In the garden
 

I went round the garden today, picking foliage for Christmas flower
arrangements. Each of these had a few flowers left, Salvia guaranitica,
Salvia confertiflora, Rosa Wedding Day, loads of different Vincas,
Salvia involucrata, an unknown lacecap Hydrangea, a Fuchsia fulgens and
a single Rosa bracteata.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon

In the garden
 

On Thu, 18 Dec 2014 17:13:25 +0000, sacha wrote:

I went round the garden today, picking foliage for Christmas flower
arrangements. Each of these had a few flowers left, Salvia guaranitica,
Salvia confertiflora, Rosa Wedding Day, loads of different Vincas,
Salvia involucrata, an unknown lacecap Hydrangea, a Fuchsia fulgens and
a single Rosa bracteata.

Hardy fuchsias, hydrangea and campanula in full flower here on Tyneside.
--
Jim S

In the garden
 

On 18/12/2014 17:13, sacha wrote:
I went round the garden today, picking foliage for Christmas flower
arrangements. Each of these had a few flowers left, Salvia guaranitica,
Salvia confertiflora, Rosa Wedding Day, loads of different Vincas,
Salvia involucrata, an unknown lacecap Hydrangea, a Fuchsia fulgens and
a single Rosa bracteata.

I passed a Lupin in flower on Saturday, which I though was particulary
unusual.

In the garden
 

On Thu, 18 Dec 2014 17:20:27 +0000, Jim S wrote:

Hardy fuchsias, hydrangea and campanula in full flower here on Tyneside.

Yes fuschias indeed but no hydrangea for us. Quite a few roses still
going in places where the frost didn't reach. Mexican fleabane going
strong.

The wet has made it all look a bit depressed though.

--
Gardening in Lower Normandy

In the garden
 

"sacha" wrote in message
...
I went round the garden today, picking foliage for Christmas flower
arrangements. Each of these had a few flowers left, Salvia guaranitica,
Salvia confertiflora, Rosa Wedding Day, loads of different Vincas, Salvia
involucrata, an unknown lacecap Hydrangea, a Fuchsia fulgens and a single
Rosa bracteata.

Lucky you! All I have is holly, plenty of berries though:)

--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

In the garden
 

"sacha" wrote

I went round the garden today, picking foliage for Christmas flower
arrangements. Each of these had a few flowers left, Salvia guaranitica,
Salvia confertiflora, Rosa Wedding Day, loads of different Vincas, Salvia
involucrata, an unknown lacecap Hydrangea, a Fuchsia fulgens and a single
Rosa bracteata.

Got a Bergenia in full flower, the last flowers on an antirrhinum (a pink
one that has been self seeding for years), and a single yellow dahlia whose
name I forget and I'm not going out to look now.
One thing I have noticed is that this has been a very good year for Cyclamen
self seeding around, we have literally hundreds coming up in our front
garden, a veritable carpet of baby plants and even in the grass.
--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK

In the garden
 

On 2014-12-18 19:02:57 +0000, Chris Hogg said:

On Thu, 18 Dec 2014 17:13:25 +0000, sacha wrote:

I went round the garden today, picking foliage for Christmas flower
arrangements. Each of these had a few flowers left, Salvia guaranitica,
Salvia confertiflora, Rosa Wedding Day, loads of different Vincas,
Salvia involucrata, an unknown lacecap Hydrangea, a Fuchsia fulgens and
a single Rosa bracteata.

Oi! You're jumping the gun! New Year's Day isn't for two weeks yet!
:-)

I'm sneaky like that! ;-) It just amazed me to see how much was out
this late in the year. Some things have been frost hit but others have
ignored it and carried blithely on to the bitter end.
--

Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
www.helpforheroes.org.uk

In the garden
 

On 2014-12-18 20:35:38 +0000, Ophelia said:

"sacha" wrote in message
...
I went round the garden today, picking foliage for Christmas flower
arrangements. Each of these had a few flowers left, Salvia guaranitica,
Salvia confertiflora, Rosa Wedding Day, loads of different Vincas,
Salvia involucrata, an unknown lacecap Hydrangea, a Fuchsia fulgens and
a single Rosa bracteata.

Lucky you! All I have is holly, plenty of berries though:)

Not a single berry to be seen. I resorted to Skimmia berries in the
end. The birds don't seem to like those!
--

Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
www.helpforheroes.org.uk

In the garden
 

On 18/12/2014 20:35, Ophelia wrote:


"sacha" wrote in message
...
I went round the garden today, picking foliage for Christmas flower
arrangements. Each of these had a few flowers left, Salvia
guaranitica, Salvia confertiflora, Rosa Wedding Day, loads of
different Vincas, Salvia involucrata, an unknown lacecap Hydrangea, a
Fuchsia fulgens and a single Rosa bracteata.

Lucky you! All I have is holly, plenty of berries though:)



What, no berries on the Cotoneaster?

--
Spider.
On high ground in SE London
gardening on heavy clay

In the garden
 

On 18/12/2014 23:05, Bob Hobden wrote:
"sacha" wrote

I went round the garden today, picking foliage for Christmas flower
arrangements. Each of these had a few flowers left, Salvia
guaranitica, Salvia confertiflora, Rosa Wedding Day, loads of
different Vincas, Salvia involucrata, an unknown lacecap Hydrangea, a
Fuchsia fulgens and a single Rosa bracteata.

Got a Bergenia in full flower, the last flowers on an antirrhinum (a
pink one that has been self seeding for years), and a single yellow
dahlia whose name I forget and I'm not going out to look now.
One thing I have noticed is that this has been a very good year for
Cyclamen self seeding around, we have literally hundreds coming up in
our front garden, a veritable carpet of baby plants and even in the grass.



I agree the Cyclamen have been very good this year. All my larger corms
have satelites of baby cormlets around them. Even my outdoor C.persicas
have done quite well.
Alas, I can't say that my Bergenias are doing much. I'd love to have a
full day in the garden this week, but Christmas seems to be interfering
on a grand scale, plus it is RG's birthday today so it's been almost
open house.
As soon as Christmas is over, I'll be back in the garden smeared with
mud :~)))!
--
Spider.
On high ground in SE London
gardening on heavy clay

In the garden
 

"Sacha" wrote in message
...
On 2014-12-18 20:35:38 +0000, Ophelia said:

"sacha" wrote in message
...
I went round the garden today, picking foliage for Christmas flower
arrangements. Each of these had a few flowers left, Salvia guaranitica,
Salvia confertiflora, Rosa Wedding Day, loads of different Vincas,
Salvia involucrata, an unknown lacecap Hydrangea, a Fuchsia fulgens and
a single Rosa bracteata.

Lucky you! All I have is holly, plenty of berries though:)

Not a single berry to be seen. I resorted to Skimmia berries in the end.
The birds don't seem to like those!

We had bees all over during the year. Perhaps that is the reason?


--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

In the garden
 

"Spider" wrote in message
...
On 18/12/2014 20:35, Ophelia wrote:


"sacha" wrote in message
...
I went round the garden today, picking foliage for Christmas flower
arrangements. Each of these had a few flowers left, Salvia
guaranitica, Salvia confertiflora, Rosa Wedding Day, loads of
different Vincas, Salvia involucrata, an unknown lacecap Hydrangea, a
Fuchsia fulgens and a single Rosa bracteata.

