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A bird bath is stylish way to entice birds to your yard.  There are many designs to choose from and they come in styles that enhance any area.  Place your bath where you can relax and watch the birds splash and refresh themselves.    

If you don’t have a lot of space in your yard or have no yard at all, you can find a bird bath that will clamp securely to a deck rail. 

A bird bath that will hang from a tree branch may be more inviting to birds, especially if you have pets in the yard. 

A stylish water fountain makes a great bird bath too.  It will set your bird bath apart from the others in the neighborhood and makes an attractive yard decoration.  The sound of running water will be relaxing for you and be attractive to the birds.

A  bath is a place for birds to escape the heat of the summer and refresh themselves so you might want to put yours in the shade. 

Your bird bath will need to be cleaned and refilled throughout the season so placement will be important.

It doesn’t matter what you plant, gardening has many benefits.  A flower garden can enhance the beauty of your yard and a vegetable garden will provide healthy food.  

Many people find it very relaxing to work in the garden.  A garden does require a lot of work but for those of us who enjoy it, we don’t consider it work. Gardening can be a fun family activity, children like to be helpful and they love to play in the dirt.

There is nothing mysterious or hard to understand about using natural elements produced by the earth and animals, to plant and grow your own organic garden.  Many people are under the impression that the idea of organic gardening was started in the 1960’s as part of a revolution against society.  The truth is, gardening without the use of chemicals and manmade pesticides has been around for centuries. 

Farmers have practiced all natural growing for centuries.  The Amish culture and many other countries still practice this form of gardening.  These farmers could certainly go out and buy any of the pesticides and fertilizers available, but they continue to farm the way their forefathers have for generations.  Their gardens and crops grow very well; in fact they support entire communities and generate income.

Research and plan your garden before you get started for best results. Organic gardening uses natural elements to fertilize and protect your garden.  Protect your garden from damaging winds by planting close to a fence, hedge or tree line.  You can plant flowers and plants that repel unwanted pests and others that attract birds to keep insects away.  Choose a location that gives you maximum exposure to the daylight.

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Learning to understand your flower garden and how to care for it can make a big difference. With a little effort, you can improve the look and over-all health of your plants. Here are some simple hints to get you started on your way in making your garden bloom with health:

1. Always remember the essentials

Water, sunlight, and fertile soil are the three major considerations of any garden. If the plants are lacking any of these you will quickly notice it in the health of the plants.  Be sure that you water your flower gardens more frequently during dry spells.

Planting

When planting, make sure that you follow the recommendations for the plants or bulbs that you are working with. Check the depth and the spacing.

If you are putting in shrubs or perennials, be careful not to pile soil or mulch up around the stem. This will cause water to drain off quickly rather that to sink into the ground. It may even cause the stem to overheat and rot. 

2. Perennials vs. Annuals

Perennial are flowers that will come back year after year while annuals tend not to come back.

Perennials that are from seed rather than a bulb tend to produce an over-abundant number of seeds. Place these carefully in your beds and monitor the seed pods closely to keep them from overtaking your garden.

Pay attention to the stated bloom times for your area. These tend to be fairly accurate. If you use only plants that bloom at a particular time, your garden will feel like a “quick flash”. There are a large supply of flowers that bloom early spring, mid-summer, early fall, or even all season.

Select your plants not only by the time that they bloom, but by the height. You can plant an early summer bloomer next to a mid-summer bloomer and an all season or fall bloomer next to them. If you keep this a grouping of about the same height, you will have a different assortment of flowers without changing the look of your garden drastically.

Another method to keep blooms coming on is to mix the perennials with annuals. Again, you need to pay attention to the expected bloom times.

3. Deadhead to encourage more blossoms

Snipping off the flower head after they wilt is known as deadheading. This will encourage the plant produce more flowers by refocusing the energy away from the dead blossom to the plant. Never discard fresh clippings on the garden, even clippings from the garden.  This can cause mildew and other diseases in your garden.

4. Know which bugs are good

Most of the insects that you will find in your garden do more good than harm. These bugs are called pollinators and include butterflies, beetles and bees. They fertilize plants by transferring pollen from one plant to another. The majority of flowering plants rely on insects to survive.

There are bugs (sowbugs and dung beetles), fungi and that work with microorganisms to help in the decomposition of dead plant material. These bugs help to enrich the soil,  making more nutrients available to the growing plants.

Then there are  the natural predators of the damaging insects. These predators include lacewings and dragonflies.  

Be sure to occasionally apply liquid fertilizer to your plants when they are flowering. This will help them keep blooming for longer.

Always keep your flowers and shrubs pruned. Take off any dead or damaged branches. This will not only help keep the plants stronger but it will also make it much easier to enjoy the view of your garden.