What are the best plants to plant next to a bird bath.?

Question

I would like to know which plant,s Tobuy there are

for some one, and am in the dark. I bought the bird bath,

I dont know abought plants and with sought it could be a

ivy or frn.

Answer 1

I would plant a bush that has some sturdy branches for the birds to take cover after they have refreshed themselves.

Answer 2

There are many, many variables which make it tough to give you one, definite answer, and you've done such a wonderful thing getting someone such a wonderful, thoughtful gift...........so....here goes!

Sun:  full sun?  partial sun?? partial shade??? full shade???

Soil type:  Sandy? Loam?? Clay??? Well drained?? Wet??

Zone:  Florida?? Alaska?? Somewhere in between???

I'm sure you get the idea....now.....on to your ideas....they actually aren't bad....but without further information all I can give you is more information to help you figure it out once you ponder the other constraints........this is not neccessarily a recomendation....you get the idea....

Ferns want partial to full shade, loamy, rich soil that drains well, but never completely dries out.....great for a birdbath in the shade that is going to, religiously, be re-filled every day.  But...just for information: even then; some varieties fade away when the real heat kicks in....and some never come back....

Ivy....well...there are sooooo many varieties.  Some like sun, some like shade.  Some invade, creep, crawl, and climb....some prefer to dangle.  Some are solid, some are varigated.   I love the Ivy idea, but.....you'll have to research the needs of the plant for it to be completely successful.

A couple of other reccomendations for you to consider...

Being around the birdbath, you obviously don't want to plant the "I want my toes dry at all times that I'm not dying of thirst" variety of plants...  so,,,here goes:

Hostas

Honeysuckle

Butterfly Weed

Cosmos  (Wind Flower)

Brown eyed susans (and they go beautifully with shasta daisy)

Purple Cone Flower (or any of the other color variety)

Rudbeckia

Now...all of these are perrenials (which means you don't have to replace them for a loooong...looooong time!!) that come up late spring, are available in the stores now...in full bloom....... so....when they get trimmed back late this fall.......carefully dig between them and plant some bulbs (tulip, daffodil, allysum, and lots of crocus, etc....which should be hitting the stores right about planting time)....so that they come up first thing in the spring, and then, after blooming, they get clipped off just as the others are really starting to show their green.  

The shasta daisies will bloom late summer to fall, and if you throw in some pineapple sage, which blooms red, come summer time (an annual in most places)....you'll have some color all year!!

Good luck, great idea for a gift, and....happy gardening!!

Answer 3

Catnip or catmint, hehehe...

Answer 4

grass looks really nice around them  and ivy

Answer 5

Birds need to feel safe so suggest you buy ferns for ground cover or solid leafy shrubs like berried holly in which they can hide. Make sure the person for whom you are buying understands that it will take quite a while, perhaps a month or two, for the birds to recognise and accept the bird bath so not to get impatient if they don't come at first.  I found that placing the bath near the perimeter of the garden with some fencing or conifers near by was best. Having a bird table near by is a definite plus as one encourages the use of the other.  It's great to watch the birds' funny antics especially in the spring when they start searching out food to feed their young.