Bird Gardens: Welcoming Wild Birds to Your Yard

Yet another volume (#156!) in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's handbook series, this well-illustrated 111 page book has chapters on bird and plant ecology and design suggestions for gardens that welcome birds, plus an "encyclopedia of bird attracting plants" arranged by geographical region. It's available for $9.95 ($12.95 in Canada) in many bookstores and garden centers, or you can order it directly from the BBG by calling 718-622-4433, ext. 274, or you can visit the Garden's Web site at www.bbg.org. The article below is excerpted from Bird Gardens, ©1998 by Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 1000 Washington Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11225, 718-622-4433.

Nine Ways to Design a Bird-Friendly Garden

Before you begin designing your bird garden, be sure to visit several nearby natural areas, such as parks and wildlife sanctuaries. These will give you a sense of what kinds of plants make up the natural bird habitat in your area. Take notes on which species grow in these natural places and how the plant communities are structured - how they form vertical layers, for example, and how some plants occur in large drifts. Re-creating a similar type of growth using species native to your area is the key to a successful bird garden.

Following are nine tips on how to design a garden that appeals to both birds and people.

1. Limit the size of your lawn. Across the country, people are gradually replacing the monotonous green of the lawn with more natural plant communities closely mimicking the prairies or woodlands that existed before suburbia altered the American landscape. Such habitats are more interesting and much kinder to backyard birds.

2. Re-create the layers of plant growth found in local natural areas. Be sure to mimic the vertical layers of nearby native plant communities when designing your bird garden. In forested regions, a handy rule of thumb is to plant tall trees along the periphery of your property; a bit closer to the house, plant understory trees, then large shrubs, small shrubs and, closer still, groundcovers such as bunch grasses and wildflowers. If you live in a prairie region, you will have some success attracting wild birds by keeping the lawn in grass and planting a few shrubs that the birds will use as singing posts.

3. Select plants with an eye to providing nutritional foods during different seasons. Different birds require different kinds of foods in different seasons. During the rigorous chick-rearing days, for example, parent birds get the energy they need by feeding on sweet fruits such as blackberries, mulberries and wild cherries. Fall migrants (thrushes, vireos and warblers) require fatty fruits such as flowering dogwood, spicebush and mapleleaf viburnum to build fat reserves for their long journey. Wintering birds (finches, sparrows and waxwings) need abundant, persistent fruits such as those of conifers, bayberry and sumacs to help them survive sub-freezing temperatures.

4. Plant small trees and shrubs in same species clumps. This is necessary for pollination of shrubs with separate male and female plants, such as hollies and mulberries. Even for species with flowers of both sexes on the same plant, planting in clumps helps boost fertility and therefore fruit yields. Clumps also benefit birds by providing highly visible, massed displays of fruit.

5. Provide at least one clump of conifers. Birds find shelter in evergreen conifers during storms and winter weather. They also are preferred roosting (sleeping) and nesting sites.

6. Leave vines or plant them. Vines such as Virginia creeper, wild grape and greenbrier provide birds with perches, nesting places and, in some cases, abundant fruit crops.

7. Leave some leaf litter for the birds. This creates feeding places for ground feeding birds such as robins and other thrushes.

8. Use pesticides sparingly. Some pesticides harm birds directly. Others kill or contaminate insects on which birds feed.

9. Provide nest boxes. This is the simplest way to increase the variety of birds nesting on your property. In all, 48 species are known to raise young in nest boxes, including bluebirds, tree swallows and purple martins.

Ergonomically Designed Wheelbarrow

This one will save your back during loading, moving and unloading. The Slide & Glide has a large diameter bicycle wheel in the front, a large, flat loading platform in the middle and handles at nearly waist-height in the rear. The maximum load rating is 250 pounds; unloaded weight is 45 pounds. The price is $149.95 plus shipping and handling (Florida residents must add 6% sales tax) from Slide and Glide Inc., 3403 Ehrlich Rd., Tampa, FL 33618, phone 813-968-9045.

