Wedding Arbors for Spring

Spring is in the air and summer is near. The air is filled with love, laughter and weddings. Nothing compliments an outdoor wedding better than wedding arbors. Wedding arbors add elegance and beauty to any wedding or beach setting. Wedding arbors also create the picture perfect setting for capturing all of your memorable moments on your special day.

Nantucket Deluxe Vinyl Wedding Arbor

Wedding arbors are normally seen in plain white and are easy to decorate. Decorating arbors are fun and easy by adding your own style and creativity. Within a matter of minutes you can have a wedding arbor decorated and looking like a true fairytale. With wedding arbors you are able to decorate it by using plant vines, tulle, garland and even lights to match your wedding colors. Not only are wedding arbors a cinch to decorate they are also effortless to maintain. Buying a vinyl wedding arbor from Yard Envy guarantees a 20 year warranty, no fading in color and no discoloration.

Buying an arbor is also beneficial. Once your magical day is over, you can use your arbor as a gateway to your garden and have a lasting memory every time you enter or look out the back door. You can also turn your wedding arbor into a bench overlooking the lake or your favorite rose garden. You may even accent an arbor with a vinyl gate, cottage picket wings or add an arbor to your vinyl picket fencing. Yard Envy offers many arbor accessories at an affordable price and something for everyone's personal preferences.

Vinyl arbors are fun to decorate and easy to maintain, giving you more time to spend with loved ones and in the garden. Spruce up any event and enjoy your backyard at it's finest with a stunning vinyl wedding arbor.

Camelot Planter Vinyl Arbor Seat Kit

Newport Vinyl Arbor with Picket Fencing

Windsor Vinyl Arbor Gate

Choosing Your Outdoor Hammock

There is nothing more satisfying then walking outside after a hard days work and letting yourself get lost in a hammock. Imagine relaxing with a nice, cold glass of sweet tea and feeling the cool breeze pass by your face while enjoying nature at it's finest. Enjoy every season while lifted in the air and being swayed from side to side in an outdoor hammock.

Rope Hammocks

There are many styles of hammocks to choose from to suit your personal style and the temperatures of where you reside. Rope hammocks are very popular for warmer climates as they allow air to flow through them while keeping you comfortable. Rope hammocks are made from polyester or cotton. Cotton rope hammocks are softer and more comfortable than polyester hammocks, but are more susceptible to mold, mildew, and UV damage. Polyester rope hammocks are more durable and better suited for ocean side, humidity and sun. After two or three uses your hammock should reach its full length and you can adjust how it's hung. With proper care and use, rope hammocks will last for many years to come.

Fabric Hammock

For people that live in cooler and windy climates, a fabric hammock would be the perfect choice. Fabric hammocks are also leaders in the comfort department. Express yourself with fun, vibrant patterns or solid colors. Grab a small pillow and snuggle up for a nice afternoon nap while listening to the birds singing.

Camping Hammock

Camping hammocks are perfect for those who love to hike, camp and explore the outdoors. They are portable and lightweight and keep the bugs and water out. Sleep with the trees and never worry about having to locate a flat spot to set up for the night. You'll be sleeping soundly while bundled up snug. With a portable camping hammock, there is no tedious tear down of a tent, so you will have more time to enjoy the hiking trails.

Fabric Hammock without Spreader Bars

If you don't have the perfect trees to use, no worries. There are hammock stands made with the choice of wood or metal frames. Wooden frames are popular due to their natural look, and wooden hammock stands are very study. Metal hammock stands are easy to assemble and lighter in weight, which makes moving hammocks around easier.

When purchasing an outdoor hammock, you might want to consider spreader bars for the hammock. Spreader bars are positioned on the top and bottom of the hammock. Spreader bars are not a necessity, but do allow getting on and off the hammock a little easier. Spreader bars also allow the hammock to lay flat, instead of wrapping around the body with a cocoon effect.

Lay down, let loose and let your mind wonder off into a magical place of relaxation. Enjoy any sunrise and sunset in a hammock fit perfectly for you. Hope you have a safe and relaxing year while enjoying your hammock.

Tips on Hummingbird Feeders

Spring has finally sprung, and the birds are chirping, bees are buzzing, and the air is warm and sweet. Hummingbird feeders make such a delightful and colorful addition to the beautiful weather. If you have never used a hummingbird feeder, consider adding one to your yard or deck this year. Hummingbird feeders require their share of maintenance, but once the hummingbirds begin to pay regular visits to the feeder, it is all worth it.

To attract hummingbirds to your feeder, keep in mind that the feeder is filled with nectar for energy, not for food.

Hummingbird Nectar:

• Nectar is simply sugar water with a 1:3 ratio of sugar to water
• Only use table sugar - never artificial sweeteners, honey, or brown sugar, as these can all be fatal
• Use tap or spring water, never distilled water
• Nectar will last 2-4 days in summer, 4-6 days in cooler spring weather
• Change nectar whenever it gets cloudy or moldy
• Always clean hummingbird feeders before refilling

Insects: If bees are an issue, you can set out another hummingbird feeder with a 1:5 sugar water solution to drive the bees to the sweeter feeder and away from the hummingbirds. Use ant moats to prevent ants from accessing the sugar water. Ant moats can be used above or below feeders.

