The Green View

From Lawn to Landscape...enhancing mother nature's gifts

Your lawn is the canvas; your landscape is the finished work of art. A well-designed landscape can bring you unending pleasure on many levels. Your community enjoys the view, you increase your property’s resale value and the colorful birds of the air seek sanctuary in your yard. The cardinals, chickadees, finches and other birds specific to your locale are feeding in the spring, so be sure to have plenty of Lyric Wild Bird Food on hand. Hours and hours of enjoyment are yours when nature is your entertainment.

So you have a lawn and it’s beautiful. Planting trees, shrubbery and plants around the lawn may seem pretty straightforward. But if you attempt this without a plan, you may end up with less than picture-perfect results.

On the other hand, if you spend some time organizing and laying a design on paper, creating a visual  representation of your property with key yard-house-people relationships in mind, the result can be astounding! Most importantly, you’ll want to organize your plantings and decorations to ensure maximum usefulness as well as aesthetics. Every entrance and exit to your home will be enhanced if the function and decor are properly designed.

Being realistic is also a key to successful landscaping that has long lasting beauty. With the vast array of plants, flowers, trees and decorations available on the market today, it’s easy to overdo it. So keep in mind that you also want to reduce the maintenance of your landscape so that it’s practical. If in your design, you consider the time and resources you have, this will help you enjoy it for years to come without regrets.

Some varieties of plants or other materials in the landscape may take up a great deal of space and leave little room for people, and that’s another great reason why planning is essential---to make your landscape livable. And for your landscape plantings, our line of Woodace Tree, Shrub and Plant fertilizers will keep your new and established floras and evergreens healthy and strong throughout all of their growth stages.

Landscape Design Basics…

Most homeowners are not experienced landscape designers, but the “do-it-yourself-er” and even the amateur gardener can very adequately design their own outdoor environment by following a few important principles:

First, observe and analyze the habits of all who will be using the space, including adults, children and pets. List their needs, desires, and activities. Figure out about how much space each of their activities requires. Also pay careful attention to the view in and around your property and to the ecology of the site, for a “greener” way to landscape.

Recognize that the art of landscaping differs from other forms of art because it grows and changes from season to season. A newly landscaped property will hold a promise of blooms and views to come and may look a bit scant at the start. But with time, each specimen and flower bed will grow to fill its intended space and add a variety of color and texture for every month of the year.

In your plan, consider landscape construction too, where walls, pathways, water features lighting or other accents may add symmetry, depth, drama or just another level of enjoyment. For example, a trellis brimming with vines and flowers can be a welcoming entry or a dramatic exit to a garden or pathway. After all that work, decorating with comfortable benches will be a welcome site for the weary gardener or admiring guest.

Finally, consider landscaping to attract birds. Every species of bird has its own unique food requirements, and these may change as the bird matures and as the seasons change. Plant the trees, shrubs, or flowers that will provide the fruits, berries, grains, seeds, acorns, nuts, or nectar they crave. Want more birds? Position plenty of feeders using our Lyric Wild Bird Food for all four seasons and provide a constant and fresh source of water. A frog pond, water garden, or bird  bath will be most effective if the water is dripping, splashing, or moving. Trees, shrubs, tall grass, and bird houses will provide excellent shelter for the birds and protect them from predators. Include a wide variety of plants in your landscape plan to attract a greater number of bird species that will amaze the avid birder.

Using both Greenview lawn and landscape and Lyric Wild Bird Food products, in concert, will make it easy for you to transform your landscape into a work of art—one that will become more than something to admire. It will be an extension of your living space—a true outdoor adventure where you can appreciate and share the wonders of nature with family and friends throughout the year.

Content courtesy of Texas A&M and Baltimore Bird Club.

Images courtesy of By Design Landscaping, Superior Landscaping Solutions, Bird Watchin and Landscape Design Advice.

Submitted by J. Weinmann

Birdseed for Blackbirds: Lyric Cracked Corn

"A shiny blue-green blackbird, the Brewer's Blackbird is common in agricultural and suburban habitats of the West. It has taken advantage of human modifications of the environment to expand its range eastward.

