My Garden

zen gardens

Last post 21-08-2009 9:23 PM by patiopal. 7 replies.

• 19/08/2009 10:22 PM

  patiopal Location: My Garden forums Joined on: 11 Feb 2009 Posts: 72

  Reply | Contact I would like to know more about Zen gardens if anyone knows about em. Also sites for info such as designing one. I think i have to say to myself now that its about as much as i could manage due to disability. doesnt entirely disappoint me, it will be beautiful and peaceful. I would love to attract wee birds though. I get house sparrows and starlings at my feeders, they are very aggressive to each other, that is their own kind too. I didnt know they would be that vicious. Is it because they are building themselves up for the winter now, and these are this years clutch. Are they keeping the little ones away, or is it something else entirely that i have not seen one blue tit nor finch around here. would love to know that too!

• 20/08/2009 05:21 AM

  In reply to

  Foxnfirefly Location: Virginia,USA Joined on: 01 Jul 2008 Posts: 165

  Reply | Contact There are some books on Zen gardening, but I think the Japanese style concepts are great but there are few books on those.  It is, to me, a philosophy of order and tranquility.  Things that are properly ordered and paired with their surroundings bring the whole together and promote harmony with self and environment.  The Japanese approach is to select plants with distinct characteristics, shapes and colors, to create an atmosphere, and to design small areas that inspire feelings.  A small pond with a fountain and a couple of big rocks placed where one can come and sit nearby to  hear the fall of the water and see reflections  is an example.   It would be a place where one can meditate and re-charge.

• 20/08/2009 11:10 AM

  In reply to

  miranda Location: Oxfordshire Joined on: 17 Nov 2004 Posts: 2,976

  Reply | Contact Sparrows and starlings are often aggressive, patiopal, it seems to be the way of many birds that live in groups. They may put the other song birds off from using the feeders, but sparrows and starlings are quite messy eaters and will drop a lot of bits on the ground. These will attract the finches, robins and blackbirds who seem to prefer to eat on the ground. Once the weather turns cold, they'll be along to see what you've put out. Birds remember where food is put out and will have a round of gardens that they visit. Also, they watch one another and if they see that some birds are coming to your garden, then they'll follow to see what's on offer. In time, you should get a good variety. At this time of year, there is still a lot of wild food and birds tend to prefer that, so you may not see many about until their natural food supplies dwindle in winter.

• 20/08/2009 08:50 PM

  In reply to

  Kit Location: Nottingham Joined on: 25 Jul 2009 Posts: 11

  Reply | Contact With the bird question, it's partly about what you feed. Most small birds love sunflower hearts fed from hanging feeders, and tits also like to take peanut granules fed from seed feeders (they'll also use a conventional peanut feeder with mesh sides, of course, but if you don't get a lot of bird 'traffic', these go mouldy too quickly). Fatballs are good in the winter, too. You buy wire mesh cages for all sorts of feeders that will keep larger birds away, so that the little ones get a look-in. Also, feeders should always be situated close to cover, so that the biirds can take refuge quickly if the local sparrowhwak decides to drop by. I'm not seeing many tits at the moment, because (like a lot of the adult birds) they're still in their summer moult and are lying low. They'll come back as soon as the weather gets a bit colder. I'm seeing lots of sparrows and goldfinches, which are squabbling amongst themselves just like yours. It doesn't put off the other small birds - blue and great tits are well used to just diving in quickly in between the noisier, more aggressive birds and grabbing a seed or two. They often take them back to a nearby shrub to eat them, which is why you don't see quite so much of them. I hope you do manage to attract some birds - I'm disabled, too, and really enjoy being able to sit and watch the visitors to my garden, even if I can't do much of the actual gardening work! - Kit.

