Give your birdwatcher friends gifts that attract birds. Show them that you know what

Garden Sparrows Table Fountain

makes them happy and that you care about them. There are many practical gifts that can be used in the lawn or garden that are pleasing to the eye. There are many designs and materials the gift giver can choose from. These gifts are not limited to any one occasion. You can give bird gifts for birthdays, anniversary, thank you gifts, and especially Christmas.

Birds are attracted to flowers and the sound of running water. Potted plants or hanging baskets are one gift item. Hummingbirds are attracted to red flowers, so red flowers are a good choice. An outdoor tabletop water feature is a great idea for a bird gift item. If your friend has a flower filled lawn or garden then feeders and other bird accessories that will attract birds will be a great addition to their garden.  Here are some suggestions on how

Red Spiral Sunflower Feeder

to select bird gifts.

Bird feeders: Black Oil Sunflower seeds attract the widest range of birds, such as Chickadees, Grosbeaks, Jays, Cardinals, Finches, Nuthatches, and the beloved Goldfinch. Starting with this type of feeder is a must.  Even the long time birdwatcher friends can always benefit from “just one more”.   A simple tube feeder that holds sunflower seeds would look good hanging from a tree or pole.

All finches are attracted to thistle seeds. These tube feeders look the same as other feeders, but have small feeding ports on their sides with perches.  You can find the best tube feeders from Songbird Essentials.  They  are made in the U.S.A. and will last for many years. The entire Songbird Essentials line is featured on our website.

Bird Baths really look good in a lawn or garden.  You are giving hours of pleasure as your

Cloud Bird Bath

friend watches the birds bathe and play in the water. Bird baths are made from many materials and come in many price ranges.  If you want a long lasting and durable bird bath I suggest one made of  concrete with reinforcing fibers such as our Cloud Bird Bath.   Birds are attracted to running water and a bird bath with a built in water dripper or sprayer is particularly effective. Decorative bird baths come in a variety of designs such as flower or cloud motifs. Brass and ceramic bird baths are another option as well as bird themed baths for still more variety.

Birds are attracted to bird houses and the proper one will lure in a particular type of bird, such as bluebirds. Birdhouses are always a welcomed gift for bird watchers; they know that they will look good in their lawn or garden.

Garden Figurine

Bird theme garden figurines make a great gift for the lawn or garden of your birding friend.  Bird decor items such as doormats, mugs, mouse pads, and ornaments are always appreciated.  We offer matching sets on our site.

Fall is in the air. For those of you who do not keep your bird feeders out all

Songbird Essentials Small Hopper Feeder

summer it is time to get them out and make sure they are ready for winter. The first thing you need to so is to make sure they are clean. Feeders can be sanitized with a solution of one part bleach to nine parts hot water. Commercial bird feeder cleaning solutions are also effective.

For the best sanitation and disease prevention, make sure you clean each feeder inside and out. All feeding ports, perches, lids, platforms and reservoirs all need to be cleaned. Also the feeders hooks, poles or anywhere else the birds may perch need to be cleaned of feces.

Songbird Essentials Best Hummingbird Combo Brush Set

Use rubber gloves while cleaning the feeders. Use stiff brushes to ensure a thorough cleaning. We have specialized cleaning brushes for different sizes and and types of feeders on our website. A regular bottle brush can be effective. An old toothbrush works great for cleaning small parts, feeding ports and tight corners.

When done make sure you rinse the feeder thoroughly. The feeder and all parts should be rinsed at least 10 seconds in clear, clean water to make sure all chemical residue is removed. I like to use a garden hose to do my final rinse.

We have a patch of raspberries and blackberries in Linda’s Serenity Garden. The bushes have been in place for 3 years now and have become very hearty and have been growing taller each year. This year I built a trellis to help contain the bushes and make it possible to walk beside them and pick the berries with out getting all scratched up.

I took some 1″ PCV pipe and cut it into 4′ long sections on my chop saw. I then used U joints to connect the sections together. One cross section with legs. I laid the PCV pipe on the garage floor to help keep everything lined up and straight. For the back trellis I built one with 4 sections. The last section was cut back to 24″, which give it a length of 14 feet. The front trellis was built with 2 sections, for a length of 8 feet.

I placed the PVC pipe in the ground using a hammer and a small piece of 2″x4″ lumber. I then stretched a plastic mesh material that I purchased at a local nursery. This mesh was made for plant support. The mesh was attached with wire ties to the pipe and then cut to size with a pair of scissors.  After all of this was done the while plastic pipe just stood out in the garden like a sore thumb. Something needed to be done to make it blend in better with its surroundings. I went to the hardware store and purchased a can of black paint that is made to put on plastic furniture. I sprayed the pipe black and it blended in better with its surroundings. The two trellis did their job this season and we were able to pick berries without getting all scratched up.

White berry trellis.

One berry trellis painted black. You can see how it is already starting to blend into the garden.

I love succulents so much they are at my front door!  They are so carefree!  They can go many days without water or sun (an important feature in the Pacific Northwest).  The right succulents are perennials.  Just check when you are buying them.

As you can see from these photos, I select a range of colors, textures and styles.  Mix in some rocks, figurines, an evergreen, almost anything that is appealing to you.  I really like the spiky grass as a contrast and its light and water needs match the succulents.

To provide unity, I used two ceramic pots of the same color even though they are different styles and shapes.

All gardeners have failures, you just have to turn them in to successes!  That tall slender evergreen in the pot?  It started out as one of several miniature evergreen trees in the same pot.  After a couple of years, the other trees either died or became too gangly.  This evergreen put down a tap root through the hole in the bottom of the pot.  I really did not want it to get larger so I cut off the tap root and put the pot on the black top.  That has stopped it’s growth, at least for this year!

Garden Accent Heaven is now carrying the Fiddlers Elbow line of bird decor ceramic 15 oz. mugs and mouse pads with designs by artist Susan Bourdet. The mugs are made in the U.S.A. They have wrap around images and are dishwasher and microwave safe. The mouse pads are fade resistant and permanently dye printed in the U.S.A.  They are made from 100% polyester face and 100% neoprene backing. Size is 9″ X 8″ and are 1/3″ high.

Click here to see Bird Mugs Click her to see Bird Mouse Pads

Click here to see Bird Mugs Click Here to See Bird Mouse Pads