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Newcastle, OntarioNow, I have spent the last week, getting my garden completely weeded and looking perfect. My hubby and I loooove nature and plant all sorts of things for the birds, free for the taking. We have a gooseberry bush with berrys the size of grapes, yellow currant bush, red lake currant bush and a josta berry bush. We have bee balm for the hummingbirds and echinacea of all kinds for the gold finches. We also have a humungous crab apple tree that they are welcome to, so why oh why won't they leave my wee strawberry patch alone!!!!!! The don't even eat a whole berry - just eat about half of it and move on to the next jucier one. A few days ago, the berries looked wonderful - today almost a third of them have been "sampled". I'm don't think I'm being greedy - and if they don't stop, I'm going to resurect the sling shot my hubby uses to fire ice cubes at unneutered cats in the spring!!
hugs,
Brenda
Posts: 8,574.
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Oh the netting keeps out errant gollies and bears too... [/size] 
Posts: 8,574:crackup: :crackup: :crackup: :crackup: :crackup: :crackup:
Sheesh.....do you think our parrot who is the boss of things here, would allow that?
Birds have an inherent fear of things that can tangle their little feets.....and they are very smart!
Posts: 8,574 
Cleathero CreationsA friend of mine hangs windchimes, aluminium foil old cds and plastic bags.
because noise tends to startle birds as does movement the cds and foil reflect the light while plastic bags (the real noisy type) move and make noise.
Good luck though they can be determined little thing.
Newcastle, OntarioYes, I'm just going to have to invest in some netting. If given a choice, who wouldn't pick strawberries! Oh well, if we can ever sell t his place I won't have to worry about it next year, cuz hopefully we won't be here.
Renae, I don't know what a Josta berry tastes like, we just planted them for the birds, which they like by the way. Last year, I saw a robin come out from under the bush and it had red coming from it's mouth. I was upset, because I thought one of the cats had injured him, but turned out it was berry juice! I guess they must be tasty, but they aren't ripe yet, but the bush is loaded with them. I get told all the time, that I should make jam but I'm too lazy. My mum used to make Gooseberry jam. I really planted that bush because it reminded me of my mum. I find that when gooseberries are really ripe the tend to go mushy and that's when I find wasps on them a lot. I think it's a way for them to get liquid into their system on hot summer days. Everything needs to have a drink, I guess. The thing I am most proud of in the back is I now have 4 Jack-in-the-Pulpits and one of them is almost 18 inches tall. I have a spot that is always in the shade and it's very moist and my trilliums and Jack-in-the-pulpits love it there.
Oh I wish you lived closer, Renae - I have so much echinacea that I was pulling it out of the lawn like a weed, this weekend. I have white, purple and yellow. I also had black echinacea, which was cool. but that didn't survive the winter. I don't cut it back in the fall, because the gold finches love the seeds and I love to watch the birds. Some days you can't see the cones for the finches. The down side is that they spread the seeds all over and it grows everywhere in the spring. The chipmunks do the same with the neighbours bird feeder. They bury the seeds and one day I look and I have a clump of about 30 sunflower sprouts in the middle of my lawn! Good thing chipmunks are cute cuz they are not too bright!
I love my front garden - it's more like a cottage garden. I have delphiniums that are taller than I am and in full bloom and my lupins are out too. My bee balm, fox glove, holly hocks and echinacea are just about ready to bloom.
Yes, hubby was quite proud of himself, when he came up with the ice cube trick - they're hard, they sting, they don't do a lot of damage, and the evidence melts! Before that, he used leftover walnuts from Christmas, but now we have three walnut trees growing out back! LOL! I'll have to take pictures soon.
hugs,
Brenda
Real Deal BearsOh I don't know if you will think me a little round the bend or what but,
for our fruit trees we have teddy bears protecting them. They sit in the fruit trees and scare the parots away.
We do this because we noticed that the birds wouldnt land in a tree where a koala was sitting.
So thought why not try teddies.
IT WORKS!!!! 
just don't call the RSPCA on me 
Newcastle, OntarioWow Christine, a teddy bear tree - I want to see that one LOL! I can't get my head around "parrots" in your garden. That sound's like heaven to me!
