Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Garden Design for the Birds

If we want to attract birds to our home garden, we need to make the environment attractive to them. This means that we need to provide them with food, water, shelter and an inviting atmosphere.


You can make your garden more inviting to the birds with some of these home decor items that I found in the shops of members of the Design Style Guide on Etsy.

For instance, how about the intriguing tinkling sound of a wind chime? This upcycled chime by studiomusings features a small watering can and some vintage keys. It's colorful, quaint and musical, and ships for free July 8 - 23 during this artist's Christmas in July sale.

This fully functional pink victorian birdhouse by BirdhouseBlessings gives feathered visitors to your garden a place to rest and maybe even raise a family. It's made of wood and coated with several layers of paints so it can withstand whatever outdoor weather comes its way.

Perfect for finches, wrens and sparrows, this beautiful stained glass bird bath by GloriousGlassGarden provides a place for birds to get a sip of water, splash around on a hot day and simply enjoy the beauty of your garden.

The creative mind behind the shop called MidnightCoiler says, "I'm really not sure why birds seem to love gourd feeders more than other types in my yard. I do enjoy watching the birds that come to the two gourds I have on my deck, especially when they fly in from one side, take a seed, and fly out the other! The flower designs on this feeder have been hand-carved in the traditional manner and the gourd dyed a rich bronzy brown. The mottling and imperfections show through. The attractive design is for you, but the feeder is purely for the birds. This one has two good-sized feeding stations and will hold lots of seed."

So in addition to the shelter, water and music provided by the products above, your garden will need this feeder to complete the lure for birds!

Of course, flowers are wonderful bird attractors. I found this new use for an old drawer in the shop of SemperNova. She has turned old dresser drawers into minature gardens. If you live in a condo or a home without much yard space, you can create a mini-garden that will attract birds with this wonderfully eco-friendly container.

My final suggestion for attracting birds is a wonderful creation by Turnadaisy that is perfect for the gardener with disabilities or some aches and pains that make it difficult to grub around in the dirt. This is a 42" round table that rotates on a lazy susan type bearing. The main body is made of recycled plastic and wood composite. You can fill it with enough plants to create a lush environment for the birds. Yes, it can withstand outdoor weather, and is wonderful indoors, too.


I love waking up to the chittering and singing of the birds in my garden. Provide the right amenities, and you, too, can have a lovely and natural wake-up alarm!

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