How to Garden to Attract Birds and Butterflies and Wildlife to Your Backyard and Pond and Create a Back Yard Haven!

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Create a Backyard Haven Where You Can Relax and Enjoy Life

Gardening for the birds and wildlife is exciting and can bring you continuous joy and a getaway from life's hassels. Add a pond, some bird feeders, the proper plants and you are on your way.

It shouldn't be overwhelming. Gardening and creating your landscape needs to be fun and enjoyable. You most likely will not accomplish everything in 1 season. Make an overall plan and break it down into manageable areas.

We started with a deck, then a pond, then started adding little sections to the backyard every year. In fact, we continue to do so. It's fun to put in new flowers and plants each year and continually see some changes in the view.

Creating Your Backyard Haven 

Your approach will depend on whether you are starting from scratch or working with an existing landscape theme
  • A pond - I recommend this be the first thing you consider and that you make it the center of your landscape
  • Bird Feeders - Check the various seeds for which seeds attract which birds
  • Bird Houses - Yep. They are particular
  • Plants - Which plants attract which birds and butterflies - plus you need to arrange according to when they bloom to keep your yard colorful at all times
  • Patio or Deck - Sorry. I assumed you had one. If you don't, make this number one

Gardening for the Birds Articles of Interest 

Read the descriptions and click thru to read the rest of the article
  • If you want to enjoy the company of birds in your yard you can do so by creating a garden suited to their needs. Planting a variety of trees, shrubs and natural grasses can make your yard a desirable destination. There are four needs that you can provide for that will encourage birds to your yard: safety, shelter, food and home.

    Read more at Bird Habitat

  • How elaborate you make your bird house depends on your personal sense of aesthetics. For the most part, all the birds care about is their safety and the right dimensions: box height, depth and floor, diameter of entrance hole, and height of hole above the box floor. Refer to the following chart, keeping in mind that birds make their own choices, without regard for charts. So don't be surprised when you find tenants you never expected in a house you intended for someone else.

    Get bird house specs at Bird House Specs

  • Attracting butterflies to your backyard is one of the nice perks you get naturally while trying to attract birds. Although there are special plants that attract butterflies more than others, the plants you put out for the birds will be a part of the natural attraction for butterflies as well.

    Read more at How to Attract Butterflies

  • Frost on Your Plants

    The appearance of wilting leaves, and leaves that have a water logged look can be a sign that your plant is suffering from frost damage.

    Another sign of frost damage can be the appearance of brown patches on the leaves.
    Other signs are shown when the shoot tips on your plants start to die back. If the flowers on the plant don't open fully or they become discolored and then start to die off, then these are also signs that frost damage might have occurred.

    of the nice perks you get naturally while trying to attract birds. Although there are special plants that attract butterflies more than others, the plants you put out for the birds will be a part of the natural attraction for butterflies as well.

    Finish reading this article at at Gardening Tips

BackYard Waterfall 

I Think a Waterfall is the Key to a Magical Backyard

This video will inspire you. She has a very nice waterfall in her backyard and the stream is terrific.

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A Colorful Gardening Blog 

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Tips for Your Landscape 

I will add quick tips from time to time

  • When buying bird seed, if your feeder is over a deck or patio or whatever, you can keep the mess to a minimum by buying seed that is already shelled.

  • Planting a wide variety of plants that bloom from spring to fall will provide a source of nectar for the adult butterflies.

    Remember, many of your plants will attract butterflies, but many adults prefer red, yellow, orange and purple flowers.

  • People always ask me what I do with the pond and fish during the winter. Well - it's 6 degrees here as I took this picture. Basically I remove the hose from the pump and let it continue to run. This keeps the water from totally freezing and the fish survive the winter.

    I lose from none to a couple every year. That's not bad. In the spring - there are always some smaller ones that appear so they must have some extra curricular activities.

Ferns in Your Garden 

Ferns make a great addition to your backyard garden.

