3 Mistakes People Make When Creating A Bird Garden

southwest garden guide Author

When I started creating my bird garden I made mistakes. Then I discovered that others make the same mistakes. Avoid these three common mistakes.

In an earlier blog I told you that I first started turning my landscape into a bird garden because I was simply so enchanted with the (then) few desert birds that stopped by. I loved watching them and I wanted to see more of these little charmers. So I started my journey towards creating a garden for desert birds. And I made mistakes.

When I became a garden coach I discovered that others made the same mistakes.  Here are the top three mistakes that people make when creating a bird garden.

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1. One of Everything

One of everything is a bad idea for 2 reasons.

First - to attract and then to keep birds hanging out in the garden – they need more than just one of each whatever it may be. Many birds are social creatures and if you want a flock of lesser goldfinch to hang around your yard, you will need many of their food plants.

Second – your yard should be an aesthetically pleasing place with some overall sense of unity. One of each of everything just ends up being a hodge podge mess.

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2. Plan for All Seasons

Our region is blessed with birds galore. We have species found nowhere else on earth. Avid birders spend hard cash to come here and add to their “life list.” I am not that avid, but I do like to look out my window any day of the year and see one of my fine feathered friends enjoying my yard. This means that I have to have food for all seasons of the year – and I'm not talking food from the store. Bird seed attracts mice and packrats and snakes will follow to eat these tasty little mammals. No snakes in my yard please.

There are so many lush and low-water plants that provide food for birds in every month of the year! I had over 300 plants on my list for the class I was compiling, and I had to chop that down somehow, so I am going with the rabbit resistant ones. This means that the entire land around your home can become a bird garden.

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3. Food and Water are Fine, But Shelter is Key

This took me a while to learn. Water is great, and food is too, and the birds do appreciate it - but the absolute gold feather in your cap is when a pair of those shy native birds like the Abert's towee or the vermilion flycatcher set up nests in your yard. And then come back the following year!

Birds need nice dense bushes and trees that provide shelter from all the animals that think birds (or their eggs) are the ideal breakfast snack. Tall trees that are pruned properly – but now we are heading into mistake number 4 – and that will be covered in class.

Bird Gardening Class is Here!

The “Bird Gardening" class is done and up!Hope you will consider it. As always the Gardening With Soule Membership Club folks get the class for free - it's one of the "perks." So if you have thought about joining - why not today?!

Jacqueline

PS – because the NewZenler course site is based in Europe, the sign-up is a tad more formal than here in the USA. Don't let it worry you.

Categories: birds, desert gardening, Desert Gardening Success