A well kept garden is a pleasure for all five senses. Not only does it soothe the moods of occasional visitors, it is a source of enormous pride and joy for the owners, in particularly for the people who work so hard to make it flourish. But a garden is not just made of trees, flowers, and grass. Birds, insects, small animals, and even inanimate objects contribute to making a single, small garden a living, complete biosphere. Here are several things you can add to your garden to make it even more enriching and appealing. Of course, the size of your garden, and your budget, may restrict you from adding lavish attractions, but these are small, inexpensive tips that can enhance your garden’s wow factor in a couple of weeks.
1. Add a Bird Bath
A simple, elevated stone dish full of water will invite birds of all sorts to your garden, particularly in the warmer months. Add a bird bath in a strategic corner of your garden and your home will be surrounded by the chirping of innumerable feathered friends.
2. Make a toad house
Toads love dark, damp, covered areas, and will throng to your garden if you provide a toad house. No need to buy a fancy one, just take an old flower pot, turn it upside down, and carve a small toad size door.
3. Put up several squirrel feeders
Squirrels are adorable additions to any garden, and being greedy little creatures, they will frequent your yard if you leave nuts, acorns, and corn kernels in small squirrel feeders around your garden. You can even make squirrel feeders at home. Just make sure the food is easily accessible and the squirrel has a place to sit while it eats.
4. Make a tiny rock garden
A rock garden sounds like a frightening amount of work, and plus they generally take up so much space, right? Actually, you could even have a very tiny rock garden in one corner of your yard. Not only are they lovely to look at, rock gardens also invite a lot of small insect guests to your garden.
5. Add a butterfly feeder
Some people say it’s silly to have a butterfly feeder in a garden, because butterflies are already attracted by flowers. But flowers are not always in season, and moreover your garden might not have too many flowering plants. Just fill a ceramic or glass plate with butterfly food and either hang from the branches of trees with pot hangers, or place on stands around your garden. You can make butterfly food at home by boiling one part sugar with five parts water, or by blending overripe, spoilt fruits with a dash of honey. Put colorful kitchen scrubs in your feeder for butterflies to rest on.
6. Put up a bat house in your garden
Bats are awesome, and they make a wonderful addition to your garden. Put up a bat house at a high point in your yard for bats to sleep in during the day, and watch your mosquito problem vanish, as these sentinels of the night can eat up to 1000 mosquitoes in an hour. Bats for the win!
7. Dig a fish pond in your garden
You don’t have to invest in a huge Japanese style koi pond, just ding up and line with rocks a very small part of your garden, let a lot of moss and water plants grow in it, and add a few small goldfish or similar low maintenance fish. Voila, you have your own water paradise in your yard. Keep your toad house near its banks so that your toads can join in the fun. A turtle or two will be nice too.
8. Keep your dead trees
We tend to chop down and cart away dead trees from our yards, but I suggest you keep at least one or two. Not only do they lend a touch of reality to your garden and stop it from looking artificial, they are awesome habitats for small animals and insects, and make great bird perches too.
Do you love gardening and plants? Then you might also enjoy these posts on great indoor plants for clean and fresh air and tips for a very healthy vegetable garden.
Bea is a blogger, a writer, and a book reviewer. She loves trying out new recipes, particularly desserts, and is a total health and fitness freak. She lives in Kolkata, the city of joy, in India.
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