Environment: Hummingbirds are attracted to bright colors, so hummingbird feeders and flowers should all be vibrant in color for best results. Hummingbirds like open throated tubular pollinating flowers like fuchsia and sage, in colors of red, blue, orange, and yellow. Since hummingbirds are territorial, using more than one feeder, or feeders with multiple feeding ports, will attract many more hummingbirds. Hummingbirds like water to bathe and drink, so a bird bath is very inviting. Providing shade from sun and rain will also keep hummingbirds at your feeder longer, as well as help preserve the nectar in the summer.

Relax outdoors and enjoy the entertainment of hummingbirds. One of the many benefits of providing an attractive environment for hummingbirds is the appeal such improvements make on your general landscape. The smells of the fresh flowers, the reflection of the sun off the decorative bird baths, and the bright colors decorative flair of the hummingbird feeders all provide beauty and outdoor appeal.

Hummingbird Feeder with Pagoda Shelter

Decorative Birdhouses Beckon Spring to Return

Spring can be a tease, giving us a few warm days with the promise of green leaves and budding tulips, and then taking it all back with a foot of snow and a week of blistering cold winds. We get so excited to run outdoors and seize a 60° day, and we want to hang on to the hope that soon the snow will end and Spring will be here to stay. These gorgeous weekends are often spent hiking, clearing away decomposing wet leaves, and pruning fruit trees with the hope that the last deep freeze has passed.

Preparing for Spring wakens our senses, allowing us to smell the fresh air while planning new landscaping designs for curb appeal and outdoor entertaining. This is also a great time for cleaning and putting up bird houses before the birds return for the season. Many rustic bird houses can withstand heavy snowfall, and decorative bird houses brighten up dull yards with vibrant colors and designs, while offering a safe residence for bird families.

Sconset Cottage Decorative Bird House

Choices in decorative bird houses include Victorian houses, beach houses, cottages, churches, and castles. From cabin bird houses to club houses and the historic San Francisco Row bird house, decorative bird houses offer memories, beauty, and safety. Beckon the return of Spring and birds while enjoying the view of a brightly painted decorative bird house.

Victorian Cottage Decorative Bird House $31.95

Medieval Castle Decorative Bird House

San Francisco Decorative Bird House

Bird Houses Brighten Up Spring

Bird houses add detail and design into yards and gardens for spring. You can add a splash of color and beauty while welcoming birds to new warm, safe, and decorative homes. Bird houses come in different sizes, shapes, and styles so every taste can be met. Larger houses are available for multiple birds like purple martins, along with smaller houses for wrens.

White Decorative Little Wren Bird House

From wooden bird houses and nesting houses to decorative bird houses and houses made from recycled wood, the choices of homes you can provide is plentiful. For a nice decorative appeal, Gingerbread bird houses and Medieval Castle houses have unique and eye catching looks. Churches and large estate homes are also a great way to attract the attention from guests and birds alike. Hadley Park birdhouses take up a small space along with wren houses and Fairy Cottages. So whether you plan to put one bird house or five in your yard and garden, there are sizes and styles for every possible area of placement.

Le Chateau Bird House

Bird houses make great gifts and are a beautiful accent to yards year round. With Spring right around the corner, it's the perfect time to start sprucing up the yard as birds are looking for homes to breed and start their families. Most birds return to the same spots they nest year after year, so you'll never have to worry about the houses going to waste, as your backyard birds will return to see you again. Decorating your outdoors couldn't be easier than placing a few bird houses around your garden and decks, also allowing nature to show itself to you daily.

Gingerbread Bird House

Birding is an enjoyable activity the whole family can take part in, and starting is as easy as placing houses for birds to nest and live in your yard. From there you can watch and learn as different breeds of birds come by and start to flourish in your view. Bird houses create an inviting environment where birds feel safe and can withstand the weather. You provide shelter to birds as you also create a lovely piece of decor to your garden. Invite nature to thrive around with you while adding glam to your landscape.

Clubhouse Bird House for Purple Martins

Hobbitt House Bird House

Highland Park Bird House

Glass Hummingbird Feeders for the Garden

Glass hummingbird feeders welcome one of the most peaceful creatures nature provides into your garden. Hummingbirds are great to invite to your yard with their dexterity and beauty. Glass hummingbird feeders are a beautiful accent to any yard or garden setting. The nectar that hummingbirds drink can be placed inside delightful little glass stakes that plant easily into the ground, adding design and brilliance to your garden. Larger hummingbird feeders are also a nice touch to hang from trees or decorative posts in your yard and near your entryways.

Hummingbird feeders come in many sizes and varieties including basic, small feeders that accommodate two or three hummingbirds to the larger ones that can accommodate six to eight hummingbirds. Glass hummingbird feeders come in many designs to please any one's taste and style. There are the beautiful Cloud Glass Hummingbird Feeders to the Bloom Hummingbird Feeders and the basic basin hummingbird feeders that are easily cleaned and maintained. Many glass hummingbird feeders also have shelters and are made from recycled glass, giving them more detail and style to perfect your garden design.