Lyme Disease Vaccine "80% Effective"

Gardeners who worry about tick-borne Lyme disease soon will be able to greatly reduce their chances of infection by being inoculated with "LYMErix," a new vaccine developed by SmithKline Beecham. The vaccine has been tested on several thousand individuals, with an estimated 80% protection rate. For more information, you should consult a physician. Reference: Anonymous, "Lyme Vaccine Nears Approval," Nursery Management & Production 14(8), August 1998, 25. (Branch-Smith Publishing, 120 St. Louis Ave., Fort Wayne, TX 76104.)

Backyard Wildlife Habitat^TM Program

The National Wildlife Federation began this program in 1975 to acknowledge the efforts of people who were "gardening for wildlife" around their homes. Since then, more than 21,000 habitats (comprising approximately 50,000 acres) have been certified, including Schoolyards Habitats^TM at more than 700 schools and hundreds of habitats at business and public sites. The average habitat size is between one-third and one-half acre, but certified sites range from urban balconies to thousands of acres. Below are excerpts from a recent NWF press release about the Backyard Wildlife Habitat^TMProgram.

The program teaches the importance of environmental stewardship by providing people with basic guidelines for making their landscapes more hospitable to wildlife. Habit restoration is critical for wildlife in urban and suburban settings where commercial and residential development encroaches on natural areas. Changing landscapes to encourage more wildlife also enhances the environment's quality by improving the air, soil and water throughout the community. Whether in a backyard, on an apartment balcony, or in a rooftop garden, building a habitat is like producing a play — where the animals are the actors and people the audience!

NWF has received countless testimonials from program participants who find their effort to create a habitat not only rewarding, but fun for the whole family....

While most people recognize the importance of protecting the environment, few understand how just one person can make a difference. Craig Tufts, Chief Naturalist for NWF, says, "There is much each of us can do for the environment as we care for our piece of the Earth. Building a habitat is one example of how a single person or family can do something that can have a long-term positive impact." Of course, persuading your neighbors to join with you can lead to a neighborhood or community habitat, which provides wildlife with even more incentive to call your "piece of earth" home....

The nation's largest member supported conservation advocacy and education group, the National Wildlife Federation unites people from all walks of life to protect nature, wildlife and the world we all share. The Federation has educated and inspired families to uphold America's conservation tradition since 1936.

To get started on your own habitat, order the appropriate information packet(s) from the National Wildlife Federation, P. O. Box 50281, Hampden Station, Baltimore, MD 21211: Backyard Wildlife Habitat^TM packet ($12.95); Schoolyard Habitats^TM kit ($18.00); Wildlife Habitats in the Workplace packet ($14.95). All prices are postpaid, but you should add state sales tax if you live in Colorado, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, Texas, Vermont or Virginia. Make your check payable to "NWF." Also available from the same address is a Campus Ecology Greenscapes packet ($11.50) that provides information to college students and administrators on creating wildlife-friendly college and university campuses. And if you think your backyard, schoolyard or workplace already provides significant habitat for wildlife and would like to find out about certification, contact National Wildlife Federation, Backyard Wildlife Habitat Program Office, 8925 Leesburg Pike, Vienna, VA 22184, phone 703-790-4434.

The Shady Border: Knockout Plants That Light Up the Shadows

The latest book in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's 1st Century Gardening series gives tips on choosing perennials that do well in the shade. It lists more than 70 "shade perennials" according to soil moisture preferences, with abundant information on each species and lots of color photographs. Look for it in bookstores for $9.95, or order directly from BBG at 718-622-4433, ext. 274. The following is excerpted from The Shady Border© 1998 by Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 1000 Washington Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11225.

Nine Spectacular Shade-Loving Perennials

Gardeners from novice to knowledgeable assume that a shady border can never be as colorful and visually interesting as a sunny one. But, contrary to popular belief, well-designed shade gardens are as lush and colorful as their brethren in full sun. Careful plant selection in the design phase to insure year-round color and interest is as important in the shady garden as it is in the sunny border. The following shade-loving perennials were culled from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's brand new handbook, The Shady Border.

1. Umbrella leaf (Diphylleia cymosa). There is bold texture in the moist shade garden without Hosta! The large leaves of this flamboyant plant have dramatic, sharply pointed lobes. The small clusters of white flowers borne in spring give way to royal blue berries on carmine stalks. Wow.

