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If you love wild bird, then create a bird lovers backyard showcase where you can relax and enjoy your garden as well as your feathered friends. By choosing the right plants for your backyard, you'll encourage birds to visit, eat, bathe, build nests, and raise their young right in your landscape. Your backyard doesn't have to be large to attract birds nor do you need to go to a great deal of expense to create a true bird lovers showcase.

The plants you select for your backyard bird haven depends, at least in part, on the species of birds you wish to attract. You must also consider the amount of sunlight or shade, the amount of maintenance you are willing to perform, your personal preferences for colors and textures, and the amount of moisture available. No matter the conditions, there are plants which are just right for every set of conditions imaginable which birds will really appreciate.

Habitat,Water And Food

There are really three keys to include when you create a bird lovers backyard showcase. These are: habitat, water, and food. Every species of wild bird seeks these three key factors and, once they learn you provide them consistently, they will return again and again to your backyard.

In urban settings, one attribute to incorporate when creating a bird lovers backyard showcase is areas of cover or habitat where birds will be safe from predators. Trees and large specimen plants as well as lush shrubs offer wild birds places to perch safely and securely without fear of being seen by hawks, cats, and other predators. Leafy trees and birdhouses offer secure nesting places so the parents can safely leave their babies while seeking food.

Another feature you should include in your backyard bird lovers showcase is a source of water for your feathered visitors. A low maintenance way to provide water for drinking and bathing is to incorporate a shallow, gently moving fountain into the landscape. Because fountains provide moving water, algae build-up is discouraged and mosquitoes are less likely to breed in the water. If you do not have or do not wish to invest in a moving-water fountain, a simple and inexpensive bird bath will do the trick but you'll need to empty and clean the bowl at least twice weekly to prevent red or green algae growth as well as mosquito larvae.

Food sources are another important part of your backyard bird lovers showcase. If you wish to attract hummingbirds, you can supply pesticide-free white, yellow, pink, red, or purple flowers and flowering vines which produce the nectar required by these exotic, iridescent little beauties. Great choices for hummingbirds include hummingbird vine, cypress vine, honeysuckle, and hibiscus, or you can provide the hummers with artificial nectar by purchasing hummingbird feeders featuring yellow or red colors which must be filled with syrup made from three parts water and one part dissolved sugar. There is no need to color the hummingbird syrup with red food coloring or to purchase expensive "nectar mix".

Attracting A Variety Of Bird Species

Insectivore birds, such as mocking birds and robins, can be provided for by offering lush grass and mulched areas which are never sprayed for insects. These species dig for worms and eat pesky insects. You can often see them capturing a fat, juicy insect or worm and carrying it back to their nest to feed their youngsters.

Wild birds which eat primarily seeds and other foods, including sparrows, finches, cardinals, doves, and other welcomed species, can be provided for by placing bird feeders in the landscape for all-year bird watching. They also appreciate incorporation of seed-bearing plants in the backyard showcase. Bright yellow mammoth sunflowers add tall highlights and the seed are loved by many species of larger wild birds. Extra sunflower seed can be saved for supplementing the birds' winter food. Some areas even have flocks of wild parrots which may be attracted to sunflowers.

By incorporating the three keys, habitat, water and food, when you create a bird lovers backyard showcase, you can select plants based on the colors and textures you desire. You'll probably want to place key elements so the [birds]can be easily viewed from a window from indoors. You'll also want to be sure to include a nice shady place where you can sit outdoors and watch the birds enjoy the efforts of your gardening.

If you love butterflies, you can have fun creating a butterfly garden that will attract butterflies of all species. They’ll rely on your garden as a food source and you’ll enjoy these beautiful creatures through all phases of their lives.

Butterfly Lifecycle and Anatomy

In order to understand how to create a butterfly garden, you should understand butterflies in general. They begin life as an egg which hatches into a caterpillar. The baby caterpillar eats its egg shell as its first meal and then begins feeding on the plant where it hatched. These worm-like caterpillars grow, molting or changing their skin about five times, until they are ready to become pupa and finally become an adult butterfly which emerges from the pupa casing.

Adult butterflies have mouth parts that are like long coiled tubes which, when filled with blood, extends into the flower so the butterfly can drink the nectar or other liquid such as life-sustaining water. Butterflies smell through their antenna and use this as a means of locating food sources.

