Friendly Blackbird Visitors In The Spring Garden

We have a visitor and garden companion now. Every time we go into the garden within minutes he is there!

Mr. Blackbird has taken to making his arrival by swooping down over my shoulder! A flypast, usually pretty close! 

He is a very confident, good looking sleek blackbird and he always proceeds to follow me around the garden.

I think he knows that, especially when I am carrying a spade or fork, that digging is going to take place and easy lunch for him! 

Lately, he has been joined by Mrs. Blackbird as well. She is just as brave and now both of them will happily work alongside me literally inches from my feet as I go my gardening. I feel like I can reach out and touch those beautiful black glossy feathers but of course, I don't.

 

I am pretty sure they have a nest together but I think it is deep in the hedge so I am not going looking. We should never disturb nests in any way.  I am just happy that there may be baby blackbirds later. 

We are having to be careful though as a couple of days ago I left our back door open and watched with my heart in my mouth as Mr. Blackbird bravely walked into our kitchen!!

I just waited and hoped he would walk out again and thank goodness he did. However, now that door is firmly closed at all times! 

Our garden is a nice welcoming place for birds. They have the hedge, lots of shrubs, a gardener who digs, food, two birdbaths and a variety of plants and cover. We have not ever and would not ever try to tame any of the wildlife but when they choose to be near you (even when it's cupboard love !) it is a blessing. 

So it is lovely to be rewarded with a close encounter with these beautiful birds.  I love it and treasure it.

 If you like this post please share and do consider joining us on Diary Of A Wild Country Garden Community Facebook Page

Why Do I Grow Forsythia For Wildlife?

If you walked into my garden you would see a burst of bright yellow sunshine from one shrub in particular. 

Yet the forsythia shrub isn't one that fills most gardeners' hearts with delight. It is so very common and for much of the year is simply a green shrub.

However, for me, it signifies one of the joys of Spring. It never fails, it has beautiful bright yellow blooms on bare branches, it lives happily and healthily with little attention from me in our mixed hedge alongside a lot of competition for food and water, yet it has never become a thug in the garden. 

All I need to do is to prune it once a year immediately after flowering and for the rest of the year, I pretty much forget about it. 

Why do I grow Forsythia?

I have one forsythia we inherited with the garden and one we planted from my Mum's garden.  

 Well for the few weeks of that bright yellow bloom, I just love it and it shines out so much at this time of year, a beautiful burst of sunshine yellow - when often there is not that much sunshine around. 

It is reliable, it flowers on cue every year, no worrying about it or tending it to get it to flower. I don't feed it or water it and yet it rewards me every year with a stunning if short sunshine display. 

It is an early flowering shrub. It is very important to have at least a couple of early flowering shrubs in the garden for wildlife. When not much else is flowering well it is an excellent source of nectar for those insects emerging from their winter homes and for all the early bees who are in need of a good meal.

 If planting new shrubs do make sure they are single flowering, which the bees and other insects can feed on, rather than the double varieties which are much harder or impossible for them to make use of.

For our forsythia in the hedge especially I notice each year the birds adopt it or near it as a nest site, especially the blackbirds and sometimes the thrushes. The Woodpigeons often spend a lot of time resting on or near it in the hedge as well.  It is shrubby and strong and the branches all cross in the hedge and so it is a good place to build a nest.  

So for a gardener, it is not difficult to grow and perhaps not the most beautiful of plants most of the year but it serves a very important purpose in our garden and I am happy to give it some space.


 If you like this post please share and do consider joining us on Diary Of A Wild Country Garden Community Facebook Page

Save Our Spring Hedgerows For The Birds!

I am worried when I see and hear hedges being cut and trimmed in Springtime.

This is the peak time for birds to be nesting and hedges are often filled with nests, even if we cannot see them all. 

So why do some people cut hedges down in Spring when birds are nesting? 

We have a mixed native hedge in our garden and frequently birds nest in it. Our neighbors have hedges too so it's a good area for birds to travel along and is always busy in the Spring as they establish territory and build nests and rear their young.

