Exterior Design, Health, Ideas, Seasonal, Trends, Uncategorized

10 ways to make your garden bird-friendly this summer

The number of garden birds like sparrows, robins and blackbirds is declining each year in most countries because of habitat loss. In the UK, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and other environmental organisations are encouraging home owners to make their gardens ‘bird-friendly’ to help increase the bird population. We have 10 ways to make your garden bird-friendly this summer and to help stop the decline in the number of birds in your area?

Even if you do not have a garden, you can still create a small area for wild birds on your balcony or terrace and there are special bird feeders on the market that can be fixed on windows and windowsills that are particularly ideal for elderly people.

It is fun to create a haven for wild birds and it is a great project if you have children and are wondering how to fill their school holidays! Making your garden bird-friendly will teach them a valuable lesson about caring for the environment and nature and will definitely give them a great new interest as they spot the different species of birds enjoying time in your garden. (https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/advice/gardening-for-wildlife/creating-a-wildlife-friendly-garden/)

Here are 10 of the many things you can do in your garden:-

A natural area provides valuable nutrition

● Create a natural corner at the bottom of your garden. Let the grass and weeds grow naturally there and plant some wild plant seeds. Although this area will contrast sharply with the rest of your tidy garden, it will be perfect for the birds! It is best to choose a part of the garden that is well away from where your children play or where you enjoy al fresco meals as these activities could disturb the birds.

Packets containing a mixtures of wild plant seeds can be bought in most garden centres and these are ideal as the variety of plants that will grow are particularly rich in berries, nectar and seeds and these are all really nutritious for the birds. As well as attracting wild birds to your garden they will attract butterflies, bees and dragonflies too – what a bonus!

● Plant thick climbing plants as the birds will like to be able to hide among the foliage. Don’t be tempted to have any trees cut down as they are valuable for wildlife and will attract woodpeckers and owls. Fruit trees are ideal for wild birds too as they will enjoy pecking the fruit – so make sure you pick what you need first! Shrubs with berries are a valuable source of food for wild birds too.

Sunflowers not only add colour to a dull corner, they are good for wild birds too

● Plant some bright yellow sunflowers as these usually attract bees, caterpillars and other insects. Sunflower seeds are important for birds to eat. Asters and cornflowers are not only pretty in the garden, they also provide a good supply of seeds for wild birds too. Honeysuckle not only looks and smells gorgeous in the garden, the birds will enjoy the nectar too.

● Don’t ‘dead head’ all your flowers as soon as they have finished blooming, as these seed pods are much appreciated by the wild birds and are very nutritious for them.

● Don’t get rid of all your garden rubbish! Dead leaves can be swept up, but put them in a pile in the natural corner of your garden along with any decaying wood as these will soon become rich in insects and will provide food for the birds.

This must be the top way to make your garden bird-friendly!

● Install a bird table, but make sure it is well away from where you sit in the garden as the birds could be put off by your presence. If you have cats, make sure the bird table is high enough for them not to reach. Effective deterrents to use for cats include planting prickly plants like holly around the base of the bird table stand or encasing the bottom part of the stand in plastic to make it slippery – large plastic water bottles can be easily adapted for this and are perfect. (https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/advice/how-you-can-help-birds/feeding-birds/all-about-bird-tables/making-a-bird-table/)

● Wild birds need food, water and shelter in your garden to find it attractive. Pick up a bird bath in the summer sales, eBay, Gumtree or similar. Ensure that it is always full of fresh water as birds love to clean they wings as well as drink. Ideally, place the bird bath in a place where it will catch rainwater. It will need a regular clean and the best way to do this is to wash it in nine parts cool water, one part white vinegar as this will get rid of limescale. You may need to give the bowl a gently scrub and then rinse it in clean water, before replacing it in the garden.

● Install a small fountain in your garden. It isn’t only people that enjoy the sound of running water, birds are really attracted by the sound too – especially migratory species.

