Ah, ‘tis the season to dream! Gardening catalogs galore are magically appearing in my mailbox. So build a nice fire, grab a cup of hot chocolate and let’s plan our gardens.
One of my favorite birds is the Cedar Waxwing. Growing up they would appear in a large flock, usually on a cloudy winter day, and devour the berries in the bushes surrounding my backyard. What a treat to watch these birds. They are so beautiful - they remind me of Oriental figurines. So this morning I opened an email from Birds & Blooms. To my delight there is a picture of a waxwing devouring a bright, red berry. The article lists plants to attract this and other berry loving birds. So here it is!
Strawberry, Fragaria – this is our good, old yummy jam plant. Perfect as a ground cover or in a container or hanging basket. I have plants but rarely get to eat them. My feathered friends are quicker than I. HOWEVER, some of my plants are wintering over in the greenhouse and I now have small green strawberries!
Winterberry, Ilex verticillata – great plant for the landscape. So versatile and attractive.
Juniper, Juniperus – another multi-use plant. Good ground cover, nice color for the winter, perfect habitat for bird winter protection. It’s fun to see birds going into our plants at dusk.
Serviceberry, Amelanchier – as the article states, this is a four season plant – flowers, fruit, fall color and attractive bark in winter.
Hawthorn, Crataegus – another plant with spectacular red berries and great as a border plant.
Crabapple, Malus – another plant from my childhood yard, I enjoyed climbing it during the summer and the birds liked it in the winter.
Madrone, Arbutus menziesii – this one is unfamiliar to me. But the article says “berry clusters may include red, orange and yellow fruit at the same time.”
Elderberry, Sambucus – an all-time southern favorite.
Raspberry, Rubus – another fruit that has landscape uses along with being absolutely delicious. Some for us and some for the birds! [Note from the Agent: Traditional red varieties are challenging to grow in Piedmont NC, but the adventurous can find more information here: http://content.ces.ncsu.edu/raspberries-in-the-home-garden.pdf
References:
http://ncsu.edu/goingnative/howto/mapping/
http://www.birdsandblooms.com/birding/attracting-birds/plants-and-trees-that-attract-birds/top-10-plants-attract-waxwing-birds/#ixzz3OLJlc1I7
Have fun planning! And happy birdwatching!
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