Hello. You are asking about wild birds outside, yes? There is really little you can do other than protect the flowers. I understand your wife's concern and consternation but from the bird's point of view, food is being provided for them. They cannot be expected to simply leave it alone. That would be like putting food in front of a hungry dog and expecting him to leave it alone just because you don't want him to eat it. You can purchase a couple Finch feeders and proper food from your local home improvement store or even probably WalMart, KMart, etc. You can put the feeders fairly close to the flowers at first, until the birds get the habit of coming to the feeders. Then, if necessary, gradually move them a little further from the flowers, over time. Slowly training the birds to come elsewhere for a meal. That still may not be 100% successful as they are likely to still prefer "live", fresh food as opposed to food from a sack. As for a deterrent at the flowers themselves, putting a bird net over them like the ones used to protect berry bushes is one option, although probably not at all handy. Another option is to put fake predators in and near the flower garden Thinks like rubber snakes, and fake owls. Any imitation of one of the bird's natural predators. However, it may not last. Birds are pretty smart critters and many times, it does not take long for them to see through our phoney efforts. Another, less attractive option is to hang some aluminum pie pans in a way that they will swing, flap and reflect while blowing in a breeze. The bottom line though, is other than a net, nothing is likely to fool them for long. Your best approach will probably be some combination of all of these. I hope this helps you with some ideas. Good luck with it. Patricia
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