● Make or buy a nesting box and fix it somewhere cats cannot reach. It is a good idea to do this well before springtime so that your local birds will know where it is located. (https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/actions/how-build-nesting-box-birds)

● Don’t use any pesticides in your garden as insects are an important source of food for the birds as well as frogs, bats and even dragonflies. You will enjoy a garden much richer in wildlife, but interestingly, the insects will still be kept well under control – the natural way!

Enjoy wild birds in your garden all year round

Within a short time you will soon enjoy seeing more wild birds in your garden and may well spot Blue Tits, Great Tits, Chaffinches, Goldfinches and even Wrens.

If you do decide to build a bird table to feed the birds, it is important to keep it well supplied all year round, as the birds will view it as a safe refuge, where they can always find food. Seeing many more wild birds in your garden is definitely a win-win situation as the birds will enjoy visiting your garden and you will feel as though you are definitely doing your part for the local environment…. .

Exterior Design, Floresy Products, Ideas, Seasonal, Trends, Uncategorized

Great balcony garden ideas

If you live in a flat and the only outdoor space you have is a balcony – no problem! Following the Covid pandemic and the need for private space, balconies are now being given plenty of attention – and rightly so! Balconies can be easily transformed into lovely outdoor spaces for relaxing and entertaining and with some clever thinking, you will be able to display indoor plants too that will help create the right relaxing ambiance- and without taking up too much space.

Why not use some great balcony garden ideas to give you a gorgeous new outdoor space- one that you would never know is right in the middle of town!

Choose your colour scheme

colourful balconies are appealing

A colour scheme for your balcony will make it look very chic and this can be developed with chairs and cushions, rugs, flowerpots and even your choice of flowers! Grey is a really popular colour this year and can look particularly smart for your balcony- especially if you opt for plants with green and grey foliage or ones with only white flowers.

Soft natural shades look really good with plenty of wood and rattan for chairs and even plant pot covers. Blue is another popular colour this year and work very well on balconies with a nautical theme.

Floor first!

You may be happy with the tiled floor your balcony has as it is quick and easy to sweep and mop, but why not soften the look by adding a colourful striped rug or practical rattan runner? Wooden decking works well on balconies, especially decking tiles, as these are easier to fit. Wooden flooring, either hardwood or a laminate, will transform the space and can be in natural wood colour or painted blue or grey.

Some people cover their balcony floor with astro turf grass to develop the idea of a ‘mini garden paradise’.

Add some furniture & decorations

Transform your balcony into a restful oasis

The choice is yours! Would you like a chic iron café table and chairs for impromptu coffee with a friend and al fresco meals, or a soft sofa for relaxing moments with a small table for placing glasses of wine or your favourite book? If you are still working from home, you can opt for a stylish wooden table and office style chair for work plus a comfy armchair for restful times!

If space is limited, a traditional wooden bench looks good – and very inviting when decorated with scatter cushions and a throw. Several large floor cushions or wicker stools are other fun ideas and if your balcony is really small, folding chairs and a table give you extra versatility. You will also find other great ideas on on https://www.digsdigs.com/45-cool-small-balcony-design-ideas/

A wall clock is always a useful addition and a barometer or wind chimes are fun to hang on the balcony. A small bird table fastened to the railing is another option. Ornaments can be used to emphasise the theme of your balcony such as a rustic country style or smart nautical. If you have a larger balcony, a stone garden statue can look good, surrounded by plants.

Clever ways to decorate with plants

Indoor plants are the ideal way to create your own leafy oasis! Choose your plants carefully- depending on the amount of sunlight you get on your balcony. It is also worth remembering that many of the plants will need to live indoors during the winter months. If your balcony is not going to be ideal for indoor plants, a collection of artificial plants will look equally good – especially if they are mixed with some good tempered flowers such as geraniums! Another fun choice for really sunny balconies is to grow a citrus tree such as a lemon or miniature orange tree. If you would prefer to add some shade to your balcony, a clever way is by using artificial bamboo plants.

