Platform Bird Feeder & Reveal Update #3

I wasn't planning on planting anything around the bird feeder until I mowed the lawn and realized that I would have to mow around the feeder.  If I make the area around trees and obstacles grass free (larger radius) it speeds up my mowing time.  It currently takes me 5 hours to mow the front and back yards on the riding mower and R takes about 1 1/2 hours to push mow areas I cannot get to with the rider.  So all that to say I planted stuff around my bird feeder.

The black walnut trees in my yard pose a problem to other plantings due to the toxicity in the roots, leaves, hulls, and stems. 

www.groworganic.com

Black Walnut Tree Toxicity What Plants are Immune

So if I was going to plant around the bird feeder I would need to go with plants I already knew would grow when planted close to a black walnut tree.  Plus, they have to be plants that I love.  I've lost too many plants to try something new.

This time of year is the perfect time to buy plants because they are on sale.  So I decided to go to my local nursery to look around and if something caught my eye then I would buy it or them.  OK I'll admit it...I was going hosta hunting.  

Hostas were 50% off so now was the time to buy an expensive hosta.  So I started at the beginning of the hosta area, they are arranged A through Z.  Right away I found a hosta called Abiqua Drinking Gourd.  I already have one that I planted last year so it isn't mature yet.  

This particular hosta has almost round leaves that curl up to form a cup (collect rain water).  The leaves also have a waxy coating that if planted in full shade will keep the leaves blue (my other one is planted in full shade). This plant will get partial sun in the early morning and until noon or 1PM.  So this hosta will display as green.

I looked over all the pots they offered and found one that could be divided into three plants making my per plant price $3.34.

Original price $19.99

50% off -$10.00

New plant price $10.00

Divided by 3

$3.34

I washed off as much potting soil as possible and took my time cutting through the root ball.  Cut a little and then gently pull the roots apart keeping as many attached as possible.  I was able to divide the plant into 3 very nice plants.

Missouri Botanical Garden

No self respecting hostaholic would ever buy just 1 hosta.  I bought two more. They are outside and it is pouring rain so I will need to *update this tomorrow.  But I do remember something about Blueberry and the other is a large yellow hosta.  I should be able to divide those hostas into multiple plants, too.

*Blueberry Muffin and City Lights

 I didn't want just hostas so I also purchased a red cone flower called Sombrero and a lower growing sedum called Pure Joy.  It is like Autumn Joy except it will only grow to 10 inches tall and has bubblegum pink flowers.

Why cone flower and sedum?  The bees love them both and they will give me colorful blooms in late summer and into fall.  They are also drought resistant and the dried seed heads, of the cone flowers, are favorites of the finches in the winter.

On to the reveal.  I gave the post a final 2 coats of Behr Ultra White in semi gloss.  This is the paint that I use on my shutters, doors, and house trim.  I edged a circle around the post using my flat nose shovel and then removed the sod and about 4 inches of soil.  I replaced the removed soil with 2 bags of good top soil that have been sitting in my garden shed for 2 years.

I planted the three drinking gourd hostas on the back side of the post.  Depending on how big they grow I can either remove the middle one which leaves one on each side or just leave the middle one and remove the two outside hostas.

The sedum plant was planted in the front on the right side and the cone flower on the left side.  This left an open spot in the front for a solar spot light.  The solar light will highlight the bird feeder and can be seen as people drive by on the driveway at night.  Plus, our property is very very dark at night so any little pops of light helps.

I also added a wooden black cat that was at one time a door stop but I cut the door stop part off and I will screw it to the post after I buy a five inch screw tomorrow at the hardware store.

Now comes the good part.  It took both of us to lift the bird feeder high enough to slide the pole on the bottom of the bird feeder into the hole that R drilled into the end of the post.  We could have cut costs by buying a 4X4 post, but the scale of the post and that of the feeder, just would not look right.  Plus, 4X4 posts can twist as they dry out and that would look very bad.

