The Info Examiner

I’ve been feeding and caring for birds for 40 years now. I started as a 10 year old boy with a simple platform feeder. Today, feeders come in many shapes, sizes and colors. The most common feeder today is the tube feeder.

Tube feeders come in a variety of sizes and colors, Their price range and use also varies greatly. Knowing what to look for in any bird feeder will say you headaches and money in the long and short run.

There are tube feeders made to stick on windows. Tube feeders just for goldfinches and still others for small birds in general. Not to mention tube feeders that claim to be squirrel proof.

Manufacturers want to get your dollar by putting feeders in colorful packages and making the feeders for our eye appeal. You want a feeder that is functional and durable. One that is easy to fill and clean and a feeder that will last more then a year or two.

Feeders that are easy to fill can be filled in a matter of seconds. Tops lift up easily and secure quickly. No screw off tops or gizmos to remove first. The last thing you need is to be messing with feeder tops in a snow storm or rainy day.

Look for a tube feeder that has drainage holes on the bottom. Rain or water soaked feed can spoil quickly. Birds can get sick if they even try to eat moldy and sprouting feed.

A quality tube feeder has an inverted V shape on the bottom for even feed distribution and to minimize spoilage from old feed that may sit at the bottom of you feeder.

Stay away from all plastic that squirrels and raccoons can destroy. Look for metal wire and chains to hang from. ropes and cords rot with time and can be chewed off.

Your new feeders should have metal tops and bottoms as well as
metal perches and feeding ports.

Does the feeder come apart for easy cleaning? Clean bird feeders
are very important on minimizing sickness and disease.

I don’t like trays on my tube feeders for that very reason. However, a tray can be an option not mandatory. Look for feeders where you can add a tray later if you want, not a tube feeder with a tray attached already.

Reputable manufacturers offer quality goods, often with guarantees.Look for guarantees on your new feeder. Go with quality companies that have built a name on quality and service.

Now it’s your choice. Do you want a feeder with two feeding ports or many as 8 to 12 ports.

Choose your colors from silver to antique gold. Polished bronze
and copper, or forest green and burgundy.

A good tube feeder can last you a lifetime and the only reason to buy another one is to add to your feeding stations.

Ask questions and do some research first before you go out and
purchase another feeder.

When it comes to bird feeders, you do get what you pay for.

Ron Patterson has been caring for backyard birds for more then 40 years. Because of his love of nature and gardening, Ron became a Michigan Certified Nurseryman. This has enabled him to landscape and garden for birds more effectivly. Ron helps others in birdscaping there yards as well.
Ron shares his love of birds and gardening in his weekly newsletter called “Backyard Birding Tips” To get his free newsletter, go to: http://www.backyardbirdingtips.com/

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Foliage: Small, 1/2-1″ long, lustrous dark green. Evergreen.
Flower: Small, greenish white, inconspicuous. Fruit: Black
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You can see more information about plants at
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http://www.highlandhillfarm.com

Container gardens can create a natural sanctuary in a busy city
street, along rooftops or on balconies. You can easily
accentuate the welcoming look of a deck or patio with colourful
pots of annuals, or fill your window boxes with beautiful shrub
roses or any number of small perennials. Whether you arrange
your pots in a group for a massed effect or highlight a smaller
space with a single specimen, you’ll be delighted with this
simple way to create a garden.

Container gardening enables you to easily vary your color
scheme, and as each plant finishes flowering, it can be replaced
with another. Whether you choose to harmonize or contrast your
colors, make sure there is variety in the height of each plant.
Think also of the shape and texture of the leaves. Tall
strap-like leaves will give a good vertical background to
low-growing, wide-leaved plants. Choose plants with a long
flowering season, or have others of a different type ready to
replace them as they finish blooming.

Experiment with creative containers. You might have an old
porcelain bowl or copper urn you can use, or perhaps you’d
rather make something really modern with timber or tiles. If you
decide to buy your containers ready-made, terracotta pots look
wonderful, but tend to absorb water. You don’t want your plants
to dry out, so paint the interior of these pots with a special
sealer available from hardware stores. Cheaper plastic pots can
also be painted on the outside with water-based paints for good
effect. When purchasing pots, don’t forget to buy matching
saucers to catch the drips. This will save cement floors getting
stained, or timber floors rotting.

Always use a good quality potting mix in your containers. This
will ensure the best performance possible from your plants.

If you have steps leading up to your front door, an attractive
pot plant on each one will delight your visitors. Indoors, pots
of plants or flowers help to create a cosy and welcoming
atmosphere.

Decide ahead of time where you want your pots to be positioned,
then buy plants that suit the situation. There is no point
buying sun lovers for a shady position, for they will not do
well. Some plants also have really large roots, so they are best
kept for the open garden.

If you have plenty of space at your front door, a group of
potted plants off to one side will be more visually appealing
than two similar plants placed each side. Unless they are
spectacular, they will look rather boring. Group the pots in odd
numbers rather than even, and vary the height and type. To tie
the group together, add large rocks that are similar in
appearance and just slightly different in size. Three or five
pots of the same type and color, but in different sizes also
looks affective.

With a creative mind and some determination, you will soon have
a container garden that will be the envy of friends and
strangers alike.