Foliage

[laurab]

I have a large flight with bamboo, pampas, small conifer and cotoneaster in it, can anyone advise of a suitable creeper that won't be eaten as soon as I put it in and does anyone know if Fatsia (mock caster oil) is poisonous?

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi Laura,

The Creepers I would suggest are Virginia Creeper, Passion Flower, Honeysuckle, Clematis & even Ivy, but if you want a fast growing Creeper, it has to be be Russian Vine!

I would advise you to grow then on well in tubs, before you put them in your Aviaries.

I'm not sure whether Fatsia is toxic or not, but my advise would be if you aren't sure on any Plant, don't include it in your Aviary.

Paul.

[laurab]

Thanks for that Paul :D

I have just had a thought :idea: are there any bedding plants that would be beneficial to the birds and look nice in the aviary, although probably not for long! If so I will get some seeds in preparation for the spring/summer. Isn't it great to now be able to look forward to the spring and summer :D

[chris]

just a thought,

is there any herbs that we can grow which will have a positive effect on our birds health? or provide tha basis of a cure for some minor illneses etc. i've been thinking about this for a while now but don't have a clue what to grow and weather it would be safe

chris :D

[laurab]

Hi Chris

last year I had some mint and rosemary in my aviary. I have since read that some varieties of rosemary should not be placed in an aviary.

Saying that, my birds suffered no ill effects. I did expect the mint to vanish quickly knowing that my canaries would eat anything green, but it didn't happen!

I believe they use the mint medicinally as I did on occasion see the birds nibble at it.

A neighbour of mine cut back her lemon balm and gave me a huge bunch of it. I tied it together and hung it up in the aviary, the birds (especially the canaries) went mad for it. I hope to be able to provide the same this year.

I know some plants are listed as poisonous but surely the birds must know what is what :?: After all you never see lots of wild birds dead under an ivy bush :!: Even so I think it best to err on the side of caution.

I do intend on doing further research into the use of herbs......one day :?

[chris]

my thoughts exactly on not seeing dead birds under ivy bushes! i have lemon balm so might give that one a try next year! also have mint, rosemary, thyme, corriander, basil...

i've heard about people feeding fennel seeds to birds and i have stacks of the stuff in my garden so might place a plant in the aviary. the birds never bothered much with bits that i cut off and placed in before, but i can use that to my advantage! if they don't eat it,then it's a plant that will grow in the aviary without any problems :wink:

[Waxbillman]

hello Laura

i posted this once but i don't know where it has gone so i will do it again,

one of the best bedding plants you can use is climbing nastursiums they will grow up 8ft in one season, all parts are perfectly edible to birds and to us!
they get covered in masses of bright red, orange or yellow flowers, which insects love, so theres free food for you birds, the sappy lime-green leaves also get attacked by insects and so even more free livefood.
depending on the birds you have, you can also grow runner beans, peas, loblia, sunflowers and busy lizzies all without a problem.

matthew

[laurab]

Hi Matthew

thanks for the reminder, I already have my nastursiums in pots just waiting for them to get bigger.

I have already put feverfew in the aviary and I will be adding some more herbs soon.

[Waxbillman]

Hi laura,

very good,

my favourite shrubs to use in avairies is Phesant berry (leycesteria formosa) and buddleia, both have flowers attractive to insects and a very fast growing.

matthew

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi Matthew,

You've brought out the plant suggestions again well done mate we can never have too many suggestions, keep them coming people. :D

Paul.

[chris]

anyone know if russian vine is safe in an aviary? i'm pretty sure it is, but would like some re-assurance before i plant one :D

also, i'm planning on the following plants if anyone has any suggestions on whether they are safe/unsafe:

Various Palm trees, Flax, Ferns, Tree ferns :shock: (expensive one to eat :lol: ) and a weird one i can't think of the name to, i'll get back to you when i remember :roll:

Chris :wink:

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi Chris,

Russian Vine,

Safe as can be, the rest I'm not sure? :roll:

Paul. :wink:

[Waxbillman]

thats a tropical mix for you aviary Chrisit depends what birds you have in the aviary, but waxbills and finch like will be fine. i knowe someone who has such tropical plants in his barn aviary, and they don't touch it.

matthew

[chris]

i'm pretty certain on the safety of palm trees as this is the natural nesting sites and material of the golden palm weaver i have, the others are similar but i don't have a clue how safe they are.

could always go with a coconut palm and a banana tree, but i don't think they'll last against an army of canaries :lol: due to the softer leaves

chris

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi Chris,

You could end up spending a great deal of money for very little in the way of Plants only for them to end up stripped bare by the Weavers, I think you could Plant your Aviary for less & still provide your Birds with ample cover.