It is a pleasure to see them singing their hearts out wooing a mate, defending territory and gathering nest-building materials. Then, if we are lucky to see the baby fledglings and parents feeding them in our garden. 

We recorded blackbirds nesting in our garden one year as they nested very close to the house and we could take photos without any disturbance. The photos of the birds here are from that page. 

Growing up in the countryside I think I always knew not to cut hedges in the Spring and early summer. We always waited until the birds had stopped nesting and you could feel the quietness descent in late August or September as all the birds seemed to leave the garden. 

So I am not understanding why I am getting leaflets and knocks on the door from so-called "tree surgeons" asking me if I want my hedge cut down! It is the worst time of year to do it! I understand asking for business but I tell them why we cannot do it now and say it is an Autumn/winter job. 

However, it occurred to me do all people know not to cut hedges now? It is an offence in the UK to cut hedges with nesting birds in them.  

I know there is a sudden desire to get out into the garden and tidy up and get things sorted for summer. I feel it too. However, hedge cutting is an autumn/winter job - not for now. If I forgot to do it in winter, well I have to live with a messier hedge for now.

If we cut hedges now we disturb birds, we lose nests and baby birds will die needlessly. With some species, we cannot afford for this to happen and it is in my opinion cruel. I like to think if people do it, it is out of not knowing rather than deliberate.

We have precious few hedgerows left these days so need to preserve the ones we have for our birds and hedgehogs and other creatures. 

Please if you care about birds, spread the word, however you can,  to only cut hedges in Autumn and Wintertime. 




If you like this post please share with your friends and do consider joining us on Diary Of A Wild Country Garden Facebook Page

Magnificent Magnolias In The Spring Garden

Magnolias are simply beautiful! The tree itself is lovely and provides us with gentle shade in the summer and the blossoms in April and May are stunning.

From the tight buds with the promise of flower in March to the slow reveal during April to opening up to their full beauty, they are a Springtime delight I will never tire of.

 I am lucky enough to have inherited a gorgeous mature magnolia in our garden. It has the most beautiful pale pink and creamy white cup-shaped blossoms.

The blooms are very soft to touch and surprisingly strong. I have seen birds take them away to their nests, no doubt they make a good soft and secure base for eggs.
  
Now anywhere I go I will if at all possible plant a Magnolia.

Most take several years before flowering but one or two like the Black tulip a deep pink bloom does flower early in their life.

They do not generally like sandy soil or alkaline soil - do not put mushroom mulch on them. Leaf mould is good to mulch with.
  
Over 20 million years old as a genus they are prehistoric trees and so evolved before bees. So they are pollinated by beetles who live inside the flower blooms. 

The reason that the carpels of the flower blossoms are so strong and tough is to avoid them becoming damaged by the pollinating beetles. 

I never want anyone to cut the Magnolia down and am looking to see if I can get a tree preservation order on it - I am fearful that when we sell our home someone will want the garden space to park their car which in my view would be a disaster.

So many front gardens and beautiful plants and trees have been lost this way.

This time of year our Magnolia is in full bloom and utterly gorgeous.

Magnolia should not be pruned unless necessary and then as lightly as possible. Ideally buy a Magnolia that will fit the space you have when fully grown. If you have to prune then take out dead and dying wood and prune after flowering as lightly as you can doing it over several years rather than a harsh cut. 
 
If like me you wish you could see Magnolia blossom all year round  there are some items here that you may enjoy

Magnolia Blooms In Spring Postcard by RaintreeDesigns
Look at Magnolia Postcards online at Zazzle.com

If in Uk Please use this link Magnolia Blooms In Spring Postcard By Raintree Designs  

Magnolia Blossom In Spring Greeting Cards by RaintreeDesigns
Check out more Magnolia Cards at Zazzle


If in UK please use this link Magnolia Blossoms In Spring Greeting Card by Raintree Designs  

There are more designs and more greetings cards and gifts on a flower and nature theme as well in the store so do take a look. 

