10
   

Why is my garden not attacting birds?

 
 
chai2
 
  1  
Reply Sun 27 Mar, 2011 02:04 pm
@Green Witch,
heh.
Acutally, there are more and more people who are minimizing their grassy area.

When I got the house in 1991, there was there horrible sycamore tree in the front of the house, and weedy grass. The tree was ugly and half dead. I hadn't the money, or the imagination to get rid of it, and what I'd do in it's place.

The people who built the original part of the house must have been lunatics.
While everyone else has pecan trees that drop tons of nuts every fall, or live oaks, which is one of my favorite trees, they planted a fugly sycamore.

When the tree was cut down I said "NO GRASS!" I didn't even want a small patch, as it would be something that would have to get mowed. I hate mowing grass, it's so boring, hot and unsatisfying.

Why would I want to cut plants down every week or so, when I can make things grow, and care for them? I'm keeping my fingers crossed that trellis does the trick, with the honeysuckle on the other side, to provide enough afternoon shade to the stone planter, and the garden. If it does, it's going to be beautiful.

0 Replies
 
sozobe
 
  1  
Reply Sun 27 Mar, 2011 02:07 pm
@chai2,
Those raised planters are nifty. I still want to do something like that. Not there yet, but maybe in a coupla years.
0 Replies
 
Green Witch
 
  1  
Reply Sun 27 Mar, 2011 02:11 pm
Quote:
with the honeysuckle on the other side, to provide enough afternoon shade to the stone planter


Why do you want shade on the planters? It looks like you are growing sun loving vegetables.
chai2
 
  1  
Reply Sun 27 Mar, 2011 02:45 pm
@Green Witch,
Green Witch wrote:

Quote:
with the honeysuckle on the other side, to provide enough afternoon shade to the stone planter


Why do you want shade on the planters? It looks like you are growing sun loving vegetables.


Because in the summer, the sun shines on the planters for literally 14 hours a day. In the 100 temps it regularly reaches around here, the stone heats up like an oven, dries the soil and fries the roots. If I don't refrain from watering until well after dark, the water heats up in the soil from the hot rock, and steams the roots of anything that grows there. My husband built a wooden planter on the other side of the rock, that the trellis is attached to. So, the rock of the stone planter will get respite from the direct sun after it passes its zenith, the wooden planter will only heat up after the sun has passed that point.

It's a matter of divide and conquer. Nothing can survive the combination of that much sun, and that much heat from the stone.

The first year we had the stone planter, it must have been relatively cool. The most beautiful ice plants grew and covered the entire planter. There were butterflies, hundreds of bees, even a little lizard that lived in there. The next year, the same ice plants just withered and died. I was devastated.

Even in the garden, where I took the picture, the plants suffered. I had this huge Jerusalem sage, known for heat and drought tolerance, that would struggle. The shade from the trellis will also spread over that way in the early evening, cutting short the time in the heat by a couple of hours.

farmerman
 
  2  
Reply Sun 27 Mar, 2011 02:52 pm
@chai2,
    http://images.cheezburger.com/completestore/2011/3/27/782115ea-1554-4e90-8b6c-95e7f7738ab5.jpg                              HOLY CRAP> Dave has gotten to your cat and is teaching hime fonetics. Next thing the damn cat will be packing
0 Replies
 
Green Witch
 
  1  
Reply Sun 27 Mar, 2011 02:57 pm
@chai2,
It is possible you created an oven and things literally bake, but the plants you mention are all pretty tough when it comes to hot and dry. The trellis idea should work to block western sun. If you're in hurry you can get some shade cloth from a local nursery and drape it to hang over the boxes on the hottest days to cool things off. If that doesn't work, get your soil tested for fungus that can effect roots.
roger
 
  1  
Reply Sun 27 Mar, 2011 03:25 pm
@chai2,
Right. Most plants that call for full sun don't necessarily mean full sun in Texas and New Mexico.
0 Replies
 
chai2
 
  1  
Reply Sun 27 Mar, 2011 04:05 pm
@Green Witch,
mmm...it's more like roger said.

Full sun in Fla or someplace else is nothing compared to what the 2 of us get.

Really, there's no fungus. You can tell the plants died because they couldn't take it.
I had these pentas last year in a border stripe at the East end of my property, in ground.
My neighbor also had some, maybe 6 feet away. The difference between mine and there was that theirs got shade for a couple more hours no more than 2 more, and the attendant reduced heat, and did much better than mine, which died. Same exact soil.

In fact, one day I set a foot high flower pot in front of one of them, not for any reason, I'd just put it down there. It happened to be during a heat wave. That extra half hour of shade it got each day during that week made a noticeable difference.

I'm not in a hurry, it's months until it gets really hot. By that time the honeysuckle will be growing up. Even the bare trellis, and the wooden planter on the West side of the rock will most likely be the difference in the plants surviving. The trellis will basically take the place of a shade tree.

Drape the shade cloth on the hottest days....ah ha ha ha ha ha.