Lucky you! All I have is holly, plenty of berries though:)



What, no berries on the Cotoneaster?

Dh says yes !!! They are down the other end of the garden near the shed so
I don't see them so much now it's cold :) I'll take a proper look
tomorrow:))

--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

In the garden
 

On 12/20/2014 1:16 PM, Spider wrote:
On 18/12/2014 20:35, Ophelia wrote:
"sacha" wrote
I went round the garden today, picking foliage for Christmas flower
arrangements. Each of these had a few flowers left, Salvia
guaranitica, Salvia confertiflora, Rosa Wedding Day, loads of
different Vincas, Salvia involucrata, an unknown lacecap Hydrangea, a
Fuchsia fulgens and a single Rosa bracteata.
Lucky you! All I have is holly, plenty of berries though:)
What, no berries on the Cotoneaster?

The birds devoured all my cotoneaster berries a month ago. Plenty of
holly berries, though.
And one pink rosebud.

In the garden
 

"S Viemeister" wrote in message
...
On 12/20/2014 1:16 PM, Spider wrote:
On 18/12/2014 20:35, Ophelia wrote:
"sacha" wrote
I went round the garden today, picking foliage for Christmas flower
arrangements. Each of these had a few flowers left, Salvia
guaranitica, Salvia confertiflora, Rosa Wedding Day, loads of
different Vincas, Salvia involucrata, an unknown lacecap Hydrangea, a
Fuchsia fulgens and a single Rosa bracteata.
Lucky you! All I have is holly, plenty of berries though:)
What, no berries on the Cotoneaster?

The birds devoured all my cotoneaster berries a month ago. Plenty of holly
berries, though.
And one pink rosebud.

Oooh you posh thing:) D. say we have berries but I will check tomorrow in
case he missed their demise:))

--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

In the garden
 

On Thu, 18 Dec 2014 17:13:25 +0000, sacha wrote:

I went round the garden today, picking foliage for Christmas flower
arrangements. Each of these had a few flowers left, Salvia guaranitica,
Salvia confertiflora, Rosa Wedding Day, loads of different Vincas,
Salvia involucrata, an unknown lacecap Hydrangea, a Fuchsia fulgens and
a single Rosa bracteata.

I noticed the other day that one of the Hollyhocks which had been cut back
after flowering is developing a new flower spike.

This is on the North side of the house so it can't be getting any sun this
time of the year.

I assume that relative warmth and lack of major frost is giving it an
incentive to have another go.

Cheers

Dave R



--
Windows 8.1 on PCSpecialist box

In the garden
 

"Ophelia" wrote in message
...


"S Viemeister" wrote in message
...
On 12/20/2014 1:16 PM, Spider wrote:
On 18/12/2014 20:35, Ophelia wrote:
"sacha" wrote
I went round the garden today, picking foliage for Christmas flower
arrangements. Each of these had a few flowers left, Salvia
guaranitica, Salvia confertiflora, Rosa Wedding Day, loads of
different Vincas, Salvia involucrata, an unknown lacecap Hydrangea, a
Fuchsia fulgens and a single Rosa bracteata.
Lucky you! All I have is holly, plenty of berries though:)
What, no berries on the Cotoneaster?

The birds devoured all my cotoneaster berries a month ago. Plenty of
holly berries, though.
And one pink rosebud.

Oooh you posh thing:) D. say we have berries but I will check tomorrow in
case he missed their demise:))

Change of plan! There is a gale blowing and it is chucking it down out
the(


--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

Ping Spider (was In the garden)
 

"Ophelia" wrote in message
...


"Ophelia" wrote in message
...


"S Viemeister" wrote in message
...
On 12/20/2014 1:16 PM, Spider wrote:
On 18/12/2014 20:35, Ophelia wrote:
"sacha" wrote
I went round the garden today, picking foliage for Christmas flower
arrangements. Each of these had a few flowers left, Salvia
guaranitica, Salvia confertiflora, Rosa Wedding Day, loads of
different Vincas, Salvia involucrata, an unknown lacecap Hydrangea, a
Fuchsia fulgens and a single Rosa bracteata.
Lucky you! All I have is holly, plenty of berries though:)
What, no berries on the Cotoneaster?

The birds devoured all my cotoneaster berries a month ago. Plenty of
holly berries, though.
And one pink rosebud.

Oooh you posh thing:) D. say we have berries but I will check tomorrow
in case he missed their demise:))

Change of plan! There is a gale blowing and it is chucking it down out
the(

Yes:))) There are loads:)) We went down to hang seed balls and wondered
whether to hang one in the) Still they have the choice:))


--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

Ping Spider (was In the garden)
 

On 23/12/2014 23:19, Ophelia wrote:


"Ophelia" wrote in message
...


"Ophelia" wrote in message
...


"S Viemeister" wrote in message
...
On 12/20/2014 1:16 PM, Spider wrote:
On 18/12/2014 20:35, Ophelia wrote:
"sacha" wrote
I went round the garden today, picking foliage for Christmas flower
arrangements. Each of these had a few flowers left, Salvia
guaranitica, Salvia confertiflora, Rosa Wedding Day, loads of
different Vincas, Salvia involucrata, an unknown lacecap
Hydrangea, a
Fuchsia fulgens and a single Rosa bracteata.
Lucky you! All I have is holly, plenty of berries though:)
What, no berries on the Cotoneaster?

The birds devoured all my cotoneaster berries a month ago. Plenty of
holly berries, though.
And one pink rosebud.

Oooh you posh thing:) D. say we have berries but I will check
tomorrow in case he missed their demise:))

Change of plan! There is a gale blowing and it is chucking it down
out the(

Yes:))) There are loads:)) We went down to hang seed balls and
wondered whether to hang one in the) Still they have the choice:))



That's great, Ophelia! I would have been surprised if there hadn't
been; ours are smothered in berries:~). None are tall enough to hang
seed balls in, but one will eventually make small tree size.
Forgive me asking, but I hope your seed balls don't have the green
netting around them. It can tear birds tongues if they get caught in
it. Having seen such a bird in the grimmest of distress, I always check
that friends are aware of the problem. Hope you don't mind.
--
Spider.
On high ground in SE London
gardening on heavy clay

Ping Spider (was In the garden)
 

"Spider" wrote in message
...
On 23/12/2014 23:19, Ophelia wrote:


"Ophelia" wrote in message
...


"Ophelia" wrote in message
...


"S Viemeister" wrote in message
...
On 12/20/2014 1:16 PM, Spider wrote:
On 18/12/2014 20:35, Ophelia wrote:
"sacha" wrote
I went round the garden today, picking foliage for Christmas flower
arrangements. Each of these had a few flowers left, Salvia
guaranitica, Salvia confertiflora, Rosa Wedding Day, loads of
different Vincas, Salvia involucrata, an unknown lacecap
Hydrangea, a
Fuchsia fulgens and a single Rosa bracteata.
Lucky you! All I have is holly, plenty of berries though:)
What, no berries on the Cotoneaster?

