GARDEN TIPS: BIRD HOUSE SEASONS

Garden Tips: A Bird House For All Seasons

                  Planning for your feathered neighbors

Any of the 4 seasons is a good time to put up your bird house.  For Really!  Birds need a home, much like people, 365 days of the year.  Whenever you get your birdhouse, put it up regardless of the season. You may not get a taker right away but the right one will come along soon enough. In the fall and winter some birds may need shelter from the harsh weather. And then in the spring birds will be ready to mate, nest and await their young.

We notice more activity in the spring and summer. You may find birds moving in that were forced out of their first homes because of predators or other unfavorable conditions. Birds migrate for a multitude of reasons, uprooted trees, construction, predators, birds have their own reasons. And then there are those birds that lay eggs several times a year. What this means is that you could get a bird in your birdhouse almost year-round.

However, the absolute best time to offer a birdhouse is in the early spring. This is when many birds are mating and laying their eggs. They need a good safe, place to nest. Don’t be too disappointed if you do not get occupants right away.  

But to help ensure you do get some to your home, just follow a few simple suggestions.

1- Position your birdhouse so it will be relatively safe from predators. Position your bird house on a pole or a safe place from cats, tree predators or ground predators. If your yard makes this placement difficult, consider purchasing a guard, and protect your feather friends from larger animals.. These can be bought or made out of mesh suitable for the type of bird you hope to attract. You can find these at the local Gardening Centers, Lowe’s, Home Depot, ect.

2- Face your birdhouse away from the wind if possible. Observe the predominant winds in your area before you decide where it’s best suited in the lawn or garden area. It's a nice touch for your potential feathered friends, since appropriate placement will help keep them dry when it rains.

3- Provide a nearby perch. This could be a nice little branch or bush somewhat close to the birdhouse will allow your new neighbors to stop and take a look around before making their way to their new home. They will be able to assess the yard conditions and find any potential dangers.

4- Multiple houses in the yard. Give your birds the opportunity to choose the house that suits them best, just don't over-do it! According to the US Fish & Wildlife pamphlet "Homes for Birds", you shouldn't place more than four small birdhouses or one large one per acre. Be sure to keep them well apart - across the yard or in different trees.

5- Offer food and water. Having a bird bath or pond and a bird feeder will assure your birds that all their needs will be taken care of in one yard. Spread food, water and birdhouse across your yard though. Placing all these elements too close will be like a traffic jam and birds will not feel comfortable to nest in their new surroundings. Would you want your house right next to an always crowded buffet?

Our last suggestion is to be patient. Birds know when and where they like to be in your garden or lawn space. If your first try doesn't attract any birds, you can try again. Wait a significant amount of time (a year is suggested) and then move it somewhere else. With a little luck and some fair winds, you will be rewarded with plenty of birdhouse tenants and lovely morning music.

Bird Bath Solar Water Fountains

Bird Feeders

Gardening Tips from Paradise Water Fountains

We offer a wide variety of bird essentials for your lawn, garden and home decor.
Product Pictures from www.paradisewaterfountains.com
Owner:  Jodie Smith

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Spice Up Your Backyard with a Custom Bird Bath

Trying to make your backyard more attractive to birds? Just add water! Birds need a dependable supply of fresh, clean water for drinking and bathing—few things are more attractive to them than a well-maintained birdbath. Just take a look at all the different ways you can DIY Bird Baths.  You can make these Bird Baths with regular terracotta pots.

What you will need:
1 14” terracotta pot
1 12” terracotta pot
1 10” terracotta pot
1 16” terracotta saucer
Liquid Nails adhesive (I used one for extreme heat)
Martha Stewart Multi-Surface Paint – I used Pool and Green Curry
Martha Stewart foam Pouncers for the polka dots 
1 can of Valspar Interior/Exterior Clear Sealer – I used Satin finish

Setting up your birdbath

Birds seem to prefer baths that are set at ground level, where they typically find water in nature.
Like this Fairy Shell Bird Bath

While birds are bathing, they are sometimes less wary than is safe, and if their feathers get soaked, they can’t take off or fly as quickly as normal, so cats pose a very serious danger. If cats are at all likely to be lurking in your neighborhood, make sure there is a fairly wide open area between your birdbath and the nearest thick shrubbery, so birds have a better chance to detect and get away from a pouncing cat in time.
                                                                           

Solar Powered Bird Bath Outdoor Water Fountain

   

Solar on Demand Bird Bath Outdoor Water Fountain

Acadia Solar Birdbath

Place your birdbath in the shade if possible, to keep the water cooler and fresher. Nearby trees also provide branches on which they can preen.

The water should be no deeper than 1/2 to 1 inch at the edges, sloping to a maximum of 2 inches deep in the middle of the bath.

You can make your own birdbath using a trashcan lid, saucer-type snow sled, shallow pan, or old frying pan,  antique dishes, glassware, chips and dip plate, deviled egg plate.