Ferns make good, low maintenance garden plants that have surprisingly few pests and diseases.

Many ferns prefer light to moderate shade, somewhat moist conditions and soil rich in organic matter. Ferns are adapted to a wide variety of conditions - some ferns prefer dry rocky sites or wet marshy conditions while others thrive in limestone-rich soils.

There are garden ferns for just about every condition you encounter in a garden. In fact, there are over 500 kinds of hardy ferns that can be grown in American gardens.

If you want colorful ferns -----

There are many forms of the Japanese painted fern, Athyrium nipponicum 'Pictum'. They have varying degrees of green, dark red, and gray variegation on their fronds and, as a result, they are very popular plants in shade gardens.

The variegated holly fern, Arachnoides simplicior var. variegata, has dark green fronds with a greenish yellow band running along the center of the main vein.

The young uncoiling fronds of the autumn fern, Dryopteris erythrosora, are a beautiful bronze color and add color in early spring.

The black stems of the maidenhair ferns, Adiantum species, contrast strikingly with the light green fronds.

The bright cinnamon-colored, spore-bearing, specialized fronds of the cinnamon fern, Osmunda cinnamomea, stand out against the large green, sterile leafy fronds.

A Pond Creates Precious Moments 

My grandson and I

A pond creates precious moments you will always cherish. This was taken 2 years ago - my grandson and I. We still spend a lot of time there, watching the fish, catching frogs, or digging for worms.

Container Gardening 

Don't let limited space stop you from enjoying planst

If you have a deck or patio, or any area at all, consider container gardening. The plants in the containers can be easy to manage and will attract butterflies and such.

Numerous flower pot materials and styles are available. Plastic pots are lightweight, inexpensive, and durable.

Drain holes in the bottom are essential because plastic pots retain moisture better than pots made from porous materials such as unglazed clay or wood.

Ceramic pots tend to be more expensive and are often pretty heavy compared to plastic. Large planters can be made from rot resistant wood. Even in outdoor locations, it is advisable to put saucers under the pots to catch drain water that can stain decks and patios.

Consider what you want to plant before selecting a planter. Choose a planter large enough to accommodate the plant. Inadequately sized pots will require frequent watering and will look out of proportion with large plants.

Amazon Recommended Readings 

Some books you might enjoy

All New Square Foot Gardening: Grow More in Less Space!

All New Square Foot Gardening: Grow More in Less Space!

by: Mel Bartholomew

Amazon Price: $13.59 (as of 11/23/2009) Buy Now

Gardening All-in-One for Dummies

Gardening All-in-One for Dummies

by: The National Gardening Association, Bob Beckstrom, Karan Davis Cutler, Kathleen Fisher, Phillip Giroux, Judy Glattstein, Mike MacCaskey, Bill Marken, Charlie Nardozzi, Sally Roth, Marcia Tatroe, Lance Walheim, Ann Whitman

Amazon Price: $18.89 (as of 11/23/2009) Buy Now

New Illustrated Guide to Gardening

New Illustrated Guide to Gardening

by: Editors of Reader's Digest

Amazon Price: (as of 11/23/2009) Buy Now

Vegetable Gardening: From Planting to Picking - The Complete Guide to Creating a Bountiful Garden

Vegetable Gardening: From Planting to Picking - The Complete Guide to Creating a Bountiful Garden

by: Fern Marshall Bradley, Jane Courtier

Amazon Price: (as of 11/23/2009) Buy Now

Lasagna Gardening: A New Layering System for Bountiful Gardens: No Digging, No Tilling, No Weeding, No Kidding!

Lasagna Gardening: A New Layering System for Bountiful Gardens: No Digging, No Tilling, No Weeding, No Kidding!

by: Patricia Lanza

Amazon Price: $12.21 (as of 11/23/2009) Buy Now

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Will Hummingbirds Perch While Feeding at a Hummingbird Feeder? 

hummingbird at our feeder

You betcha!! We have some who hover and some who perch, as you can see from looking at this picture. See and read more about this at my website at Garden Digest.

