"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
there


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

"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
there

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


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

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 there

Yes)) There are loads) We went down to hang seed balls and
wondered whether to hang one in there 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

"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 there

Yes)) There are loads) We went down to hang seed balls and
wondered whether to hang one in there 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/

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 there

Yes)) There are loads) We went down to hang seed balls and
wondered whether to hang one in there 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

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 there

Yes)) There are loads) We went down to hang seed balls and
wondered whether to hang one in there 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.

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 there

Yes)) There are loads) We went down to hang seed balls and
wondered whether to hang one in there 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

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.

"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/

"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 there

Yes)) There are loads) We went down to hang seed balls and
wondered whether to hang one in there 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/

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

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

"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/

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

"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/