Deviled Egg Plate

Chips and Dip Plate

You can find these materials at your local thrift shop or the dollar store. 

Maintaining your birdbath

When the temperature is above freezing, it’s a good idea to keep your birdbath full at all times to attract the widest numbers and variety of birds. But to provide a safe drinking and bathing environment, it’s critical to change the water every day or two. Bathing birds may leave behind dirty feathers and droppings, making the bath increasingly unsanitary for other birds. Grackles often drop their nestlings’ fecal sacs into birdbaths, another cause of filthy water. Algae grows much more quickly when the water isn’t cleaned frequently. Also, the species of mosquitoes most likely to transmit West Nile virus often lay their eggs in bird baths. By frequently changing the water, we don’t give the eggs time to hatch or for the larvae to emerge.

If algae does start to grow, you should thoroughly clean the bath with a stiff scrub brush and running water.

I hope you enjoyed  the many different and inexpensive DIY Bird Bath

Paradise Water Fountains

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DIY Garden Tips & Decor

UpCycle old tires for new decorative flower beds.

Help keep our landfills clear of old vheicle tires that have served their purpose by upcycling them into
beautiful planters for your garden, pond or retaining wall areas.  Many junk or tire places offer you tires for free.
Or you can keep your own vehicle tires the next time you need to purchase new ones.

Here's how.

Clean and prepare the tire or tires for painting your background color. Simple soap and water solutions works great. Let dry.
It may take a couple coats of paint to do the job, if you are using white as your background color. Make a work area that will allow
the paint to dry.  Use can paint for all weather or spray paint in cans.  Use a dust mask and well vented area when using spray paint.

If you are good at free form art, paint your favorite flowers, or butterflies as large as the
background permits for optimal visual effects.  You can use preform cut out designs if you prefer. Simply use the form(s)
to paint the design you like onto the tire and let dry. Using more than one tire in stacks can add dimension to your garden decor.

Old tires are great for "creeping plants", cactus, and other annual flowers, as it will contain them to one area with moderate trimming.
Any size tire will do, lawn mower tires all the way up to vehicle tires.
Adding an outdoor water fountain to the decor is a plus for patio areas, too.

Square Courtyard Outdoor Water Fountain

You can do a variety of settings and planting in any of these tires. Be creative in your designs.
When you DIY, you save on recycling materials and money and also get the enjoyment
of being your own designer for your lawn and garden.

Materials needed:

old tires (lawn mower to vehicle)
utility knife
paint
paint brushes
cutout design forms (optional)
imagination

Thank you for stopping by
Paradise Water Fountains
http://www.paradisewaterfountains.com/

HOW TO MAKE SEED TAPE STRIPS-GREAT GIFT!!!

Like any good "recipe," this tutorial has a bit of this and a bit of that. While some used newspaper, others used toilet paper or paper towels. Some used Elmer's glue, but you can also use flour paste.


How to Make Seed Strip Tape
(or Salad in a Tin)

Salads in a Tin make a perfect gift for the gardener in your life. 
You can also use flower seeds!

Thanks for Stopping By!
Paradise Water Fountains
http://www.paradisewaterfountains.com/

Do You Want To Create Your Own Garden Accents?

A gorgeous gazing ball can add sparkle to your planting bed. With just an old bowling ball, some embellishments and adhesive, you can create this beautiful accent in less than a day. Unleash your creativity with glass beads .. you can get these at the Dollar Store. You can get an old bowling ball from your thrift store or maybe even a garage sale. Ask your local bowling alley what they do with their old bowling balls, who knows, you could get lucky and they will give you them.  They say to use adhesive, I prefer using a glue gun, the embellishments will glue on better.

A beautiful gazing ball adds a multi-season accent to the garden, reflecting its surroundings and adding light and sparkle. Here's a fun project creating garden art that will last many years.

Materials Needed:

• bowling ball
• sandpaper or sanding block
• silicon sealant or epoxy adhesive
• painter's tape
• length of string, at least as long as the width of the ball
• large rubber band
• chalk
• decorative embellishments (metal washers, glass beads, mirrors, ceramic tile, marbles)

Prepare the gluing surfaces.

Sand the bowling ball and wipe it clean to remove dust.

For better adhesion, lightly sand one side of embellishments that have smooth finishes.

Find the ball's widest point.

1. Place a rubber band around the bowling ball to find the widest part of the bowling ball. Once you have found the center of the ball, mark it with chalk (image 1).

2. Wrap the length of string and wrap it around the bowling ball along the chalk line. Cut string where the ends meet. This will give you the circumference of the bowling ball at its widest point.

3. Lay the string down in a straight line, and place the embellishments alongside it. This will help you know how much space to allow between each embellishment on the ball.

Apply the decorative pieces.

Using a generous amount of adhesive and following the manufacturer's instructions, begin applying embellishments. Large or heavy pieces may need to be secured temporarily with painter's tape to keep them from sliding down the ball.

