Now I know that I'm dating myself by making reference to an ancient movie, but hopefully it's enough of a classic for people to know what I'm talking about.
The front of the Stepchild Garden, along the street, has a long mixed border that includes lots of different hollies. As a result (I think) of this cold and wet winter, they are just overloaded with berries. I think they are just beautiful, and clearly, so do the robins and cedar waxwings!
Yesterday's warm weather brought with it every robin and cedar wax wubg that is in the metro-Atlanta area, who have decided that the hollies are their new home (at least until the berries are stripped). Sadie the Dog and I have been banished to the street for our walks, and it's beginning to feel like we live in Venice with the pigeons!
Frank (an avid classic movie fan) looked out the window yesterday morning, and asked, "Are there supposed to be hundreds of birds on the lawn?"........he never dares ask about something he doesn't understand in the garden, since he doesn't want to offend me if it's part of the design.......
Hopefully the birds will eat their fill soon, since tomorrow is the first day in weeks I'll been able to work in the Stepchild Garden. Perhaps I'll wear a raincoat.
Love that movie...have fun venturing oout in the garden, as long as you dont end up like susan P...on the steps;)
ReplyDeleteHa ha ha! I got the reference to The Birds but didn't realize that was the actress's name. :) It's nice when someone doesn't want to offend your gardening achievements! :)
ReplyDeleteI have designed my garden around attracting & providing for critters. It has been sunny & 60 in Portland. I thrwe a bunch of extra seed on the ground yesterday & it was indeed a scence from the Hitchcock classic.
ReplyDeleteIn that film, Tippy sings the most irritating & inane song to the children. That song haunts me more than the bird attacks from that film.
I'm really bad with things like this, and only know her name is Tippy Hedron because Frank is a huge movie fan. I personally have never even seen "Star Wars," so I'm a terrible judge of movies. Monica, Frank is so great about not offending in the garden. He often says, "Is that supposed to be doing that?" and really does his best to be into the plants and design! Truly, he's very tailored, and would prefer a beautiful zoysia lawn, a hinoki cypress and three Knockout Roses....but he LOVES when people compliment the wild garden! (He just doesn't totally understand why someone would WANT something like that..)
ReplyDeleteI often stop at a light and look up and see literally thousands of birds perched on the wires above and I can't help but think of The Birds! Imagine it affected an entire generation. By the way, isn't she Melanie Griffith's mother? That should make all of us feel REALLY old!
ReplyDeleteFrank sounds like he well remembers that movie!
Funny you should mention Tippie as I had the same experience this weekend with thousands of birds in the pine tree tops. I think they were starlings but they didn't land on the lawn. It did sound just like the movie track.
ReplyDeleteHi Tim
ReplyDeleteWhen I lived in the UK, I had a Holly which in some years would simply groan under the weight of berries. Great bird food indeed!