My New Years Resolution For The Garden
By loosestrife2
8 comments
I have always enjoyed birds in my garden and up to this point in time the bird feeder was permanent fixture in my garden. Weeds have also enjoyed my garden and they are also a permanent fixture in my garden too. Alas, this past year was an especially good one for the weeds. New and different weeds from the usual residents have been enjoying my plant beds in a density I have never seen before. I blame myself for this problem. For 2015 I therefore Resolve To:
1-Remove (have recently accomplished this) the bird feeder from my garden. I hope to obtain a reduction in growth from weed seed in bagged bird feed. Also I hope to obtain a reduction in weed proliferation from lightening the load of droppings from the many birds and let’s face it, rodents, that were attracted to my garden by the feeder.
2-To not buy one bag of of mulch. I have a great suspicion that there many weed seeds in this stuff. Looks great for a month then weeds start popping out all over the top of it at the same time and a density too heavy too blame natural dissemination for.
3-As compensation for eliminating the bird feeder I will add more nesting boxes to enhance bird propagation. Also, I will put up a few bat nesting boxes in appropriate places since their population was devastated by white nose syndrome.
4-To have a bee sharer place and maintain one of his hives in my garden to promote in increase in bee population. In return for the use of my garden I get a jar of honey from the hive or a section of honey comb. Not a bad deal! Will get approval from my neighbors for this first.
5-Getting up there in years I will plant only flowering perennials this year as well as ornamental grasses and hostas in the parts of my garden I used for annuals. I am finding that what it took me a few hours to do in the garden is now taking me a half a day to a whole day to do. I must compensate and face the fact that I am not the same person I was a year ago and it is rapidly coming to a point where I am not the same person I was a month ago ….(Dammit!)
Well there it is, part new years resolution and part experiment. I am interested to see if this makes a difference in the garden. To those interested, do you think it will?
10 Jan, 2015
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Comments
It makes sense if it makes things easier.
Good idea about the bee hive and bird boxes :)
10 Jan, 2015
I like the idea about the bird boxes and bat houses. Bats eat lots of mosquitos.
10 Jan, 2015
I had bad knees for a few years which hampered and frustrated me so much I used to get so angry I was in danger of driving myself up the wall, let alone anyone else, lol, like you I had to accept my age and the fact I was no longer able to do all the crawling so much on my knees for hours on end popping in new bedding plants and also certain other tasks that I have always tackled on my own and took for granted my bodies capabilities, so I added lots more perennials and shrubs, now I like the cottage style I have in parts of my garden and its so much easier.
When I had my first greenhouse, I made the mistake of emptying used growbags and compost straight onto my garden around my borders and beds, ended up with loads of what I refer to as creeping weeds all over the place, took a while to figure out where they were coming from as I'd not had so many in previous years, I learnt that lesson the hard way, now I always dispose of it in my compost bins and it gets killed off the natural way over the course of a couple of years, I do get weeds of course but not as many scattered everywhere, my feeders are mainly above the lawns so the mowing keeps a lot of control over those areas.. I've had birdboxes around for years but the birds tend to use the hedgerow and my conifers to nest in but I live in hope, its was quite funny last year when cutting back the ivy to find a perfect nest had been built and used actually touching one of my nesting pouches, almost as if the tenant was proving its independence..
11 Jan, 2015
to stop the seeds dropping on the grass I put one of those large bowl shaped squirrel protectors upside down on the feeding pole and that catches the falling seeds which are then put on the bird table ,also it discourages rats etc,
17 Jan, 2015
Sounds an excellent idea to me Loosestrife.......good luck!!
24 Jan, 2015
just read your resolutions. I resolve not to pester myself that I am older by the day, and cannot seem to garden all the day. I have to go in spurts, and agree with everything you have said. I definitely think the mulch has weed seeds.. we live on a windy hill, and that blows them across the gardens. Love annuals, but I am slowly getting rid of them, except the Alyssum. My solace, we all get older and smarter???
7 Mar, 2015
Sometimes we do Wells lol
9 Mar, 2015
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Should cut down the weeds at least. If you use peanuts in your feeders you don't get any weeds and can still enjoy the birds. I only use seed when the ground is frozen or food otherwise very short.
I agree perennials is the way to go - saves a lot of time and space too if you raised your own.
Having a hive sounds great, especially if you don't have to do anything but wait to be given a jar of honey!
Enjoy all your new found leisure (???)
10 Jan, 2015