The birds devoured all my cotoneaster berries a month ago. Plenty of
holly berries, though.
And one pink rosebud.

Oooh you posh thing:) D. say we have berries but I will check
tomorrow in case he missed their demise:))

Change of plan! There is a gale blowing and it is chucking it down
out the(

Yes:))) There are loads:)) We went down to hang seed balls and
wondered whether to hang one in the) Still they have the choice:))



That's great, Ophelia! I would have been surprised if there hadn't been;
ours are smothered in berries:~). None are tall enough to hang seed balls
in, but one will eventually make small tree size.

My cotoneaster is supported on a fence so it was fairly easy.


Forgive me asking, but I hope your seed balls don't have the green netting
around them. It can tear birds tongues if they get caught in it. Having
seen such a bird in the grimmest of distress, I always check that friends
are aware of the problem. Hope you don't mind.

I don't mind at all, I am always happy to have advice from you.

Yes! They do have green netting:( I will take them down and see how else I
can use them. What do you use to hang yours in?

Thank you for the warning!

--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

Ping Spider (was In the garden)
 

On 24/12/2014 11:35, Ophelia wrote:


"Spider" wrote in message
...
On 23/12/2014 23:19, Ophelia wrote:


"Ophelia" wrote in message
...


"Ophelia" wrote in message
...


"S Viemeister" wrote in message
...
On 12/20/2014 1:16 PM, Spider wrote:
On 18/12/2014 20:35, Ophelia wrote:
"sacha" wrote
I went round the garden today, picking foliage for Christmas
flower
arrangements. Each of these had a few flowers left, Salvia
guaranitica, Salvia confertiflora, Rosa Wedding Day, loads of
different Vincas, Salvia involucrata, an unknown lacecap
Hydrangea, a
Fuchsia fulgens and a single Rosa bracteata.
Lucky you! All I have is holly, plenty of berries though:)
What, no berries on the Cotoneaster?

The birds devoured all my cotoneaster berries a month ago. Plenty of
holly berries, though.
And one pink rosebud.

Oooh you posh thing:) D. say we have berries but I will check
tomorrow in case he missed their demise:))

Change of plan! There is a gale blowing and it is chucking it down
out the(

Yes:))) There are loads:)) We went down to hang seed balls and
wondered whether to hang one in the) Still they have the choice:))



That's great, Ophelia! I would have been surprised if there hadn't
been; ours are smothered in berries:~). None are tall enough to hang
seed balls in, but one will eventually make small tree size.

My cotoneaster is supported on a fence so it was fairly easy.


Forgive me asking, but I hope your seed balls don't have the green
netting around them. It can tear birds tongues if they get caught in
it. Having seen such a bird in the grimmest of distress, I always
check that friends are aware of the problem. Hope you don't mind.

I don't mind at all, I am always happy to have advice from you.


:~)).


Yes! They do have green netting:( I will take them down and see how
else I can use them. What do you use to hang yours in?


I now have a variety of proprietory feeders that each take two or three
seed balls. It was difficult before I bought them, but I did try
suspending them inside small plant pots (using wire), but it was a bit
of a fiddle. If need be, you could always crumble them onto a bird
table (or the ground) for now, but I acknowledge that it is safer for
the birds feeding from a tree *and* much more fun for you to watch from
the house. If you can't easily provide a makeshift hanger, then I
suggest you buy a few ready-made ones. You'll never regret it.

Thank you for the warning!


You're more than welcome. Nobody who is caring enough to feed birds
wants to harm them.
--
Spider.
On high ground in SE London
gardening on heavy clay

Ping Spider (was In the garden)
 

In article ,
Spider wrote:
On 23/12/2014 23:19, Ophelia wrote:

Lucky you! All I have is holly, plenty of berries though:)
What, no berries on the Cotoneaster?

The birds devoured all my cotoneaster berries a month ago. Plenty of
holly berries, though.
And one pink rosebud.

Oooh you posh thing:) D. say we have berries but I will check
tomorrow in case he missed their demise:))

Change of plan! There is a gale blowing and it is chucking it down
out the(

Yes:))) There are loads:)) We went down to hang seed balls and
wondered whether to hang one in the) Still they have the choice:))

That's great, Ophelia! I would have been surprised if there hadn't
been; ours are smothered in berries:~). None are tall enough to hang
seed balls in, but one will eventually make small tree size.

My cotoneaster has some berries, but only a few - because it is a
tightly pruned wall shrub, the blackbirds tend to leave it alone.

Unfortunately, I have no berries on my Danae.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Ping Spider (was In the garden)
 

On 24/12/2014 12:19, Nick Maclaren wrote:
In article ,
Spider wrote:
On 23/12/2014 23:19, Ophelia wrote:

Lucky you! All I have is holly, plenty of berries though:)
What, no berries on the Cotoneaster?

The birds devoured all my cotoneaster berries a month ago. Plenty of
holly berries, though.
And one pink rosebud.

Oooh you posh thing:) D. say we have berries but I will check
tomorrow in case he missed their demise:))

Change of plan! There is a gale blowing and it is chucking it down
out the(

Yes:))) There are loads:)) We went down to hang seed balls and
wondered whether to hang one in the) Still they have the choice:))

That's great, Ophelia! I would have been surprised if there hadn't
been; ours are smothered in berries:~). None are tall enough to hang
seed balls in, but one will eventually make small tree size.

My cotoneaster has some berries, but only a few - because it is a
tightly pruned wall shrub, the blackbirds tend to leave it alone.

Unfortunately, I have no berries on my Danae.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.



Ah! But I knew Ophelia's cotoneaster was a loosely unpruned fence shrub,
so it was likely to have berries, particularly because many birds seem
to leave cotoneaster alone until they have demolished other berries.

I've never grown Danae, but wonder if yours needs a second plant to
increase chances of pollination? Even some hermaphrodies benefit from a
partner nearby.
--
Spider.
On high ground in SE London
gardening on heavy clay

Ping Spider (was In the garden)
 

In article ,
Spider wrote:

Unfortunately, I have no berries on my Danae.

I've never grown Danae, but wonder if yours needs a second plant to
increase chances of pollination? Even some hermaphrodies benefit from a
partner nearby.

No, it doesn't. I have berries some years, often in large numbers.
I can strongly recommend Danae, not least because it is superb for
flower arranging. Glossy green leaves that last for weeks indoors.
And not even bindweed will get through its root mass!

Don't bother growing it from seed, though - mine self-seeds, but
none of the seedlings grew enough to even give away in 5 years.
So I just dig them up now.



Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Ping Spider (was In the garden)
 

"Spider" wrote in message
...

Yes! They do have green netting:( I will take them down and see how
else I can use them. What do you use to hang yours in?


I now have a variety of proprietory feeders that each take two or three
seed balls. It was difficult before I bought them, but I did try
suspending them inside small plant pots (using wire), but it was a bit of
a fiddle. If need be, you could always crumble them onto a bird table (or
the ground) for now, but I acknowledge that it is safer for the birds
feeding from a tree *and* much more fun for you to watch from the house.
If you can't easily provide a makeshift hanger, then I suggest you buy a
few ready-made ones. You'll never regret it.

