Birdbath and Birdhouses

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Spring is definitely on its way. The temperature outside has been fluctuating between 40º and 60º+. April showers have been signaling to the plants that it is time to get busy. The daffodils, tulips, day lilies, and others have started to poke through the wet ground. Crocuses have been popping up, some in the oddest places, all over the RainyDayGarden. The forecast for this weekend is warm and sunny, so it will be the perfect time to clean up the garden and put up some of the new items we found at Gardener’s Supply Company.

The  items that caught our eye were the birdhouses with the metal roof and the metal birdbath with the three-legged stand. Both items are exclusive to Gardener’s Supply Company and are available now.

The bronze-colored birdbath was shipped flat, but was very simple to put together. The pieces are made of powder-coated steel to withstand the elements. We love the whimsey and details of the various elements of this birdbath. The tripod base is very stable and should be stand well either in soil or on a deck. The elegant metal leaf’s lip is curled upto create a shallow bowl and will hold up to two cups of rainwater.

We have a few birdhouses at the office. Most of them CAN be hung outside, but none of the are. The larger of the wooden ones we decorated did not have a easy way for us to clean things out at the end of the season. We could cut a hole at the bottom, but that is a project for another day. The porcelain ones made by Ray Dunn does have have an opening at the bottom. However, we didn’t want to risk breaking them by hanging them outside.

When we saw the cheerful cottage birdhouses from Gardener’s we knew they would be perfect for the RainyDayGarden. These brightly colored birdhouses have galvanized metal roofs,  1-1/4″ entrance holes, and are made from pine with a double-layer protective coating.

The metal rings around the entrances deter gnawing predators. Clean out doors on the back make end-of-season housekeeping quick and simple. The size is perfect for nuthatches, titmice, wrens and chickadees. Inviting colorful and pest-eating songbirds to take up residence at the garden is a nice way to keep bugs and mosquitoes under control.

So here is an interesting dilemma. While these birdhouses and the birdbath are wonderful accents for the garden, they also make whimsical decorations for inside the home. We realized that when we left the stand near the door and a minute later found keys and other items left on it. Now we are not sure which we want more, a birdbath outside or a key stand inside!

Many readers have sent comments and feedback to us after reading our  Birdfeeding in Winter article. We appreciate all of the ideas and thoughts. We will definitely be taking many of the suggestions to heart as when working on the Spring Feeding article. Look for it in May!