To me, the garden is
a doorway to other worlds;
one of them, of course,
is the world of birds.
The garden is their dinner table, bursting with bugs and worms and succulent berries “”
so plant more to
accommodate you both!
” Anne Raver
This holiday season, why not make your garden a treat for our feathered friends? By attracting birds to your garden, you will not only be rewarded with their songs but they will also help to rid your garden of harmful insect pests.
Here are a few birdseed ornament ideas you can make at home that are also great holiday projects for children.
Birdseed Pinecones “” Roll pinecones in peanut butter, then in birdseed, pressing to adhere. Tie a thin piece of raffia or twine to the base of the cone, making a knot at one end, and hang the loop from tree branches or shrubs.
Treat Wreath “” Spread a grapevine wreath with peanut butter and stick birdseed, whole sunflower seeds, raisins and dried fruit (dried apple slices and cranberries work nicely) to it. Hang the wreath from a tree, attached to a high portion of a tree trunk.
Birdseed Cookies “” A great way to get rid of stale bread. Toast bread slices and cool. Using holiday cookie cutters in your favorite shapes, press out a design in one slice of bread. Punch a hole in the top of the bread cookie, spread with peanut butter and attach birdseeds, raisins and dried cranberries, pressing to adhere to cookie. Tie a double strand of raffia through the hole and tie a knot at one end, forming a loop. Hang from tree branches.
Birdseed Bagels: Have some stale bagels lying around? Slice bagels in half, spread the bagels with peanut butter on both sides and dip in birdseeds and sunflower seeds. Tie twine or raffia through the bagel’s hole and hang from tree branches.
Peanut Treats “” With a large needle, string peanuts (in their shells) on raffia. String about two or three peanuts and tie the raffia loosely to tree branches. This can also be done with raisins, grapes and popcorn. You can also make a long garland with the peanuts, but be sure to thread the outermost corner of the nuts so that the birds can detach them easily.
Orange Peanut Butter Cups “” When you juice oranges and have leftover orange shells, fill the hollow shells with peanut butter and top with bird seeds, pressing down to adhere to the peanut butter. Make a rim around the edge with dried cranberries, by pressing them into the peanut butter. Puncture a hole in the rind and tie a raffia loop through it and hang from branches.
Fruit Treats – Slice apples, pears and oranges and hang from branches with wire ornament hangers or short pieces of raffia or twine, punched through the top of the fruit.
Make sure the strings of fruit, nuts and popcorn are short, since longer strings are difficult for the birds to handle and they could get entwined ” a few inches works perfectly. Tie the raffia loosely to branches so that it can be pulled away easily.
To continue attracting birds to your garden throughout the year, consider purchasing a birdhouse, feeder and birdbath as a holiday gifts for your garden. A book about birds that inhabit our area is also great to have on hand to help you identify the many varieties that will visit. Place the book near a window where you can watch them enjoy their treats. For Christmas last year, my husband gave me the book “Birds of Southern California” that was published in the early 1900s. The book is filled with beautiful plates of bird drawings and we used it to identify a family of Cooper’s hawks that spend the summers in our tall tree.
” Linda is a local Realtor with Coldwell Banker who specializes in historic and architecturally designed homes. She is one of the co-founders of the Secret Garden Tour of Old La Jolla and enjoys working in her historic La Jolla garden. www.LindaMarrone.com, voicemail 858/456-3224.