To me, there is nothing quite like sitting on the deck in the morning drinking coffee and watching the hummers visit the feeder. :-)

By the way, the little painted bird feeder in the background was built by my 5 year old grandson when he was 3 - and he painted it. Great project for the kids.

Winter is Approaching Fast 

Here in Ohio, old man winter is peeking around the corner. That means there is a bit of work coming up within the next couple of weekends.

Time to get out and begin cutting down the plants. For almost every plant we have except for the butterfly bushes, I trim them very close to the ground and the next year they spring up healthier than ever.

The butterfly bushes I trim back in the spring, with the same results.

I like to rake my leaves and spread them on top of the plants once they are cut back, giving them some added protection. The leaves are removed in the spring.

For my ponds,I remove the hoses to the waterfalls and simply put on a short plastic connection so that the water shoots straight up and keeps the water from freezing completely over the winter. We lose only 1 or 2 fish every winter and always have new baby fish when spring rolls around.

It's a bit of work but well worth it when the flowers begin blooming again next year.

Creative Ways to Add Interest to Your Garden 

There are many ways that you can add interest to a garden.Anything that becomes a focal point will add interest and that can range from garden sculptures to the types of plants you choose.

Adding block planting of a particular specimen can become a focal point in the garden.

Adding areas of variegated foliage can create a focal point in the garden.

Seats are another item that can add interest to the garden and additionally they can offer a nice place to rest and relax while you admire your work.

Mirrors that are strategically placed can enhance the garden in many ways. They can bring reflected light to dark corners of the garden.

They can also give the impression that the garden is bigger or alternatively they can give the impression that the open space is bigger.

Placed at various angles, mirrors can add a lot of fun and interest to a garden and help to lead a visitor on to other areas.

Using hedges can also add interest to the garden while offering protection to the plants. Hedges are also an excellent way to gain privacy without feeling closed in.

Water features are a favorite for many people and the sound of running water in the corner of a garden can add an atmosphere of calm and relaxation.

Water features can also be good for the birds in the garden particularly in the summer months when they might find it difficult to find water lying around to suit their needs.

As with sculptures, stones, rocks and pebbles can add interest and offer areas where you can walk even when the surrounding ground might be too wet.

Shells also make a good cover on the ground for paths that can remain dry in the wet season.

There are so many different things that you put in your garden to add interest. Everything from old cartwheels to wind chimes, aviaries or anything else you can imagine.

Putting Your Houseplants Outdoors for the Summer 

As soon as danger of late frost is over in the spring the plants can be placed outdoors.. It is safest to "harden them off" first by leaving them a few nights with the windows wide open or in a sheltered place on the veranda. The ones that require partial shade may be kept under a tree or other covering.

Most of them, however, will do best in the full sun and should be kept in their pots if you plan to bring them back indoors after the season. The best way to do this is to dig out a bed six or eight inches deep (the sod and earth taken out may be used in your dirt heap for next year) and fill it with sifted coal ashes.

Bury the pots up to their rims. If set on the surface of the soil it will be next to impossible to keep them sufficiently wet unless they are protected from the direct rays of the sun by an overhead screening of lath nailed close together, or some other means. Where many plants are grown for the house such a shed,
open on all sides, is sometimes made.

Be certain not to let plants in "plunged" pots root through into the soil or you may ruin them when you attempt to take them back into the house. You can prevent this by lifting and partly turning the pots every week or so. They will not root through into the coal cinders as rapidly as into soil and better drainage is secured.

Watch the soil in the pots, not that in which they are plunged, when deciding about watering. For most plants a thorough watering, tops and all, once every afternoon
ordinarily will not be too much.

by tudefit

Physical fitness is one of my passions. With a degree in health and physical fitness, this is a field I have written about in the past.

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