Coleus plants are easy to care for, low-maintenance, and grow quickly, which makes them ideal for beginners.
19.11.2023 - 03:17 / gardeningknowhow.com
Feeding the birds is such a rewarding activity, and a great way to support local wildlife. However, too many gardeners are making potentially harmful mistakes when trying to appeal to feathered friends.
Get it wrong and not only will you be disappointed in the lack of bird activity in your garden, but you could even put their lives at risk.
When feeding backyard birds, it’s essential to get to know the local avian population, so you can tailor solutions to the species you want to attract.
Once you know what food they like, there are some lovely homemade bird feeder ideas that you can make.
Feeding the birds is just one aspect of creating a wildlife garden, but is an integral part of optimizing your whole backyard ecosystem.
Help the local bird population to thrive by ensuring you aren’t making any of these common feeding errors.
Dirty bird feeders are breeding grounds for harmful bacteria, fungi, and parasites. Fatal infections, such as Salmonellosis and Trichomoniasis, can easily spread among the local feathered population when poor hygiene is practiced.
This means that regular and thorough cleaning of feeders is absolutely vital. Ideally this should be carried out every week or two, but never leave it longer than one month.
Do not clean bird feeders in the dishwasher, as it may not get hot enough to kill the bacteria.
Simply empty and dismantle your feeders – discarding any old food – then place them in a bucket of cleaning solution. This could be water with disinfectant, or with a squirt of bleach added. Soak them for a while, then give them a good scrub.
Rinse the feeders well with cold water, then leave out to dry before refilling.
Not all birds like to feed from the same types of feeders. Some birds prefer table feeders;
Coleus plants are easy to care for, low-maintenance, and grow quickly, which makes them ideal for beginners.
Today’s update will be our final update of 2023. With things slowing down in the field, we will take some time to focus on other projects, and the Weekly Field Updates will resume in January. We hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday season, and we’ll see you back in 2024!
Choosing the Christmas tree is a highlight of the festive season, with the whole family often taking part.
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Knowing when to trim boxwoods—and which methods and tools to use for the job—is as important for establishing new, young plants as it is for properly maintaining older, larger boxwood bushes. Luckily, with a few snips here and there, it’s easy to spur new growth or simply preserve an existing, desired shape.
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Aspen (Populus tremula) is a deciduous, broadleaf tree known for its habit of ‘quaking’ or ‘trembling’ in the slightest breeze. Indeed, its botanical name ‘tremula’ was given due to its trembling habit, and it’s also known as ‘quaking aspen’. Aspen tree leaves have flattened, flexible leaf stalks, which is how they are able to flutter so easily.
We’re off to New Zealand today to visit Lynne Leslie’s garden. We’ve visited before (Lynne’s Garden in New Zealand), and it is always fun to see what she is growing.