Gardenworld

It's on winter days when the ground is covered with frost and the air is crisp that ice mobiles can be hung outdoors to decorate trees.

As quick to make as ice cubes, an ice mobile is made decorative with the addition of berries, leaves or seeds harvested from the garden, so even young children can get involved. Just like a snowman, it will last while the cold weather holds and melt when it gets warmer, releasing berries and seeds for birds to feast on.

Ice mobiles An ice mobile can be made the same day or stored in the freezer in anticipation of a cold snap, then hung in the garden when they can be seen from the house.
NB.: Always tell children not to eat berries picked from the garden.

Birds and berries...
How quickly birds strip berries from garden plants changes from year to year with the weather and how much food is available elsewhere. As a general rule though, birds tend to eat the red berries first leaving the less palatable yellow, oranges and whites in the plants until last. Some red berries last better than others including the Firethorn Pyracantha 'Mohave', Cotoneaster lacteus and the hips of roses. For yellows you can't beat the holly Ilex 'Bacciflava' or Pyracantha 'Soleil d'Or'.

You will need....

Water-tight foil containers (empty tea light candles are used here)

Berries, wild bird seed mix, peanuts and/or flowers,

Wire or string

Instructions:

Step one Pick plenty of berries, seeds or flowers from the garden and put into aluminium containers half filling them up. Alternatively your local garden centre will stock a range of wild bird seed mixes. Step two Bend wire into hoops kinking it so that the hoop sits flat onto the berries. Alternatively use hoops of string.

Step three Wrap the end of the wire around the container so that less space is taken up in the freezer, fill with water and put into the freezer. Step four Wait for a cold day and hand outside from the branches of trees and shrubs where they can be seen from the house.