• 20/08/2009 09:16 PM

  In reply to

  patiopal Location: My Garden forums Joined on: 11 Feb 2009 Posts: 72

  Reply | Contact thank you so much foxnfirefly, miranda and kit for all the info on the bird situation! Well, i never did have a garden, just sat in many mature gardens and seen the variety of birds on the feeders. I used to be part of Birdwatch Ireland and go on all their bird watching trips. We have a 'festival of world cultures here on the weekend of the 29th and i see there is a workshop on how to make a zen garden! Also i may drive down to Kildare to the National Stud where there is a great tourist attraction of a japanese garden designed by two japanese men, father and son, many years ago. I saw a small wren on the fence, he/she hopped out of the fushia, the one i wanted to get rid of as its in the raised bed and i wanted to put it someplace more suitable. Do you think i would be depriving the wren of its home or will it find another and also cover. I found a lovely ivy climber when i started to clear the mess, it was the usual variagated kind but with blazes of red through it a bit like a begonia. I thought it would be fantastic to encourage on the very bare high north facing wall. Do any of you know what this one might be? it was so smothered in weeds etc. I was so much happier seeing these posts here this morning, i have had a very brutal few days and nearly had to go to hospital but wanted to stay clear due to pig pox everywhere. I am on the up now, just a wee bit, and increased meds and slept a lot today. the wren, your posts and the sleep all did wonders for me. xpatio pal "tis a great life, if you don't weaken!!!' well, i do have to say i am glad i have sparrows, their numbers are declining and they are becoming scarse but they must all be in this cul de sac!

• 21/08/2009 06:14 PM

  In reply to

  Kit Location: Nottingham Joined on: 25 Jul 2009 Posts: 11

  Reply | Contact I'm not sure about your ivy, there are lots and lots of varieties. But if you like it, why not try and propagate it so that you can put it in the right place in your garden? Instructions here: http://www.rhs.org.uk/Advice/profiles0702/climber_prop.asp Meantime, I hope you're feeling better, you seem to have had a rough time! - Kit. PS: Your wren probably won't be looking for a nesting place this late on in the season, so don't worry about cutting down your fuchsia.

• 21/08/2009 09:05 PM

  In reply to

  patiopal Location: My Garden forums Joined on: 11 Feb 2009 Posts: 72

  Reply | Contact thank you kit for telling me about the wren situation! I wouldnt remove anything that was a 'home' for a wee bird so that info is very reassuring, it was fantastic to see him/her. I was so thrilled. I will try and propogate the ivy, it sure better than mile a minute which I just tore down viciously and the neighbour cut his back so nothing got into much here on my patch. Yeh, things rough recently but got AMAZING new hearing aids, he told me I was 65% deaf. I thought that was very bad and he said, well you have 35% left and that is very good!!!!! the hearing aids are called Flash so now i think i shall call myself Flash Annie!!! Good day in town bought a few nice things and some fat rings too for the garden. xpatio pal thanks for your post kit, keep well.

• 21/08/2009 09:23 PM

  In reply to

  patiopal Location: My Garden forums Joined on: 11 Feb 2009 Posts: 72

  Reply | Contact Hi Kit, replying to the message you sent a few days ago. was reading it again and you mentioned sparrowhawks, well, i then decided i hadnt spelt it right so deleted the message to see how you spelt it and i think you made a typo!!! That so funny! I am a million miles away from sparrowhawks, no i dont know how to spell that! A very strange thing happened a few years ago in my last place, in the middle of a housing estate, a protected tree, a massive horsechestnut tree was a very big favourite of mine, i even painted it. well the magpies always started early there as they build severely and the female then choses which she likes best, but she took this one that year and it was SO early in the breeding season, what did i see but a cockoo! I rang Birdwatch Ireland and the debate was mighty. we agreed it was a cockoo, no, another word i cant spell. It was amazing, the magpies were dive bombing it and it stood fast, dropped an egg and flew off, just amazing sight to see the magpies attack like that and your woman as bold as brass not a ruffled feather! I am sorry you are disabled too. it kinda hit me hard and fast and it was a very steep learning curve i have to say. also at the same time twin got PD so we both now in mobility scooters. We are not ancient either, so it was a double whammy. had a good day today, though, very good. xxpatio pal