Create a haven for SONGBIRDS
OPEN spaces provide areas for certain species of birds to forage for food. Layering tall, medium and low plants throughout the yard allows birds to take cover when they need it.
“Planting trees, shrubs and vines in different heights will make your yard more attractive to birds,” said Toni Bancroft, assistant manager of Armstrong Garden Center in Laguna Niguel, Calif. “The plants provide food, shelter and places to nest.”
Trees that invite birds include the redbud, which produces vibrant magenta blossoms in the spring. Many species eat the seeds, while others tap the nectar of the flowers.
Dense conifers provide hideaways for the birds, protecting them from wind and rain, as well as an escape from predators. Finches, pine siskins, chickadees and woodpeckers eat the seeds from the pine cones and glean insects from the bark. Oaks produce acorns, an important food source for blue jays and woodpeckers.
American beautyberry will bring winged neighbors to a garden. Bottlebrush also attracts seed-eaters.
Penstemon, salvia, Lion’s Tail, honeysuckle, aloe and milkweed are just a few of the nectar-producing plants for hummingbirds, Bancroft said. If you’re trying to entice goldfinches, which are in Texas through mid-March, grasses and weedy plants are a draw for these birds, whose plumage shifts from yellow gray to vibrant yellow as temperatures warm.
Winged visitors will be right at home with the addition of trees, shrubs and vines
Salvias, russelia and cuphea offer hummingbirds nectar in vibrant, tubular blooms. Zinnias attract hummingbirds to the blooms and other birds to the seeds that follow the flowers.
Fruiting mulberries are favorites of orioles, catbirds and cardinals.
Birds are beneficial to gardens. “They can be nature’s pest control,” Bancroft said.
Don’t be so quick to rake up every leaf in your yard. Insect-eaters, such as Carolina wrens, scratch around in piles of leaves to forage for food.
Winter berry-producing native shrubs and trees, like nandina and yaupon holly, provide sustenance for yearround species, including bluebirds, robins, flickers, woodpeckers and mockingbirds. If you plant blueberries, strawberries and blackberries for food, you’re likely to be sharing them with the birds. Mylar tape can be effective in scaring birds away from the berries until you’re ready to share the crop.