Time to update my bird bath post, which declared the bath to be awaiting use by actual birds. I had temporarily moved it away from the house and close to the bird feeder, hoping the birds would see it. That resulted in one bird visit.
Admittedly, I was told by neighboring bird enthusiasts that the bird-bathing season was pretty much over and I should wait until next spring. But a larger problem quickly became apparent to me – I don’t want to have to refresh the water every day. I’d stopped growing annuals in the back yard and loved not having to deal with the hose every day.
So when a Rant commenter suggested using the bird bath as a planter, I mentally high-fived her and proceeded to have some drainage holes drilled for just that purpose.
And I’m declaring the result a keeper! I choose a grass and some trailing Sedum because their roots are shallow enough and they’ll need little, if any, supplemental watering. On either side of the bird bath are Ninebark shrubs, and below, my favorite groundcover for sun – Sedum takesimense.
On another positive note, fall color in my back yard has been great. In the center here, the Amsonias turned yellow, then eventually bright orange. The colors of the oakleaf hydrangea complement the barn-red bench, hanging dragon and shed roof. That teak bench (bought in ’85, untreated for decades, but still going strong) had been a dull grey until I got the color bug and painted it to match the dragon (a $3 yard sale find).
And here’s a shot of the Osakazuki Japanese maple at its peak.
If you look through the leaves you’ll see some dangling silver CDs. I hung them from rebar poles to give local deer the message they should find another route through the neighborhood! They were not only snacking on my latest plant purchases but even lying down in the border for a peaceful nap. It’s been about a month and so far, no trespassers.
Bird Bath Rejigger and Fall Color in My Garden originally appeared on GardenRant on November 19, 2020.
The post Bird Bath Rejigger and Fall Color in My Garden appeared first on GardenRant.
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