Hottest "days" <snort>
0 Replies
 
Mame
 
  1  
Reply Sun 27 Mar, 2011 04:16 pm
What about cactii, chai? There are some lovely ones that flower beautifully. Maybe if you planted some tall cactus in the garden against the trellis, that'd help with your shade problem. Do you know if your honeysuckle will survive?

I have to find out what grows here in whatever zone I'm in. It snowed again last night and it's quite bitter out. The thought of planting a garden makes me quite envious. I'm also curious to see what's happened with my compost! Right now I'm sure it's frozen.
sozobe
 
  2  
Reply Sun 27 Mar, 2011 04:26 pm
Little digression....

I went to the lolcats site planning to just put the text on the pic and then post here. Then seemed easier to submit + grab the image url rather than screenshot + photobucket rigamarole (and funnier if it has the official icanhazcheezburger stamp on it and everything).

So, had that window open, just refreshed. Whoa -- 21 captions already (and I don't think they're all A2K'ers).

http://cheezburger.com/TemplateView.aspx?ciid=10849908

I credited "chai" for the photo, who knows, maybe you'll be the next internet meme.

Sorry for submitting it without asking though. I thought it'd be more limited.
chai2
 
  1  
Reply Sun 27 Mar, 2011 04:28 pm
@Mame,
I don't like cactus.

I'm banking on the honeysuckle suriviving because as I said before, I'm using the divide and conquer approach.

The sun will be on the East side of the trellis until it's overhead. That will protect most of the honeysuckle, as most of it will be on the West side of the trellis.

The stone planter is on the East side of the trellis, so when Mr. Sun gets overhead (there's an 18 inch overhang toward the East on the trellis) and starts falling to the West, the planter will be out of the sun, and the part of the garden where the bird bath is, will start to get shade. The trellis will also shade the patio in the evening, along with the border where I'd planted the above mentioned pentas.

Just think of the trellis as a shade tree.
0 Replies
 
chai2
 
  1  
Reply Sun 27 Mar, 2011 04:32 pm
@sozobe,
Oh, that SO funny!

I'll have to forward this to my neighbor, Belle's owner.

BTW, Belle's on Youtube somewhere too.

I video-eded her
msolga
 
  1  
Reply Sun 27 Mar, 2011 06:00 pm
@chai2,
http://img710.imageshack.us/edit_preview.php?l=img710/1343/bellecz.jpg&action=rotate
Smile
Ha. Gorgeous cat!
But I suspect it's too laid back & lacking in motivation, to frighten the birds too much, Chai.
Once your garden has grown, a few taller bushes, I think the birds might come.
I hope so, anyway.
Good luck!
chai2
 
  2  
Reply Sun 27 Mar, 2011 06:23 pm
@msolga,
Ha!
Belle is a big time hunter, seriously.

I've seen her sauntering down the sidewalk, and suddenly be moving at warp speed at a squirrel.

She really is a very savy cat. She knows when people are walking by, and their dogs are on a leash. Doesn't matter how active they are, she doesn't even give them a glance. Today, she whizzed by me from behind and only stopped when she had gotten close enough to the house next door, and she knew she could jump up on their porch. Sure enough, A group of people were walking down the street, and they had 3 dogs. 2 were on leashes, and the 3rd one, even though he was heeling perfectly, wasn't.

I know the territories of all the various cats near me, and Belle is the only one who has an area that encompasses both sides of the street. She knows all about cars.
msolga
 
  1  
Reply Sun 27 Mar, 2011 06:28 pm
@chai2,
Quote:
Ha!
Belle is a big time hunter, seriously.

Surprised
Really?
Just shows how easily I'm sucked in by a cute cat photograph, Chai!

Hmmm ...
I think Belle might need to wear a bell on her collar.
0 Replies
 
tsarstepan
 
  2  
Reply Sun 27 Mar, 2011 06:35 pm
http://images.cheezburger.com/completestore/2011/3/27/d54afc9b-d968-47cc-b37f-11b4ed3c405c.jpg
0 Replies
 
Ceili
 
  1  
Reply Sun 27 Mar, 2011 08:46 pm
Chai, I'm building raised beds this year, fingers crossed. I've got two dump truck's worth of topsoil behind the house just waiting for spring to come. I'm going to use pink insulation blocks in between the dirt and the boxes. I'm using it to protect the plant/roots from the cold, but it would probably work in the heat too. Just an idea...
0 Replies
 
sozobe
 
  1  
Reply Mon 28 Mar, 2011 06:25 pm
@chai2,
Just remembered this and checked... 83 now!
0 Replies
 
chai2
 
  1  
Reply Thu 31 Mar, 2011 06:47 pm
I told Belle's mom she's an internet cat.

Here's a couple pictures of my lavender, there were a bunch of bees all over it.

Lavender honey

http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/8182/lavender003.jpg


http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/2525/lavender005.jpg

sozobe
 
  1  
Reply Thu 31 Mar, 2011 06:49 pm
@chai2,
Oooh I love lavender! Very pretty. And the smell of fresh lavender, ahhhhhh....

(Belle's mom isn't mad, is she?)
 

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