Description:

    * Medium-sized songbird.
    * Medium-long tail.
    * Bill thin and pointed.
    * Male iridescent black with purple and green highlights, female dull gray-brown.
    * Size: 20-25 cm (8-10 in)
    * Wingspan: 37 cm (15 in)
    * Weight: 47-67 g (1.66-2.37 ounces)"

Feeder Tips: Cardinals and grosbeaks prefer feeding on platforms. We recommend Lyric's Cardinal Pavilion. It is covered by a cedar-shingled roof providing protection to the food and refuge to the birds. Ground feeding can be risky for the bird, so place the feeder in an open area where he can easily detect danger. Provide cover with shrubs and trees for the birds to fly to safely. Lyric.

Info and picture from Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Festival revamped to celebrate woodpecker's rediscovery

"LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas (AP) -- Plans for an annual birding festival have been revamped to celebrate the rediscovery of the ivory-billed woodpecker -- offering everything from speakers on the rare bird to a "woodpecker haircut."

The strikingly beautiful woodpecker -- sometimes called the Lord God bird -- was thought to have been extinct for decades before a kayaker found one in February 2004.

Cornell University and a number of government agencies announced the discovery last month, and organizers for the Big Woods Birding Festival in Clarendon, near where the bird was spotted, got to work.

Clarendon City Clerk Billie Hasty said last year's festival drew a crowd of almost 1,000 people, but the city is expecting the number to double this year.

Local businesses are hoping to capitalize on woodpecker mania during Saturday's festival. Beauty shop owner Penny Childs plans to offer a "woodpecker haircut," which she already has tried out on her son.

"When I did my son's hair we just gelled it back and stuck it up, and painted it fire-engine red with some black and white spots," Childs said.

The hair cut is similar to a mohawk, but starts out flatter on the front of the head and then goes up to a point at the back of the head, just like the woodpecker's crest.

A full haircut and color will cost $25, while just the woodpecker coloring will cost $10, she said.

New additions to Saturday's festival include Phillip Hoose, author of the 2004 book "The Race to Save the Lord God Bird" and Gene Sparling, who is credited with the first sighting of the bird since 1944."

Birdseed for the Black-capped Rose-breasted Grosbeak: Lyric Black Oil Sunflower

"The male Rose-breasted Grosbeak, boldly patterned in black, white, and rose, is easily identified. The drab, striped female, however, is more of a challenge, resembling a large sparrow or finch. A common bird of forests and second growth, the grosbeak's song is like that of the robin, only as sung by an opera singer, being mellower and more sweetly melodic."

"Feeder Tips: Cardinals and grosbeaks prefer feeding on platforms. We recommend Lyric's Cardinal Pavilion. It is covered by a cedar-shingled roof providing protection to the food and refuge to the birds. Ground feeding can be risky for the bird, so place the feeder in an open area where he can easily detect danger. Provide cover with shrubs and trees for the birds to fly to safely." link

Picture and info from Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Birdseed for Tufted Titmouse: Lyric Peanut Pieces

"A common bird of forest and feeders in the eastern United States, the Tufted Titmouse is often seen foraging in groups with other birds. It is quick to scold predators and is easily attracted to the mobbing calls of other species.

Description: Small gray songbird. Short tuft on head. Eye black and prominent in pale gray face. Size: 14-16 cm (6-6 in) Wingspan: 20-26 cm (8-10 in), Weight: 18-26 g (0.64-0.92 ounces)"

Use Lyric Peanut Pieces.

Feeder Tips: Selectively limit your feeding site for optimal pleasure by offering the food in a Lyric Woodpecker Feeder. This cedar feeder is uniquely designed so that only the woodpeckers' and nuthatches' long bills and tongues can get the bits of food. We suggest smearing some suet or peanut butter on the cedar and in the holes to attract the bird and help it identify the food source. Hanging the feeder from a tree branch or close to a tree trunk is optimal. Conversely, if you'd like to offer the mix to all birds, a hopper feeder works nicely. We also recommend wire mesh tubes, but because most of the ingredients are shelled, protect them from direct exposure to the elements. Squirrel baffles are always recommended.