 

If you like this please share. 

Are Birds Busy Nestbuilding In Your Garden?

Springtime always sees the birds busy nest building. I have seen many birds gathering nest building materials from around our garden. This woodpigeon in the photograph found a nice large twig to start the nest with!

I always find its a bit of a balance for me in the garden at this time of year. Part of me has an inclination to tidy everything up and get it looking nice after the winter. 

However, the larger part of me wants there to be habitat and materials for our garden visitors to use.  I know many of our neighbors keep a very tidy garden so especially at the front I do keep things neater there, but the back is very private and can be more for wildlife. I have written a post earlier you may like to read about Are We Too Tidy In Our Gardens? 

I know that nature likes and needs a bit of untidiness and that is useful to the birds and animals that visit and live in our garden. So, in general, our garden is a little on the untidy side or as I like to think it on the wildlife-friendly side. We have a pile of logs in one corner and cuttings and twigs are left on the borders for the creatures to make use of as they wish. This time of year the birds love it! 

I do so enjoy seeing them fly down to gather up a mass of twigs in their beaks and try to see where they fly to as that is where the nest building begins. It is amazing how many twigs one blackbird can fit in its beak! 

I also put out the dander from the dryer to give them something soft if they want it to line the nest. I used to put out dog fur from grooming our golden retriever and it was surprising how many nests we could see afterward which had golden or cream dog fur peeking out for the lining!   

The blossoms from our Magnolia tree make a good nest lining too, so soft yet strong. So we leave them where they fall like confetti and very pretty.

  

So perhaps this year leave a bit of untidiness in the garden, a few sticks and twigs lying around,  they are the birds building materials. 

If you have a dog perhaps after grooming don't put the fur in the bin,  but pop it outside so that the birds can make use of it as their soft furnishings. 

You will be well rewarded for a little bit of untidiness with birdsong and nests :) If you are interested and would like to read my story of the life of a blackbird nest- from nest to fledglings please read Our Nesting Blackbirds.

 Are you seeing birds busy gathering materials and nest building in your garden? 


If you like this post please share and do consider joining us on Diary Of A Wild Country Garden Community Facebook Page

Where to Site A Bird Table Or Bird Feeder.

In between lots of things in life things going on I have still enjoyed our garden. In fact, a garden is often a place of solace, of peace and quiet for me. 

 In the winter, I have to admit my time in the garden is much less, usually to fill up the bird feeders!! So when I emerge in the Spring the birds do chatter at me and my hubby. It is as if the garden is theirs and we are intruders, but of course, it is really their garden after all.    

So it is good to take in the Spring garden, to look, to listen, to evaluate and we have been doing all of that and doing all the necessary after winter work. It is lovely to enjoy the Spring, the new shoots, the blooms, the new life emerging from the earth. In the trees and shrubs, birds are busy nesting and the beautiful sound of birdsong fills the air from dawn to dusk now.

A Bird In The Bath Postcard by RaintreeDesigns
Make your own postcards custom at Zazzle

We continue to feed the birds as it is a busy time of year for them, finding a mate, nest building and rearing young and they may need a little help. I am also frequently joined by Mr. and Mrs. Blackbird after any digging in the garden and Robin always appears about five minutes after I take hold of any garden fork or spade!  

In my blog Essential Wildlife Gardening Gifts I recently reviewed a lovely Bird Feeder. I was thinking that while it is good to have bird feeders in the garden it is equally important to have an awareness of where to site them. 

I have certainly made my fair share of mistakes over the years with siting bird feeders! Once in a new house, I placed one right in the path of where the neighborhood cats gathered, no good at all! 

Also last year I hung one in a tree near a big branch and all i got on that birdfeeder most of the time was two huge Woodpigeons who worked out that if they sat on the big branch and bashed the feeder it all eventually came out! Messy and while I like Woodpigeons I would like to attract a variety of birds. 

Where should you place a bird feeder ideally?