Paul.

[chris]

Hi paul,

i had noticed that the palm trees i'm after cost around £50 each :shock: and that is a bit of an expensive meal for the weavers :lol: so i may not plant one in the aviary

i wonder how long they take to grow from Dates? i've already got a 3 foot lemon tree that i grew from seed last year, and about 5 more smaller ones in the greenhouse :lol:

coconut palms cost around £5 each so that isn't too bad if it all goes wrong, i'll just buy one first to see what there reaction to it is :roll:

the plants in the aviary at the moment seem untouched by the weavers, except for one of the varigated grasses which has been reduced to strips :lol:


Chris :roll:

[laurab]

Hi Paul

what plants do you suggest Chris could use to better suit his pocket as well as his birds?

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi Laura & Chris,

I think Plants such as Privet, Conifer, Bamboo, Forsythia & even twiggy branches with Russian Vine, Honeysuckle, Hops, Clematis etc grown through them, will provide ample cover for your Weavers to nest in.

Chris,

As you have already found your Weavers tend to make use of Ornamental Grasses, they do this by gripping the leaves from the base & then fly upwards taking thin strips as they do this, I have also seen similar behaviour from the Village Weavers that used to live & breed very well in the Tropical House at Paington Zoo with Palm leaves (this is the exact reason why they are not there now, the Gardeners didn't approve :lol: ).
Providing Natural materials under near Natural conditions isn't always necessary, as Laura & I have found Weavers will make very good use of Coconut fibre for nest building, and if I remember correctly Laura did have one hen Weaver nest in a domed Wicker nest basket last year :roll: .

If you are prepared to buy a few Ornamental Grasses for £5-£8 (which can be divided into more than one plant if you wish?) then this will be a bonus to your Weavers allowing them to demonstrate Natural nest building, you can then rotate the Plants to allow the stripped Plants to recover after replacing them with a new 'victim' :D .

Paul. :)

PS Chris, if you can buy Coconut Palms for £5 each can you please buy a couple for me if I send you a cheque? :wink:

[chris]

hi paul,

they are actually quite easy to grow from coconuts, which i will be trying out shortly. if i were to get some of these coconut palms for you how would i get them to you?

B&Q sell them for £5 if there is one down your way :wink:

Chris

P.S., do you still want these white worms? :wink:

[chris]

i've just come across this on my travels :lol:

very interesting and may answer many people's questions, at least i know my palms are safe now :D

House and Outdoor Plants:

Acacia Aloe
African Violet
Baby's Tears
Bamboo
Begonia
Bougainvillea
Chickweed
Christmas Cactus
Cissus/Kangaroo Vine
Coffee
Coleus
Corn Plant
Crabapple
Dandelion
Dogwood
Donkey Tail
Dracena Varieties
Ferns (asparagus,birdnest,boston,maidenhair)
Figs (creeping, rubber, fiddle leaf)
Figs (laurel leaf)
Gardenia
Grape Ivy
Hen's and Chickens
Herbs (eg oregano, rosemary, thyme)
Jade Plant
Kalanchoe
Marigold
Monkey Plant
Mother-in-Law's Tongue
Nasturtium
Natal Plum
Pepperomia
Petunia
Pittosporum
Prayer Plant
Purple Passion/Velvet Nettle
Schefflera (Umbrella) Sensitive Plant
Spider Plant
Swedish Ivy
Thistle
Wandering Jew
White Clover
Zebra Plant

Trees and Bushes:

Apple
Arbutus
Ash
Aspen
Beech
Birch
Citrus (any)
Cottonwood
Crabapple
Dogwood
Elm
Eucalyptus
Fir
Guava
Hawthorn
Larch
Madrona
Magnolia
Manzanita
Norfolk Island Pine
Nuts (except chestnut and oak)
Palms (areca, date, fan, lady, parlour)
Palms (howeia, kentia, phoenix, sago)
Pear
Pine
Poplar
Sequoia (Redwood)
Willow

Source: Gillian Willis, http://www.robharvey.com/information/plants.html

theres a few we can add to that list inluding Hops, Passion flowers, Wild Rose, etc.


