Possibly Silly Bird Question


Hey all. This might be a silly question, but I’m going to ask it…
How do you all feel about birds and birders in your Brooklyn gardens?
I got my garden all done and its obviously going to be even more filled out in years to come. I’m a birder (not the super obsessive kind) so I like the yard birds. I put in some goldfinch habitat and have a mature dogwood there already. I also have some berry bushes for them too. (Got a northern flicker out there the other day!)
But I’m thinking this fall of putting in a nice feeder with the suet and the nyjer, and eventually a bath next spring (obviously in a spot where the various neighborhood cats can’t lurk and terrorize.) Do people do this, or does this fall under the rubric of un-neighborly behavior? I’d like to bring in some nice non migrants like the jays and the cardinals that stay around. But I know that when attracting all the awesome yard birds, you get the obnoxious doves, pigeons and house sparrows as well. Am I going to grump out my neighbors, most of whom have very nice decks and gardens themselves if I start attracting all these feathered friends? If I was your neighbor would you growl at me due to perceived avian mess? I also have concern over pre-existing condition phenomenon…like right now a flock of sparrows already lives in my neighbors drainpipes…and I’m worried that if I implement my bird attraction plan I will be falsely and illogically accused of causing this. Similarly with the poop problem…even though the poop may be everywhere already, I’m afraid people will only “notice” it after noticing my bird feeder.
Or would you just enjoy the awesome view of blue jays, cardinals and northern flickers? I’m never done the “urban” bird thing before so I have no idea about brownstone garden bird habitat annoyances.

It just entered my mind yesterday as I was bird watching in the garden and got bird bombed twice. I want to be all considerate and stuff and I don’t want any of the neighbors mad at me over wild birdies.

I know, it seems a pretty silly question. But honestly, I’ve had neighbors have temper tantrums over sillier things in this city. Which is why I’m asking.

Categories: Garden
By HoneysuckleWeeks | 05/09/2010 3:16 PM | Comment

Planting Ideas


Another gardening post…
I got about three quarters the yard dug once over and amended today! Woo hoo!
I’m got the soil and root systems all mentally “mapped out” and everything and soon I can re-seed the lawn part in a middle circular area made up by blue stones (only about 8′x10′ of a regular townhouse garden.) Any ideas on what to plant? I’ve never gardened in this zone before, I’m from way north. Most of my stuff will be veggies and annuals in containers for focal points, but I wanted to do some sprucing around the edges.

Thing is, place is a rental. I got a bunch of free mulch and free container soil…so I decided to go all out Right now I’m about $70 in for the soil amendments, grass seed and seed netting.) I don’t want to put in anything the landlord might not want there, and I know I should be able to take up stuff when I leave the city (still a couple years away.) I’m thinking a red twig dogwood, some hostas, japanese forest grass elijah blue in the shady areas (which is most of the garden.) None of this self pollinated and spreads I don’t think. Any thoughts on maybe a rose of sharon shrub or dwarf peony? I’ve seen those get big, and I know they grow in anything, but I don’t know how quick they grow and how obtrusive the root system is. But the garden really could use just a couple medium sized shrubs with some flowering to reduce the current “barren” look.

Last tenant was a single guy who was here for 10 years and apparently never worked the garden. There were only tufts of crabgrass, some of the neighbors invaded ivy and the two trees. (There is a cute little rock garden built up around the trunk, hence the elijah blue.) I’m sure the landlord isn’t going to be grumpy with a new lawn and someone taking the time to overseed every season. I’m not sure he’d even notice if a rose of sharon was added and I could even leave my gardening work when I go if he doesn’t notice, but I just figured I’d ask and see what you guys thought or if you had some better suggestions.

I’ll probably just order through catalogs, but I was hoping with a $200 budget (about $130 left) I could make the garden a passable place to entertain and spend the summer.

Categories: Garden
By HoneysuckleWeeks | 04/02/2010 5:58 PM | Comment

Cleaning brick?


Hi everyone,
excuse my ignorance, but I’ve never lived with the oft-sought “exposed brick.” The stairs in our duplex are brick. It’s nice, but dirty…it looks like it has some kind of whitish stuff. Should I post a pic? I’m not sure how to do that. Also, I have a working fireplace so it’s got a little soot. I’ve never made a fire and I’m not immediately planning on cleaning it like I want to with the stairs. But never have had brick in an apt before, I don’t know what to use to clean it. I have a bucket and scrubby bush, but feel like I’m missing something. Any ideas?

Categories: Maintenance
By HoneysuckleWeeks | 08/01/2009 8:07 AM | Comment

Comestic Renos on a Rental?


We just moved from CG to the Heights. After 8 years in a floor thru that was way too big and way too run down, we found a perfect place, about 250-sq-ft smaller but with 600 square feet of patio and backyard. We’re totally IN LOVE with the whole space (including the amazing block) except the kitchen. It’s functional, but not optimized. I’d like to upgrade the stove and fridge. I’d also like to add a backsplash and nice countertops. I want to change the cabinet hardware and maybe reface them.
The previous tennant was there for 10 years and I’m planning on being in this space for 5-7. Would it be worth it to drop a little bit of money into a rental, just to make it more comfortable for us? Since the kitchen is functional, I don’t think the landlord is going to want to split costs. But my husband is a former contractor and I did the interiors of our place upstate to prepare it for sale. This isn’t DOB permit territory, but I’ve never upgraded a rental before. The only return on investment would probably be our own increased comfort if I can’t get any reimbusement from the landlord. Like I’ve said I’ve done work like this before and I can do it very cost effectively. I don’t really worry about the money but is this something any other renters out there would consider doing for their own comfort?or is it just plain dumb?
Thanks :)

Categories: Kitchen & Bath
By HoneysuckleWeeks | 07/20/2009 10:45 AM | Comment