What to Plant For a Garden Full of Birds

Do you love birds? Why not plant a garden full of plants to attract more of the birds you love!

An easy way to start is by planting some dwarf fruit trees, berry bushes, and a grapevine or two. The spring blooms will attract insect eaters such as the warblers and orioles (and of course feed the bees), plus they will provide summer, fall and winter pickings for your birds.

The summer garden for birds can include things like a cherry tree, chokecherries, honeysuckle, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries. These plants produce fruit or berries from May through August. These will attract cardinals, brown thrashers, catbirds, robins, thrushes, waxwings, woodpeckers, orioles, towhees and grosbeaks. If you really want the birds to flock to your doorstep, try planting a mulberry tree. They do grow tall and their fruit is rather messy so take that into consideration when deciding if it's a good fit for your property.

In the fall you can expect to have a lot of migratory birds checking out your feeders. Some shrubs and trees that provide food for these adorable little guests include dogwoods, mountain ash, winter-berries, and buffalo-berries. It is important to provide food, whether from your natural garden or in seed feeders, during this time of year so both the migratory and non-migratory birds can build their fat reserve.

Keep in mind that some plants that bear fruit in the fall aren't edible by the birds until they have frozen and thawed several times. Some examples of these are glossy black chokecherries, snow-berries and high bush cranberries.

Another tree to be aware of is the crab apple tree. Many of us plant them to feed the birds, but take note that many of the hybrids of the crab apple tree have fruit that is not edible. If you can find an old variety of crab-apple then they are a nice addition for both you and the birds.

Besides planting trees and shrubs to attract the birds you can also add things like a water source - bird baths, a small pond or a waterfall feature; create a nesting area; plant insect friendly plants; and avoid pesticides.

So now you can visit your local greenhouse and pick up the plants you need, and then stop by The Landing Place Gifts and check our bird houses, feeders, and garden stones to finish off your garden. 

Sit back and enjoy the chatter of our little feathered friends all year long.