Chris :D

[Waxbillman]

hey Chris,

thats handy for many people, though 31 of those plants mentioned are either annuals, or not hardy. but perfectly fine in summer though.

matthew

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi Chris,

I agree with Matthew this list will help out a lot of us, I'm now wondering if it would be an idea to use one of the larger Begonia Species we are over run with & training Creeping Fig through it to provide a slightly Tropical form of cover for my Mums Elliots Laughing Thrushes, who knows it might work? :D

On the subject of getting Palm Trees to me, I was just hoping there would be a Bird, Reptile or Amphibian event near your neck of the woods in the near future? :roll: But as you say if B&Q are selling them I'm sure I will find some down here. :wink:

And the White Worms, yes please!!

I will PM my address to you & if you PM yours to me I will post you some Lesser Waxworms. :D

Thanks, Paul.

[laurab]

WOW! What a useful thread this has turned out to be!

I have a list of poisonous plants, I will post them tomorrow.

[PAUL HEARN]

Cheers Laura,

Paul. :D

[laurab]

Hi Paul

You kindly gave me some Privet last year, did you grow them yourself, if so how did you do it? I would love to get some more as it makes a brilliant nesting site.

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi Laura,

The Privet Plants came about due to me and my mate Ray Brooker buying a batch of Plants between us through one of the Plant Specialists such as Bakker, they do deals on Hedging Plants reducing the price per Plant on the higher number you buy, this also includes Conifers etc.
Although Privet can be grown from the seed within the Berries, it is far better to buy established Plants for around £5 each.

Paul.

[Waxbillman]

you can also grow them easily from semi-ripe cuttings, but like Paul says you can buy them big for a few quid so its had'y worth bothering, i buy bare-root plants from mail-order comanies such as glebe-farm hedging, or hedging direct.


matthew

[laurab]

Hi all


I forgot to mention that there is now a list of toxic plants on the MAIN site http://www.feathered-friends.co.uk/news/index.php

[PAUL HEARN]

Thanks Laura,

Thats a great list and quite a worrying one too, I will have to remove more than half of the Plants I have in my aviaries tomorrow, correction later today:-?.

If Bamboo is poisonous then most of the Finches etc should be dead by now as they are rapidly taking the young shoots as an addition to the rest of their diet.
And the Waxwings are eating the leaves and flowers of the Privet.

I can only assume that certain Species have a natural imunity to certain Plant toxins, it may be a case of particular Parrotlike suffering from the toxins rather than Finches etc?:?

Paul.

[chris]

Hi paul,

i think you maybe over-reacting a little, if you've had the plants in your aviary for ages and haven't lost any birds because of them, then they can't be very poisonous at all. take a look at wild birds, how many dead birds do you see sitting in ferns, ivy etc? NONE!!:wink: on another note, everything is poisonous if taken in large enough quantities.

tannins are found in many plants and trees, these are a type of acid that could be classed as poisonous. when eaten they inhibit growth of whatever eats them, and would probably kill them if taken in very large quantities. now for the twisty bit, if you've ever bred fish that originate from the amazon basin you will know that tannins are what make the water black, soft and acidic. without it the fish wouldn't be there yet it doesn't kill them as you would think based on the fact it's poisonous.

lettuce contain cyanide, which is deadly poisonous (i could tell you how it works but i'd be here all day:lol: ), however you don't see people dying from eating salad, dead slugs from destroying an entire patch of em, or any of my birds dead from eating a leaf or two every week.


my point is, don't bother taking anything out of your aviary unless you suspect it has caused the death of one of your birds


Chris:wink:

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi Chris,

Thanks for the tip mate, I've got to put all of the Plants back in the aviaries now.:grin:

I'm only joking honest Guv!!:grin:

It is well known that certain Animals and Birds are immune to particular toxins when others aren't, this is how evolution has ensured that all Animals and Birds are able to take advantage of almost every Fruit, leaf and flower without competing with every Species on the Planet.

Thanks again to Laura for posting the list of toxic Plants.

