Tuesday, October 18, 2011

October To-Do list: Luxury bird houses, squirrel-proof feeders, and greenhouses from antique windows.

"her favorite flower is daffodils."
Before the month is out I have a small list of outdoor tasks I would like to accomplish:
I. Plant bulbs for spring
II. Hang bird feeders
III. Buy Mums for the porch + plant window boxes

We have a nice patch of mulch in front of our house that as of yet has no purpose. I'm going to get my guerilla gardening on and make that baby sparkle for the spring. Daffodils are my absolute favorite. I love that scene from Big Fish where he fills the yard with a sea of daffodils because all he knows is "her favorite flower is daffodils." Mmm, I could live in that every day of my life, not to mention tulip fields. Those things are wild. Imagine waking up in the Netherlands, pulling the curtains back, and this is the sight that greets you as you gaze out of your stately windmill:

Yes, your windmill is so tall you get this sweet aerial view. Tulip fields and more after the jump!




I've heard that the Dutch are some of the happiest people on earth. I'm sure it has something to do with the fact that their big cash crop consist of beautiful flowers. Now that's a business I could get into.

Second on the list: bird feeders! If I had an unlimited budget I could devote to feeding the fowls of the air, these would be my top picks:

I'm pretty sure these are so fancy there's a dress code. Yep, I just checked and there's a little bird closet included where they keep ties and blazers for the non-chickadees (no built in tuxedos. What's a bird to do?) But seriously, this would look adorable hanging from our back porch. Sean bought me the Sibley Guide to Birds for Christmas last year and I intend to use it this fall. These feeders are made by Home Bazaar and their price tags range between $80-$250. Yowza!
In reality we would probably need something more like this:
This is Wild Bill's Station 8 Feeder and it delivers a tiny shock to squirrels who try to pillage it. Our backyard is probably the capital of all critter problems, so I don't doubt us needing something this extreme. If not an electric feeder at least this:

Gardman Squirrel Proof Cage Feeder is perhaps a more low-tech, simple way of keeping the squirrels away.

As for the flower boxes, I may try my hand at making them myself. A far more interesting project I know I won't have time for is building my own greenhouse out of discarded windows. I would love to make one of these one day:

One of these DIYers reports he spent only $300 for the whole project. Pretty cheap for a greenhouse which, I think, has that great vintage feel to it. Other information can be found here and here.

Winter is definitely on its way, which means I need to be on the move. Do you have any fall projects this year? -hil

4 comments:

  1. Holland, Michigan celebrates the tulip as well. This blogger often posts about the events they do there, like Tulip Time: http://selectivepotential.blogspot.com/2011/05/fields-of-tulips.html

    ReplyDelete
  2. Well interesting blog. It would be great if you can provide more details about it. Thanks you

    ReplyDelete
  3. I would really love to make my garden the same way as the above beautiful flowers, all multicolored, awesome!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Quality wild bird, gardening and nature products at the best prices. The latest products and largest selection.

    ReplyDelete