Saturday 14 December 2019

Scraping Bottom

Six On Saturday is a weekly garden diary hosted by The Propagator.  For links from gardens all over the globe, check out his comments section & the Twitter hashtag, #SixOnSaturday.


Cleaning the bird feeder.



This week's SoS is scraping the barrel bottom for news.

There's plenty to do in the garden these days, but sharing it's nearly the equivalent of talking about emptying the dish washer.

The most interesting part of my week concerns the bird feeder, so let's start there.







1.  The big scary acorn feeder.

Last week, a woodpecker thoroughly inspected one of the trees outside my bedroom window, which inspired me to get a peanut feeder - an act accomplished before pricing peanuts.  I didn't know some peanuts aren't safe for wildlife, but safe ones cost.

I'm happy to facilitate woodpecker survival, but not until after Christmas.  Now I have an acorn feeder stuffed with suet balls cut in half.


The birds were terrified of it.

Day 1, no visitors to any part of the feeding station.  No birds waiting on the fence or neighbour's gable.  Day 2, I scattered seed on the ground & called to the pigeons who stoically remained on the gable.  Sparrows who usually filled every hole on the fence lattice, now complained loudly from 2 gardens over.  Day 3, dive bombing of the feeding station commenced amongst all birds, with intermittent ground feeding.  A brave pair of  robins did a dash & run at the basket furthest from the Scary Acorn.  Day 4, the usual feeding frenzy inexplicably resumed.

Day 5 & there doesn't appear to be any sampling of suet yet, though.


2.  Still planting.

The winter aconite & Russian snowdrop bulbs arrived.  They're now in pots where they'll hopefully multiple enough to be shared with the flowerbeds next year.


These are from Farmer Gracy who uses all recyclable packaging.  So the very last bulbs for this winter.  Promise.  Not sure the same can be said about bare root plants, though.


Astilbe Look At Me, actually ordered in August, delivered & planted this week.


3.  Playing the musical pots game.

It's that time of year where things are checked to see if they need new pots, then their old pots are passed on to whatever is ready to go up a size.


Here we have some of the players in their new pots - a skinny acer with a dead pear tree support, the spider fatsia & a coupla young hydrangea.


4.  Pulmonaria?

I don't tidy the garden much in autumn/winter, letting wildlife hide & feed where they may.  The dying plants often reveal some volunteer or other.  This spotted fella below, however, must've been here when we move in last February, living amongst the golden rod & only now making itself known.


  Pulmonaria, do you think?


5.  (nee) Sedum.

The sedum came with us when we moved here, so not a surprise, but a friend returned.


If you look closely, most of the rosettes are little natural cups with water droplets in them.


6.  Naked owl.

During summer, this owl sits up to its eyes within the akebia quinata.


The time of year has come when he struts his stuff.



Partial return of the sparrows.



That's my Six for the week.


So glad you stopped by.


See you next time!

18 comments:

  1. Very original your big feeder. And that owl ! I love both.

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    1. Glad you like them. That particular feeder is available at various outlets here, but the owl was a gift a few years back, so not sure where it came from. Its eyes are supposed to be solar lights, but they've never worked. Love it anyway & it does goes well w/the chocolate vine.

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  2. There really is an Astilbe called 'Look at me', I looked it up. That is either an inspired name or one of the worst I've ever heard. I can't grow Sedum, my Sedum friends don't return, they don't like me.

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    1. Well, yes, Jim, there really is an astilbe called, Look At Me, & I would say it's the worst name ever. I almost didn't use it when I wrote my blog. As to you & Friend Sedum, that's astounding. I blame the sedum. It certainly couldn't be anything you've done.

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  3. Cleaning bird feeders...a definetely bottom of the list of jobs, but one I do, dismantling it completely. I think we spend more on birdfeed that we spend on our breakfast cereal...worth it to watch the birds.

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    1. Well, we have dogs, so cleaning the bird feeder isn't exactly the bottom of my to-do list. But yes, forking out cash to see the little guys some into the back garden.

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  4. That owl is impressive. The new growth of the sedum (for that is what it will always be known as) always fills me with hope for the following year and is kind of cute. The sparrows on the trellis fence though are majorly cute. My birds are still wary of some new feeders I bought.

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    1. I do love the beginning of sedum, too. The sparrows, when not frightened of the acorn, will fill every hole in the trellis, then chat between the levels amongst themselves, looking up or down to have their convos. Really charming little guys.

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  5. That's one scary feeder Lorna! I'm not surprised the birds are avoiding it. They do seem to take their time getting used to anything new in the garden. As for peanuts, the birds around here don't seem bothered about them at all (despite buying the expensive ones) and usually go mouldy and have to be thrown away. Needless to say I don't bother with them any more.

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    1. Yes, I'm a real brute, putting something out like that acorn. I was hoping the nuts would bring more variety to the feeder, as all we get are sparrows, pigeons & the robin couple, tho others come in summer, too. Hearing your experience, I'll start w/a small bag of nuts to start, I think.

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  6. Usually I get plant envy reading these blogs but you've given me trellis envy Lora. The little sparrows! How adorable.

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    1. They live in the neighbour's shrubs. As I said to One Man (above), when they're not afraid of the Scary Acorn, they'll fill all the little slots in the trellis, then talk up & down to each other. Don't know what they say, but they obviously have a good natter amongst themselves.

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  7. Ah, the trials and tribulations of bird feeders! That acorn feeder even scared me, briefly. I’m sure though, that the birds will be as grateful as can be eventually. I love the photo of the sparrows on the trellis- so cute.

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    1. Scary wasn't the effect I was going for, but if that's what it must be, I shall revel in it. And yes, those sparrows are something else.

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  8. The sparrows! We hardly see sparrows round here. Robins, loads of em, but not sparrows. I dont feed the birds, lazy git. I should...

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    1. You probably feed them in less formal ways, thru all the plants & their seeds in your garden, not to mention the insect life your garden attracts.

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