Paul.:-)

[chris]

hi,

speaking of plants, i've just gone and bought most of the plants for the aviary extension now. i have a russian vine, large bamboo, various grasses which i've had for a while now. today i went and bought from B&Q, a bannana palm, coconut palm, about 20 areca palms in one pot:grin: zebra grass (like bamboo, grows to 4'), ornamental millet and a clematis which put me back about £58 i reckon i'll be going back next week to get the "fast growing" fan palm they had for £25 unless i can find a better deal elsewhere.

i know that there's a good chance of me losing all of the palms over the winter, but then again there's a good chance the bannana palm at least will survive as long as i cover up the whole aviary during the winter months. if the do all die, i'll just buy em again next year:wink:

anyway, i'm happy now i've got a nice tropical mix, and know all the plants to be safe. i reckon the aviary is going to resemble a dense chunk of jungle by the time i'm finished:lol:

Chris

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi Chris,

Great list of Plants mate, £58 for that list is a good deal, but you are a brave chappie to include the Russian Vine in your aviaries:neutral:, Mile a Minute they are not joking.:grin:

I like the idea of Banana Plants and the various Palms, Bamboos etc, I'm off to B&Q after work to see what I can find.

Paul.:wink:

[chris]

hi paul, a qucik price list for ya mate so you can guess how much to take:

bannana palms £10
areca palms, £20 (indoor plant really, but if the aviary is covered like a greenhouse during winter they may survive
coconut palms: £5
Zebra Grass: £6
millet: £4
Clematis: £6

they did also have hops for sale, which is the first time i've seen em anywhere, i think they were about £7-8

also if you like tree ferns, there's some bigones! about a metre and a bit tall for £75, i would get em while you can because that's damn cheap, i'd expect to pay a couple of hundred quid for one that big!

as for the russian vine in my aviary, i'm counting on it growing that fast:grin: only re-poted it 2 weeks ago and it's got to have grown an extra 5 foot already:-|

Chris:wink:

[PAUL HEARN]

Thanks Chris,

Guess what? I forgot to go to B&Q tonight because I had to pick up someone from the local Train Station and then take them home.:|

But at least if I go to B&Q another night, I will know what Plants should be available and for the prices you have told me, if they don't have the Plants I want and/or they are asking too much for what they do have I will quote what you have told me.

So I will be looking for Banana Palms £10 each,
Coconut Palms £5 each,
Bamboo £? each,
AND HOPS!! £7-£8 each, I've been waiting over a year to buy a Hop Plant or two, so thanks mate yet again for reminding me on that one.

I would dearly love to buy a Tree Fern, but I'm gutted that even at that price I couldn't justify buying one at the moment, the other problem is they won't be available for ever.:|

But if I miss out I could make my own, all I would need is any old straight Tree stump, Evo Stick, Coconut Fibre, Peat and a Bog Standard Fern.

Now for you all to have a chance of winning a Paul Hearn version of a Blue Peter Badge, try this children.

Coat a Tree stump with Evo Stick, slap on some Coconut Fibre, scoop out the top of the Tree stump, place some Peat into the hollow and then plant your Fern, whoever produces the most convincing Tree Fern will win the Paul Hearn version of a Blue Peter Badge.:D
If you post your photos of your Tree Ferns I will Judge them and send a Badge by post to your home address.
By the way Chris, well done with your Russian Vine, to be honest I'm only jealous, the 'Powers That Be' banned me from having Russian Vine ever again after having to dispose of the last Plant I had in my aviaries when we left Surrey for Dorset.

Later Paul.;)

[chris]

Hi paul,

if you still can't find and hops, let me know and i'll take a few cuttings off our plants for ya and send one or two your way. thanks to the very hot weather we've had all whiteworm cultures have gone kerput, so i'll have to source another before i can send you any.

the bamboo i've got was already in my garden, but the one's up B&Q were £16-17 i think? and they looked like the dwarf variety

Chris:wink:

[Waxbillman]

hello everyone, i went to B&Q yesterday and they were selling bamboos that were around 6ft high, beuties they were the proper cane producing ones, they could have been fargesia nitidia but i'm not sure i did'nt bother checking., and for less than £30 not too bad. i set away for a few that worked out at £1.50 each a bargain i thought, they are piddley little sods really, i'd rather just but a large established plant
not like i'm a fan of B&Q in any way, but thats another matter i'm sure you don't want to hear me complaining like i have been doing too much on ther sites.

matthew

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi Chris and Matthew,

Chris,

Thanks for the offer of Hop Plant cuttings, I will let you know if I fail to find a couple of Plants down this way, and as for the Whiteworms no worries mate I'm sure I will source some one day.:wink:
I recon I will give the B&Q Bamboos a miss if they are Dwarf varieties and priced at £16-£17 I would expect 2-3ft tall at least.

Matthew,

Please don't keep us in the dark on your views of B&Q, if there is a problem then maybe we should all know.