AND then it started pouring rain so my photos are NOT Pinterest worthy at all.  But here is a before and after photo.

'Before' and as found at the curb.

'After' but before planting.

Cost breakdown

Original feeder Free @ Curb

Paint for feeder and post- Already had

Package of L brackets- $2.99

Strap Hinges- Already had

Black satin spray paint- Already had

2 feet of hardware cloth- $5.00

Screws for straps- 24 X $ .07=$1.68

Metal bracket with short length of pole- Free @ Curb

8ft 6X6 Post- $31.99

Trim boards on post- Our scrap pile

Plants Cone flower- $10.00

Sedum- $8.50

Hosta- $10.00

Black Cat- Already had

Solar spot light- Already had

Total cost for feeder, post, and plantings $70.16

We love our birds and some birds prefer platform feeders.  Also, we are hoping to attract crows to the feeder.  We have 6 crows that scavenge for dropped fruit in the afternoon.  Crows are a favorite for both of us.  It is a bit unusual because some people do not like them at all.  But they are highly intelligent birds and I hear that they can be trained.

The girl who gets gifts from birds - BBC News - BBC.com

Could Wild Birds Reciprocate Our Kind Actions? | Psychology Today

Grudge-Holding Crows Pass on Their Anger to Family and Friends ...

From a design standpoint the feeder was already designed and constructed.  I disassembled the feeder and reassembled using glue and screws and eliminated the plywood bottom and replaced with hardware cloth.  I painted the feeder using the same paint that the house is painted with and added design elements that mimicked those on the house, in the hope that the feeder would look original to the house and not something purchased at the store in 2018.  The plants also repeat the existing plantings in the landscape.  

And there you have it.  The bird feeder is probably a little 'extra' as they say but we love these kind of projects.  

Reuse Repurpose Recycle

Dividing Potted Hosta Plants

Now is a perfect time to buy and plant hostas.  Recently, I purchased 4 potted hosta plants from my local nursery for 60% off.  I was able to increase my savings by dividing the plants before putting them into the ground.

When choosing which plant to purchase, first pick the variety then look for a plant that has multiple divisions.  The plant in the above photo has 2 divisions.  Remember that plants at this time of the year don't always look their best.  If the leaves are ripped, torn, or sunburnt on the edges don't worry as long as the plant itself is healthy.

I purchased this plant for 60% off the regular price of  $17.99 which is $7.20.   I can get two plants from that one potted plant so my final per plant price is $3.60.  That price is below the normal 4 inch potted hosta price of $4.99 for a common hosta.   

To divide hostas, first remove the plant from the pot and look for a gap between the divisions.  This particular plant has a 1 inch gap and it is at this place that I will divide the plant.

 I like to use a plastic utility knife that has a blade that can be extended roughly to 4 inches.  It is also important that the knife is very sharp because you want to slice through the roots and not smash or tear them.

If your knife is very sharp it will take about 10 seconds.  I cut through one side and then the other side because this was a 6 inch pot and a 4 inch blade.  It can be tempting to just cut one side, than use your hands to pull the remaining roots apart but that method can frequently lead to damage.  You want to leave as many intact roots as possible, so fight that urge.

In the spring you will be rewarded with a  rarer and larger sized hosta for less money than the starter hostas sold at the big box garden centers.

Here is another post that I wrote about dividing hostas that involved a different method and when I have the time this is the method that I prefer to use. 
Dividing Hostas and Getting More for Your $$$$

Materials needed
Healthy potted hosta plants
Plastic disposable utility knife
Bucket of water

FYI this same method can be used to divide day lilies.

Reuse Repurpose Recycle

No post for a week, must have gotten a lot done....

.......yes a lot, but not on the house.

Monday of last week we worked on the south and east kitchen window shingles and was making great progress.  Then the rest of the week happened.

Tuesday R had oral surgery and had to take it easy.

