When I first saw a bird snacking I was like a little kid staring out the window at it, and calling the whole family over to see! 😅 Thank you so much for all the kind words! So glad you're here!
Wow! I live in an apartment and have no access to any place where I can have a garden, but your video is so well produced and interesting that I had to subscribe!
Do you have a balcony? I have been thinking of doing an episode on small spaces 🤔 You might also be able to find a community garden you could rent a plot from if you’re interested in digging in the dirt! They’re starting to advertise plots for a community garden in my area now in prep for spring!
I like this channel because I like birds, butterflies, flowers and plants. I live in the Caribbean so almost all the plants featured on your channel are strange to me but I like your ideas and usually think what I can substitute for the ones you use. However the 1st plant featured in this video I have a variety similiar to it in my garden (I was so excited about that🙃). I never thought about leaving the seeds for food thing though, thanks for that tip. Happy gardening.
Very cool! Do you know the name of the plant you’re growing that looks similar? What’s also kind of exciting is that we might even see the same birds! About 120 different species of bird migrate between North America and the Caribbean, so it’s possible the same bird might leave my garden and land in yours!
The juncos have returned, the owls are calling, and the fridge is full of seeds. Time to add more rows to next year's spreadsheet, and another column: goldfinch food Y/N.
This is a very important video 👍 I leave the seed heads as well for the birds and I'm continuously looking for plants that help pollinators 🐝butterflies 🦋 and birds 🐦 to survive. Greetings Heidi 👩🌾💕
I've watched this video several times and I am surprised I didn't comment. I just recently was informed as to just how bad the situation is with birds and butterflies and the reasons behind it. I will be making all sorts of beds filled with goodies for them as soon as the weather breaks. I'm up in central NY on the shores of Lake Ontario. I'm excited to do my part to help!
I share your passion for this subject... thanks for spreading the word and helping to educate people in practical ways that they can support their local environment and ecosystem.
Oh my, it does! 😂 Never noticed that before 😅 Wonderful - it sounds like you have a little paradise! I’ve been noticing more bees this spring after the past few years of adding in more plant diversity!
@@gardenforbirds haha. And it's true! when I first started planting natives a couple of years ago after we moved in, I actually called my extension office which is right around the corner from my house and asked if someone had sprayed nearby, because I had NO POLLINATORS! After asking me a lot of questions and discovering my garden was only a few weeks old, they said, "don't worry, they will find your garden!" and they have! This year I have pollinators EVERYWHERE and it's only April! PS. Could you do a video on natives that attract hummingbirds? They loved my cardinal flowers, but my plants don't come back up as expected every year. I only get 2-3 out of 10 and have to keep buying more!
@@happierinthesunshine Absolutely - talking more about hummingbirds is high on my list! I'm adding cardinal flower this year for the first time, but have read they're very short lived. In theory they "should" self-seed pretty well, but I haven't put that to test yet. I am putting them in my raised veggie garden so they can get enough water, and am wondering if the loose soil there might help them to germinate and save me rebuying! (Will know more next year! :D)
Great video! I loved seeing the birds in action in the background -they sure were proving your point! A more positive way to refer to native plants that show up is to call them ‘volunteers’. We love free native plants! Thanks for the video!
Thank you! I also had fun watching the birds while editing this one 😂 Yes, good suggestion - I think of native “weeds” as friends and almost always work to relocate them to an ideal spot where they can thrive, and have learned so much from them! But you’re right that the word has negative connotation for many - hoping to help shift the thinking on that in whatever little way I can! 💓
Thank you for watching! Yes, that's a great one! I'm hoping to work in some coreopsis this spring - doesn't get much better than watching our gardening efforts pay off with birds snacking atop flowers!! :D
Thank you so much for another awesome video! Your pacing and visuals, along with your sweet sense of humor are just perfect! Thanks for including the plug for native grasses (no pun intended!) as this is a group that i need to consider more. What you said about the little tunnels and shelters makes so much sense!
Thank you for all the kind words! 🥹 Grasses are definitely worth considering - my tiny patch has brought a surprising amount of joy! I’m planning to expand it, and excited to see it get some more love from all the critters!
March is so close! I need to work in some rudbeckia myself - so many plants, so little time! 😂 I saw some wild growing and might try to collect seeds this fall 🤔
Wikipedia - Bird Girl is a sculpture made in 1936 by Sylvia Shaw Judson in Lake Forest, Illinois (I don't know how to load and image, but it's easy to find: "Bird Girl (of Savannah)". You're Bird Girl now. The birds feeding in your video were precious. Yes, the rudbeckia hirta(?) grow right up through the snow.