Paul.:wink:

[Waxbillman]

hello Paul


well where should i start on B&Q and other super-stores, yes they are very cheap, and sell everything you need and plenty of stuff you don't need but buy anyway.
but big chain stores like that are the modern day Hitler's of shops, they are all powerful and all ruling, they are killing small businesses such as local DIY stores and local nurseries, and even bigger businesses like garden centres are in recent years struggling. they, like many other big things have changed the face of Britain thanks to them we are losing the unique and individual character of small businesses, and the personal care is also lost. we are becoming like America, driving wack-off 4x4 pick-up's to take the kids to school, disgusting! we are becoming fatter and fatter, and lazier and lazier (this probabily doesn't affect us aviculturists as we have a proper hobby) just what certain parts of America is like (sorry if i offend any, i'm just making a sweeping statement)
they treat there're growing nurseries like cr*p giving less and less money for their plants.
they don't even really care for their plants especially bedding plants they stick em out in the open we get some rough weather which b**ger's them up and then they flog em'.
i'm not a fan of some of their products anyway, which are cheap tat made by some poor kid in Brazil or india, i'd rather buy British made products, far better quality.

lol, i did warn you Paul, not to get me started.

matthew

[Waxbillman]

P.S

i confess to the wicked sin of buying products from them now and again.
i hang my head in shame.

matthew

[laurab]

I forgot to mention that there is now a list of toxic plants on the MAIN site http://www.feathered-friends.co.uk/news/index.php


If you have another look at the above, there is a number next to each plant mentioned and this relates to the plants toxicity, which is explained at the begining of the subject. :p

Therefore bamboo is NOT poisonous Paul ;)

[laurab]

Chris, what have you started?!!


After you mentioned the plants you have bought, I looked in my aviary and it seemed very drab, plants have seen better days.

So off I went to B&Q. I bought 1 Zebra grass for the same price you quoted, and 2 Virginia Creepers for £2.44 each!!! What a bargain.

I then wnet to a local nursery and got 2 ornamental millets for £2.49 each and 2 variagated privets for £5.99 each.

I have already put the privets in and the birds seem well impressed :razz:

I have a concrete floor covered in dry bird, so all my plants are in pots.

By the way, I normally buy Dry Bird or Easy Bed from our local pet supplier and it costs around £8.99 a large bale. I have now discovered that farm shops sell the same thing for £5.99!! :shock:

[chris]

Chris, what have you started?!!


After you mentioned the plants you have bought, I looked in my aviary and it seemed very drab, plants have seen better days.

So off I went to B&Q. I bought 1 Zebra grass for the same price you quoted, and 2 Virginia Creepers for £2.44 each!!! What a bargain.

I then wnet to a local nursery and got 2 ornamental millets for £2.49 each and 2 variagated privets for £5.99 each.

I have already put the privets in and the birds seem well impressed :razz:

I have a concrete floor covered in dry bird, so all my plants are in pots.

By the way, I normally buy Dry Bird or Easy Bed from our local pet supplier and it costs around £8.99 a large bale. I have now discovered that farm shops sell the same thing for £5.99!! :shock:


:grin: it's all good, hopefully we'll have everyone on here with very well planted aviaries at the end of the year :lol:

Chris

[PAUL HEARN]

Hello Laura and Chris,

Laura,

I'm sorry I didn't look at the numbers beside each Plant on the list:-), I can't tell you how pleased I am to hear that Bamboo isn't poisonous, after all those poor Pandas have got it bad enough as it is.:grin:

Chris,

I agree mate, it's all good!! You do realise though if we Bird people have any future problems with our new found cheap but good quality Plants, you will be the Monty Don of Feathered Friends.:grin:

Paul.:wink:

[chris]

monty don? ah, don't like him lol, alan titmarsh (sp?) now there's a gardener!!