2. Creeping wood mint (Meehania cordata). Creeping wood mint is one of the best kept secrets among native groundcovers. The bright blue flowers come in late spring when other woodland plants are past flowering. The entire plant is prostrate and clothed in scalloped leaves.

3. Woodland sage (Salvia koyamae). A sage that blooms like gangbusters in the shade? That's right. Clusters of yellow flowers bloom for several months, carrying the garden into autumn. This attractive plant has deep green, felted arrowhead leaves on one-foot stalks.

4. Chinese ground orchid (Bletilla striata). An orchid that is easy to grow and in spring produces nodding, purply pink flowers that appear to be dainty miniatures of the florist's corsage orchid. Its bold, grassy leaves contrast pleasingly with hostas or the finely cut foliage of ferns. It even grows well in shady, dry conditions.

5. Allegheny foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia). Fountains of frothy white flowers in spring and shiny, evergreen foliage make foamflower one of the most attractive and versatile spring wildflowers. Allegheny foamflower is unsurpassed as a flowering ground cover under flowering shrubs and trees. It is lovely when accented with taller bluebells, Solomon's seal, fairybells and ferns.

6. Royal fern (Osmunda regalis). Royal fern is a fern to be reckoned with. Bold in appearance, it stands proud with three-foot plumy bronze fronds from a single crown. A stand of this fern is very dramatic underplanted with bronze sedge.

7. Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum). Every shady garden needs a clump of this native wonder. The charming "jacks" unfurl their three leaflets, spanning two feet across, to provide a parasol for the unique hooded flowers. In late summer, the fruit turns a bright orange-red. Grow a clump of jacks at the base of a tree, where the berries will show off against the trunk. Perfect for the consistently wet shade garden.

8. Dog-tooth violet (Erythronium americanum). In early spring, the beautiful, nodding butter-cream flowers, like miniature tiger lilies, take one's breath away. Often found growing in huge masses in wet woodlands, a blanket of dog-tooth violets can convince even the most bitter of cynics that there are things worth living for.

9. Wild geranium (Geranium maculatum). Perennial geraniums have at last become popular in this country. The wonderful foliage has been likened to paper cut-out snowflakes. The one-inch pinkish-purple saucer-shaped flowers are held in clusters high above the foliage. Self-sown seedlings are often plentiful. You will have plenty to trade.

Old House Gardens

The 1998-99 catalog of heirloom bulbs from Old House Gardens (for a copy, send $2 to Scott Kunst, 536 Third St., Ann Arbor, MI 48103; also check out the newly established Web site at www.oldhousegardens.com) adds more than 40 old bulbs, including 'White Aster', "the world's oldest dahlia" (originally introduced in 1879).

Scott has worked as a landscape historian since 1983, and he is available to present "lively, colorful, carefully researched" slide lectures to local groups. Call him at 734-995-1486 for more details.

Here's a tip from Scott: Getting your tulips to bloom forever: Well, longer, at least! For a start, you need to be in USDA Hardiness Zone 7 or colder. Then, most important, I've come to believe, is keeping them dry in summer (as in their native homes). Try this: plant a few where you never water and see how well they return. And avoid disturbing the soil around them when you garden (for some reason, they seem to suffer from that). Beyond that, the basics include well-drained soil, full sun, regular fertilizing and letting the foliage ripen to yellow. Some authorities recommend deep planting, to 12 inches, but I'm not sure. Then there's this age-old method: dig them up every summer, store them in a cool, dry spot and replant them in the fall. You'll end up with more bulbs every year, guaranteed....Some cultivars just last better, too. In my garden, the Single Earlies and species often come back strongly, as do some of the old Single Lates and Lily-flowered.

Winter 1998
Time to Think Christmas Trees | Caring for Poinsettias & Christmas Trees | Constructing a Holiday Wreath | Help Minimize Salt Injury to Shade Trees | '99 All-America Selection Vegetable Winners | Bug Bites | Cybergarden Sites | Lawn Care Calendar | Hort Shorts | Hort Tips | Locally Grown—Pumpkins & Winter Squash | Food for Thought | Food Handling | Food Safety | Health & Household Tips | Did You Know?

Index | Feedback