Question about hanging plants & bird feeders

babyharley · May 8, 2007

I'm going to get some nice hanging plants for outside this year- and I want to know what an easy kind of flower/plant is to take care of

I'm HORRIBLE at keeping plants alive, they always die

We don't get that much direct sunlight on the side of the apartment buidling we live in either, so I'd need something that doesn't require TONS of sun.

Also... I'm going to get a bird feeder for the patio as well, & so the boys have some entertianment, what are some good kinds of feeders to get, and what kinds of birds are fun to attract? John really wants us to get a hummingbird feeder, I always thought that would be fun too.

Anyways, any advice would be awesome!

crittermom · May 8, 2007

I vote for the Humming Bird feeders too.I love to sit and watch ours come to the window to drink.
As for the regular bird feeders, I'm not sure.I had one and the darn *cow birds* kept running our Cardinals off, so I don't have it anymore.

duchess15 · May 8, 2007

With hanging baskets you will need to find plants that won't get too big and need the extra shade if it will be under a patio. A lot of your annuals will do well in a hanging basket, not sure what you have where you are. Another idea is to go to lowe's or a nursery and see what they put in a basket. That will often give you some nice ideas.

As far as a feeder, do you live in the city? I would stick to a straight, rectangular, narrow feeder. That will keep the doves off of it and keep them on the ground. If you want to attract the nicer birds, stick with black sunflower seeds. That will attract cardinals, chickadess, finches, and all kinds of birds.
For a hummingbird feeder, get a simple one that is easy to clean out. That is really important. It should be cleaned out with boiling hot water. I would also make your own nectar because it is cheaper and you don't know how old the red nectar is in the store. All you have to do is boil 4 cups of water to 1 cup of sugar. As a side note, you do NOT have to dye the nectar red. They will come with or without the red color. I never dye mine.
I hope I have been able to help you a bit.

lnbandcats · May 8, 2007

If you have shade to partial sun, impatience (sp?), begonias, fuschia are all nice. Fuschia actualy need all shade. For any hanging plants, I would add some of the soil moist beads so that you don't have to water quite as much.
Also some ivy, plants do very well in the shade and then you can bring them in for the winter. If you get some son, hanging geraniums and petunias do well.
As far as bird feeders go I agree with Duchess. I would suggest sunflower hearts though. If you have any grass around your feeders, the shells from the blackoil sunflower seeds will kill the grass. Also, try getting a thistle seed feeder - that will attract finches. Alot of the smaller birds that like sunflowers will also eat thistle, such as titmice, chickadees, etc. You could get all weather suet blends and that will attract woodpeckers! Also, birds need water, so if you can get a small birdbath - that will really attract the birds and they are so entertaining when they are bathing, etc. One thing to
to remember when feeding the birds is that they do establish feeding patterns. So if you start feeding now and they start feeding with you, don't discontinue in the winter, because it is not a good time for them to go searching for new food sources! Finally, if you have sliding doors, remember that if the sun reflects off of them birds will only see clouds and the sky and sometimes will fly into the glass doors. This is always something to consider if you have feeders near sliding doors.
Good luck - I am very excited for you! I was a patio gardener and birder for many years - until I moved from condoss into my small home!

babyharley · May 8, 2007

Originally Posted by Duchess15

With hanging baskets you will need to find plants that won't get too big and need the extra shade if it will be under a patio. A lot of your annuals will do well in a hanging basket, not sure what you have where you are. Another idea is to go to lowe's or a nursery and see what they put in a basket. That will often give you some nice ideas.

As far as a feeder, do you live in the city? I would stick to a straight, rectangular, narrow feeder. That will keep the doves off of it and keep them on the ground. If you want to attract the nicer birds, stick with black sunflower seeds. That will attract cardinals, chickadess, finches, and all kinds of birds.
For a hummingbird feeder, get a simple one that is easy to clean out. That is really important. It should be cleaned out with boiling hot water. I would also make your own nectar because it is cheaper and you don't know how old the red nectar is in the store. All you have to do is boil 4 cups of water to 1 cup of sugar. As a side note, you do NOT have to dye the nectar red. They will come with or without the red color. I never dye mine.
I hope I have been able to help you a bit.

I didn't know that about the nectar, thats awesome to know!

We live in a town of about 30,000 people, just a smaller town outside of it in an apartment complex.

