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Gardening in Oz

plants for a bird bath?

15 years ago

My husband recently made a bird bath out of an old, large ceiling lamp shade and placed it on top of an old tree stump. I would LOVE to plant something in it (edible would be nice, but not necessary) but hubby informs me it will get way to hot for anything to survive.

Is he right? Any suggestions for what can withstand a hot sunny day in a few litres of water (not quite full sun, but plenty of mid day sun in summer) in Sydney?

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Comments (4)

alisonoz_gw
15 years ago
A photo would be useful, as it's hard to imagine how big, how deep, how high the stump is... any chance of a pic?
And.... are birds to be included or is it just now for plantings? If so then there are probably some bog plants that would do quite well and survive the heat, and that might include edible mints or edible ipomoea - check asian plants?
User
Original Author
15 years ago
I've just put a photo of the birdbath on my gardening journal blog. You can see it here: http://laurarittenhouse.wordpress.com/

Sorry, but I'm not sure how to include a photo in this post.

The birdbath is about 60cm across and 8cm deep. I've put a few stones in it to allow birds to sit before "plunging" into the deeper bits if they are so inclined.

This is my first birdbath so I'm not sure if they'll like it (just filled it today). I may paint the inside to get rid of the white (will that scare them away?).

And yes, I want birds to enjoy this more than the plants. I just thought the plants might look nice. I do plan to grow a creeper (probably fig) up the trunk.

Here is a link that might be useful: Laura's gardening journal
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never a good thing to add copper. It will poison in great numbers. Pennies now adays are just coated with copper. its really iron. Try a magnet on them and you'll see. Any water you put outside in the sun will form algae and the only way to reduce it naturally is to grow oxygen producing water plants in your bird baths. That means you need a deeper container and get such plants like a a hydra or a parrot plant or a floating cabbage plant. there's another tiny floating plant that are found in lakes and ponds here. Small enough to help block sunlight and thus reduce algae growth. Pond plants will oxygenate water as it does in ponds and help tone down the algae growth. This is why in larger ponds people install those large fountains which helps to capture oxygen. its not just for decorative reasons. Bluegreen algae is particularly harmful to animals by the way. Its a form of cyanobacteria. if it does occur bleach out the container. You will know because it looks very slimy and forms noxious bubbles. Another alternative which I have used in aquariums is to use a fish antibiotic tablets. Because this form of algae is also partly bacterial - antibiotics will kill it. These thing will then turn reddish brown and die in sheets. I used to own a nature aquarium where I didn't have to clean the water for a year because of a good balance of plant grown and good bacterial growth. However one day, my dear husband introduced un-quarantined fish and petstore water and all and that destroyed the careful equilibrium I had managed. algae formed, fish died.. I had to resort to fish antibiotics to control algae.. alas.. we were never ever able to get back to that stage of balance..
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sticking with the iris theme... Most Siberians don't thrive in the Bay Area - they tend to bloom short due to not enough chill. Caesars Brother is an old cv. which will do well. Partial shade will not be a problem for Evansias - try I. confusa which can be found in lilac or white. I. psuedocorus can be a beast, but the cv. Roy Davidson is a good garden plant and has yellow flowers and does well in partial shade in my yard. Japanese Iris hybrids will do well enough if you can acidify your soil - much easier to plant in a large pot and sink that into the ground.
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I think the birds would feel alot safer if there was a large open area around the birdbath with good visibility i.e. no vegetation (maybe just short groundcover plants). The birds don't know the plants are prickly to deter the cat, and they might not use the bath because they can't see predators in the thicket. I know my birdbath gets used alot more since I moved it out to a more visibly clear area. I have a tree close by for them to skedaddle to if they sense danger.
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alisonoz_gw
15 years ago
Nice bit of re-cycling. I think you'd be better off leaving the bowl alone, actually. First, when birds see nice fresh water on a hot day, they tend to go all-out in flapping frenzy, so plants are likely to be an impediment. Second, keeping the thing clean enough for birds while constantly having to remove potplants (I don;t think you could put anything in there permanently) would just be a headache.
I'd be inclined to do what you were planning, just soften the log a bit - maybe in the meantime you could find some nasturtium seeds (flowers are edible) and plant in little pots just under the bowl so they trail down and perhaps something to creep over the back of the stump.
Great conversion, anyway.
User
Original Author
15 years ago
Alison,

Yep, we're the recycling kings. The lamp shade we found in a local council cleanup. We'd already decided we wanted a bird bath and so kept our eye out for something that might work. And we've kept a bit of rubbish out of the local landfill.

I think your idea about plant avoidance is best. And I love the nasturtium suggestion. Some has come up wild in the back of my garden, I might try potting a bit and see if it will trail down.

Fingers crossed.

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