Picture and info from Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Birdseed for Woodpeckers: Lyric Delite

Since Woodpeckers are all the rage I'm posting about the Red-bellied Woodpecker, read more about them at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Description: Red bellies have a rosy tummy, thus their name. They have white and black barred stripes on their back, much like a zebra. The nape and crown of the male is red, while only the nape of the female is red. They nest and raise their young in a hole of a dead tree. Red-bellies are primarily in the eastern United States and southeastern Canada.They are commonly in pairs foraging for insects. They will come to a feeder and eat sunflower seed, nuts, and fruits. Info from Lyric.

Lyric Delite is a great de-shelled seed mix for use during spring, the facts are below.

Product Essence: Don't stop feeding birds in spring and summer. You'll have much more fun watching them raise their young, bring them to the feeder, and socialize throughout the warm months while you're gardening, swimming and NOT weeding! That's right. Many folks are reluctant to feed during the warm months because the seed germinates and causes a gardening nightmare. Shells make decks, patios and lawns unsightly. Resolve the problem by changing your mixture. Delite is waste-free, mess-free and weed-free. It's also a great value, because you don't pay for the shells. Four pounds of Delite is equivalent to nearly eight pounds of the same mix with the shells.

Feeder Tips: The spring rains tend to spoil the food. Lyric's Supreme Saltbox Feeder is designed to protect shell-free foods like Lyric Delite. Because the food has no shells, it won't germinate and cause a mess. It mounts on a 4" x 4" post or deck rail so that you can see the birds in their bright plumage up close and brilliantly.

[Picture from Lyric]

The Woodpecker is Back

The Washington Post reports that after 60 years of presumed extinction a ivory-billed woodpecker has been spotted.

"Last seen in 1944 and long assumed to be extinct, is alive and well and living in Arkansas. One at last.

A male ivory bill was seen by a lone kayaker on Feb. 11, 2004, in a cypress and tupelo-gum swamp in northern Arkansas. Since then there have been six other sightings. A year ago this week, a video camera mounted in a canoe recorded four seconds of the bird in flight, catching its distinctive white wing patches.

"This is confirmed. This is dead solid confirmed," said John W. Fitzpatrick, head of the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology and the lead author of a paper describing the discovery published online yesterday by the journal Science.

Word of the woodpecker's survival -- long rumored, never proved -- came at a news conference here featuring two Cabinet secretaries, two senators, half a dozen biologists (including one who moved from the Netherlands to pursue the elusive bird), representatives of several conservation organizations and the kayaker. They spoke with amazement, ardor and reverence."

Read the rest of the Washington Post article.

Another Duck Alert?

While the duck at the Treasury Department garners Secret Service protection, she may not be the ritziest quacker in town! That honor may belong to a wood duck nesting just outside the Ritz-Carlton in Georgetown, Washington DC.

Their security team has put velvet ropes and stanchions around her area. They are feeding her cracked corn and bottled Ritz water which are both served in a silver Ritz bowl. They say the chef has temporarily taken duck breast off the menu.

DUCK ALERT!!!

Who gets Secret Service protection? One nesting duck- that's who! She is nesting outside the Treasury Department and to quote the Washington Post, " ...may be the safest duck on the planet..."

She's been given several names, including "Quacks Reform," "T-Bill," and "Duck Cheney."

The Ritz Duck eats Lyric Quack 'n Snack Cube

We just sent off a bag of Lyric Quack 'n Snack Cube to the the Ritz Carlton Georgetown in Washington DC.

A bit about what this pampered duck is eating is below.

Wild Bird Food Ingredients:
Black Oil Sunflower Seed, Tree Nut Pieces, Buckwheat, Whole Corn, Alfalfa Pellets, Wheat, Oats, Peanuts in Shell

Product Essence:
If the name sounds like fun, imagine how much fun you're going to have watching your feeders. Feeding wildlife is a growing phenomenon - suburban or rural. Offering a wildlife mixture brings you great pleasure. And in adverse conditions, your contribution to these critters will be greatly appreciated. The blend is nutritionally balanced and attracts game birds, mammals, song birds and woodpeckers. So get wild! Expand your wildlife watching beyond the birds. Quack 'n Snack is the perfect attraction - and absolutely alluring!

Feeder Tips:
Many folks love to feed wildlife as well as the birds. This feeder offers that opportunity. It holds 20 lbs of Lyric Quack n Snack, keeps it dry, and provides stability for those larger animals. We recommend that you place the feeder on a platform of block, wood or bricks to allow maximum air circulation beneath the feeder.