Thank you for the warning!


You're more than welcome. Nobody who is caring enough to feed birds wants
to harm them.

Right well hubby has been down and rigged a feeder, bless him:) :

Our small portable greenhouse has the cover removed for the winter so he put
a piece of plastic guttering across the upper horizontal supports, drilled a
small hole near the top next to the vertical bars at each end and used
pieces of string to tie the guttering to them. Then he inserted some wire
mesh to raise the fat balls so that any rain water would drain away
underneath them and stuck a length of duct tape across the end of the gutter
in case the balls rolled down the slight slope due to wind. He also drilled
a hole through the centre of one fat ball and tied it to the tree with a
plastic tie, though if the birds go at it consistently from one side it will
inevitably fall off eventually. If you need a pic I can do that.

It looks a bit odd, but safety is the aim:)) Thank you again:))



--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

Ping Spider (was In the garden)
 

"Spider" wrote in message
...
On 24/12/2014 12:19, Nick Maclaren wrote:
In article ,
Spider wrote:
On 23/12/2014 23:19, Ophelia wrote:

Lucky you! All I have is holly, plenty of berries though:)
What, no berries on the Cotoneaster?

The birds devoured all my cotoneaster berries a month ago. Plenty of
holly berries, though.
And one pink rosebud.

Oooh you posh thing:) D. say we have berries but I will check
tomorrow in case he missed their demise:))

Change of plan! There is a gale blowing and it is chucking it down
out the(

Yes:))) There are loads:)) We went down to hang seed balls and
wondered whether to hang one in the) Still they have the choice:))

That's great, Ophelia! I would have been surprised if there hadn't
been; ours are smothered in berries:~). None are tall enough to hang
seed balls in, but one will eventually make small tree size.

My cotoneaster has some berries, but only a few - because it is a
tightly pruned wall shrub, the blackbirds tend to leave it alone.

Unfortunately, I have no berries on my Danae.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.



Ah! But I knew Ophelia's cotoneaster was a loosely unpruned fence shrub,
so it was likely to have berries, particularly because many birds seem to
leave cotoneaster alone until they have demolished other berries.

g She knows my garden better than I do:)))



--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

Ping Spider (was In the garden)
 

On 24/12/2014 13:33, Nick Maclaren wrote:
In article ,
Spider wrote:

Unfortunately, I have no berries on my Danae.

I've never grown Danae, but wonder if yours needs a second plant to
increase chances of pollination? Even some hermaphrodies benefit from a
partner nearby.

No, it doesn't. I have berries some years, often in large numbers.
I can strongly recommend Danae, not least because it is superb for
flower arranging. Glossy green leaves that last for weeks indoors.
And not even bindweed will get through its root mass!

Don't bother growing it from seed, though - mine self-seeds, but
none of the seedlings grew enough to even give away in 5 years.
So I just dig them up now.



Regards,
Nick Maclaren.



All understood, Nick. Thanks for that. I'll look out for a good plant
in due course. I've seen it many times in flower arrangements and
agree, it is most attractive and long-lived.
--
Spider.
On high ground in SE London
gardening on heavy clay

Ping Spider (was In the garden)
 

On 24/12/2014 13:43, Ophelia wrote:


"Spider" wrote in message
...

Yes! They do have green netting:( I will take them down and see how
else I can use them. What do you use to hang yours in?


I now have a variety of proprietory feeders that each take two or
three seed balls. It was difficult before I bought them, but I did
try suspending them inside small plant pots (using wire), but it was a
bit of a fiddle. If need be, you could always crumble them onto a
bird table (or the ground) for now, but I acknowledge that it is safer
for the birds feeding from a tree *and* much more fun for you to watch
from the house. If you can't easily provide a makeshift hanger, then I
suggest you buy a few ready-made ones. You'll never regret it.

Thank you for the warning!


You're more than welcome. Nobody who is caring enough to feed birds
wants to harm them.

Right well hubby has been down and rigged a feeder, bless him:) :

Our small portable greenhouse has the cover removed for the winter so he
put a piece of plastic guttering across the upper horizontal supports,
drilled a small hole near the top next to the vertical bars at each end
and used pieces of string to tie the guttering to them. Then he inserted
some wire mesh to raise the fat balls so that any rain water would drain
away underneath them and stuck a length of duct tape across the end of
the gutter in case the balls rolled down the slight slope due to wind.
He also drilled a hole through the centre of one fat ball and tied it to
the tree with a plastic tie, though if the birds go at it consistently
from one side it will inevitably fall off eventually. If you need a pic
I can do that.

It looks a bit odd, but safety is the aim:)) Thank you again:))




Well done, your hubby! It sounds intriguing. I'm not going to send you
out into the cold for a pic, but it was very good of hubby to risk the
chill factor to help the little birds. I hope you made him a nice, warm
drink. Happy Christmas to both of you.
--
Spider.
On high ground in SE London
gardening on heavy clay

Ping Spider (was In the garden)
 

"Spider" wrote in message
...
On 24/12/2014 13:43, Ophelia wrote:


"Spider" wrote in message
...

Yes! They do have green netting:( I will take them down and see how
else I can use them. What do you use to hang yours in?


I now have a variety of proprietory feeders that each take two or
three seed balls. It was difficult before I bought them, but I did
try suspending them inside small plant pots (using wire), but it was a
bit of a fiddle. If need be, you could always crumble them onto a
bird table (or the ground) for now, but I acknowledge that it is safer
for the birds feeding from a tree *and* much more fun for you to watch
from the house. If you can't easily provide a makeshift hanger, then I
suggest you buy a few ready-made ones. You'll never regret it.

Thank you for the warning!


You're more than welcome. Nobody who is caring enough to feed birds
wants to harm them.

Right well hubby has been down and rigged a feeder, bless him:) :

Our small portable greenhouse has the cover removed for the winter so he
put a piece of plastic guttering across the upper horizontal supports,
drilled a small hole near the top next to the vertical bars at each end
and used pieces of string to tie the guttering to them. Then he inserted
some wire mesh to raise the fat balls so that any rain water would drain
away underneath them and stuck a length of duct tape across the end of
the gutter in case the balls rolled down the slight slope due to wind.
He also drilled a hole through the centre of one fat ball and tied it to
the tree with a plastic tie, though if the birds go at it consistently
from one side it will inevitably fall off eventually. If you need a pic
I can do that.

It looks a bit odd, but safety is the aim:)) Thank you again:))




Well done, your hubby! It sounds intriguing. I'm not going to send you out
into the cold for a pic, but it was very good of hubby to risk the chill
factor to help the little birds. I hope you made him a nice, warm drink.
Happy Christmas to both of you.

Thank you, and to you too:) I have passed on your kind comments:) If you
want a pic later I will be quite happy to post one:)

--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

Ping Spider (was In the garden)
 

On 24/12/2014 18:12, Ophelia wrote:


"Spider" wrote in message
...
On 24/12/2014 13:43, Ophelia wrote:


"Spider" wrote in message
...

Yes! They do have green netting:( I will take them down and see how
else I can use them. What do you use to hang yours in?


