When planning your new garden or changing the existing one, consider planting for the birds as well as yourself. They sing for you, they keep down insect pests, and they are fun to watch.

Despite the concrete tsunami that is engulfing our cities, an amazing number of birds still survive, not only in the big parks but in nearly every little patch of green. They are not rare or endangered yet. But for that very reason each of us can help prevent their becoming so. Whether you have a large space or just an apartment balcony, you can, with a little thought and care, create a lovely garden that will also be a sanctuary for these birds, many of which like to nest surprisingly close to human habitation.

My husband and I little knew we had the beginnings of such a sanctuary when we planted a sky vine (Thunbergia grandiflora) to shade the hot concrete paving around our government quarters in Delhi. The vine soon covered the wire net trellis and we were not the only ones who loved its shade and streamers of sky-blue flowers; the bulbuls loved them too, nesting year after year in the densest part of the creeper, singing sweetly all day and affording us many hours of effortless bird-watching pleasure. As our garden grew, so did the bird population, so we began consciously choosing flowers and shrubs to attract them. Here is some of what we learned..................Read more

Source: The Hindu