time watching them.
I can’t find the right verbena to buy so I’m back to square one. I’ll check on the Marigolds, what is said about them.