Bird Garden Before and After

We have finally gotten our big summer project done... the laying in of the 'foundation' of our bird & butterfly garden.  Since it is a garden, we all know that there will never be an 'end' to working it it (unless we plow it up and go back to grass).  

But it is ready for years of gardening to begin!

 

Himself dug out all the border stone that was around the lower area of the garden.  Some were so sunken you couldn't even see them.  We then raked out the old mulch that was left (that went around some plants on the other side of the yard).

Then we laid down the 'weed tarp' (roofing tarp) that I got at the ReStore.  There are NO weeds that will grow through this stuff!

Once that was in place, we hauled in FIVE pick-up loads of organic mulch and spread it out.

Himself reset all the border stones and increased the dimensions of the border.  (The area in the front of the photo is along the walkway and soon will be filled with 2" limestone.)

We have a lot of bird feeders in the garden.

All the ones along the back are painted red and we used red mulch to accent the two planting beds we have gotten in.  Over time these beds will be expanded.

Looking down our driveway towards the road.

This big bird feeder was Himself's birthday present a few years ago.

The second planting bed we put in.

See the little birds under the mums?

They are from a bird bath/bowl that broke.  I broke away the rest of the bowl and placed them in the garden.  Trash to treasure!

Our first planting bed.  For several years we had cannas behind the stone but this last winter's extreme cold killed all but two of them.  So we have moved them to a different area and Himself put a forsythia bush in their place.

The monkey grass in the foreground is the winner of a battle between it and me.  For 4 years I have tried to get rid of it.  For 5 years it has come back.

I've decided it can stay.

Doesn't every country yard need a hen?

I sprayed this old bench, along with the ladder and a bird bath, to give a second pop of color in the garden.

It's a perfect roost for a peacock.

My bird house ladder.

The red pot next to it will hold a fern or some other shade plant next year.

With everything ready, I can now start having fun in here.  There will be even more decorations, a fairy garden, a stone pathway, plus I'll enlarge the 2 planting beds and put in a couple more.

Next area to work on... 

a rock garden.