I now have a variety of proprietory feeders that each take two or
three seed balls. It was difficult before I bought them, but I did
try suspending them inside small plant pots (using wire), but it was a
bit of a fiddle. If need be, you could always crumble them onto a
bird table (or the ground) for now, but I acknowledge that it is safer
for the birds feeding from a tree *and* much more fun for you to watch
from the house. If you can't easily provide a makeshift hanger, then I
suggest you buy a few ready-made ones. You'll never regret it.

Thank you for the warning!


You're more than welcome. Nobody who is caring enough to feed birds
wants to harm them.

Right well hubby has been down and rigged a feeder, bless him:) :

Our small portable greenhouse has the cover removed for the winter so he
put a piece of plastic guttering across the upper horizontal supports,
drilled a small hole near the top next to the vertical bars at each end
and used pieces of string to tie the guttering to them. Then he inserted
some wire mesh to raise the fat balls so that any rain water would drain
away underneath them and stuck a length of duct tape across the end of
the gutter in case the balls rolled down the slight slope due to wind.
He also drilled a hole through the centre of one fat ball and tied it to
the tree with a plastic tie, though if the birds go at it consistently
from one side it will inevitably fall off eventually. If you need a pic
I can do that.

It looks a bit odd, but safety is the aim:)) Thank you again:))




Well done, your hubby! It sounds intriguing. I'm not going to send you
out into the cold for a pic, but it was very good of hubby to risk the
chill factor to help the little birds. I hope you made him a nice,
warm drink. Happy Christmas to both of you.

Thank you, and to you too:) I have passed on your kind comments:) If
you want a pic later I will be quite happy to post one:)



Thank you, Ophelia. Perhaps after Christmas, and only then if the
weather is kind enough. I confess I'm very curious about it:~).
--
Spider.
On high ground in SE London
gardening on heavy clay

Ping Spider (was In the garden)
 

"Spider" wrote in message
...
On 24/12/2014 18:12, Ophelia wrote:


"Spider" wrote in message
...
On 24/12/2014 13:43, Ophelia wrote:


"Spider" wrote in message
...

Yes! They do have green netting:( I will take them down and see how
else I can use them. What do you use to hang yours in?


I now have a variety of proprietory feeders that each take two or
three seed balls. It was difficult before I bought them, but I did
try suspending them inside small plant pots (using wire), but it was a
bit of a fiddle. If need be, you could always crumble them onto a
bird table (or the ground) for now, but I acknowledge that it is safer
for the birds feeding from a tree *and* much more fun for you to watch
from the house. If you can't easily provide a makeshift hanger, then I
suggest you buy a few ready-made ones. You'll never regret it.

Thank you for the warning!


You're more than welcome. Nobody who is caring enough to feed birds
wants to harm them.

Right well hubby has been down and rigged a feeder, bless him:) :

Our small portable greenhouse has the cover removed for the winter so
he
put a piece of plastic guttering across the upper horizontal supports,
drilled a small hole near the top next to the vertical bars at each end
and used pieces of string to tie the guttering to them. Then he
inserted
some wire mesh to raise the fat balls so that any rain water would
drain
away underneath them and stuck a length of duct tape across the end of
the gutter in case the balls rolled down the slight slope due to wind.
He also drilled a hole through the centre of one fat ball and tied it
to
the tree with a plastic tie, though if the birds go at it consistently
from one side it will inevitably fall off eventually. If you need a
pic
I can do that.

It looks a bit odd, but safety is the aim:)) Thank you again:))




Well done, your hubby! It sounds intriguing. I'm not going to send you
out into the cold for a pic, but it was very good of hubby to risk the
chill factor to help the little birds. I hope you made him a nice,
warm drink. Happy Christmas to both of you.

Thank you, and to you too:) I have passed on your kind comments:) If
you want a pic later I will be quite happy to post one:)



Thank you, Ophelia. Perhaps after Christmas, and only then if the weather
is kind enough. I confess I'm very curious about it:~).

In that case, you shall have one asap:))


--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

Ping Spider (was In the garden)
 

On 24/12/2014 18:20, Ophelia wrote:


"Spider" wrote in message
...
On 24/12/2014 18:12, Ophelia wrote:


"Spider" wrote in message
...
On 24/12/2014 13:43, Ophelia wrote:


"Spider" wrote in message
...

Yes! They do have green netting:( I will take them down and see how
else I can use them. What do you use to hang yours in?


I now have a variety of proprietory feeders that each take two or
three seed balls. It was difficult before I bought them, but I did
try suspending them inside small plant pots (using wire), but it
was a
bit of a fiddle. If need be, you could always crumble them onto a
bird table (or the ground) for now, but I acknowledge that it is
safer
for the birds feeding from a tree *and* much more fun for you to
watch
from the house. If you can't easily provide a makeshift hanger,
then I
suggest you buy a few ready-made ones. You'll never regret it.

Thank you for the warning!


You're more than welcome. Nobody who is caring enough to feed birds
wants to harm them.

Right well hubby has been down and rigged a feeder, bless him:) :

Our small portable greenhouse has the cover removed for the winter
so he
put a piece of plastic guttering across the upper horizontal supports,
drilled a small hole near the top next to the vertical bars at each
end
and used pieces of string to tie the guttering to them. Then he
inserted
some wire mesh to raise the fat balls so that any rain water would
drain
away underneath them and stuck a length of duct tape across the end of
the gutter in case the balls rolled down the slight slope due to wind.
He also drilled a hole through the centre of one fat ball and tied
it to
the tree with a plastic tie, though if the birds go at it consistently
from one side it will inevitably fall off eventually. If you need
a pic
I can do that.

It looks a bit odd, but safety is the aim:)) Thank you again:))




Well done, your hubby! It sounds intriguing. I'm not going to send you
out into the cold for a pic, but it was very good of hubby to risk the
chill factor to help the little birds. I hope you made him a nice,
warm drink. Happy Christmas to both of you.

Thank you, and to you too:) I have passed on your kind comments:) If
you want a pic later I will be quite happy to post one:)



Thank you, Ophelia. Perhaps after Christmas, and only then if the
weather is kind enough. I confess I'm very curious about it:~).

In that case, you shall have one asap:))




Ta very much. Please don't get chilled, though.
--
Spider.
On high ground in SE London
gardening on heavy clay

Ping Spider (was In the garden)
 

"Ophelia" wrote in message
...


"Spider" wrote in message
...
On 24/12/2014 18:12, Ophelia wrote:


"Spider" wrote in message
...
On 24/12/2014 13:43, Ophelia wrote:


"Spider" wrote in message
...

Yes! They do have green netting:( I will take them down and see how
else I can use them. What do you use to hang yours in?


I now have a variety of proprietory feeders that each take two or
three seed balls. It was difficult before I bought them, but I did
try suspending them inside small plant pots (using wire), but it was
a
bit of a fiddle. If need be, you could always crumble them onto a
bird table (or the ground) for now, but I acknowledge that it is
safer
for the birds feeding from a tree *and* much more fun for you to
watch
from the house. If you can't easily provide a makeshift hanger, then
I
suggest you buy a few ready-made ones. You'll never regret it.

