the last one was just whimsy......I sort of collect birdhouses and that one came with the house - but had fallen out of the tree when a piece of it broke off. So I just put it by the front door with a couple of bunnies and some Spanish moss....

@Lavergne Silly me. I was cleaning (finally) the garden supplies from my late partner and what did I find? A bag marked Orach. She had planted these and I didn't realize it. So where do you get your birdhouses?

@JackPedigo Everywhere....some are the "real things" that were built for the birds to nest in and some are just ornamental - although from what I've seen, some of these birds will go for any port in a storm. One of the old abandoned birdhouses is now home to a flying squirrel. Scared the crap out of my husband when it came flying out of there the other day - he was NOT expecting that!!

@Lavergne One big problem with nesting boxes is that some larger animals (crows, starlings and squirrels) can actually enlarge the entrance hole and gain access to the eggs. I have learned to add something to strengthen the hole (wooden curtain rings are great). I also will nail some ornamental tacks around the hole or even cut a piece of hardwood with a hole and place it over the original hole. I have even made birdhouses with a mosaic tile front.

That's because the growers "force" them to bloom at the most beneficial times for retail purposes (Christmas, easter, etc). They don't naturally bloom exactly at those times - so after you buy them and bring them home, they will revert to their own natural schedules,...