Wednesday G had a rare Wednesday night race so R had a short day of working on shingles.

Thursday R was busy on a paid outside job and I wrenched until 230AM on G's race car.  Yes, they pulled me out of wrenching retirement.  G was involved in two wrecks in the feature on Wednesday but still finished 10th.  Both not his fault and both from getting hit from behind. 

He needed to be ready for Friday's race because he lost some points recently and needs to maintain his place in the standings.  So he needed body work people and engine people. The engine had 10 races on it and was oiling the plugs. Better to pull it now and rebuild than to end up with a pile of debris.

Dirty hands, chipped nail polish, and regulation flip flops for working in a race shop...don't call OSHA.

So I worked on the engine swap with G, while his two friends, that are also engineers, worked on repairing the body and frame.  B went back and forth between both groups.

Also, I put my mother's condo on the MLS and we are selling FSBO (for sale by owner).  I started fielding calls immediately for showings.  Friday I had a showing.  They loved it but wanted a country setting. Condos in the country are rare but I think they just weren't ready for a condo just yet.  Agent told me, as she was leaving, that it was a lovely condo and that we will have no problem selling it BUT we needed to come down on the price.  Yea.....right.

Waiting for the first showing.  I can hear my mother now..."get your feet off the sofa."

Friday was a short work day for R because G had his Friday night race.  

Saturday started out sunny and I showed the condo again. As they were leaving the agent said to expect an offer. Then Saturday turned into a rainy day.  Rain then sun, rain then sun, rain then sun. We would nail a few shingles here and there between rain drops but I couldn't paint.  

Offer came in.....full price/cash offer.  B looked over the offer, we signed the purchase agreement, buyers signed the bottom line.  Done deal.  Inspection ordered.  No appraisal because it's a cash offer.  They take possession at the end of September.  Sold for over 30K more than any other condo in the development. We only had to pay $89 to get it on the MLS and 3% to the buyer's agent.  Only way to go. Saved us 3% to a seller's agent, which was roughly $6,600.  Plus, all the agents seem to want to list low for a fast sale.  It's hard for an agent to sell for a certain price if they do not truly believe in that price.  I'll do a post on selling FSBO when we are all said and done.  

BTW this is the second FSBO that I have sold in the last 10 months.  The other property was sold by us without a buyer's agent, so there was no cost at all to sell because we didn't even do an MLS.  Buyer was a lawyer and he knew our daughter in law so they emailed back and forth and took care of the paperwork.  I have two more properties to sell next year and we will do the FSBO plus $89 MLS.

Sunday we shingled and mowed.  There is one good thing about a drought.  It really cuts down on the mowing.

Monday (today) despite the forecast for no rain....it rained and rained.  By the time it cleared, it was late so we drove to Lowes in White Lake about 35 miles from our house.  We passed a small nursery with a cool planted roof so we stopped. 

We walked around and I of course checked out the hostas.  Had them all except a miniature or small hosta called Limey Lisa.  Now that I look at it, the leaves are too big for a miniature so it is a small hosta. Had to have it.  Also purchased a hydrangea called Twist and Shout.  When we got to the front door, they were closed. Duh....our truck was parked right in front (see our red truck) of the door.  R pounded on the door and they said they didn't know anyone was out looking at plants.  Really?  They said come back tomorrow. We said can't because we don't live around here.  Fortunately they were able to bring the cash register back up and we paid and left.

Twist and Shout hydrangea

Got to Lowes and while they brought our item up to the front, we went to the garden area.  Bought a common lilac plant (syringa vulgaris, doesn't seem to be affected by the black walnut trees like the other fancy lilacs) for 10 bucks and a one gallon Pow Wow Berry coneflower (bees and butterflies love it and the birds eat the seed heads during the winter) for a fiver.

 Today's plant haul

And here is where we are at with the shingling and painting.

R has a small side job to do in the morning but if it doesn't rain anymore, I'll prime and paint these shingles until the sun goes down.