In our busy lives, learning to organize things has become a critical skill. Some days (or weeks, or months) we can' t keep up with everything and that's when it falls apart. A few weeks ago, someone posted a tip on a BBS about the Yahoo "Flylady" group; a sort of daily reminder service for people afflicted with C.H.A.O.S. (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome) -- and that got me thinking. I've sorta fallen down on my wildscaping lately -- have you? So I took the basic idea (there are simple changes you can make that aren't horribly time consuming) and thought about them for wildscaping.
SIMPLE TIPS FOR AUGUST
1) If there aren't watering restrictions in your area, be sure your trees get watered once a week. If there are watering restrictions, consider catching some of your bath or shower water for the plants. Greenery helps reduce pollution and heat around your home or apartment.
2) Put out fresh water for animals on the weekends. Even if you live in the city, the birds would appreciate a shallow bowl with water in it. During the summer, water is the most important resource for all living things.
3) Look over plants that seem to be dead and dying. Mark those for removal and talk with a nursery about what you might plant there for the fall (note: if you live on a lot of acerage, clear dead brush around buildings -- but dump it in a little seen part of your land. It makes valuable habitat for wild creatures.
4) Seed isn't quite as important as a source of food, but once a week or so, put out an apple core (or other piece of fruit) for the wild things around your yard.
And as the year turns to fall, we will need to start planning for the new year -- but that's a column for another week.
Go To Page: 1
| Here's the follow-up discussion on this article: | View all related messages |
For a complete listing of article comments, questions, and other discussions related to Mel. White's Wildscaping topic, please visit the Discussions page.