I’ve just moved house, and it’s quickly coming to my attention that the birdlife around these parts is of a bold persuasion. Within a week, some feathery joker has decimated several of my beloved succulents, much to my dismay. I don’t even know for sure that it was a bird, but by the way the plants had been chopped up into bits and expertly hollowed out – even some of the cacti – I have to assume that the culprit has a beak.
All I can say is they’d better stay away from my prized Angel Trumpet plants – I’ve had these things for ages and they’re epic. They supposedly poisonous, so we’ll see. Given old mate’s apparent liking for cactus, I wouldn’t be surprised he was up for having a go at the brugmansia.
On the upside, it’s making me think about what I can do in this new garden. Maybe my whole approach to the activity needs an overhaul, starting with learning about the local bird species and what their habits are. I can then choose plants accordingly, to attract the birds I want without creating a warzone.
I’ve always wanted to have a rockery with planted with some fragrant Corsican mint. Groundcover planting opportunities seem abundant on this property, which has lots of shaded expanses ideally suited to the purpose, including some lovely rock retaining walls that I’m keen to try and do something with. There’s also a spot that would be perfect for building a pond, which is something I’ve always been keen to try my hand it, in addition to growing aquatic plants.
As much as the bird situation horrified me at first, at the end of the day, it’s all part of the fun of this gardening lark. The cool thing is that, if something gets written off, it’s not the end of the world – you can always find more seeds and start again.