Bee Balm, Cosmos, Asters and more!

by Mary
(Georgia)

When I first started my own garden, I was very nervous that nothing would grow, or that I would plant the wrong things together. My ideal garden was one that was beautiful, with fruitful flowers and plants that grew with vivid colors and fragrances. I also wanted to include a bird bath and feeders on the surrounding trees. I wanted to be able to sit on my porch and watch birds come to my garden.

After talking with some friends of mine with successful gardens, I learned what to plant to make my garden exactly what I had dreamed.

I planted Bee Balm as a border plant. It has a fantastic smell that I love. The birds get great seeds off the plant. I also planted Cosmos, which also provide the birds with seeds. The cosmos are a little hard to keep in line for me. They sometimes tend to get overgrown-looking, but after pruning they are beautiful, and the birds really love them.

One of my most favorite flowers in my garden are the Asters that I planted. They have the most vibrant color! They are a little on the late-blooming side of things. They bloom in the summer and are vibrant into the fall. It really livens up my garden. The birds get seeds off of the Asters like they do the other plants.

Another plant that brings life to my garden and food to the birds in the fall is the Beautyberry that I planted. The berries have such intense purple color well into the fall, and it has a ton of them for the birds to munch on.

Every year I try to add more, and the birds just keep coming back. The flowers are important, but another important aspect of my garden is the bird bath. The birds won't continue coming back if there isn't a reliable source of water for them.

Attracting Birds on eBay