For the better part of my life, I’ve mostly lived in apartments, constantly dreaming of the day when I’d possess a backyard. I yearned for my own garden—a private sanctuary for birds and other creatures, an intimate connection to nature right outside my door. This unrelenting desire for a backyard oasis within my urban confines finally spurred me into action. I transformed my patio into a charming mini-garden and avian haven—all on a limited budget.
It has certainly been true in my life that if I need something, it will come to me.
I began by hanging up a basic hummingbird feeder, then I would place birdseed in a bowl or scatter it across my patio floor. Gradually, the birds started to visit. However, scattering seed on my patio floor made quite the mess.
That’s when I was gifted my first bird seed holder, and shortly after, I found two more discarded on a public sidewalk, waiting for their new homes.
Winter came, and I noticed an influx of hummingbirds—at one point, there were at least 20 visiting. I believe they were migrating, but it was a fascinating sight to behold. This prompted me to visit Goodwill, where I found some lovely hummingbird feeders.
Next, I collected several 6’+ branches that had fallen from trees, ensuring they were still sturdy and had branching or L-shaped structures so that visiting birds could perch on them. You can hang the hummingbird feeder from the branch as shown in the photo below:
I used zip ties to attach the branches to the bars on my patio, making them as secure as possible. Alternatively, you can purchase eye-bolts to zip-tie the branches to for added stability. You can also affix hooks to hang your hummingbird feeder and bird feeders from the roof of your patio. I have both real plants and some fake plants hung around my patio to make it more appealing to birds. I cut up an old artificial Christmas tree I found and used its fake leaves to create a more natural look on my patio.
You can see this in the photo below, featuring a hummingbird that visited my patio:
One thing you have to watch out for is squirrels—while I love those cute little critters, they can be a nuisance when it comes to bird feeders.
Squirrels will eat all the sunflower seeds in your feeder and make a huge mess, emptying your feeder in just one day. If you don’t mind the mess, that’s fine, but it can become annoying after a while. To prevent this, I’ve learned to place my bird seed feeders in locations where squirrels cannot easily reach them. I don’t want to neglect the squirrels altogether, so I usually leave them peanuts by a nearby tree to deter them from making a mess on my patio. So far, it has worked.
Lastly, I started several different pots and created a mini-garden around my patio by planting chocolate mint, regular mint, rosemary, bird seed sprouts, sunflowers, safflowers, fennel, and even have a little baby birch tree that sprouted up which I have been nurturing for over a year now.
By transforming my plain patio into this delightful mini-garden and avian haven, I’ve created a personal sanctuary for birds and other wildlife right outside my door—all on a tight budget.
Thanks for reading! I hope my little patio paradise inspires you to find your own patch of nature, no matter how small your space.
Veneiveena MourningBird