Thank you for the warning!


You're more than welcome. Nobody who is caring enough to feed birds
wants to harm them.

Right well hubby has been down and rigged a feeder, bless him:) :

Our small portable greenhouse has the cover removed for the winter so
he
put a piece of plastic guttering across the upper horizontal supports,
drilled a small hole near the top next to the vertical bars at each
end
and used pieces of string to tie the guttering to them. Then he
inserted
some wire mesh to raise the fat balls so that any rain water would
drain
away underneath them and stuck a length of duct tape across the end of
the gutter in case the balls rolled down the slight slope due to wind.
He also drilled a hole through the centre of one fat ball and tied it
to
the tree with a plastic tie, though if the birds go at it consistently
from one side it will inevitably fall off eventually. If you need a
pic
I can do that.

It looks a bit odd, but safety is the aim:)) Thank you again:))




Well done, your hubby! It sounds intriguing. I'm not going to send you
out into the cold for a pic, but it was very good of hubby to risk the
chill factor to help the little birds. I hope you made him a nice,
warm drink. Happy Christmas to both of you.

Thank you, and to you too:) I have passed on your kind comments:) If
you want a pic later I will be quite happy to post one:)



Thank you, Ophelia. Perhaps after Christmas, and only then if the
weather is kind enough. I confess I'm very curious about it:~).

In that case, you shall have one asap:))

Here you go:

http://tinypic.com/r/16anpub/8

http://tinypic.com/r/15ext2w/8

http://tinypic.com/r/1pchv4/8

We just got in, looked through the window and a flock of starlings
descended:) This was taken through the window!

http://tinypic.com/r/2jb172x/8

Not posh or fancy but it does the job safely:))


--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

Ping Spider (was In the garden)
 

On 25/12/2014 15:25, Ophelia wrote:


"Ophelia" wrote in message
...


"Spider" wrote in message
...
On 24/12/2014 18:12, Ophelia wrote:


"Spider" wrote in message
...
On 24/12/2014 13:43, Ophelia wrote:


"Spider" wrote in message
...

Yes! They do have green netting:( I will take them down and see
how
else I can use them. What do you use to hang yours in?


I now have a variety of proprietory feeders that each take two or
three seed balls. It was difficult before I bought them, but I did
try suspending them inside small plant pots (using wire), but it
was a
bit of a fiddle. If need be, you could always crumble them onto a
bird table (or the ground) for now, but I acknowledge that it is
safer
for the birds feeding from a tree *and* much more fun for you to
watch
from the house. If you can't easily provide a makeshift hanger,
then I
suggest you buy a few ready-made ones. You'll never regret it.

Thank you for the warning!


You're more than welcome. Nobody who is caring enough to feed birds
wants to harm them.

Right well hubby has been down and rigged a feeder, bless him:) :

Our small portable greenhouse has the cover removed for the winter
so he
put a piece of plastic guttering across the upper horizontal
supports,
drilled a small hole near the top next to the vertical bars at
each end
and used pieces of string to tie the guttering to them. Then he
inserted
some wire mesh to raise the fat balls so that any rain water would
drain
away underneath them and stuck a length of duct tape across the
end of
the gutter in case the balls rolled down the slight slope due to
wind.
He also drilled a hole through the centre of one fat ball and tied
it to
the tree with a plastic tie, though if the birds go at it
consistently
from one side it will inevitably fall off eventually. If you need
a pic
I can do that.

It looks a bit odd, but safety is the aim:)) Thank you again:))




Well done, your hubby! It sounds intriguing. I'm not going to send you
out into the cold for a pic, but it was very good of hubby to risk the
chill factor to help the little birds. I hope you made him a nice,
warm drink. Happy Christmas to both of you.

Thank you, and to you too:) I have passed on your kind comments:) If
you want a pic later I will be quite happy to post one:)



Thank you, Ophelia. Perhaps after Christmas, and only then if the
weather is kind enough. I confess I'm very curious about it:~).

In that case, you shall have one asap:))

Here you go:

http://tinypic.com/r/16anpub/8

http://tinypic.com/r/15ext2w/8

http://tinypic.com/r/1pchv4/8

We just got in, looked through the window and a flock of starlings
descended:) This was taken through the window!

http://tinypic.com/r/2jb172x/8

Not posh or fancy but it does the job safely:))




Thank you, Ophelia! It's very good for something hubby had to knock
together in a hurry *and* it does the job. Nice to see the evidence!
I would only ask (a little cautiously!) one more favour of your hubby:
would he consider putting an inner layer of gaffer tape over the sticky
surface on the inside the drain pipe? If he doesn't, spiders (gulp) and
other beneficial insects may get stuck in the glue. Too dark to do it
today (especially up't yon), but perhaps in the morning ...?
Pretty please:~). Thank you for the pics.
--
Spider.
On high ground in SE London
gardening on heavy clay

Ping Spider (was In the garden)
 

On 24/12/2014 13:45, Ophelia wrote:


"Spider" wrote in message
...
On 24/12/2014 12:19, Nick Maclaren wrote:
In article ,
Spider wrote:
On 23/12/2014 23:19, Ophelia wrote:

Lucky you! All I have is holly, plenty of berries though:)
What, no berries on the Cotoneaster?

The birds devoured all my cotoneaster berries a month ago.
Plenty of
holly berries, though.
And one pink rosebud.

Oooh you posh thing:) D. say we have berries but I will check
tomorrow in case he missed their demise:))

Change of plan! There is a gale blowing and it is chucking it down
out the(

Yes:))) There are loads:)) We went down to hang seed balls and
wondered whether to hang one in the) Still they have the choice:))

That's great, Ophelia! I would have been surprised if there hadn't
been; ours are smothered in berries:~). None are tall enough to hang
seed balls in, but one will eventually make small tree size.

My cotoneaster has some berries, but only a few - because it is a
tightly pruned wall shrub, the blackbirds tend to leave it alone.

Unfortunately, I have no berries on my Danae.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.



Ah! But I knew Ophelia's cotoneaster was a loosely unpruned fence
shrub, so it was likely to have berries, particularly because many
birds seem to leave cotoneaster alone until they have demolished other
berries.

g She knows my garden better than I do:)))



:~)) Generous claim and perhaps a little optimistic. Made me smile,
though - and RG, too!
--
Spider.
On high ground in SE London
gardening on heavy clay

Ping Spider (was In the garden)
 

"Spider" wrote in message
...
On 25/12/2014 15:25, Ophelia wrote:


"Ophelia" wrote in message
...


"Spider" wrote in message
...
On 24/12/2014 18:12, Ophelia wrote:


"Spider" wrote in message
...
On 24/12/2014 13:43, Ophelia wrote:


"Spider" wrote in message
...

Yes! They do have green netting:( I will take them down and see
how
else I can use them. What do you use to hang yours in?


I now have a variety of proprietory feeders that each take two or
three seed balls. It was difficult before I bought them, but I did
try suspending them inside small plant pots (using wire), but it
was a
bit of a fiddle. If need be, you could always crumble them onto a
bird table (or the ground) for now, but I acknowledge that it is
safer
for the birds feeding from a tree *and* much more fun for you to
watch
from the house. If you can't easily provide a makeshift hanger,
then I
suggest you buy a few ready-made ones. You'll never regret it.

