Sometimes It's Good to be A Little Messy

If you're anything like me, you'll have banner days when your garden is looking good enough for and historic tour. Then again, on other days, you wouldn't even want the garbage collectors to come by.

But a messy garden does have purpose.

Frankly, if you're one to admire gardens with lawns clipped like putting greens, this next concept may be tough to get your head around. A not-so-neat garden with lots of layers -- brush, leaves and weeds -- is a perfect habitat for birds.

Now, I'm not advocating that you want to let your entire garden go into such a state of disrepair that you don't know where to start when it comes to straightening it. I'm suggesting that you leave a patch of your yard -- a back corner near a fence or even an area near some hedges -- with that unclipped, just-jumped-out-of-bed- at-10-in-the-morning look.

Birds love to have cover and nesting material. In fact, just this past spring I caught a sparrow taking bits of moss, twigs and dryer lint into a bag of potting mix to make a nice little nest for her babies. If you present birds with the kinds of resources they like, you're likely to have them stick around your yard.

What's the advantage? I knew you'd ask that question.

Not only are birds fun to look at, it's a great source of joy to hear them chatter in the morning and evening, especially if you live in an urban area. It's nice to be reminded that there is some nature around you even though you're surrounded by concrete.

Birds are also great for kids to see and nurture. In fact, your kids can be of great help when it comes to making sure that the "messy for the birds" part of the garden retains as many nutrients and minerals as possible. This would be a great "kid" garden because kids wouldn't have to do a whole lot of work.

Kids can even plant things like purple coneflower and wildflowers to attract birds, bees and butterflies. Columbine is a good choice for a wildlife garden. Choose native plants for your area that won't require a lot of care. You'll be advancing native species and cutting back on water at the same time.

Another feature in your bird habitat can be a birdbath. This is something kids can also help take care of because it doesn't take much time or effort. The one thing you want to remember, though, when setting up a birdbath is to make sure that you put it where there is some shade. Birds like cool water on a hot summer day just like you do and shallow water tends to get hot quickly.

If you'd rather not do a big birdbath, set out a container of water and make sure to change it every day. They'll naturally do some bathing in it even though it's also their drinking water. And make sure that container has a good lip on it so that bird feet can grip on to the sides.

In a recent Washington Post article, these five elements were mentioned as being important in setting up a quality bird habitat:

• Food and water sources • A place to raise their babies • Protective layers for wildlife like a densely branched shrubs, rock piles and hollow logs • A sustainable practice of gardening like mulching, composting and getting rid of plants that will invade the habitat • Keeping cats indoors during bird season

The last suggestion might surprise you even though cats are natural birders. Let me tell you a little story about my late tabby cat, Zeke.

Just after moving to Tidewater, Virginia, I set up hummingbird feeders and planted some petunias nearby. Zeke was the ultimate birder and liked to hunker down behind the potted petunias to see what he could see. One summer, Zeke was so fast that he bagged two hummingbirds. Was I happy about it? Absolutely not but I truly never imagined that he would be so fast that he could take down one hummingbird, let alone two. I kept him inside until the hummingbirds left in September.

You'll want to make sure that bird baths and feeders are kept clean because birds can become sick quite easily. Having a feeder right by your kid friendly messy garden will keep the birds coming back.

In this area of the garden, weeds rule. Remember, weeds are plants you didn't anticipate showing up in a particular place. Also, dead trees are great for those insect eating birds and animals. Woodpeckers love them. Plant sunflowers, lamb's ear and let that crabgrass go wild.

So, go on. Have a messy area of your yard dedicated just to birds and wildlife. You'll soon be the avian talk of the neighborhood.