If you are looking for the perfect finishing piece to your garden, the glass hummingbird feeder is exactly what you need. Not only are you providing food for the small and graceful creatures, but also adding the ideal decor to your landscape. You can decorate your garden as well as help feed and welcome nature back into your yard with decorative glass hummingbird feeders.

Here are some of my favorite designs.

Dew Drop Hummingbird Feeder

Bloom Hummingbird Feeder with Shelter

Glass Hummingbird Feeder Stakes

Purple Martin Bird Houses Open for Season

Purple Martin Bird Houses

Purple Martin bird houses are essential for the survival of the Purple Martins. Purple Martins rely almost completely on man's support for housing, and once martins establish a residency, they return every year. The annual return of the Purple Martin is an exciting and much anticipated event, and martin owners need to clean out and prepare their houses in advance.

Purple Martins return to their homes in the United States starting as early as mid-January for Florida residents, and continue to arrive through May in northern states. March is often considered the month martins return for the majority of the states, and they will return looking for their previous home.

There is a lot of responsibility in being a Purple Martin landlord, but also a lot of reward. Purple Martins need protection from both predators and weather. If a colony is attacked due to predation, martins will typically never return to their home, and will set up residency elsewhere, but martins are more forgiving regarding fatalities due to weather. Measures can be taken to stop predation, as well as to lessen the effects of harsh weather.

Purple Martin House
Safety System Utilized

Predators of the Purple Martin include snakes, owls, raccoons, House Sparrows, and Starlings. Landlords often erect their Purple Martin bird houses and try to form colonies without the proper precautions because these predators are not common to the area. These predators will make themselves known very quickly once Purple Martins become active in your yard, so take the proper measures from the beginning. Purple Martin bird houses should always be placed high in the air, far from tall trees and above any trees that are nearby. Owl guards and baffles make it difficult for owls, raccoons, and snakes to get up the poles and into the compartments. Compartments should also offer numerous rooms so that martins can set up nest in the back of the house, out of reach and sight. Starling resistant holes are exceptionally useful and are much too small for Starlings and Sparrows to get in.

Little can be done with regards to weather, but every effort is helpful. Purple Martins can get wiped out when there are consecutive days of heavy rainfall or extreme hot and cold temperatures. Purple Martin bird houses in northern states are often wooden, and southern states prefer aluminum houses for keeping the interior as cool as possible. Houses should always be white on the outside for this same reason as well, as white reflects the sun. Baby martins will jump from the openings to escape the heat before they know how to fly, and houses painted with white exteriors are often over 10° cooler inside. Hole openings should be dark on the contrary, to allow for martins to easily see access points and to get into the houses quickly and easily, and trim can also be dark. When the weather is very cold or rain is severe and lasting more than a couple days, Purple Martins can be fed a supplemental diet of mealworms or crickets, although not every martin will necessarily accept the meal. Martins will only eat the crickets and mealworms when the weather is inclement and they can't get their own food. Some people like to fling crickets in the air with a spoon to catch the attention of the martins and allow the martins to still catch their food mid-air.

Purple Martin bird houses come in many designs, although they typically all have the same features and are easily recognizable from a distance. Purple Martins love to socialize, so houses are designed with multiple compartments, and good houses also offer porches and perches so the martins can bask in the sun and sing their pretty melodies. Purple Martins are popular for their open beak throaty songs, and they enjoy the hustle and bustle of busy human life. Purple Martin bird houses need to be open and ready when the martins return within the next few months. Make sure winter guards are removed from windows, and nests are emptied and cleaned. Check the houses periodically to ensure other birds are not attempting to nest, and do not relocate your martin house. Your birds may not be able to find the new location, even if the house has only been moved a few feet.

Popular Purple Martin bird houses:

Purple Martin Clubhouse Bird House

Wooden Purple Martin House
with Starling Resistant Openings

Aluminum Purple Martin Bird Houses

It's always fun to look at historical pictures. Below are pictures of the ornate Purple Martin bird houses once crafted by the noteworthy J. Warren Jacobs in the early 1900's. These houses were large and intricate, but quite difficult to maintain and clean.

Purple Martin Bird Houses
Photo taken August 1907 by J. Warren Jacobs
Foreground: Independence Hall, Background: The Capitol

Purple Martin Bird House
Photo taken July 8, 1907 by J. Warren Jacobs
The Library

Purple Martin Bird House
Photo taken April 28, 1909 by J. Warren Jacobs
Independence Hall

Purple Martin Bird House
Photo taken May 1902 by J. Warren Jacobs
Independence Hall

To help with Purple Martin research, visit the Purple Martin Conservation Association for forms to track martin arrival, document colony locations, and to view scout maps. Make the most of your Purple Martin houses by increasing your own personal knowledge of "America's Most Wanted Bird".