Creating Habitat for Birds Part 2 of 2
In our last blog about creating habitat for birds we talked about the steps we can take to make a healthy and sustainable northwest garden where birds and other wildlife will thrive. Not only does the design of your landscape effect whether we have birds in our backyard, but the plant choices we make can either make or break it.
Some plants will provide food and habitat for birds while others will provide options for pollinators that are important to our environment.
Plants for Food:
- Dwarf Sargent Crabapple (Malus toringo sargentii ‘Tina’)
Dwarf Sargent’s Crabapple (Malus toringo sargentii ‘Tina’) Photo Courtesy of Great Plant Picks
- Autumn Brilliance Serviceberry (Amelanchier x grandiflora ‘Autumn Brilliance’)- this can be eaten by birds and people
Autumn Brilliance Serviceberry (Amelanchier x grandiflora ‘Autumn Brilliance’) Photo Courtesy of Great Plant Picks
- Cornelian Cherry (Cornus mas)
Cornelian Cherry (Cornus mas) Photo Courtesy of Great Plant Picks
- Purple Leaf Black Elder (Sambucus nigra ‘Black Beauty’)
Purple Leaf Black Elder Berry (Sambucus nigra ‘Black Beauty’)
- Arthur Menzies Mahonia (Mahonia x media ‘Authur Menzies’)- According to Richie Steffen, the curator at the Elisabeth C. Miller Botanic Garden in Seattle, hummingbirds will protect these plants because they like them so much
Arthur Menzies Mahonia (Mahonia x media ‘Arthur Menzies’) Photo Courtesy of Great Plant Picks
- Madame Galen Trumpet Creeper (Campsis x tagliabuana ‘Madame Galen’)
Madame Galen Trumpet Creeper (Campsis x tagliabuana ‘Madame Galen’) Photo Courtesy of Great Plant Picks
- Hardy Fuchsias- Golden Gate, Lord Byron, and Dying Embers are all great options that hummingbirds love
Hardy Fuchsia (Fuchsia ‘Dying Embers’) Photo Courtesy of Great Plant Picks
Plants for Pollinators:
- Kramer’s Rote Heath (Erica x darleyensis ‘Kramers’s Rote’)
Kramer’s Rote Heath (Erica x darleyensis ‘Kramer’s Rote’) Photo Courtesy of Great Plant Picks
- Sweetbox (Sarcococca)
Sweetbox (Sarcococca hookeriana humilis)
- Cavatine Dwarf Lily of the Valley (Pieris japonica ‘Cavatine’)
Cavatine Dwarf Lily of the Valley (Pieris japonia ‘Cavatine’)
- Flowering Currant (Ribes sanguineum)
Flowering Currant (Ribes sanguineum) Photo Courtesy of Great Plant Picks
- Tommasini’s Crocus (Crocus tommasinianus)
Tommasini’s Crocus (Crocus tommasinianus) Photo Courtesy of Great Plant Picks
- Fawn Lily (Erythronium revolutum or Erythronium oregonum)
Giant White Fawn Lily (Erythronium oregonum) Photo Courtesy of Great Plant Picks
- Yellow Fool’s Onion (Triteleia ixioides ‘Starlight’)
Yellow Fool’s Onion (Triteleia ixioides ‘Starlight’) Photo Courtesy of Great Plant Picks
- Frikart’s Aster (Aster x frikartii ‘Jungrau’)- all of the Frikart’s Aster has one of the longest bloom times out of all the asters.
Frikart’s Aster (Aster x frikartii ‘Jungrau’) Photo Courtesy of Great Plant Picks
- Hardy Geranium (Geranium ‘Gerway Rozanne’)- this is one of the hardiest geraniums
Hardy Geranium (Geranium ‘Gerway Rozanne’) Photo Courtesy of Great Plant Pick
- Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea ‘Magnus’ or ‘Bravado)- both varieties have good longevity
Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea ‘Bravado’) Photo Courtesy of Great Plant Picks
- Goldenrod (Solidago rugosa ‘Fireworks’)
Goldenrod (Solidago rugosa ‘Fireworks’) Photo Courtesy of Great Plant Picks
Other plants for birds/wildlife:
- Golden Catalpa (Catalpa bignonioides ‘Aurea’)
Golden Catalpa (Catalpa bignonioides ‘Aurea’) Photo Courtesy of Great Plant Picks
- Variegated Elaeagnus (Elaeagnus x ebbingei ‘Gilt Edge’)
Variegated Elaeagnus (Elaeagnus x ebbingei ‘Gilt Edge’) Photo Courtesy of Great Plant Picks
- Golden Boxleaf Honeysuckle (Lonicera nitida ‘Baggasen’s Gold’)
Golden Boxleaf Honeysuckle (Lonicera nitida ‘Baggasen’s Gold’) Photo Courtesy of Great Plant Picks
- Sweet Olive (Osmanthus x burkwoodii)
Sweet Olive (Osmanthus x burkwoodii) Photo Courtesy of Great Plant Picks
- Purple Leaf Grape Vine (Vitis vinifera ‘Purpurea’)
Purple Leaf Grape Vine (Vitis vinifera ‘Purpurea’) Photo Courtesy of Great Plant Picks
- Evergreen Clematis (Clematis armandii ‘Snowdrift’)
Evergreen Clematis (Clematis armandii ‘Snowdrift’) Photo Coutesy of Great Plant Picks
- Purple Alpine Clematis (Clematis ‘Helsingborg’)
Purple Alpine Clematis (Clematis ‘Helsingborg’) Photo Courtesy of Great Plant Picks
- Evergreen Climbing Hydrangea (Hydrangea integrifolia)
Evergreen Climbing Hydrangea (Hydrangea integrifolia) Photo Courtesy of Great Plant Picks
There are also a few things that we find annoying or troublesome that birds and other wildlife love to eat or use to build their homes so it’s good to know about those as well. One of these is dwarf mistletoe. This parasite can affect hemlocks, but, the Mistletoe Hairstreak Butterfly’s larvae actually feeds on it. It can possibly be beneficial to introduce these butterflies if you want to take care of this problem on your hemlocks or if you notice you already have these butterflies fluttering around your garden, there’s a good chance they’re taking care of the issue already! Another thing that most people tend to dislike is lichen. But, what most people don’t know, is that lichen doesn’t actually harm the trees it grows on. You can leave it and hummingbirds will pick it off to use for nesting material.
For even more plant ideas for your bird friendly garden, you can visit Great Plant Picks. Each plant has a description along with pictures.
Would you like to attract more birds to your yard? We can help design a bird-friendly landscape for your space. Visit our contact us page to get started!