Planning Your Butterfly Garden

Different species of butterflies perfect different types of nectar from different plants. To attract the most butterflies, plan your garden with an abundance of different blooming plants. Select flowering plants that will bloom at different times of day and different times of the season. Plant the flowers in clumps rather than single plants so the butterflies can easily spot the plants they crave while in flight, helping them locate your garden.

Flowering plants to include in your butterfly garden are aster, black eyed Susan, butterfly weed, day lilies, goldenrod, hibiscus, lilac, lavender, marigold, butterfly bush, daisies of all varieties, phlox, azalea, coneflowers, rosemary and verbena. Plant the flowers in arrangements that please you and that can be easily seen so that you can enjoy watching the butterflies from your window or garden seat.

Because butterflies, like all creatures, require water to survive, provide a water source in your butterfly garden. This can be a bird bath, fountain or another type of water feature. Not only will the butterflies thank you, but the birds and other creatures that have a difficult time locating water sources at some times of year will also thank you.

Sit back and enjoy your accomplishment as you enjoy a cup of your favorite drink and watch the [butterflies]that come to your beautiful garden. You’ll enjoy both the gorgeous flowers and the butterflies, too.

Landscaping deep slopes or banks may at first seem a daunting task, but most gardeners delight in the contrast between the more traditional flat areas of a yard and the unusual designs laid down by nature. In addition to providing variety, landscaping deep slopes can turn a single space into two or more spaces and make a small area seem larger.

Groundcovers, Shrubs and Trees

Many slopes tend to be extremely dry for the obvious reason: rain falls, then it runs . . . down. The benefit of a deep, penetrating soak is lost here. However, Mother Nature has given us various plants commonly know as groundcovers that provide a “living carpet” of lushness that is low maintenance (no mowing) as well as a helpful preventive of erosion and draining problems. Their deep roots bind the soil, and their branches and leaves prevent water from running down the slope. Trees and shrubs will grow through the groundcover providing a natural mood of beauty and relaxation. Use shredded bark mulch until the groundcover is full to further cut down on weeds and to hold the moisture.

Rock Gardens

Mossy rocks and boulders with low-growing wildflowers, ferns or cactus can turn a barren slope into a picture that is worth a thousand words. Add a fountain and create a space where sights and sounds join together in nature’s most natural way.

Man-made Solutions

Depending on the grade of the grade and the location of the slope, this part of a garden or backyard can be “leveled” with a deck or used to build a staircase to entice nature lovers to venture past the obvious into other areas. Extremely deep slopes can be accented with a retaining wall to hold back soil and create spaces in front and behind it for level terraces.

Decks

Homeowners and gardeners, as well as their visitors and friends need a level space near the house for dining and entertaining or just relaxing. If the house is built on a deep slope that drops away from the house, consider building a deck from the house out over the slope. Plant tall trees around the deck to reduce the feeling of elevation above ground level.

Walk This Way

Stepping stones are a great way to build a path up a deep slope. Follow the natural contours of the slope using large flat stones at least 6-8 inches deep, overlapping the stones a few inches to increase their stability. The steps should be wide, at least two feet, with at minimum of a 20 inch flat area that is clearly visible to insure no one misses a step or trips. These stones are secured into the slope by digging out a flat bed for each, filling it with sand and water before placing the stones in their new homes. A slight sprinkling of sand and water after all stones are in place further secures them and strengthens their stability.

The Wall

Just as with any [landscaping]adventure, building a retaining wall can be something you build yourself or a project that may require professional help. Simple, modular retaining wall kits are available for the do-it-your-self landscaper. These kits contain interlocking blocks that only require a gravel base and gravel backfill with a pipe for water drainage. Trailing plants and vines can be planted on top of the wall and bushy plants, short and tall, can be planted at the base to add dimension. Or add vines between the shrubs and let then grow up the wall, adding a vertical effect to draw the attention away from eye level.

Landscaping deep slopes may require a little more muscle and a little more creativity than your average landscaping escapades, but the results can be breathtaking. Plan and design your desires on paper and watch the magic begin before your hands ever touch the dirt, and remember to retain as much of the natural surroundings as possible. God and Mother Nature are the architects of life’s most beautiful places. All we must do is enhance, nurture and appreciate what has been laid before us. They’ll take care of the rest.