Suggestions for plants under birdfeeders
runswithscissors
12 years ago
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echinaceamaniac
12 years agoRelated Discussions
Suggestions for planting under picture window
Comments (5)Wow, you had bad luck with this thread, first you get the crazy Chinese guy and then you get someone who just wants to flog his company and gives you a bunch of random plant names to make it sound credible. Well, maybe there's still hope. I guess what I'd like to ask is why you want to replace the bushes. If you want to hide the foundation anyway, you may well have the best solution already in place. Granted, landscape shrubs do outlive/outgrow their spots, so maybe they've grown badly, are sucking up too much water, what have you, but if that's the case, just replace them with more of the same. I can't see too much on this photo, it's too small and taken from too far away (though it's good to have one overall shot), but it seems to me that if you put in stuff that is more sprawling, whether evergreen or deciduous, you may end up with a mass of greenery blocking your exit. In summary, I kind of like the little hedge where it is, but what I don't like so much is the darker bit of hedgey stuff off to the right, in front of the door. Do you need that there, or do you like your door to be a bit hidden? If you have a photo that shows the area better, that might help. KarinL...See MorePlant suggestions for under this maple tree?
Comments (10)normally, there is not issue with a large tree out in the middle of an open lawn becoming too large so we don't care how big it gets. But as it grows taller, we usually want the bottom of its canopy to act like a ceiling, providing shade and the sense of shelter. However, if that "ceiling" is too low, it becomes not an advantage, but a disadvantage. Does a person look better with a lot of hair covering their face. Usually not. The same is true for a house. When viewed from the street, if lower tree branches cover too much of the view of the house, it doesn't look good. Also, one must always be cognizant of the ultimate size of the tree. When it's 100 feet tall, would one want branches that are 6' off the ground? Another common problem with branches that are too low is that as they grow, they hang further down and become obstructive to actually using or maintaining the yard. Also, too many branches that are too low produce oppressive, gloomy shade... especially when trees are grouped together. Yet another factor is that high ceilings not only feel better in houses, but also outdoors. A low hanging canopy just does not feel as good as a raised one. I don't have enough space or time to convince anyone here in a short message, but start observing and you'll see it's true. I notice that almost everyone prunes trees in REACTION to how they are right now. Never in ANTICIPATION of what they'll be in 3 months or later. It is this reactionary pruning that is a bigger job and costs more. A limb that's 10" in diameter was at one time only 1" in diameter. At 1", it could be safely and easily removed by anyone. At 10" in diameter, it could only be removed by a professional. Just to make the same single cut (to remove the branch) requires about 75 or 80 times the amount of actual cutting work as when the branch was only 1". The limb structure on trees "opens" as it grows because branches grow longer, heavier and they end up hanging down. The same thing will happen with your tree. The branches that begin at 5' ht. on the trunk and now aim up, will eventually hang down. And they will be a whole lot fatter and heavier by then. When that time comes you'll surely want them removed because then they will be obliterating the view of your house, obstructing the use of your yard and producing oppressive shade where grass (or barely anything) could grow. But then the cost of removing them then will be exponentially higher. Today, you could do it yourself with a home depot pole pruner. In ten years, It will cost several hundred dollars for a professional to do it. Then, the cuts that need to heal over will be massive and maybe even look disfiguring. Today, they would be small and heal quickly. Removing branches a little early (in anticipation of what's to come) might at first make it seem like too much trunk is showing relative to the canopy. But in a rapidly short time, as pruning will do, it just causes the tree to grow faster in all the areas that remain... which is mainly the top of the tree. So very quickly, things look back in perfect order again....See MoreUnder the birdfeeder.
Comments (7)It's more documented than I have! I generally don't see HB until June or so when there are enough plantings they like in bloom. I simply did not realize they were present in the general area before then as I haven't seen them prior to summer weather. Kind of cool that you have some that remember last year's haunts and check in from time to time to see if there is any food. The cool thing for me this year is that I have a duck nesting under an evergreen shrub. Same thing happened last year. I am not near a water body (mile or two away) so I wonder why they like my yard, but they do. Second year for what I assume is the same mother to nest in the same spot. She is very tolerant of me and my family hanging out near her nest under the shrub. Very cool to us. So, no hummers, but we do have ducks :-)...See MoreWhat's growing under birdfeeder
Comments (6)I have no problem with the one feeder we have. It is in the open and has small holes where the seed can trickle out. The seed on the ground is eaten by the ground feeding birds (doves, cardinals, grackles, etc.). I rake the inevitable mound into the lawn where it is dispersed by the mower. In 20+ years the only nuisance attracted to it has been chipmunks. Their numbers are kept down by the snakes that live in a stone wall nearby. All in all, it is a positive experience. From what I can tell, the feeder attracts a good number of nuthatches and chickadees. These 2 particular species also do a number on egg masses and scale in the trees. The Black Walnuts around here get fewer tent caterpillars, and the Magnolia Scale that covered some trees are gone....See Morecalliope
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