Gardening - Welcoming birds to your garden

The best place to seek

God is in the garden,

you can dig for him there.

-George Bernard Shaw

As I sat out on my back deck a few weeks ago, I had a brief visit by the most gorgeous yellow finch. He lit upon a nearby hosta flower stem. I was close enough to see his beautiful colors and markings. I began to think about what encouraged his visit. I purposely stay away from bird feeders on my property. My previous experience chasing squirrels and dealing with the resultant seed weeds lead to my decision never again to place bird feeders in my gardens. The hassle just diminished the joy of my gardens. So what is it that attracts these lovely creature’s garden visits?

With a little foresight in your design, you can draw birds to your gardens no matter what the season. Good garden designs generally include all the elements birds need: food, water, shelter, and a place to nest. So I took a little inventory of my gardens. I was surprised to find some of my favorite plant selections and property features naturally attracted a variety of birds. So without really trying, I had a “bird haven” of sorts. If you are looking for some low maintenance ideas, check out some of the ones I have had great success with.

Food

One does not often think of a dead or hollow tree as a garden accent, but it truly can be if located beyond danger to property structures. The tree can offer insects as a food source to a variety of birds as well as shelter/perching opportunities. There is nothing quite like the song of a bird in the garden. Over the past few seasons we have had the pleasure of an owl visitor on the wooded perimeter of our property. Some evenings you even get a peek of this majestic creature perching on a dead tree. If you think a dead tree is a bit of a stretch as a garden accent, I understand some gardeners plant vines in and around their dead or hollowed tree, making it a natural arbor. Birds love some of our area’s favorite blossoming/fruit bearing trees. These include: dogwoods, crabapples, and serviceberries. Spruce trees produce cones with seeds that birds will feed upon. They also double as a sturdy shelter/nesting option. Many shrubs also produce fruit late in the season. Birds are especially fond of firethorn, sumac, cottoneaster, viburnum, dogwood shrub varieties, fothergilla and witch hazel. Two viburnums that have great seasonal berry interest are the blueberry muffin and cranberry varieties.

Many flower varieties attract birds for their food. Gardeners are always thrilled to see hummingbirds feed upon the nectar of various plants in their garden. Many bird attracting flowers double as a butterfly magnet. My perennial favorites include: rudbeckia, cone flowers, daylilies, hibiscus, geranium, asters, gallardia and beebalm. Cones and rudbeckia do need deadheading to keep flowering throughout the season, but try leaving the heads on late in the season and the birds will enjoy feeding on the seeds. Why buy sunflower seeds prepackaged in a plastic bag to feed the birds, when you can grow your own tall beautiful sunflowers. Then watch the birds devour seeds at the end of the season and even spread seeds for new plants next year.

Shelter

Evergreen trees and shrubs are a favorite shelter and nesting area for birds. Ever walk by a hedge of yews and hear a chorus of birds hiding in there? The density of many evergreens attracts birds. A favorite is the spruce. The dense dwarf Alberta and blue globe varieties are nice low maintenance shrubs that will fit nicely into a variety of properties. Crab apples trees are a favorite spot for bird cover and nesting. Although not an option for many property owners, I have a small brush pile of sticks on the back border of my developed property. This provides birds with both predator and shelter elements. The diversity of your trees and shrubs will encourage visits from a diversity of birds. A variety of texture, density, height, shape, and canopy in your plant material will invite birds to seek out and use the environment.

Water

Today’s gardening offers a vast array of options to integrate the soothing visuals and sounds of water. We have moved far beyond the terra cotta birdbath my Grandmom had out in her garden. Our backyard pond invites birds to drink and bathe. I love to watch a bird stand in the stream bed to take an early morning bath. The power of water as an attraction to birds was recently confirmed by a story shared by Doug Duvall, my national Aquascape Designs consultant. Doug told me about his recent “bird experience” during an indoor water feature workshop in a Pennsylvania convention center. Doug and his crew built a small pondless water feature inside this convention center. We can all attest to the presence of birds nesting in the rafters of those high beamed environments. Within one hour of water feature completion Doug began his formal workshop presentation only to find his participants smiling and pointing at something behind him. He turned to find 2 pigeon’s leisurely taking baths in the newly constructed water feature. Thus is the power of water and natural ecosystem in attracting birds!

Another factor that keeps your property both eco-friendly and attractive to birds is eliminating the use of pesticides and poisons. It is easier to “Go Green” in your gardening practices than ever before! Organic soil amendment alternatives as well as integrated pest management practices on your property will attract birds and keep them coming back for years of enjoyment.

Looking for more resources to design your bird friendly garden? Try out these:

On the internet:

www.birds.cornell.edu

Bird by Bird Gardening by Sally Roth (this book provides extensive planting lists for the avid bird watcher and tips for attracting specific types of birds and their local habitat.)

Sue Ann DuBois is a Master Gardener and partner to the husband-wife team of Chips Landscaping. She designs, constructs, and maintains outdoor landscape, water gardens, and landscape watering systems. Chips Landscaping is an Aquascape® trained water garden contractor and member of the Aquascape® Water Garden Excellence Partnership. For more information visit: www.chipslandscaping.net