Chris:grin:

[laurab]

Alan Titchmarsh, mmm........now you're talking ;-)

[Waxbillman]

hello chris i agree with you on that one, monty don is a curly haired prat, who started life not as a gardener but as a crazyjewelery designer/maker with is wife, or summut silly like that.
Alan Titichmarsh is a great gardener, and presented gardener's world very well. i whaere did he come from you ask? the land of the gods, Yorkshire of course where many great people come from.
Geoff hamilton was the best though to my knowledge, though don't ask me about the others coz i'm too young to remember them.
Gardener's world has really gone down the hill since Titchmarsh left, but thats another matter i'm sure you don't want me moaning again, i seem to be the Meldew of the forum.

matthew

[laurab]

Glad to see you are still talking about Alan :razz:

[PAUL HEARN]

Ooohh you bitches,

Monty knows his stuff, even with his curly hair, now now Matthew we don't want to alienate curly haired Birdkeepers from the Forum do we??:D
I can understand Laura standing up for Alan Titchmarsh (hussy), but guys I'm very disapointed in you, you didn't even mention Rachel De Thame!!!! I don't care much for her Horticultural knowledge to be honest, but aint she great eye candy!!:D

O.K. so your all Alan Titchmarsh fans:?, but what about Chris Beardshaw then, would he be less of an insult to you Chris?

And Matthew, yes you are The Victor Matthew Meldrew of the Forum.:D

Paul.

[chris]

ah, old helicopter boy, na......... i haven't actually seen him doing any proper gardening, just a few bits of digging here and there, but mainly going around looking at other plants and gardens, anyone can do that:neutral:


Chris:wink:

[PAUL HEARN]

You lot are hard to please.:?

But still no mention of the lovely Rachel, I give up.:-|

Paul.:grin:

[chris]

:lol: :lol: :lol: :grin:

[dave85]

hey paul,

Not an avid gardener program like you 3 but will be joining the planted aviary ranks! once my new aviary is built :D well new flight space and maybe a heated birdroom section for my gouldians.

What birds will benefit from a planted aviary? i have canaries, zebs, bengies, javas, silverbills (african & indian), cpq, soon to have orange bishop weavers, red head finches, greensingers, star finches.

Which of them will enjoy being in a planted flight?

And i want a whole load of plants you would suggest are hardy and of different heights? so that i can get birds nesting from ground level to the roof?

Thanks
Dave H

p.s - all you ladies please put your potting forks down lol

[chris]

Hi all,

a word of warning with the coconut palms and areca palms... KEEP EM IN THE SHADE!!!! as i have found out that the leaves in direct sunlight go brown and die:neutral: but that shouldn't be much of a problem once i have the roofing sorted:grin:

Hi dave, any of the plants mentioned so far will be fine, but don't expect the coconut or areca palms to survive the winter. fan palms, spiny palms, date palms are hardy but slow growing. some of the bannana palms are hardy, but die back to ground level in the winter. also, get a few hops, clematis, russian vine:grin: , pampass grass, maidenhair fern........... all your birds will enjoy the plants

Chris:wink:

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi Dave,

I agree with Chris, all of the Birds you have mentioned will enjoy a planted aviary, but your Weavers, Canaries and Green Singers will enjoy eating the Plants more than the other Birds you have mentioned.:grin:

As for the less hardy Plants, I would suggest that you place them in your aviary in pots/tubs for the Summer, and bring them in for the Winter to either a Greenhouse or to the main house.

And take note of the Plants Chris has mentioned in his relpy to you.

Paul.:wink:

[nigel]

Hi all planted aviary fans,
Managed to join the ranks of bananna tree/palm/bamboo lovers. Got bananna and patio palm from you guessed it B&Q !!!!, bamboo looked a bit thin so didn't bother. Speekin to a nice women at work whom I new had bamboo in her garden, mentioned in normal polite conversation that I had a good birthday and wanted to buy some bamboo but thought it to expensive "you can have some of mine, I will dig some up and bring it in tomorrow" was her reply :razz: which she diid yesterday, she bought me a clump of dwarf bamaboo very fine leaves and stalkes and a clump of normal bamboo about 7ft tall, although not very bushy. I have installed into aviary and they all look great a lot better than the dead half a tree I had in before.
As mentioned in previous posts, the canaries seem to love the leaves of the bananna plant so have cut the bottom ones off to try and make it last a long as possible, if they eat to much what is the best course of action - leave in to be consumed or remove and put indoors to recover. Will try and get some photos posted

Nigel

[Waxbillman]

hello Nigal.


lucky you, i just hope the bamboo will survive.

matthew

[chris]

Hi nigel,


what i plan to do with any plants of mine that become overly damaged, is to build a few cylinder shaped cages out of wire mesh and place these over the top of the plants to allow them to recover without the birds totally destroying them. the cages should be really simple to make, just cut some mesh off a roll if you have any spare, and then tie the 2 ends together forming a cylinder that fits over the plant nicely. then cut out a circle the same size as the top of the cylinder and secure this on with either string or wire. after the cage is built, check it over for sharp points and either remove them with a file, or bend them into the cage away from the birds depending on the size.

