Just as the rustic bird houses, constructed of weathered boards, and with floor covering of powdered sawdust or ground cork, have become a necessity in the twentieth-century garden, tempting the summer sojourners to rest their weary wings; so we must strive to create a homelike atmosphere so attractive to the little songsters that they will delight in revelling among the many flowers that are planted here. A barren waste of land has no pleasure for them, neither has a garden shorn of their favorite plants.
There is no need of being deterred from using a feature such as this. A bird bath need not be expensive, just a simple box, zinc-lined and painted to correspond with the surroundings. The birds are not fussy as to the exterior of their outdoor bathroom; all they wish is comfort and a cooling drink during the hot summer days, when the dew has faded from the grass, and the sun hangs high in the heavens. It is then that all nature is panting from excessive heat.
A simple zinc pan, large and wide enough, filled with fresh water daily, is as satisfactory to them, as a marble pool standing in the heart of the garden and surrounded by a bed of brilliant flowers. Place this pan in the heart of a grassy knoll, at the edge of the garden proper and watch results. You will not have long to wait before softly tripping through the grass or dropping from their leafy covert, one by one, they show their gratitude by revelling in the bath thus placed for their use.
The most common type, if you wish to buy a bird bath, is the cement one. It can be modeled in any shape and to follow any line of treatment that you prefer. The simple, plain, low-lying ones are suitable for placing under the shadowy bush or tree. Hand carving would be as much out of place on a bath such as this, as if one used an expensive silver bowl for their benefit. To be sure a little ornamentation, simply worked out, makes them more artistic. This can be accomplished through proper planting. A delicate fern unfolding its fronds and drooping until it almost touches the water is appropriate, as is a low-lying pine that adds a bit of shade which is truly appreciated by your little visitors who perch on the curb, after shaking off the dust from their wings in the water below, and pour out their gratitude in a melody of song.
For ornament why not use a cement bath that is shaped like a large vase. It makes an interesting feature in your twentieth-century garden, and gives a chance to depict a favorite flower from which the garden takes its name.
Rising stately and dignified from their floral bed, showing wonderful and delicate carving, are marble baths exquisitely shaped and resting on a shaft of the same material. These are fitting for an Italian or a formal garden. They seem to blend in with an elaborate architectural scheme such as we find in the planning for the decoration of a large area.
There is no particular place where they seemingly do not fit in. They are effective used as a central figure and surrounded with a circle of well-chosen blossoming plants and they harmonize in the landscape scheme even if used apart from the main gardens or designed to occupy a niche in the wall. Here they are just as enjoyable as if they stood prominently forth, the main axis around which the rest of the garden revolves.
