A 'Bird Seed Garden' Puts All Responsibility On Selecting Plants On Our Winged Friends

Gardens can feel fulfilling to design and cultivate, especially if you're an outdoorsy person. From walls of flowers to a minimalist landscape, there are heaps of outdoor trends to take inspiration from, and one of the best garden trends is the concept of a "bird seed garden." As defined in a TikTok posted by @susandoingsusanthings, a bird seed garden puts all the responsibility on the gorgeous winged creatures that visit your garden rather than you, hence the name. All you'll need to do is hang bird feeders filled with seeds around your property and allow the birds to do the rest of the work for you. 

The perfect option if you want to change up the look of your floral space but don't know where to start, this method will create a whimsical and free-flowing area. Rather than spending hours trying to decide on seeds and starts, the birds will do it for you (and save you a lot of stress in the meantime). This may provide you with some varieties that you've never considered planting before, as the birds will decide what to eat and spread around your yard. Here's how this gardening method works.

Once you've set up your bird feeders, feathered friends will flock to your yard and start dispersing the seeds around your property, thereby creating your flower garden for you. Birds can disperse seeds in many ways, but one of the most likely methods is through their droppings. This just means that birds defecate what they don't need, often the parts of seeds that will grow into gorgeous plants. Another way seeds are dispersed is through birds carrying them in their beaks or claws to a new location. Inevitably, some of the seeds will be relinquished along the journey. Finally, birds are messy eaters, and everything they do not consume is left to potentially grow.

As mentioned in the comments of the above TikTok, some of the items dispersed by birds that can flourish in your garden include sunflower, thistle, and safflower seeds. Still, you should be wary that bird droppings can lead to infections like Salmonella if touched, so it's best not to tamper with a plant until it's is firmly on its way to growing. Additionally, not all the seeds will have the conditions they need to thrive, so keep in mind that every single seed that's dropped will not grow. Still, this trend is a fun way to inject new life into your garden in a spontaneous rather than planned way.