Colourful annuals such as petunias can be purchased cheaply from garden centres and supermarkets and will certainly help transform your balcony. If you would like to grow some vegetables, you can grow them successfully in grow bags, long narrow plant troughs or a couple of large flowerpots.

If your balcony is large enough, you can build a raised flowerbed along the length of the balcony at the front – this definitely makes gardening easy! You can used recycled wood from old crates to make the container and then the wood can be stained or painted in your chosen colour.. To save money on soil- as it will take a large quantity to fill It-, carefully fill the bottom third with plastic boxes or empty bottles and top with soil before planting with flowers or herbs.

Be creative with your plant display!

Because there is limited floor space on a balcony and priority must be given to furniture, here are some clever ways to enjoy plants and flowers in a limited space:

Tiered shelving is a great space saver and perfect for plants and vegetable growing

Several conical woven planters grouped on a bare wall can look dramatic when filled with leafy ferns and spider plants. Alternatively, a few colourful pots on ropes, hung at the same height just in front of a bare wall completely transforms it! Metal plant pot covers are trending this year and can look really smart – especially if they are filled with flowering plants or those with colourful foliage.

A really eye-catching design is to attach a long piece of driftwood high on a bare wall – high enough that you can suspend a line of matching macramé hanging baskets at regular intervals. Alternatively, three or four, matching planks of wood, that have been stained or painted, will give a completely new look to a bare wall and an interesting collection of planters can be attached to the wood at different heights. This is a great way to grow your own herbs and you can tie a large luggage label with a description of the herb to each planter. Another option is to fix a piece of trellis fencing to the wall and hang assorted planters at different heights.

To add vibrant colour to a small piece of wall, suspend two flower-filled hanging baskets at different heights.

If you have a window sill on your balcony, this is another ideal spot for growing an assortment of herbs in small matching pots. If you have really limited space, look out for tiered shelving that you can fill with plants. If you only have a spare corner, look out for a corner tiered unit as this works really well.

Add colourful plants to the balcony railings…

Invest in some plastic railing planters that will sit on the railing or some window boxes with large hooks that will fit snugly over the railing. The ideal flowering plants for these are colourful trailing petunias and scarlet geraniums.

If you would like to add privacy to your outdoor space, consider hanging lightweight rattan blinds from the ceiling above the railing or a series of hanging pots at the same height – with each filled with a leafy fern or training plant.

… And some lights

Pretty lights are perfect for lazy evenings

If you are planning to relax on your balcony in the evening, you will need some soft lighting. Tea lights placed on every flowerpot or several candle lanterns will create a golden cosy ambiance. A string of fairy lights look pretty too or a large table lamp.

No matter how small your balcony is, you can transform it into an attractive outdoor room which you will love for quiet moments and your friends will enjoy visiting too! If you are fearful that you will not be able to enjoy your new retreat because of winged insects, we have a clever idea to solve this problem too! Hang very fine netting for the entire width of your balcony from the ceiling above the railing, down to the railing and secure it tightly. Not only will you not be bothered by any insects, no birds can mess your balcony or leaves get blown onto it – leaving you just to relax and enjoy your new oasis with a long cool summery drink and a good book….

Floresy Products, Health, Ideas, Interior Styles, Trends

10 Clever ways to enjoy indoor plants in small spaces

Use every available space

Even if you are living in a modest-sized flat or house or working in a tiny office, with some creative thinking and smart ingenuity, you can make space for some flowers and indoor plants. If you do manage to find room for indoor plants you will be able to experience all the benefits that come with them. Indoor plants can lower stress levels and because they purify the air, if you have one in your bedroom, you will find yourself sleeping better too. We suggest 10 clever ways to have indoor plants in small spaces…

You will find several of our display ideas that will really work for you – which is great! Before you buy the indoor plants, it is worth assessing exactly which type of plant will be happiest in each location. Sometimes because of lack of space, you cannot offer the plant optimum growing conditions, so it is best to choose good-tempered, easy to care for plants. If you feel that the growing conditions will be a challenge to any indoor plant, why not opt for beautiful artificial plants? The secret to success is that if you are planning to display the plant in a place that is quite shadowed and gloomy, choose an artificial plant in a species that normally can thrive in such a spot and in doing this, friends and family will never suspect that your plant is artificial- clever thinking!

