The Citizen, 1987-05-13, Page 12PAGE 12. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 1987.
=Green Thumbin* =
Design backyard as bird sanctuary
Ifyou are the owner of a home
which has a large yard, you are
fortunate indeed.
You may not think “fortunate”
is quite the right word though, as
you push the lawn mower once
more across that green expanse.
However, with a little planning
and some special plantings from
yourlocal nursery, you will not only
decrease the amount of grass
which seems to endlessly need
cutting, you’ll attract birds and
perhaps butterflies.
“You must agree, sittingand
watching birds and butterflies
beats grass cutting as a backyard
pastime” says Biologist Alan
Watson at the University of
Guelph’s Arboretum.
Tohelpyouinyourpursuitof
backyard bliss, it is important to
consider what aspects of plants will
attract birds.
These include cover, food, and
nesting material.
The cover can be important from
the standpoint of safe places for
Asparagus takes longer
but it’s worth the wait
Asparagus is first harvested
three years after planting, says
Horticulturist Ruth Friendship-
Keller of the Ontario Ministry of
Agriculture and Food’s rural or
ganizations and services branch.
If one-year-old crowns were
planted in Jhe spring of 1985, the
firstharvestingwilloccurin the
spring of 1987.
birds to nest (robins and cardinals
will nest in thick vines), to offering
areas where birds can roost at night
or escape the neighbour’s cat.
With respect to food, it is
necessary to plan to have fruits and
seeds becoming available over a
period of time, rather than just in
the fall.
For example, serviceberry
yields bird-attracting fruit in June;
raspberries are ready in July and
elderberries produce fruit in late
August or early September.
Recently, to initiate a plan for a
backyard wildlife habitat collection
at the University of Guelph's
Arboretum, we held a design
competition.
The winner, Katherine Dunster,
has included in her plan titled,
“Gardens for All”, a number of
plants, ranging from trees and
shrubs to herbaceous material
which fulfill the requirements of
cover, food and nesting material.
Someoftheseinclude: Snowy
Mountain Ash; Red Jade Crab-
All of the spears that emerge
should be removed at harvest.
“And remember to limit this
first harvest period to two weeks, ’ ’
Ms. Friendship-Keller said.
A four-to-six-week harvest peri
od is recommended in the fourth
year of growth and a full harvest of
five-to-six weeks duration may
occur the following year.
apple, Elderberry, Highbush
Cranberry (Viburnum trilobum
NOT Viburnum opulus, the Euro
pean Highbush Cranberry; it has
fruit that is so sour, no self-respect
ing bird will go near it); Autumn
Olive, Hazelnut, Gray Dogwood,
Red raspberry, Downy Service
berry, and Staghorn Sumac.
These trees and shrubs are
readily available at most nurseries
and some, such as the Sumac,
Crabapple and Mountain Ash, will
also add winter interest to your
garden with their colored fruit.
You might have more success
attracting wildlife if you can
persuade your neighbours to do
some planting of their own.
“And that shouldn’t be too
difficult once they see that you are
spending less time cutting your
grass, and more time enjoying your
yard,” Watson said.
Wait until they see your under
plantings (heracous plants under
the trees and shrubs) of Cardinal
Flower, Borage, Globe Thistle,
Butterflyweed, andGlory of the
Snow,
To attract butterflies, you must
include food plants for their
caterpillars: birch oak, willow, ash,
spice bush, wild grape, and roses
(yes, you want some caterpillars on
your roses - the fruit of Rosa
multiflora also feed Mockingbirds
and Thrushes).
Of course, many of the flowers in
your underplantings will provide
nectar for these larvae after they
become adults.
Dunster’s plan for the Abore-
tum’s Backyard Wildlife Habitat
Demonstration is on display at the
J.C. Taylor Nature Centre at the
University of Guelph.
“We are hoping that a sponsor
can be found toimplement her plan
and thereby allow people to see its
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them at home.”
In the meantime, pick up a
catalogueatyour local nursery,
design an outline of your yard and
start on your own plans.
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