Garden Wearables Plus

  Remember, Morning glories are invasive, but I like and grow them in the center of my garden anyway. As you may have figured, I'm busy every spring and summer removing her seedlings, but I don't care.   Behold how beautiful this invasive plant is. Eventually, it will over take the birdhouses; and the wrens will find refuge and nest in those hidden houses.  I love that!  Even the solar light will be darkened for two seasons, but I don't care.   My morning glory is glorious; and I'm awake when she's most beautiful (early in the day) boasting her pink, blue, and purple blossoms.                                                      Have a great day, Ladies.

One of our local mockingbirds is nesting again in our yard...Uh, oh.   The Northern Mockingbird is the Official State Bird of Texas  (the first to choose this bird), but Florida, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi have also chosen it. With that information I asked myself, Why have so many states chosen the Northern Mockingbird to represent them?     Reason:  the male is very territorial after mating: protecting it's nest. I've seen a mockingbird chase a coyote out of the vicinity of its nest. Also, I've read that this bird was chosen for Texas (my present home state) for the very reason of his territorial spirit: in the "defense" of its home and would die protecting it.   Thankfully, because he chases away all other birds, it seems, God saw fit to give him the song of all those he's cast out of my yard. Therefore, outside the fact that I won't see other species of birds around the house for a while I'll still hear them.  How Precious, Lovely, and Won

Many people have tried hanging multiple bluebird houses around their gardens and houses. One lady hung them in a single tree like ornaments.  Whimsy. I hang one in my front yard and one for the back. The rest of my whimsical birdhouses are only for aesthetics, but could possibly house other species of birds between seasons of bluebird procreation. You can hang another bluebird nesting box after a single family of bluebirds grows up and flies away.  Place it yards away from the first house you hung.  And it'd be best to have a building between each house. Why?  The Bluebird is very territorial.  Best they don't see each other hunting or just hanging around.  Nothing's coming near their nests unless the bird is from their own family. When you see a bluebird constantly peaking in the holes of birdhouses. He's not looking in on the eggs yet.  God didn't give them the ability to build a nest.   He's waiting for another bird to build. Then the bluebird squats. The in

Ladies, watch what you do in your garden when it comes to birds' nests.  I discovered a scripture in the Old Testament, but let's say this first, it's what you KNOW, not what you don't know that God knows about you. Deuteronomy 22:6 (Amp. version) that reads: "If a bird's nest should chance to be before you in the way, in any tree, or on the ground, with young ones or eggs, and the mother bird is sitting on the young or only the eggs, you shall not take the mother bird with the young.  You shall surely let the mother bird go and take only the young that it may be well with you and that you may prolong your days ." I told y'all in the beginning that we are being watched (monitored); however, God sees all, and He looks on our hearts, knowing our motives and intentions, in our gardens and in the fields surrounding our gardens.  He watches how we treat birds  on their nests.  That is a "family," y'all, so let's behave wisely considering

    I hung a birdhouse in the corner of that fencing.                                            To be able to work-out or sit in my garden undisturbed by nosy bugs I developed a saying, "If I take care of the birds, they'll take care of me." Thus, there's a whole lot of respect going on while I work-out in my zone. On hot days (or a day when rain hasn't fallen for weeks) bug-eating birds come to my garden to enjoy good non-chlorinated water, as do the squirrels and rabbits.  I think they all look so cute drinking out of my high and ground-level birdbaths.  And I feel so honored to accommodate them. In the beginning, before my garden was completed, I hung two bird feeders with Black Oil Sunflower Seed. I have lots of trees and high grass in the surrounding fields, which are loaded with critters. Our bug-eaters are Cardinals, Bluebirds, Mockingbirds, King Birds, Mourning Doves, flocks of little brown birds, a flock of Robins passing through, an occasionally Blue

   Barn Swallows: "The Farmer's Friend": How and why is that?  Glad you asked.  Again, if you take care of the birds, they'll take care of you.  The problem is WHERE they may want to place a nest.   For us, it was high above the front entry doorway nestled in the lower corner of a brick arch.  It was scary, because at the time she'd feed or sit on the eggs I could be coming in or out of the doorway. I experienced male and female birds darting over my head on my exits and entries.  It was only God that led me not to have my husband tear down their nest. Instead, I Googled the bird's description.  Then I was very happy to oblige.  And to know they didn't want to hurt me.  I was only scaring them. Has anyone else noticed that many species of bird are placing their nest in more secure places like your carport or on your porch. Anything other than a tree. Leave a comment on that. (I found plenty of ruined nest on the ground with broken eggs, in Tennessee.) Mayb

Good news!  This is information I received from a Master Gardener on television decades ago. Color is key, besides fragrances (soaps, lotions, oils, underarm and feminine deodorants, etc.).  You don't want to look and/or smell like flowers in your garden.  These are the things that draw bugs to you.  You are right...flying critters don't see well. What are the RIGHT COLORS for gardening?  Look up at the sky.  Your clothing should make a bug think he's flying up into the sky thus it will change direction when coming your way.  Light blues and lighter grays tones.  NO white, anywhere. Remember, you don't want to look like a streetlight at night either.  Yes, clouds are very bright white sometimes.  Yes, you are free to wear white, if you choose and don't mind swatting flying bugs. Flies love white. And remember, white shows fly vomit. Black is definitely OUT for gardening in spring and summer. The Master Gardener said that "bugs like shade too" (especially m