If you are into bird watching you probably already have several bird feeders of different types scattered around your yard. Most people enjoy this hobby just in the winter when the birds, for lack of other food, will flock to the feeders in droves. But have you ever thought about planting a year round garden for the birds? There are many shrubs and trees that provide food for all four seasons.
Spring Garden
When you begin your spring gardening, whether you have an established landscape plan or just beginning, be sure to include some dwarf fruit trees, berry bushes, and a grapevine or two. You can work them into your design and they will not only provide summer, fall and winter pickings for the birds but the spring blooms will attract insect eaters such as the warblers and orioles.
For more information about insect control and birds read What Wild Birds do for Us.
Summer Garden
According to Landscape America the summer garden for birds should include a cherry tree, chokecherry, honeysuckle, raspberry, serviceberry, blackberry, blueberry, plum and elderberry. These plants produce fruit or berries from May through August. They should attract brown thrashers, catbirds, robins, thrushes, waxwings, woodpeckers, orioles, cardinals, towhees and grosbeaks.
If you really want the birds to flock to your doorstep plant a mulberry tree. You will, however, need a good sized piece of property in order to accommodate a mulberry. They grow tall and their fruit is rather messy. Expect to see large purple splashes on the driveway and anything else in the path of a passing bird that has just visited your mulberry tree.
Fall Garden
In the fall you can expect to have a lot of migratory birds checking out your feeders trying to replenish themselves for their long journey. Shrubs and trees that provide food for these guests, and early feeding for the residents, are dogwoods, mountain ash, winter-berries, cotoneasters and buffalo-berries. It is important to provide feed, 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.
Winter Garden
There are many plants that will bear fruit in the fall but it isn't edible by the birds until it has frozen and thawed several times. Some examples are the glossy black chokecherry, snowberry, bittersweet, sumacs, American high bush cranberry, eastern and European wahoo, Virginia creeper and the Chinaberry. Some people plant crabapple trees to feed the birds but many of the hybrids of that species have fruit that is not edible. If you can find an old variety of the crabapple then they are a nice addition.
Extra Ideas
Nut bearing trees are a valuable asset to your bird garden because they can provide a good hiding and nesting area. Sometimes, especially with the walnuts, the nuts will crack open and birds will feed on the loose kernels. Hickory, buckeye, chestnut and oak trees are all good sheltering places for the birds.
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