Work in small sections of the ball at a time, allowing the adhesive to cure as you work your way around the surface of the bowling ball. Check your embellishments often during the drying process.

If necessary, clean up excess adhesive following manufacturer's instructions.

And WaLa, you have just created your own Glazing Ball Garden Accent!

Garden Solar Gazing Ball Chameleon Cracked Glass

Add a little flare to your garden, walkways, patios, or any outdoor area. With no external wires you can place this solar ball anywhere you want. A dual mode option allows for you to operate it bright white or on chameleon mode which it runs through the color spectrum. The color spectrum is white, blue, red, green, purple and orange.  This Glazing Garden Ball, you can find at 

Paradise Water Fountains  and see the different colors change.

Garden Solar Gazing Ball Chameleon Cracked Glass



Hope you enjoyed this Create your own Gazing Garden Ball Blog.
Hope to see you Soon
Thank You for Stopping By!

Winterizing Your Outdoor Water Fountain


Decorative outdoor water fountains are made of a variety of materials, ranging from fiberglass and concrete to metal, ceramic and resin. If water freezes in a water fountain, some fountain materials can crack or break. If water freezes inside a water fountain's pump it can cause even more damage, breaking the pump so that it must be replaced before the outdoor water fountain can be used again. Keeping decorative outdoor garden water fountains from freezing is largely a matter of winterizing the fountain before freezing temperatures occur, preventing the potential damage that ice can cause.




In order to keep a garden water fountain functioning and looking beautiful for years to come, winter care is important. Before the first freeze, there are a few steps you need to take to ensure that your outdoor garden water fountain won't crack and the pump won't get damaged. It is easy to winterize your garden fountain with just a few simple steps. Personally, I kept my fountain outside all winter and it was just fine. For those who would like to winterize the garden water fountain, you can take these steps.

Disassemble your outdoor water fountain and place it in a garage or shed to protect it completely from damaging weather, if at all possible. If that's not an option for you, continue with the following steps.

Drain all the water out of your water fountain prior to the first freeze



Remove the pump from your fountain and bring it indoors. Now is a great time to clean your pump to remove any debris that may have accumulated throughout the year.


Store your water fountain pump in a bucket or plastic container of water. Keep it in a warm indoor spot to keep the gaskets from drying out.  


Cover your fountain with a tarp or a water fountain cover. A fountain cover is made to fit over a garden water fountain to protect it from moisture and come in different sizes. You can always use these fountain covers on your outdoor statues.

                                     

Fill each outdoor water fountain basin with burlap sacks, old blankets or other absorbent materials to keep condensation from accumulating and freezing inside. This prevents the fountain from cracking due to expansion and contraction of water.


Due to the nature of the materials, hairline cracks will occasionally appear in concrete and cast stone fountains. These cracks are usually superficial and won't cause leaks.

I hope I gave you some good tips on how to winterize your Outdoor Water Fountains

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What Gift Do You Get For Someone That Has Everything?

                                          

      Early Cyber Monday Sale:  10% off with Code CYBER12 


Christmas is right around the corner. Are you having a hard time finding that perfect gift? Water Fountains are great gifts for that person that has everything. Water Fountains not only bring beauty as a decorating piece but also brings tranquility, relaxation and a sense of calmness.  We have outdoor water fountains, indoor fountains, tabletop water fountains in different sizes and shapes. For instance, who wouldn't want this beautiful 3 Tier Welcome Outdoor Water Fountain as a gift?

                                

                                

This is a very unique gift for the gardener that has everything, instead of  "oh no" not another pair of gardening gloves, or a flower planter, or gardening tools. Or if you are looking for a gift for someone that isn't a gardener, but likes unique gifts, how about an indoor wall water fountain, like this Bluworld Large Nojoqui Falls Wall Water Fountain --Black Granite with Stainless Steel Trim
                      


These tabletop water fountains are nice gifts for friends, co-workers, family, or even for wedding gifts, like this Calming Bamboo Tabletop Water Fountain.  Put one on your desk at work, or sit one on your night stand for a calming relaxing sound.

                                      

And if you aren't interested in a water fountain, we also have garden decor. Garden Statues, Wind Chimes, Birdbaths, Fire Pits and much more. Come on over and visit us at www.paradisewaterfountains.com


         Fire Pits                                                Garden Statues                                  Birdbaths


                               



Christmas isn't always about gifts.

"Christmas means spending time with those you love and who love you. It's not about presents as a lot of kids think. It's about enjoying the time you have on this Earth. But most importantly it's about forgetting those bad feelings you might have about someone and celebrating the birth of Christ, Jesus, with the world no matter who you are."  "Christmas means you should help or just give a smile to poor people."  Think of those who are spending their first Christmas without someone they have lost. Singing Christmas Carols, decorating, spend time with the elderly.

 Wishing everyone a safe, happy, healthy Merry Christmas.

  What Does "Christmas" Mean To You?