Original Down East

THE ORNAMENTAL GARDEN

This is rather more difficult because plastic netting will do nothing for the appearance of the flower borders. And some birds are particularly keen to remove buds from all kinds of plants, particularly burgeoning crocuses in the spring. It's odd that, with crocuses, they seem to go mainly for the yellow ones so they are to be avoided if birds are a problem. The rest can be protected by stringing black cotton over the top. The birds do not see the cotton strands and, if they touch them, they will panic and fly off.

New grass seed is extremely vulnerable to attack by birds. Obviously it is impossible to rake in all the seed, so the birds are immediately attracted. Again, they can be deterred by black cotton, but this is not practical over large areas. A more effective method is to cover the seeded area with lightweight plastic or even netting. It can be removed as soon as the grass germinates. Plastic has the great advantage that it not only keeps the birds away but it also encourages germination of the grass seed by warming the soil.