That’s a lovely sculpture, I’d not seen it before! Not sure if you’ve seen Leslie the Bird Nerd on RUclips but she can literally feed the birds from her hands - she has some fascinating relationships with many of her winged neighbors! Really fun to watch!
I hadn't heard of Botany Yards, but I just checked them out - what a beautiful company! Clearly lots of love in what they do! I hope your aster grows well for you!
In the west we have a Rudbeckia as well, Rudbeckia occidentalis, which I planted last spring but it gets pretty heavily eaten by [squirrels I think?] so mine haven't bloomed yet :(. It's still alive though so hopefully next year. It's like echinacea if it was only the cones, so not the most colorful but the shape brings interest. So glad you mentioned thistles! It can be hard to get seeds for them (where I am at least) and I have had a lot of them immediately die after transplanting. So I'm working on that one... Balsamroot (another sunflower-type flower) is something that I've heard of in the west that is supposed to be great too but I have not been able to get one to stay alive for me yet.
The western species is such a beauty - I discovered it after I started editing this video! So unusual and really quite stunning! I hope your squirrels share a little better this year! 😬 I haven’t started hunting down native thistles yet, but maybe that’s worth a video 🤔
any recommendations for native plants that would thrive in a western facing, hot summer climate? i am in zone 6b in west virginia and i have this perfect, but now empty flower bed on the side of my house but come summer, temperatures are soaring into the 90s and there’s never any rain ….. i might have to set up a drip irrigation system because every time i try to water on a daily basis, it seems like too little, too late due to the direct sun baking that side of my house!
😂 Do you know about how many hours of sun it gets? Plants with deep tap roots are great to avoid having to water as much. Depending on how much sun I can try to suggest a few ideas!
@@gardenforbirds it gets all day sun! no shade at all. i was thinking i’ll be stuck planting sedum in that bed because of the conditions. however, i planted butterfly weed in a different spot that also receives all day sun and they never wilted, so that could be an option. the bed is 12 feet by 3 feet wide and raised with a stone wall enclosure so, it’s not in ground. the previous owners planted wild rose bushes there and i pulled them out because they weren’t supporting the native insects and birds. thank you for your videos and suggestions!
I was also thinking butterfly weed! It’s very drought tolerant in my experience as well! Baptisias would likely do well, and New Jersey Tea is a compact shrub that I’ve heard handles dry sun beautifully. Wild Petunia (Ruellia humilis) is one I’m trying in hot sun this year as well. I tried entering your site conditions into the plant search for Prairie Moon Nursery to see what they recommend. Double check any plants you consider though, I saw at least one shade lover (Solomon’s plume) get past the “sun” filter! www.prairiemoon.com/plants/#/?resultsPerPage=24&page=2&filter.sun_exposure=Full&filter.soil_moisture=Dry&filter.ss_south=WV
No shame, I think most people have! I’ll betcha they’ll come back, in case you decide to test them out in your garden! I’d like to try to find a few more species of them, I’ve really adored mine!
Hmm, that’s a great question. I think many of them should be safe, but I’m not positive about all of them, so would maybe suggest a search to check before you purchase. I have to do this a lot myself, since we have kiddos roaming about!
I am so freaking excited to have found this channel!
Awesome, excited to have you! Welcome aboard!
Oh goodness, seeing goldfinches eating from my coneflowers was such a serotonin hit. I'm in love with your content!
When I first saw a bird snacking I was like a little kid staring out the window at it, and calling the whole family over to see! 😅 Thank you so much for all the kind words! So glad you're here!
This is the most uplifting channel. I’m so happy we’re on this journey together. ❤
Thank you so much, that truly means a lot! I’m glad you’re here! 💓
Wow! I live in an apartment and have no access to any place where I can have a garden, but your video is so well produced and interesting that I had to subscribe!
Do you have a balcony? I have been thinking of doing an episode on small spaces 🤔 You might also be able to find a community garden you could rent a plot from if you’re interested in digging in the dirt! They’re starting to advertise plots for a community garden in my area now in prep for spring!
It was fun seeing birds behind you while you spoke. I’m in the process of ordering seeds right now, and you gave me ideas for some new ones. Thanks.
I discovered them back there when I started editing - which was fun for me too! 😅 Yes! Seed ordering is the earliest sign of spring! 😂
I really enjoy your videos!
So glad, thank you!!
I like this channel because I like birds, butterflies, flowers and plants. I live in the Caribbean so almost all the plants featured on your channel are strange to me but I like your ideas and usually think what I can substitute for the ones you use. However the 1st plant featured in this video I have a variety similiar to it in my garden (I was so excited about that🙃). I never thought about leaving the seeds for food thing though, thanks for that tip. Happy gardening.
