Living Roofs:
Roofs are made with drought-tolerate sedums and succulents and planted in water retaining sphagnum moss. Very little watering is necessary after roots become established. If you notice that the roof appears dried out or if there is no rainfall for an extended period of time, then water the roof until the moss appears moist.
When the sedum appears overgrown or stressed, trim the excess. You can replant the starts back into the roof or another area. Many of the varieties of sedums will die back for a period of time after they bloom. After a few weeks, new growth will appear.
After a year or two, you may have to add more sphagnum moss around the edges of the roof. The moss can be purchased by small bags at local craft stores.
Wreaths:
The wreaths dry out quickly and require watering 2-3 times a week. An easy method is to soak the wreath in a shallow pan (such as a trash can lid) for 10 minutes.
Vertical Gardens: Walls/Frames/Containers:
Same care as roofs, but may require more watering because the rain water usually doesn't come in contact with the moss. Rotate the frame every few weeks..
Bird-Feeders:
Set up your feeder in a place where it is easy to see and convenient to refill. Window collisions are often fatal to small birds and feeders should be placed either very close to the window (less than three feet) or much further away (greater than 10 feet). Feeders located about 10-15 feet from a natural shelter such as trees or shrubs offer resting places for birds between feedings and provide a quick escape from predators. Black-oil sunflower seed is the best all-around choice for attracting a wide variety of birds. Finches, chickadees, titmice, cardinals, nuthatches and many other common feeder birds readily consume black-oil sunflower. Safflower isn’t a favorite of every bird (cardinals’ love it!), but if you’re having trouble with non-native starlings at your feeders you might switch to this seed. Millet is a favorite of many ground feeding birds including sparrows, doves, and juncos. Corn, either whole or cracked, is attractive to pigeons and doves. Nyjer or thistle is another common seed that is favored by finches.
Birdhouses:
You can encourage birds to nest in your yard by providing nest boxes. Many common feeder birds, such as chickadees, titmice, bluebirds and wrens readily nest in manmade birdhouses. Securing the birdhouse to a metal pole or PVC pipe will offer the most protection against predators. Wrens, titmice and chickadees prefer a shaded area with a height of about 5 feet. Bluebird houses should be placed in a more open area at a height of about 3-6 feet. The entryway hole should be shielded from the afternoon sun, so facing any direction except west will be best.
