Planting to Attract Birds
There are a wide variety of plants that are not only attractive additions to your landscape, but will also attract birds to your yard. In addition to being beautiful and fascinating, many birds are voracious eaters of insects. Birds also play an important role in the pollination of some flowers. By incorporating the right plants, you can encourage birds to be an everyday part of your garden.
When selecting plants to attract birds, it is important to consider food, water and shelter. Depending on the type of bird, their natural foods are seeds, fruits, insects, nuts and nectar. For water, birds need birdbaths, puddles or shallow ponds. For shelter, birds seek a safe place from the elements and predators. Evergreens provide excellent shelter as do thick shrubs and vines. Think in terms of the seasons and select a variety of plants that will provide food as much of the year as possible. Plants that hold their fruit into winter are very important. If you are considering a flowering crabapple, check for varieties with "persistent" fruit. You may need to supplement the food for winter, but with careful selection of plants, your garden should be able to provide some winter needs. For information about gardening for hummingbirds, pick up a Bachman's information sheet entitled Attracting Hummingbirds.
Annuals
Ageratum
Bachelor Buttons
Calendula
Cosmos
Dianthus
Love-in-a-Mist
Marigold
Moss Roses
Poppies
Sunflower
Zinnias
Evergreens for Cover & Nesting
All Firs Abies
All Pines Pinus
All Spruce Picea
Arborvitae Thuga
Canadian Hemlock Tsuga
Ground Covers & Vines
Fiveleaf Akebia
Bearberry Arctostaphylos
Bittersweet Celastrus
Honeysuckle Lonicera
Boston Ivy Parthenocissus tric.
Virginia Creeper Parthenocissus quin.
Grapes Vitus
Wintercreeper Euonymus fortunei
Medium - Large Trees
Birch Betula
Black Walnut Juglans nigra
Blue Beech Carpinus
Catalpa Catalpa
Green Ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica
Hackberry Celtis occidentalis
Norway Pine Pinus resinosa
Oak Quercus
Sugar Maple Acer saccharum
White Pine Pinus strobus
Willow Salix
Medium and large trees can provide shelter, nesting sites, sap and seeds.
Perennials
Aster Aster
Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia
Columbine Aquilegia
Coneflower Echinacea
Coral Bells Heuchera
Delphiniums Delphinium
Garden Mums Chrysanthemum
Globe Thistle Echinops
Goldenrod Solidago
Ornamental Grasses
Per. Sunflower Helianthus
Statice Limonium
Threadleaf Coreopsis Coreopsis v. |
Roses
All Rugosa Varieties
Cuthbert Grant
Hansa
Henry Hudson
Jens Munk
Meidiland Pink
Morden Centenial
Pierette Pavement
Rosa magnifica
Rosa rubrifolia
Shrubs
Amur Maple Acer ginnala
Arrowwood Viburnum V. opulus
Barberry Berberis
Bayberry Myrica pennsyl.
Chokeberry Aronia
Chokecherry Prunus v.
Cotoneaster Cotoneaster
Cranberry Viburnum V. trilobum
Elderberry Sambucus
Gray Dogwood Cornus rac.
Honeysuckle Lonicera
Juniper Juniperus
Nanking Cherry Prunus tom.
Nannyberry Viburnum V. lentago
Redtwig Dogwood Cornus s.
Serviceberry Amelachier
Smooth Sumac Rhus glabra
Staghorn Sumac Rhus typhina
Winterberry Ilex verticillata
Small Fruits
Blueberry
Currants
Gooseberry
Raspberries
Strawberries
Small Trees
Amur Maple Acer ginnala
Apple Malus
Apricots Prunus
Cherries Prunus
Chokecherry Prunus virginiana
Crabapple Malus
Hawthorne Cratageus
Juniper Juniperus
Mountain Ash Sorbus
Mulberry Morus
Pear Pyrus
Plum Prunus
Russian Olive Elaeagnus
Serviceberry Amelachier |
Additional Information
Landscaping for Wildlife by MN DNR, C. Henderson
Complete Book of Bird feeding
Wild About Birds by MN DNR, C. Henderson
Minnesota Birds
Bird Feeders
Bird Feed Basics
© Bachman's 2007 |