Renae, I find it hard to fathom anywhere that Beebalm or snapdragons won't grow. I have four patches off Beebalm and it just keeps spreading. When we first moved here and made our garden, we bought snapdradons for the front garden. Every year since that, I they have re-seeded and once they get big enough, I just move them around in the garden. Holly hocks are trickier. My friend lives in Southern Ontario and she can't get them to grow, but mine flourish They also re-seed and I just keep digging them out of the lawn and putting them back in the garden LOL! I have a "double" yellow one in the front that looks more like a rose - the bees loooove it. I have to say the I've never had a slug problem with my delphiniums but now I'm jealoous - Foxgloves are my most favourite flower EVER. I struggle to grow them here, but I do have one small pink one blooming in my back garden. When I was weeding, I actually found a tiny one that must have been from re-seeding - first time ever for me. I was thrilled and moved it to the front for more sun. Sooooo, Renae, when you are taking pictures, take one of the tall Foxgloves - I'll love ya for it!
I'm also interested in herbs etc - too bad you live in Oregon as we seem to have a ton of things in common. Hubby bought me a lovely set, with a mortar and pestle to make my own creams etc. I haven't tried anything yet, but have a bazillion Calendulas growing and would love to try making hand cream from them. As for Lemon balm, we have three big areas of it, almost bushes and I dry it for tea. It's another things that grows prolificly here. Two things that I love and planted here, have turned out to be a nightmare - they spread so much. One is Japanese Lanterns and the other is Sea Holly. I love them both, but I can't contain them. I must have pulled out 30 Sea Holly plants and through them out and I still have at least a dozen. It's soo pretty, it looks like a blue thistle but the leaves aren't so prickly and it looks fabulous in dried arrangements. In my next house I will plant it only in containers.and make sure I chop off the flowers fast. Japanese lanterns are so hardy, that when I did plant it in containers, it STILL came back after the winter!!!
Anyway, I'm only up because since we have had the A/C on, I get stuffed up an night and wake up. I'm waiting for my nose to unplug and I'm going back to bed - take care and bye for now.
hugs,
Brenda
If you put netting over Brenda make sure it si not fine and check it regularly.My neighbour found a dead bab hedgehog in her strawberry patch.His wee foot had got tangled.She was so upset and let the birds have them after that.I have to watch my oldest dog as he eats them plus all the rasberries too!!!I have even seen him stretching up for a cherry.I take him bramble picking in September and he eaats them off the wild bushed.He goes up in his back legs and pulls them off.He has taught the yougest dog the same trick.
Good luck
Diane xx
I forgot to say you would love it here .The foxgloves spread like weeds.I have to pull them out of the veggie patch.I do love them too.
Dianexxx
Posts: 8,574[size=18]Renae:[/size]
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[size=18] Christine[/size]
Newcastle, OntarioDiane,
I guess that's why I've always been afraid of putting netting down. If I injured something over a silly strawberry, when we can just go to the local growers and buy them, I would be heartbroken. I have decided to just keep a keen eye on it and go out twice a day to pick anything that looks near ripe. I certainly can't blame them for enjoying them as much as we do, after all we can buy them but they can't LOL! (just call me "sucker")
Please, please, Diane, if you see lots of foxgloves, snap a picture for me. I don't know why I love them so much. They are so beautiful with all their speckles. I guess that means we will have to come for a visit one summer LOL!
hugs,
Brenda
I will take some pics for you Brenda.You know you are more than welcome to visit!!!
Diane xxx
Newcastle, OntarioRenae,
At first I thought your picture of Oregon grapes was a holly bush - are they related? I'm posting pics of my front and back garden. The delphiniums are 6 1/2 feet tall. The other greenery in front of the porch is getting ready to bloom - hollyhocks, bee balm, foxglove and purple echinacea.
Newcastle, OntarioHi Renae,
Thanks for the compliments! We are lucky in that our property goes all the way back to the river (260 feet) It was a flood plane and they couldn't develop it, so they sold it in individual pieces to our group of houses. We still have to follow Ministry of Natural Resources guidelines ie no permanent structures out back etc, but everyone planted trees and flowers that the birds would like and we have a bazillion birds of all kinds. Our cardinals wake us up every morning at 4:00 a.m. and the Rose Breasted Grossbeaks are beautiful! There is a big pond on one neighbours property and they stocked it with goldfish which grew really fast until the blue herons moved in and cleaned it out!
hugs,
Brenda