1. Create a living room divide

A fun way to divide up your living space is with a live living wall. This can be as simple as some garden trellis set into a large rectangular planter, Choose interesting plants with different coloured or textured foliage. Alternatively, you can hang plant covers on the intersections of the trellis and pop in a variety of interesting trailing plants.

2. Small tiered shelves

Cheer up bare walls with shelves of plants!

These are ideal when you don’t have too much space on a desk or shelf and are a fun way to display a collection of different plants. In the kitchen, this idea is perfect for displaying an array of herbs on the windowsill. The shelves look lovely in wood but are easy clean if they are in white plastic. The plants can either be in flowerpots with drainage sauces or in flowerpots popped in a pot cover. These can be in a uniform shape and colour, or an eclectic selection of different sizes and shapes in shades that mirror the colour scheme of the room

3. Baby succulents look great in tiny pots

A group of small terracotta pots each filled with a tiny succulent can look really cute. This year’s trending pot containers are glazed square plant containers, which work really well as they can easily slot next to each other to take up the minimum of space.

4. Hang a plant in a bird cage!

If you don’t have too much floor space, be creative and use the ceiling! A small metal bird cage filled with a leafy plant like a Spider Plant or Boston Fern looks really good and add colour to the room, you can paint the cage in a colour to match your chosen scheme.

5. Wall mounted looks great!

You can make your own wall planters by attaching rustic basket pot covers to squares of wood that you have painted with wood stain or in your chosen colour. Don’t forget to place plastic plant saucers in the bottom of the pot covers to ensure that no water runs down the wall when you water the plants. Another fun idea is to attach a section of garden trellis to your wall – either wood stained, or painted to complement your colour scheme. Clip planters containing a fun variety of plants on all the intersections of the trellis.

6. Add a row of hanging baskets!

Hanging baskets can cheer up a bare wall and look great in front of windows

These can make an interesting feature if you have a large bare window. Suspend a collection of similar hanging baskets at different heights and fill each with an interesting leafy plant such as different ferns and a spider plant -if the window gets plenty of direct sunshine, choose your plants carefully.

7. Grow herbs on your kitchen door!

Use every available inch of space to enjoy your indoor plants! Use a lightweight plank of wood, cut to size and painted to match your colour scheme. Attach smart metal plant pot covers at regular intervals and pop in pots of fresh herbs – for fun, add luggage labels to each pot, describing each herb.

8. Buy some hanging glass planters

A row of stylish round glass planters instantly adds interest and colour to a dull wall! Hang the planters from the ceiling, just in front of the wall and fill them with good- tempered flowering plants such as kalanchoe or chose leafy plants with coloured or textured leaves.

9. Jazz up a dull corner!

Invest in a tiered corner unit and fill it with a variety of interesting and eye-catching plants..Choose your plants carefully so that they have different colours and textures to make your display look interesting. Display them all in pot covers that are in toning covers- but a variety of textures to add interest.

10. Add a terrarium

A large bottle containing a handful of plants can look really dynamic! You can buy some snazzy ready made ones that even have optional lighting and because of humidity they only need to be watered every couple of weeks. It is great fun to create your own terrarium and not as difficult as you think! Alternatively, you can grow several cacti or air plants in an opened topped bottle and these can look very dramatic.

https://www.kew.org/read-and-watch/how-to-make-terrarium

Whether you have a tiny office, cramped reception or small home, it is possible to add plants to your space – and you will definitely feel better for having done so!