Thursday, 5-February-2015, the bird shrubs

South Forty

Went down to visit the new shrubs this afternoon and discovered that most of the had been uprooted by a deer or, more likely, a sanglier/boar. Tomorrow we'll get more wire fencing and protect each of them.  Sigh.

Tuesday, 3-February-15, more bird shrubs

South Forty

I recently ordered more bird-friendly shrubs for the hedge at the bottom of the South Forty. Today they got planted. We hope these will grow better than the cheapie bunch we planted a couple of years ago. We left quite a few of these in place and planted the new in between. Bare-rooted plants that I ordered include:

• 3 Amelanchier lamarckii, planted in a close group in the parental grove maybe to give Mama some shade from the southwest. These are very shrub-like with multiple stems.
• Eleangnus angustifolia, should be a small tree, planted between Martha and Papa in the parental grove.

The official group of bird-friendly shrubs include, from the westish corner to the southish corner:

• Another Amelanchier lamarckii, planted nearish to the fence. There should be room to walk through there. This is followed by two shrubs from the original set.
• Viburnum tinus.
• Euonymus europaeus 'Red Cascade'. This is followed by one shrub from the original set.
• Cotoneaster lacteus. This is followed by two shrubs from the original set. 
• Aronia arbutifolia 'Brilliant'. 
• Arbutus unedo. This is followed by three shrubs from the original set.
• Symphoricarpos x chenaultii 'Hancock'. This is followed by two shrubs from the original set.
• Leycesteria formosa. 
• Buddleja davidii 'Black Knight'. This is the right side of the driveway-that-isn't. Then a gap, then ...
• Pyracantha 'Soleil D'or', planted at the left side of the driveway-that-isn't.

The row of shrubs is planted about 2 meters back from the dirt road below us. The idea is that the strip beyond the shrubs will be a kind of mini-meadow with whatever wildflowers turn up. We'll mow it only once a year, in the fall, to see how it goes.