Very cool! Do you know the name of the plant you’re growing that looks similar? What’s also kind of exciting is that we might even see the same birds! About 120 different species of bird migrate between North America and the Caribbean, so it’s possible the same bird might leave my garden and land in yours!
Send us some Sunshine! It's only 29 degrees F today
The juncos have returned, the owls are calling, and the fridge is full of seeds. Time to add more rows to next year's spreadsheet, and another column: goldfinch food Y/N.
@@mm-qd1ho One day I hope to be as organized as to have a spreadsheet! 😀
Another excellent video. Great content with “processable” information. You rock!
Thank you so much, truly appreciate the support!
This is a very important video 👍 I leave the seed heads as well for the birds and I'm continuously looking for plants that help pollinators 🐝butterflies 🦋 and birds 🐦 to survive. Greetings Heidi 👩🌾💕
It’s pretty addictive once you start! I, too, am constantly on the hunt! Greetings Heidi! Love your farmer emoji!!
Loving your content, thank you so much for this delightful video. 🥰🐧🐛
Thank you so much!
I've watched this video several times and I am surprised I didn't comment. I just recently was informed as to just how bad the situation is with birds and butterflies and the reasons behind it. I will be making all sorts of beds filled with goodies for them as soon as the weather breaks. I'm up in central NY on the shores of Lake Ontario. I'm excited to do my part to help!
Yay! So excited to hear you’ll be adding in some yummy stuff for our wildlife!!
I share your passion for this subject... thanks for spreading the word and helping to educate people in practical ways that they can support their local environment and ecosystem.
I’m planning to keep this “feed the birds” series going, glad to hear it might be helpful!
Prairie smoke looks like Trolls hair! Ha! Great info and I’m so happy i have so many of these.
Oh my, it does! 😂 Never noticed that before 😅 Wonderful - it sounds like you have a little paradise! I’ve been noticing more bees this spring after the past few years of adding in more plant diversity!
@@gardenforbirds haha. And it's true! when I first started planting natives a couple of years ago after we moved in, I actually called my extension office which is right around the corner from my house and asked if someone had sprayed nearby, because I had NO POLLINATORS! After asking me a lot of questions and discovering my garden was only a few weeks old, they said, "don't worry, they will find your garden!" and they have! This year I have pollinators EVERYWHERE and it's only April! PS. Could you do a video on natives that attract hummingbirds? They loved my cardinal flowers, but my plants don't come back up as expected every year. I only get 2-3 out of 10 and have to keep buying more!
@@happierinthesunshine Absolutely - talking more about hummingbirds is high on my list! I'm adding cardinal flower this year for the first time, but have read they're very short lived. In theory they "should" self-seed pretty well, but I haven't put that to test yet. I am putting them in my raised veggie garden so they can get enough water, and am wondering if the loose soil there might help them to germinate and save me rebuying! (Will know more next year! :D)
Very enjoyable and informative video, love seeing the birds behind as you talk.😊
Thank you so much! I discovered the birds while I was editing the video, and had fun watching them back there too! 😊
Great video! I loved seeing the birds in action in the background -they sure were proving your point! A more positive way to refer to native plants that show up is to call them ‘volunteers’. We love free native plants! Thanks for the video!
Thank you! I also had fun watching the birds while editing this one 😂 Yes, good suggestion - I think of native “weeds” as friends and almost always work to relocate them to an ideal spot where they can thrive, and have learned so much from them! But you’re right that the word has negative connotation for many - hoping to help shift the thinking on that in whatever little way I can! 💓
Great stuff! Nice job covering a variety of natives. I remember the first time goldfinches landed on my coreopsis to munch away. Good stuff!
Thank you for watching! Yes, that's a great one! I'm hoping to work in some coreopsis this spring - doesn't get much better than watching our gardening efforts pay off with birds snacking atop flowers!! :D
I love this, thank you so much for sharing!
Thank you so much!
Thank you so much for another awesome video! Your pacing and visuals, along with your sweet sense of humor are just perfect! Thanks for including the plug for native grasses (no pun intended!) as this is a group that i need to consider more. What you said about the little tunnels and shelters makes so much sense!
Thank you for all the kind words! 🥹 Grasses are definitely worth considering - my tiny patch has brought a surprising amount of joy! I’m planning to expand it, and excited to see it get some more love from all the critters!
Great video!
Thank you, and thank you for watching!
So good. CT Bird Garden in process here.
Awesome! Wishing you many bird visits!!
More great content!
2 weeks until March! I'm planting compact marigolds this year. As well as native rudbeckia and echinacea.