Thank you for the warning!


You're more than welcome. Nobody who is caring enough to feed
birds
wants to harm them.

Right well hubby has been down and rigged a feeder, bless him:) :

Our small portable greenhouse has the cover removed for the winter
so he
put a piece of plastic guttering across the upper horizontal
supports,
drilled a small hole near the top next to the vertical bars at
each end
and used pieces of string to tie the guttering to them. Then he
inserted
some wire mesh to raise the fat balls so that any rain water would
drain
away underneath them and stuck a length of duct tape across the
end of
the gutter in case the balls rolled down the slight slope due to
wind.
He also drilled a hole through the centre of one fat ball and tied
it to
the tree with a plastic tie, though if the birds go at it
consistently
from one side it will inevitably fall off eventually. If you need
a pic
I can do that.

It looks a bit odd, but safety is the aim:)) Thank you again:))




Well done, your hubby! It sounds intriguing. I'm not going to send
you
out into the cold for a pic, but it was very good of hubby to risk
the
chill factor to help the little birds. I hope you made him a nice,
warm drink. Happy Christmas to both of you.

Thank you, and to you too:) I have passed on your kind comments:) If
you want a pic later I will be quite happy to post one:)



Thank you, Ophelia. Perhaps after Christmas, and only then if the
weather is kind enough. I confess I'm very curious about it:~).

In that case, you shall have one asap:))

Here you go:

http://tinypic.com/r/16anpub/8

http://tinypic.com/r/15ext2w/8

http://tinypic.com/r/1pchv4/8

We just got in, looked through the window and a flock of starlings
descended:) This was taken through the window!

http://tinypic.com/r/2jb172x/8

Not posh or fancy but it does the job safely:))




Thank you, Ophelia! It's very good for something hubby had to knock
together in a hurry *and* it does the job. Nice to see the evidence!
I would only ask (a little cautiously!) one more favour of your hubby:
would he consider putting an inner layer of gaffer tape over the sticky
surface on the inside the drain pipe? If he doesn't, spiders (gulp) and
other beneficial insects may get stuck in the glue. Too dark to do it
today (especially up't yon), but perhaps in the morning ...?
Pretty please:~). Thank you for the pics.

Hubby says that he folded the tape over so there is no sticky surface
exposed, so you can breathe easy:))

--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

Ping Spider (was In the garden)
 

On 25/12/2014 16:06, Ophelia wrote:


"Spider" wrote in message
...
On 25/12/2014 15:25, Ophelia wrote:


"Ophelia" wrote in message
...


"Spider" wrote in message
...
On 24/12/2014 18:12, Ophelia wrote:


"Spider" wrote in message
...
On 24/12/2014 13:43, Ophelia wrote:


"Spider" wrote in message
...

Yes! They do have green netting:( I will take them down and see
how
else I can use them. What do you use to hang yours in?


I now have a variety of proprietory feeders that each take two or
three seed balls. It was difficult before I bought them, but I
did
try suspending them inside small plant pots (using wire), but it
was a
bit of a fiddle. If need be, you could always crumble them onto a
bird table (or the ground) for now, but I acknowledge that it is
safer
for the birds feeding from a tree *and* much more fun for you to
watch
from the house. If you can't easily provide a makeshift hanger,
then I
suggest you buy a few ready-made ones. You'll never regret it.

Thank you for the warning!


You're more than welcome. Nobody who is caring enough to feed
birds
wants to harm them.

Right well hubby has been down and rigged a feeder, bless him:) :

Our small portable greenhouse has the cover removed for the winter
so he
put a piece of plastic guttering across the upper horizontal
supports,
drilled a small hole near the top next to the vertical bars at
each end
and used pieces of string to tie the guttering to them. Then he
inserted
some wire mesh to raise the fat balls so that any rain water would
drain
away underneath them and stuck a length of duct tape across the
end of
the gutter in case the balls rolled down the slight slope due to
wind.
He also drilled a hole through the centre of one fat ball and tied
it to
the tree with a plastic tie, though if the birds go at it
consistently
from one side it will inevitably fall off eventually. If you need
a pic
I can do that.

It looks a bit odd, but safety is the aim:)) Thank you again:))




Well done, your hubby! It sounds intriguing. I'm not going to
send you
out into the cold for a pic, but it was very good of hubby to
risk the
chill factor to help the little birds. I hope you made him a nice,
warm drink. Happy Christmas to both of you.

Thank you, and to you too:) I have passed on your kind
comments:) If
you want a pic later I will be quite happy to post one:)



Thank you, Ophelia. Perhaps after Christmas, and only then if the
weather is kind enough. I confess I'm very curious about it:~).

In that case, you shall have one asap:))

Here you go:

http://tinypic.com/r/16anpub/8

http://tinypic.com/r/15ext2w/8

http://tinypic.com/r/1pchv4/8

We just got in, looked through the window and a flock of starlings
descended:) This was taken through the window!

http://tinypic.com/r/2jb172x/8

Not posh or fancy but it does the job safely:))




Thank you, Ophelia! It's very good for something hubby had to knock
together in a hurry *and* it does the job. Nice to see the evidence!
I would only ask (a little cautiously!) one more favour of your hubby:
would he consider putting an inner layer of gaffer tape over the
sticky surface on the inside the drain pipe? If he doesn't, spiders
(gulp) and other beneficial insects may get stuck in the glue. Too
dark to do it today (especially up't yon), but perhaps in the morning
...?
Pretty please:~). Thank you for the pics.

Hubby says that he folded the tape over so there is no sticky surface
exposed, so you can breathe easy:))



That was quick! Thank you for replying and thank your hubby very much
for being so thoughtful. You're both great souls. I shall breathe
easier ... probably over a glass of wine soon:~)).
--
Spider.
On high ground in SE London
gardening on heavy clay

Ping Spider (was In the garden)
 

"Spider" wrote in message
...
On 25/12/2014 16:06, Ophelia wrote:


"Spider" wrote in message
...
On 25/12/2014 15:25, Ophelia wrote:


"Ophelia" wrote in message
...


"Spider" wrote in message
...
On 24/12/2014 18:12, Ophelia wrote:


"Spider" wrote in message
...
On 24/12/2014 13:43, Ophelia wrote:


"Spider" wrote in message
...

Yes! They do have green netting:( I will take them down and see
how
else I can use them. What do you use to hang yours in?


I now have a variety of proprietory feeders that each take two or
three seed balls. It was difficult before I bought them, but I
did
try suspending them inside small plant pots (using wire), but it
was a
bit of a fiddle. If need be, you could always crumble them onto
a
bird table (or the ground) for now, but I acknowledge that it is
safer
for the birds feeding from a tree *and* much more fun for you to
watch
from the house. If you can't easily provide a makeshift hanger,
then I
suggest you buy a few ready-made ones. You'll never regret it.

Thank you for the warning!


You're more than welcome. Nobody who is caring enough to feed
birds
wants to harm them.