Chris:wink:

[laurab]

Good idea Chris, although the birds might decide to sit on top of the cylinder and poop on your plants just to get their own back LOL

[nigel]

Thanks Chris, will give it a go if the birds eat to much of the plants.

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi all,

Nigel, congratulations on joing the ever growing band of B&Q shoppers, I hope all goes well with the Plants and the Birds.:wink:

Laura, I think now is the time to ask B&Q to sponsor the Website.:grin:

Chris, place a lid from a large round bucket on top of your Plants protective mesh cylinder and then it is c**p proof too.:grin:

Paul.:wink:

[chris]

Hi paul,

nice idea with the bucket lid, most of the C... tends to wash off when i water the plants anyway, i guess it makes good fertiliser. i've taken a few cuttings off one of the hop plants in our garden after noticing how well one that i tried a few weeks ago has rooted, and also one of our bamboos flowered a month or two ago (they die after this:( ) however i have collected and planted some of the seed, and this week i can see that some are growing:grin: so hopefully there's a load of free bamboo plants comin up for next year.

Chris:wink:

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi Banana Man,

I'm pleased you knew what to do when your Bamboo flowered, I had this same problem with two clumps of Bamboo collected from the same site a few years ago.

Like yourself I collected the seeds and planted them, I was lucky enough to have a few to germinate and grow on for quite a while, but some time later I lost the lot due to various reasons, over watering, under watering etc.:-|

But i'm sure with your yellow fingers:grin: you will have more luck than I did.

Paul.:wink:

[chris]

Hi again,

all those bamboo seeds are growing so next year i reckon i'll have a lovely bamboo patch. i did go back up B&Q for another banana plant but they hadn't been looked after correctly and were falling apart so i didn't bother. but there are still at least another 2 places near to me that sell banana plants...........:lol:

i've also moved 2 spikey palms into the aviary, these have been growing in the garden for a few years n me dad said i could have em, so at least i know the frost won't kill these.

later, bananaman:wink:

[laurab]

Hiya,

I have just taken a bamboo plant out for a rest; I have split it up and now have six plants!

[laurab]

The ferns you see growing in the wild, can they be used in an aviary??

[nigel]

My banana tree is looking a bit sorry for its self. The canaries seem to love it, it may be beyond repair so will leave it it and replace with another type of palm which they seem to leave alone. The bamboo doesn't seem to be the favorite either but with put the banana tree maybe they will turn there attentions to that, will have to wait and see.

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi Laura,

I'm not too sure if the Wild Ferns we have are safe or not, so unless you find a better answer it may be best to not include them in your Aviary.

Paul.:wink:

[chris]

Hi,


i mentioned a while ago that one of the bamboo plants in the garden had flowered and since then i had collected the seed to grow. the seeds germinated quite quickley and yesterday i re-planted them which gave me a chance to count how many plants i have..... 65:shock: . hopefully the stuff will grow fast in compost but we'll have to wait and see, if it grows fast enough i may have an aviary of bamboo plants for the weavers next year.

i expect that i've got far to many plants when they start to grow, so if i do go down to stafford give a shout and i'll birng one or two along for anyone who wants them. at the moment it's 3 plants to a pot, the seedlings being upto 1.5" tall now, so they will need a lot of growing on before they are suitable to plant in an aviary.

on the subject of plants, 2 of the 3 elephant grass plants that i've split have died back, although the roots are still going so maybe there's yet hope. Paul, i would have posted the selection of elephant grasses a while back but i'm not comfortable with the state there in:oops: and i'm currently out of a job so am struggling for money (hopefully i'll have another job as soon as i get round to writing up a CV) bear with me and i'll get them to you i promise!

Chris:wink:

[Waxbillman]

hello Chris

65!!! cor thats quite a few, what type of Bamboo is it do you know?

shame about the miscanthus, the best time to divide plants, is from late october to the start of march as this is when they a mostly dormant, and so no damage would be done, and the roots would have time enough to re-grow. but if you do have to divde a plant out of the recommended season your are best reducing the plants, growth, or even fully shearing them back, as when plants are divided they enevatabily loose many roots, and this in turn means that the plants would not be able to supply it leaves with enough water thus making them die back.

anyway too late came the cry, you'll know for the next time, miscanthus are tough buggers, so they should bounce back fully next year.

matthew

[dave85]

hey chris,

I'll be interested in a couple if you succeed please?