1. Out of the way of cats. Easier said than done in my experience but certainly not in the pathway of visiting cats. We have two cats who seem to make a well-worn track through our garden, they appear to have the same routine so I simply avoid placing feeders on that path. Another thing you can do is to place the feeder nearby cover so the birds can fly into it when they need it, but not in a dense cover that a cat could hide in without them being aware of it. I have talked to neighbors about putting bells on the cats, to alert the birds they are there. Some are happy to do that, others not. 

Perhaps if anyone has knowledge of cats they can give some advice on how birds and cats can coexist in a garden? 

Beautiful Finch Basic Round Button Key Ring by RaintreeDesigns
Check out more Zazzle Keychains
 

2. Ideally do not place feeders in the same place every year. We should be cleaning out feeders and bird tables anyway but there is still the risk of disease if not cleaned enough or if the same places are overused. So move the feeders probably the best time is just before Autumn so the birds can get used to the new place before the really cold weather begins. If you have feeders out now they can stay where they are but do clean them out.  

 

3. If you want to watch the birds a consideration is to place the bird feeder where you can see them easily. This should not perhaps be the first consideration but is an important one as many people including me, get considerable pleasure from bird watching. 

4. It is generally not a good idea to position the bird feeder in an exposed windy spot. I did this once and got no birds visiting it at all! It was simply moving around way too much. The feeder, especially hanging ones may here get blown about and look unstable to the birds. If it's a bird table, do make sure it is securely fastened so it does not blow over in high winds or gales, as much for your safety as for the birds. Try a quiet more sheltered area away from the winds. 

Gorgeous Little Owl Gift Box by RaintreeDesigns
Find more gifts.

5. Feeders that can be positioned directly onto windows can be wonderful for bird watching. This can be especially useful for people who may not be able to get out as much or feel the cold and winds but can watch birds from the comfort of their home. Or just for anyone who likes to see birds as close as possible. Just make sure that the birds would not be trapped should a predator come by, that they have an escape route or small bush or tree to fly into for cover nearby ideally. Our birds love our dense shrubs for this.

6. If you have an existing tree or bush that has berries the birds like already (our cotoneaster seems to be a firm favorite!) you can try hanging a feeder there too. If the birds are like ours they will eat all the berries first but then the birdseed feeder will be there for them to eat when they have exhausted the natural food source and they will be used to visiting that tree anyway. 


7. Ideally position the feeder where it will not get the worst of the rain or if it is not fully waterproof in downpours it may get the seed all wet and soggy.

With any bird feeder, it may take a little while for them to get used to it and so try just a small amount of food at first. Once the first brave bird has eaten from it without incident, more will follow!

So just a few ideas. It is best to try out different places in your garden and see where the birds like. You will know you got it right when you see the birds visiting on a regular basis.  

Good luck and enjoy the birds in your garden! 


If you like this post please share and do consider joining us on Diary Of A Wild Country Garden Community Facebook Page

Planning Ahead Bulbs For Summer Joy !

Things are just starting to get busy in the garden! Spring flowers are bursting forth everywhere. The birds are busy gathering nesting material and staking out territory. 

No sooner do I see the first crocus bloom than I start to think of what I need to plant for summer flowers.

I wish I was a very organised gardener! It is always a happy surprise for me when shoots come up  :) For a  while, I have no idea what they are as of course I did not label or do a plan of where I planted the bulbs last year. I know I should but then of course I would not have the joy of discovery....my excuse anyway!

Planting Summer Bulbs

I love to plant summer bulbs in several different ways. I love to have some for cutting for flowers in the house. If you want to do this I would advise timing your planting so that you plant a batch then leave it and plant more a week or two later, then more a week or two after that. In this way, you will have flowers coming up for many weeks which you can cut for the home.

I also like to plant in pots so that I can move them around to the front of the house or into really sunny spots if that is what they need. Sometimes I will dig a hole and then sink the pot into the hole so that I can move it again when flowering is over.

Then I plant in the ground as well to fill up the borders. I do have to be careful planting in our heavy clay as even with improvement to the soil some bulbs do not like it at all and refuse to come up or rot in the ground.


