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Friday Favorite: Bird Baths

May 24th, 2013

A couple weeks ago we were at a local greenhouse and I spotted this lovely concrete birdbath.  It’s quite a beauty, intricate, yet understated.  I’ve always wanted a birdbath in my garden, they’re my favorite form of garden ornamentation.
birdbath
Somehow, I have never had a birdbath and most likely won’t for quite a while.  If you want a nice one they’re rather pricey, I think this one was $190.   There are always so many other things that take up my garden budget long before I can even think about adding a birdbath to my garden. Perhaps I’ll find one under the Christmas tree some year.

Do you have a birdbath in your garden?  What’s your favorite garden ornament?  

16 Comments to “Friday Favorite: Bird Baths”
  1. Patty on May 24, 2013 at 5:49 am

    I have a metal one with a mermaid on the side. I bought it in Cape Cod one year as a gift to myself for quitting smoking. One of many gifts to myself that first few months. I am happy to say it has been over 5 years and counting now!!

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  2. Adelina Anderson on May 24, 2013 at 6:24 am

    Birdbaths are easy to make with terracotta pots and bases. I am planning one out and hopefully I will be able to find time to mosaic it as well.

    As for a garden ornament I would love to have…. a garden gnome. There is something so kitschy about them but I love those darn things..

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  3. kathi Cook on May 24, 2013 at 6:41 am

    I have a beautiful concrete one I was lucky enough to inherit when my friend moved out of state. I also have a small basin type bird feeder that is made out of granite. It is very natural looking and I love them both.

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  4. Ann on May 24, 2013 at 6:51 am

    I made a birdbath out of terra cotta saucers and pots. But be very careful cause unless you buy the very best terra cotta, leaving them out in the weather can cause them to shatter. So in the end, you might as well biy one made to take the weather cause bringing them in for the winter can be a pain to do.

    My favorite ornamentation is/are concrete statues. I have about 8, but only 1 is of any real size. I would love a large St Fiacre, the patron saint of gardeners. Right now I have only a St Frances and he is only about 15″ tall. The rest are all animals. I also love love love my fairy garden which is residing in a tower of stacked terra cotta pots. I sure hope that when I bought those pots that I got those really good weather proof ones!!

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  5. Jaye on May 24, 2013 at 7:09 am

    Yes! I have a hand-me-down bird bath…it’s not particularly nice or pretty, but the birds love it.

    I had read once a long time ago, that if you wanted to do something to attract birds to your garden and to help them, provide water for them. So while I can’t always afford to keep food out for them, I keep water for them and I think they appreciate it.

    This spring I transplanted some Dutch iris around it and I think that next year, it will look quite lovely.

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  6. Robin on May 24, 2013 at 7:18 am

    The former owners of our home left two bird baths when they moved. The larger of the two was porous cement that gave in to weather but the other still looks brand new. I’ve owned it 15 years. I’m grateful. If I were going to buy one now I’d save for it and buy one that will last.

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  7. Lisa@The Cutting Edge of Ordinary on May 24, 2013 at 7:20 am

    We have 10 birdhouses in our yard (with one more gigantic one that hubby made me to be added this w/e). I have 1 concrete birdbath. Mine was rather inexpensive, I think it was $30. The birds love it. The only think I don’t like about it is when the bottom gets all scummy and green. We try and re-fill it daily, but the scum still persists. We heard putting some copper pennies in the bottom would help, it didn’t. If anyone has any scumb busting ideas, please share!

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    • kathi Cook on May 25, 2013 at 7:16 am

      I give mine a quick scrub with a loofah that I keep for that purpose.

      Reply to kathi Cook's comment

  8. daisy on May 24, 2013 at 8:35 am

    We found our concrete birdbath on Craig’s List for $10. Love watching the birds out there enjoying it.
    We also use overturned saucers in various parts of the garden for them to use for sipping or bathing.

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  9. watermelonpunch on May 24, 2013 at 9:41 am

    My husband converted an old rusted fire bowl into a bird bath. Not as fancy as a marble pedestal bird bath, I’ll grant you… :o) But a white-crowned sparrow found it of use recently. :o)

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  10. laura on May 24, 2013 at 10:20 am

    I have a lovely old concrete one that used to be in my great aunt’s garden. It sits in my front area and in fact I was watching the birds bathing in it yesterday. I need to move it as it is not the best place for it plus it is also crooked because of the close tree roots. But it is sooo heavy!
    Maybe you should make a jar for your birdbath. Put change in it every day or week and eventually you will have enough. :-)
    blessings
    ~*~

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  11. Jeff on May 24, 2013 at 10:31 am

    Birdbaths are a nice addition to a garden. Remember to keep them clean and free of debris so our “visitors” remain healthy!

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  12. Melanie in Ca on May 24, 2013 at 1:09 pm

    I have three birdbaths which is a blessing in our hot, hot Central California summers. I got two for $10 on Craigslist and the other was a roadside find. I love ’em!

    Reply to Melanie in Ca's comment

  13. amy on May 24, 2013 at 1:17 pm

    When it begins to warm up the smidgest…I am out of doors until the weather forces me back in again….therefore I treat my gardens like my living spaces….I have three bird bathes…one of which I inherited from my grandmother….we put in two large duck/bird/lily ponds….that the birds adore….I also…. like one of the other commentors loves concrete statuary especially after it has aged and has gained that greenish patina….I also have several bird houses…..I cannot pick a favorite garden ornament…I love and enjoy all of it:)

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  14. Chris on May 24, 2013 at 7:49 pm

    I love bird baths and have 4 in different areas of the gardens at different levels, etc. as different birds like different bathing options. To the above reader regarding the yukky growth that sometimes accumulates…the only thing that really works is a stiff scrub brush as it’s very important to keep them clean and change the water often. And as some of the others have mentioned you can easily make one with a planter bottom and sit it on something as simple as a wood round from your firewood! :)
    You may not want to attract birds though, if you have outdoor cats as they’re like sitting ducks when bathing or eating seed off the ground. Domestic cats kill millions of song birds every year…I have two cats myself but they are not allowed outside, especially in the spring when all the baby birds are around! Safer for my cats too…we have coyotes!

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  15. Colleen on May 25, 2013 at 4:15 pm

    We don’t have a “bird bath” per se, but my husband designed a pond with two little waterfalls and a stream bed. A timer turns on/off the falls and the birds love to bathe in the running water. It’s located in a woodsy part of the yard with lots of places for the birds to hide out of the quick reach of our cat.

    Some of my favorite garden ornaments are ones from my dear late grandmother’s yard. She loved pigs, and I inherited a few of her cute stone piglets. They are tucked in and under flowering shrubs.

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This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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