Plants Providing Winter Forage for Seed-Eating Birds

Plants that provide food for birds during the quieter months make for easy winter interest in the garden

Of all the meter I expend in my gardens , the moments I find most memorable and meaningful are when the garden is enjoyed by others . Though typically brief , the moments — like photographic slides — scrape seasonal progression , play up the value of my travail , and crystallize fugacious scenes that color how I think my hard work . These visits are often from nurseryman friends , but sometimes I get a surprise drop - in from a potpourri ofwild critter . Last weekend a perturbed shriek owl urgently tried to miss a bevy of harryingsongbirdsby clambering into my uprightjuniper . Unfortunately for the owl , it did n’t work ; the harrying continue !

I ’ve grown to particularly enjoy such unexpected appearances , specially those by shuttle , whose appearance , disappearances , and range of behaviors do a peculiarly proficient line of marketing the unbendable Master of Architecture of seasonal change and allow for so much invigoration in garden infinite . It ’s nice to see that your garden cater a feast beyond the visual , too . take plants that suppliesfood for birdsduring the quieter winter month make up for easywinter interestin the garden and does n’t add any price to your garden recitation . It also skirts the headaches connect with traditional bird feeders , wander from price of feed , increase rodent in the grand , and the potential increase bed covering of bird disease .

teach more : plant for the Birds in Your part

Broadly speaking , I approach gardening for winter bird feeding with three main grouping of plants :

Shrubs and trees

haunting berries are those that advert on the plant after suppurate . In most typesetter’s case , such fruits dry on the industrial plant and remain toothsome for birds well into winter months as food becomes increasingly scarce . Chief among these are tenacious crabapples ( Malusspp . and cvs . , Zones 3–9 ) . Though not native , they are not problematical in wild spaces in the Rockies , and make easy , beautiful addition to yards with prodigal amounts of small pink , orange , or red fruit . They are also a slice of patty to find at your local nursery and are hardy to Zone 4 . For those not in the market for a small Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , other options include many of our aboriginal bush , such as grape holly ( Berberisaquifolium , Zones 4–8 ) , three - foliage sumac ( Rhustrilobata , Zones 3–8 ) , and smooth sumac ( Rhusglabra , Zones 3–9 ) .

Top picks:

Additional shrubs and tree diagram providing in effect winter eatage for seed - eating birds :

Native Grasses

Often overlooked when regard birds , native grasses produce significant amounts of energy - fertile seed that many songbirds bask . A tumid number of our native grasses match this bill , but few do so with such broad appeal as switchgrass ( Panicumvirgatum , Zones 4–9 ) , which provides a loose and airy atomizer of plump seeds above its leaf . Native across middle America , switchgrass plants are a cinch to grow so long as they get modest irrigation , and are quite long - lived . As warm - season growers , they go dormancy in very late spring and flower in late summer .

Cultivars range from the petite , roughly 3 - foot - tall ‘ Shenandoah ’ and ‘ Cheyenne Sky ’ to the downright monolithic , 6 - foot - plus ‘ Heavy Metal ’ and ‘ Dallas Blues ’ . None are aggressive seeder , and all are crew grasses , so you do n’t have to interest about them getting out of hand ( or the layer you put them in ) . A number of cultivars of this grass feature attractive , crimson - blushed or metallic - silver foliage as well .

Top pick:

Switchgrass ( Panicumvirgatum , Zone 4 )

Additional native grasses put up wintertime forage for seeded player - eating birds :

Annuals and Perennials:

Grasses and fruits aside , many garden and wildflowers supply good forage for our birds . Of all the plants I grow , one group remains a favorite : the sunflower household . This phratry can be quickly key as having bloom that search like sunflowers ( large or little ) , daisies , or aster - type blossom . They bring about huge sum of nutritious seed , much of which lasts into winter .

For sites with moderate soil wet or those with irrigation , hoar aster ( Symphyotrichum pilosum , Zones 3–9 ) make up an attractive , bird - valued pick . The coinage keeps a down in the mouth visibility in spring but pass 2 to 4 feet high by the clip it bloom in former and mid - fall , topping its narrow , dark green leaves and stems with hundreds of dainty , white daisy - like flowers long after most works have throw in the towel for the year . The species can be scruffy in soil precondition it finds prosperous , especially soils with lots of irrigation or reliable wet . So far , mine have been well - do in my minimally irrigate home beds , where I can watch out juncos bounding beneath them , picking up their very okay , dustlike cum from the filth surface until snowfall cover settles in midwinter .

Gardeners see for something bigger can choose for large perennial helianthus : ‘ Dakota Sunshine ’ ( Helianthusmaximiliana‘Dakota Sunshine ’ , Zones 3–8 ) is a particularly skillful option for our region . While many perennial sunflowers strike their stride in ahead of time to mid - fall — by which time we often have a killing Robert Lee Frost , preventing a bloom—‘Dakota Sunshine ’ begins bloom in late summer . The pick , a joint introduction byHigh Country Gardensand Lauren Springer , get hold of about 5 feet tall and produces a generous spray of saturated yellowed “ miniature sunflowers ” in late summertime . ‘ Dakota Sunshine ’ can ego - sow , sometimes enthusiastically , depending on the condition in your garden . So if in doubt , appropriate this and other perennial sunflower with similar tendencies for the “ back 40 , ” where such behavior is welcome . You may have mark a traffic pattern with bird - feed plants — many that put up the best forage are realize the most seeds !

Additional perennials and yearbook providing good winter forage for seed - eating boo :

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Bryan Fischer lives and gardens at the carrefour of the Great Plains and the Rockies . He is a horticulturist and the conservator of plant collections for a local botanic garden .

All photos unless otherwise noted : Bryan Fischer

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