 

So I am careful how I plant making a very large planting area and improving with lots of grit and light compost. It is important not to make a "sump" of a small hole water is attracted to, so it must be a large area. If I do this properly, however, then usually the bulbs are successful. 

The other way is to choose plants that love heavy clay and moisture so I have to do my homework and choose carefully. It is always easier if we go with plants that love our soil and position in the garden or as often I just love the flower, I simply use pots.

Often it is advised to start planting summer bulbs like freesias and begonias indoors for a while. I have never done this as I would quickly run out of room. So I order everything or buy from garden centers and then wait with anticipation until I think the last frosts have passed to then plant out my bulbs.

Favorite Summer Bulbs And Wildlife

There is so much choice and so beautiful but you need to start thinking now what it is you would love to have in the garden and what may be good for the wildlife too. A  wide variety of flowers is better than just a single type.

Also try to get a spread of flowers across the whole of spring and summer and all the seasons so that the bees, birds, butterflies, moths and all the other creatures have something to eat, shade and shelter all year round. A corridor of flowers all over the garden they can travel between is lovely for them.

If you have big gaps in the garden with no flowers at certain times of the year this is not good for the wildlife. Try to plant to keep it going all Spring and summer, even into the autumn if possible where you live. 

Summer bulbs and corms that are very useful to bees , in particular, include Alliums, Crocosmia, Star of Bethlehem and the Red Hot Poker. I also always think of how each flower can contribute to the garden wildlife. 

I am sadly lacking in Star of Bethlehem and Red hot poker but I do have an abundance of crocosmia. However, our crocosmia (although a summer flowering bulb) seem to always flower in early autumn. A welcome sight as they are bright red and just lovely but I do not feel I can include them in my summer flowers - unless they start to get going a little earlier!   

I have so many favorite flowers and bulbs, here are just three that I love to grow in my garden. No doubt over time I will discuss the others!

Alliums

 

I adore Alliums and am gradually getting more in the garden. Beautiful spheres of blooms in purples and whites followed by amazing seedheads for even further interest. They love sunny, well-drained positions so I a limited where I can grow mine but they flourish in the right place. 

They are wonderful mid-summer flowers, just when you need a new flower to look at. I find my bees love these Alliums and often find quite a few balanced on the round heads, so a good plant to grow for our bees.

Oriental Lilies

 

Very showy, center stage plants. I have a few of these and last year rescued some sorry looking specimens from the garden center. I cannot resist a poorly looking neglected plant to nurse back to health and most times I am successful :) Just check they are not diseased of course but mainly in garden centers its lack of care and water,  which if they are not too far gone can be rectified. So I will see how these do this year.

Moths love my lilies so these are good to grow. Mice do seem to like the bulbs as well so I do keep a watch for this! Of course, if you are interested in wildlife do not get the pollen-free varieties, we need the pollen! I have read that Stargazer lilies are not so attractive to wildlife so do your homework and choose carefully.

Freesias 

  

Attractive to butterflies and bees and birds seem to like Freesias as well. I find that I need to plant new bulbs each spring as they do not seem to come up again if I leave them in a pot or in the ground. They are really half-hardy I think but I treat them as an annual rather than a perennial. They are one of my favorite flowers though so I don't mind too much buying them each year.

 As I do not have a greenhouse I have to grow Freesias outside in a sunny sheltered spot. I simply love the fragrance and their lovely arching habit. I leave some for the wildlife and some are taken indoors for the home. So I do plant these in succession over a few weeks so we can have them in the garden and home for longer. 

There are many more lovely choices for Summer Bulbs which you and the wildlife will love. Simply do a little research, try growing a variety of summer bulbs and plants and see what is successful for you and what the wildlife love where you live. 

Which summer flowering bulbs or plants do you love best?  Are you thinking of planting out bulbs or plants for summer flowers?

   If you like this post please share and do consider joining us on Our Diary Of A Wild Country Garden Facebook Page