How to clean your bird bath

I hope you all have some water sources for the birdies out there. It’s been in the 90’s here in the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia. It’s hard for me to imagine how the wildlife endures extreme temperatures.

Here’s my bird bath.

It’s made out of resin and I’ve had it many years. I am concerned about keeping it out in the direct sun, but I know birdies love to take sun baths. I also know that in this heat, I walk outside every other day and the water is getting ready to turn green. If for some reason I ignore it longer, I find green water and lots of mold on the bottom. I truly try not to let it get this way.

Here's my other bird bath:

This morning I dumped the water out of this bath to clean and refill a little later. I looked out the window at it and there is a mourning dove flitting around it and finally settling in to the empty bath. I felt bad I hadn't yet filled it, but she seemed OK with it. She filled the whole bowl up with her size. I hurried up and filled it up but of course haven't seen her the rest of the day!

To clean my baths, I dump the water out and I’m left with dark slimy gunk on the bottom of the bird bath. What I have been doing is taking a gallon of water and putting a drop of Dawn, and a drop of bleach in it and dumping it in the bath. I get a scrubby and scrub it as much as I can. I rinse with another gallon of water, but then I let dry for a day, because I don’t know if my cleaners will harm the birds. Well, of course they would if they drank  them, but I mean after I rinse out the bird bath.

I decided to see if there was an organic way to clean my bath, and sure enough came across this recipe that might work:

4 and a  1/2 cups of white vinegar

½ cup water
Pour into the bird bath and let it sit for a while. Scrub and rinse it out with a good amount of water.

As far as the birds' drinking water, some resources suggest putting a cap full of apple cider vinegar in the water all the time, which will keep down the algae and also provide vitamins and minerals to the birds. I’ve got some inquiries out to see if this is an acceptable practice, too, so in the meantime I’ll stick to my bleaching out the bird baths and filling them with plain water.

It's also suggested to place the bath near bushes where birds can fly to quickly to preen and dry themselves off.

Here's a couple of pretty bird baths:

This is available at Amazon. I'd love to have a fresh water feature for my birds and others to enjoy.

Pinterest

What do you do to clean your bird bath?

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you leave a comment and share with friends and family.

Happy gardening, my friends ~

~Ann

Gardening and Quilting Connection

Two things I love the most in terms of hobbies I’ve had over the years: gardening and quilting.

I’ve gardened for a whole lot of years. Having a garden for me is equivalent to putting furniture in my house. There just is no choice.  This actually is what this blog is all about – taking my bare lot and turning it into beautiful gardens! Yes, it feels pretty naked out in my back yard, except for the frozen blanket of snow that covers it.

Many years ago, I discovered a quirky lady by the name of Eleanor Burns. She was teaching quilting on TV. I fell in love with her “Quilt In A Day” program and techniques, and my desire to learn to quilt was born.  I admit I haven’t been as successful at quilting, as I have at gardening, but I love it to this day. I have a humongous stash of fabric and go through it regularly to figure out what I should make. (I know you quilters are out there chuckling.) Sadly I do more gazing than sewing, I'm afraid.

                                                               

I'm in awe at all the beautiful and inspiring garden blogs on the web and I'm amazed at how many of the bloggers also quilt. (And many are artists - paint or drawing or other.)

I wondered what the magical connection between the two might be. For me, I love bright colorful flowers in the garden in the summer and my favorite fabric are the floral types. Maybe it’s the idea that if I can’t have flowers in the winter, I can have them through my fabric. And perhaps it's just the colors....many gardeners are quilters but don't care as much for the floral as the more modern geometric shapes, circles, solids, as well as the brightest of colors you might find in the garden.

Creativity factor's in here, too, as both gardening and quilting can satisfy as wonderful outlets.

Quilting and gardening are intertwined throughout life. There are quilt gardens – gardens that are grown with the design of various quilt blocks.

You can visit the quilt gardens along the Heritage Trail in Elkhart County Northern Indiana Amish Country:

"The Quilt Gardens along the Heritage Trail joins quilting, gardening and art into a one-of-a-kind event. This colorful patchwork of quilt inspired gardens and quilt-themed murals is linked by the roads that form the Heritage Trail."

For more information, visit here: http://www.amishcountry.org/explore-the-area/quilt-gardens/

Quilt shows take place all over the world. They often are juried, meaning that it is a competition and is judged. Winners can earn big bucks in the big shows. Here in West Virginia the West Virginia Division of Culture and History has an annual juried quilt show. Floral-themed quilts, such as the one below, probably make up the majority of entries.

                                                                      

Evelyn M. Miller of Charleston, Kanawha County West Virginia won first place for this floral appliqued quilt Rose Garden.

Another form of flower-love is seen in incredible creations called landscape quilting.

Nancy Zieman is a renowned sewist, quilter and teacher with a show that has been on public TV for about 30 years, I believe. She introduced  Natalie Sewell, nationally known landscape quilt artist to teach quilters how to do landscape quilting, a very creative and detail-oriented form of quilting flowers and other greenery.  You can go here to learn more. /http://www.nancyzieman.com/blog/quilting-2/create-a-garden-using-fabric/

                                                                               

                                       Natalie Sewell, landscape quilt artist

Flowers: We’ll take them any way we can get them- gardening, quilting, drawing, painting – and so much more.

What favorite form do your flowers take?