Thanks for the help!!

babyharley · May 8, 2007

Originally Posted by lnbandcats

If you have shade to partial sun, impatience (sp?), begonias, fuschia are all nice. Fuschia actualy need all shade. For any hanging plants, I would add some of the soil moist beads so that you don't have to water quite as much.
Also some ivy, plants do very well in the shade and then you can bring them in for the winter. If you get some son, hanging geraniums and petunias do well.
As far as bird feeders go I agree with Duchess. I would suggest sunflower hearts though. If you have any grass around your feeders, the shells from the blackoil sunflower seeds will kill the grass. Also, try getting a thistle seed feeder - that will attract finches. Alot of the smaller birds that like sunflowers will also eat thistle, such as titmice, chickadees, etc. You could get all weather suet blends and that will attract woodpeckers! Also, birds need water, so if you can get a small birdbath - that will really attract the birds and they are so entertaining when they are bathing, etc. One thing to
to remember when feeding the birds is that they do establish feeding patterns. So if you start feeding now and they start feeding with you, don't discontinue in the winter, because it is not a good time for them to go searching for new food sources! Finally, if you have sliding doors, remember that if the sun reflects off of them birds will only see clouds and the sky and sometimes will fly into the glass doors. This is always something to consider if you have feeders near sliding doors.
Good luck - I am very excited for you! I was a patio gardener and birder for many years - until I moved from condoss into my small home!

Thank you!! Our patio does have a sliding glass door, I hopet hat doesn't cause any problems! I don't want birdies flying into my door! Although in the summer while we're home, we do keep the door open, with the screen door shut, obviously!

Thank you for your hints, I'll remember that about the seeds, we do have grass around our patio, and I don't think my landlord would like dead grass!

AbbysMom · May 8, 2007

I have to agree with impatiens, fuschia or begonias for hanging plants.

lokismum · May 8, 2007

Originally Posted by AbbysMom

I have to agree with impatiens, fuschia or begonias for hanging plants.

I agree - anything that doesn't require lots of sunshine should do great! As for birds, hummers are a little difficult somtimes to attract. They tend to frequent places where they know there is food, so it may take a while to attract them. Defnitely worth it once you do. If you want a variety of birds, then I find the birds like the gazebo feeder with a nice songbird seed mix, with extra sunflower seeds mixed in.

I have tons of birds and the boys really enjoy watching them. They can empty a feeder in a day, so be careful what you ask for!

neetanddave · May 8, 2007

Walmart, Lowes or Home Depot probably have a shade mix hanging basket of annuals already made up.

As far as bird feeders, the safflower seeds are good for all the songbirds. For smaller finches and such, you can get a sack feeder with thistle seed already inside for them. Walmart actually has a good selection. If you have squirrels, avoid any seed mix with corn in it, and get some Bird Away or cayenne pepper to keep them out. It doesn't hurt the birds, as they don't have mucus membranes in their mouth, but the squirrels can't eat the seed then.

Visit us over at www.verdantforums.com for some ideas too, Kenz.

duchess15 · May 8, 2007

Originally Posted by crittermom

I vote for the Humming Bird feeders too.I love to sit and watch ours come to the window to drink.
As for the regular bird feeders, I'm not sure.I had one and the darn *cow birds* kept running our Cardinals off, so I don't have it anymore.

You have cowbirds?? Those are bad news. They parasitize other birds nest, thus the reason they ran off your cardinals. We have that problem down here also.

white cat lover · May 8, 2007

The HS here has a plant sale on May 19th if you would like to come!

Or else, maybe tell your mom & have her spread the news, please?

carolpetunia · May 8, 2007

Pothos Ivy is immortal! And pretty, too. (For outside only, though... bad for kitties.)

babyharley · May 9, 2007

Originally Posted by white cat lover

The HS here has a plant sale on May 19th if you would like to come!

Or else, maybe tell your mom & have her spread the news, please?

Aww, I'd sooo be there if I could! I'm not home again til June 1st!!

Thanks so much everyone for your help/tips- now I can't wait til Wednesday (payday) so I can go out and get my stuff!!

Question about hanging plants & bird feeders

babyharley

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crittermom

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duchess15

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lnbandcats

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babyharley

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babyharley

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AbbysMom

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lokismum

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neetanddave

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duchess15

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white cat lover

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carolpetunia

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babyharley

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