Right well hubby has been down and rigged a feeder, bless him:) :

Our small portable greenhouse has the cover removed for the winter
so he
put a piece of plastic guttering across the upper horizontal
supports,
drilled a small hole near the top next to the vertical bars at
each end
and used pieces of string to tie the guttering to them. Then he
inserted
some wire mesh to raise the fat balls so that any rain water would
drain
away underneath them and stuck a length of duct tape across the
end of
the gutter in case the balls rolled down the slight slope due to
wind.
He also drilled a hole through the centre of one fat ball and tied
it to
the tree with a plastic tie, though if the birds go at it
consistently
from one side it will inevitably fall off eventually. If you need
a pic
I can do that.

It looks a bit odd, but safety is the aim:)) Thank you again:))




Well done, your hubby! It sounds intriguing. I'm not going to
send you
out into the cold for a pic, but it was very good of hubby to
risk the
chill factor to help the little birds. I hope you made him a nice,
warm drink. Happy Christmas to both of you.

Thank you, and to you too:) I have passed on your kind
comments:) If
you want a pic later I will be quite happy to post one:)



Thank you, Ophelia. Perhaps after Christmas, and only then if the
weather is kind enough. I confess I'm very curious about it:~).

In that case, you shall have one asap:))

Here you go:

http://tinypic.com/r/16anpub/8

http://tinypic.com/r/15ext2w/8

http://tinypic.com/r/1pchv4/8

We just got in, looked through the window and a flock of starlings
descended:) This was taken through the window!

http://tinypic.com/r/2jb172x/8

Not posh or fancy but it does the job safely:))




Thank you, Ophelia! It's very good for something hubby had to knock
together in a hurry *and* it does the job. Nice to see the evidence!
I would only ask (a little cautiously!) one more favour of your hubby:
would he consider putting an inner layer of gaffer tape over the
sticky surface on the inside the drain pipe? If he doesn't, spiders
(gulp) and other beneficial insects may get stuck in the glue. Too
dark to do it today (especially up't yon), but perhaps in the morning
...?
Pretty please:~). Thank you for the pics.

Hubby says that he folded the tape over so there is no sticky surface
exposed, so you can breathe easy:))



That was quick! Thank you for replying and thank your hubby very much for
being so thoughtful. You're both great souls. I shall breathe easier ...
probably over a glass of wine soon:~)).

Probably the Yorkshire in us g Have one for me:))

Cheers from one Yorkshire lassie to another :))))


--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

Ping Spider (was In the garden)
 

On 25/12/2014 16:55, Ophelia wrote:


"Spider" wrote in message
...
On 25/12/2014 16:06, Ophelia wrote:


"Spider" wrote in message
...
On 25/12/2014 15:25, Ophelia wrote:


"Ophelia" wrote in message
...


"Spider" wrote in message
...
On 24/12/2014 18:12, Ophelia wrote:


"Spider" wrote in message
...
On 24/12/2014 13:43, Ophelia wrote:


"Spider" wrote in message
...

Yes! They do have green netting:( I will take them down and
see
how
else I can use them. What do you use to hang yours in?


I now have a variety of proprietory feeders that each take
two or
three seed balls. It was difficult before I bought them, but I
did
try suspending them inside small plant pots (using wire), but it
was a
bit of a fiddle. If need be, you could always crumble them
onto a
bird table (or the ground) for now, but I acknowledge that it is
safer
for the birds feeding from a tree *and* much more fun for you to
watch
from the house. If you can't easily provide a makeshift hanger,
then I
suggest you buy a few ready-made ones. You'll never regret it.

Thank you for the warning!


You're more than welcome. Nobody who is caring enough to feed
birds
wants to harm them.

Right well hubby has been down and rigged a feeder, bless him:) :

Our small portable greenhouse has the cover removed for the
winter
so he
put a piece of plastic guttering across the upper horizontal
supports,
drilled a small hole near the top next to the vertical bars at
each end
and used pieces of string to tie the guttering to them. Then he
inserted
some wire mesh to raise the fat balls so that any rain water
would
drain
away underneath them and stuck a length of duct tape across the
end of
the gutter in case the balls rolled down the slight slope due to
wind.
He also drilled a hole through the centre of one fat ball and
tied
it to
the tree with a plastic tie, though if the birds go at it
consistently
from one side it will inevitably fall off eventually. If you
need
a pic
I can do that.

It looks a bit odd, but safety is the aim:)) Thank you again:))




Well done, your hubby! It sounds intriguing. I'm not going to
send you
out into the cold for a pic, but it was very good of hubby to
risk the
chill factor to help the little birds. I hope you made him a
nice,
warm drink. Happy Christmas to both of you.

Thank you, and to you too:) I have passed on your kind
comments:) If
you want a pic later I will be quite happy to post one:)



Thank you, Ophelia. Perhaps after Christmas, and only then if the
weather is kind enough. I confess I'm very curious about it:~).

In that case, you shall have one asap:))

Here you go:

http://tinypic.com/r/16anpub/8

http://tinypic.com/r/15ext2w/8

http://tinypic.com/r/1pchv4/8

We just got in, looked through the window and a flock of starlings
descended:) This was taken through the window!

http://tinypic.com/r/2jb172x/8

Not posh or fancy but it does the job safely:))




Thank you, Ophelia! It's very good for something hubby had to knock
together in a hurry *and* it does the job. Nice to see the evidence!
I would only ask (a little cautiously!) one more favour of your hubby:
would he consider putting an inner layer of gaffer tape over the
sticky surface on the inside the drain pipe? If he doesn't, spiders
(gulp) and other beneficial insects may get stuck in the glue. Too
dark to do it today (especially up't yon), but perhaps in the morning
...?
Pretty please:~). Thank you for the pics.

Hubby says that he folded the tape over so there is no sticky surface
exposed, so you can breathe easy:))



That was quick! Thank you for replying and thank your hubby very much
for being so thoughtful. You're both great souls. I shall breathe
easier ... probably over a glass of wine soon:~)).

Probably the Yorkshire in us g Have one for me:))

Cheers from one Yorkshire lassie to another :))))


Too right!:~))) Cheers! Hic!
--
Spider.
On high ground in SE London
gardening on heavy clay

Ping Spider (was In the garden)
 

"Spider" wrote in message
...

g She knows my garden better than I do:)))



:~)) Generous claim and perhaps a little optimistic. Made me smile,
though - and RG, too!

RG?

--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

Ping Spider (was In the garden)
 

On 26/12/2014 13:05, Ophelia wrote:


"Spider" wrote in message
...

g She knows my garden better than I do:)))



:~)) Generous claim and perhaps a little optimistic. Made me smile,
though - and RG, too!

RG?


Alias Husband Thingy. Obviously, I can't tell you here what the
initials stand for, but you get the general idea. He appears on this
group from time to time. Indeed, he posted the NIN post within the last
day or two.
He's not what you'd call a gardener - ever! - but he's handy when I need
the occasional patio paving or a weeny wall building, and so on. Sadly,
he's not from Yorkshire. He hails from Essex. He can't help it;~).

--
Spider.
On high ground in SE London
gardening on heavy clay