Im sure it will look nice in a planted aviary, eventually when we get round to the alterations.

Thanks
Dave H

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi Chris,

No problem on the subject of the Grass Plants mate, I'm just pleased you have managed to propagate so many Bamboo Plants, well done Chris and I hope you will have a great Bamboo Jungle for next year.:grin:

Paul.:wink:

[laurab]

Hi Paul


I have been a bit slow here, but sponsorship from B&Q...now there's a thought!;-)

Hey Webmaster, are you following this?

[kenny]

hi laura

have sent you an e-mail with a full list of poisonous non-poisonous plants for aviaries dont suppose there is any way you can get it up on the forum as it might be usefull to some members

thanks ken

[laurab]

Hi Ken, I have not received your email yet:?

Is your list better than the one I already have on my info pages? http://www.feathered-friends.co.uk/news/news/137/ARTICLE/1065/2005-06-01.html?sid=632b049bcd9202e2b206bd3f6f361b27

http://www.feathered-friends.co.uk/news/news/137/ARTICLE/1066/2005-06-01.html

[kenny]

hi laura,i dont know what happened to it but i was tired out when i got back yesterday and probably sent it to someone else,ididnt know we had that list and i dont think it was as good so forget it ,it was on a site called the finch niche.but as i said i dont think it was any better

ken

[chris]

Hi all,

i've been experimenting with training the russian vine inside my aviary. since the stuff grows very fast and send out a load of shoots off the vine n every direction, i've been training the very long shoots into the roof of the aviary on the opposite side to the plant. it doesn't look much at first but after a few weeks these shoots start to bush up and send out more shoots. i've been repeating the process and am now getting close to creating a mini canopy inside the aviary! the birds can go in and i can't even see them in places!

the only problem i've come to realise is that as the vine thickens it becomes more heavy so will start to weigh down the mesh on the roof, and could possibly cause holes in the future, so what i've just done today is to screw in a few screws into the frame of the aviary near the roof opposite the plant, tie strings to these screws and then tie the strings to the plants and train it along these, this takes the weight off the mesh and allows me to grow a nice dense canopy for next year. plenty of nest opportunities in there, i will post some pictures as it thickens up some more so you can see what i mean.

Chris:wink:

[kenny]

hi chris

thats how most grape growers support vines but they do it with galvanised wire you can buy rings like lightweight key rings that just open up and slip on to the string and the vines run through it,matt should know all about vine rings and supports but the string should be ok as long as it dosent weather to much and snap

ken:)

[Waxbillman]

hello Chris

ken beat me to it, if you are going to support a periennial climber that doesn't die down, and may eventually get heavy, like the Russian vine, i tend to use plastic coated wire that you can but easily, its very strong stuff, and will last for years, you can also buy man-made material i forget what its called now but its like really flexible rubbery plastice that too will last for years.

matthew

[kenny]

hi matt

sorry mate i thought that would be up your street

ken

[chris]

Hi Matthew,

i'll keep my eyes out for the plastic coated wire then, the string should be fine for the time being as there isn't much weight there... yet

Chris:wink:

[Waxbillman]

hello Chris

its cheap enough to buy on small roles at good garden centres,

matthew

[jimmy]

Matthew,

"its enough enough to buy on small roles"

To start with one enough is enough and roles is spelt rolls. :razz:

See ya sunday :smile:

Jimmy

[Waxbillman]

:-P thanks for correcting me Jimmy

its my own fault for been so bad a spelling i'm always doing ten things at once, what women would call 'multi-tasking'

matthew

[jimmy]

Don't tell my wife about that Matthew :)

[Waxbillman]

:lol: :lol: matthew

[Pyxel]

Who needs spel cheker wen Jimy's aboot. :-|

[kenny]

hi pyxel

whats a spell checker

ken:grin:

[nigel]

Hi all,
I have a convert to bird keeping at work and he is designing an aviary, he is planning to have the flight floor part grass part soil for planting, can anyone tell me if there are any problems with going down this route with regard to hygiene the flight will partially be protected from the rain.

Nigel

[chris]

Hi All,

i've just picked up a kiwi plant for the aviary, they were selling at £4 each and they arent a bad size either, self fertile an all. should be interesting as they climb everywhere

Chris:wink:

[laurab]

Nice one Chris! ;) What a bargain!

[Waxbillman]

great! well done, when they eventually produce fruit - that'll save you money

Matthew