March is so close! I need to work in some rudbeckia myself - so many plants, so little time! 😂 I saw some wild growing and might try to collect seeds this fall 🤔
Wikipedia - Bird Girl is a sculpture made in 1936 by Sylvia Shaw Judson in Lake Forest, Illinois (I don't know how to load and image, but it's easy to find: "Bird Girl (of Savannah)".
You're Bird Girl now. The birds feeding in your video were precious. Yes, the rudbeckia hirta(?) grow right up through the snow.
That’s a lovely sculpture, I’d not seen it before! Not sure if you’ve seen Leslie the Bird Nerd on RUclips but she can literally feed the birds from her hands - she has some fascinating relationships with many of her winged neighbors! Really fun to watch!
Great information and beautiful video! So glad to find your channel.
Thank you so much! So glad you’re here!
Lovely!
Thank you!
Excellent video. Spring is the time to think about planting some of the plants you mentioned in our gardens. Thanks.
Thank you so much! Absolutely - I'm so ready for spring! 😃
I finally found some Georgia aster seed and I can’t wait to plant it.
Awesome! Where did you find them?
@@gardenforbirds Botany Yards. Apparently Georgia Aster is nearly extinct but I live in Georgia and it used to be all over this area.
I hadn't heard of Botany Yards, but I just checked them out - what a beautiful company! Clearly lots of love in what they do! I hope your aster grows well for you!
In the west we have a Rudbeckia as well, Rudbeckia occidentalis, which I planted last spring but it gets pretty heavily eaten by [squirrels I think?] so mine haven't bloomed yet :(. It's still alive though so hopefully next year. It's like echinacea if it was only the cones, so not the most colorful but the shape brings interest. So glad you mentioned thistles! It can be hard to get seeds for them (where I am at least) and I have had a lot of them immediately die after transplanting. So I'm working on that one... Balsamroot (another sunflower-type flower) is something that I've heard of in the west that is supposed to be great too but I have not been able to get one to stay alive for me yet.
The western species is such a beauty - I discovered it after I started editing this video! So unusual and really quite stunning! I hope your squirrels share a little better this year! 😬 I haven’t started hunting down native thistles yet, but maybe that’s worth a video 🤔
Very good information. Thanks
Thank you for watching!
3:02
any recommendations for native plants that would thrive in a western facing, hot summer climate? i am in zone 6b in west virginia and i have this perfect, but now empty flower bed on the side of my house but come summer, temperatures are soaring into the 90s and there’s never any rain ….. i might have to set up a drip irrigation system because every time i try to water on a daily basis, it seems like too little, too late due to the direct sun baking that side of my house!
note: i know it’s winter and cold now but come summer, it’s like the arizona desert in that area of my yard 😂
😂 Do you know about how many hours of sun it gets? Plants with deep tap roots are great to avoid having to water as much. Depending on how much sun I can try to suggest a few ideas!
@@gardenforbirds it gets all day sun! no shade at all. i was thinking i’ll be stuck planting sedum in that bed because of the conditions. however, i planted butterfly weed in a different spot that also receives all day sun and they never wilted, so that could be an option. the bed is 12 feet by 3 feet wide and raised with a stone wall enclosure so, it’s not in ground. the previous owners planted wild rose bushes there and i pulled them out because they weren’t supporting the native insects and birds. thank you for your videos and suggestions!
I was also thinking butterfly weed! It’s very drought tolerant in my experience as well! Baptisias would likely do well, and New Jersey Tea is a compact shrub that I’ve heard handles dry sun beautifully. Wild Petunia (Ruellia humilis) is one I’m trying in hot sun this year as well. I tried entering your site conditions into the plant search for Prairie Moon Nursery to see what they recommend. Double check any plants you consider though, I saw at least one shade lover (Solomon’s plume) get past the “sun” filter! www.prairiemoon.com/plants/#/?resultsPerPage=24&page=2&filter.sun_exposure=Full&filter.soil_moisture=Dry&filter.ss_south=WV
@@gardenforbirds thank you! i will look into wild petunia and new jersey tea as well as the site recommendations
It would be helpful to list the plants you described for us to write down and then try to find them
Thank you for watching, and for the suggestion!
I pulled about a hundred of them suckers! I fw weeds too. Im embarrassed 😆 poor evening primrose.
No shame, I think most people have! I’ll betcha they’ll come back, in case you decide to test them out in your garden! I’d like to try to find a few more species of them, I’ve really adored mine!
Curious to know if any of these plants are toxic to dogs?
Hmm, that’s a great question. I think many of them should be safe, but I’m not positive about all of them, so would maybe suggest a search to check before you purchase. I have to do this a lot myself, since we have kiddos roaming about!