Winter Plans For Summer Bird Gardens

Just as our mailboxes empty out from the influx of holiday seasonal cards, the catalogs begin to arrive. With visions of sugar plums now long past, we find ourselves envisioning green vegetation, bright flowers, and dozens of birds and butterflies flitting about. At this time of year, the arrival of mail-order seed and plant catalogs brings smiles to our faces. They overflow with gorgeous photos of brilliantly colored blossoms, picture-perfect fruits and vegetables, and we cannot help but think of renewed life and growth. Like hibernating animals, gardeners in cold climates wait expectantly for the onset of spring. Our gardens are in a state of suspension, and we are restless to begin growing things again. The winter months are perfect for planning and designing next season's garden. Perhaps this is the year to make your yard more friendly and alluring to the birds.

In this day and age, most mail-order seed and plant companies have websites in addition to printed catalogs. The advantage of a website is that it enables the growers to provide more information about each species, beyond the capsule review in the printed catalog.

Of course there are a few practical matters to consider when selecting plants from a catalog or online. First, is the plant suitable for your climate zone? The U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones are usually noted, and some catalogs include a map designating all the zones in North America. Another notion to contemplate is the mature size of the plant that you're thinking of ordering. I can't tell you how many times I've put a plant in too small a space simply because I didn't pay attention to its dimensions at maturity. If this is the year to make your yard more attractive for the birds, you'll also need to think about what attributes a particular plant has that might attract our feathered friends.

Focus On Birds' Needs

Although the catalog choices may seem overwhelming, it's important to focus on what the birds actually need. They are not as fussy about particular species of plants as we might think. If flowers, shrubbery, or trees provide food, shelter, and cover, the birds will likely check them out. It is the structure of the habitat and the type of food available that are most important.

All those photographs of plants showing red, orange, pink, and purple tubular flowers will be ideal for nectar-feeding hummingbirds with their long bills and extensible tongues. Plants in the daisy, or composite, family are excellent choices for the wildlife garden. The flowers make good landing pads for butterflies, and the seeds provide tasty morsels for finches, buntings, doves, and sparrows. Bunchgrasses produce copious amounts of seeds in addition to offering raw materials for nest building. If you include plants like milkweeds in your plans, birds will use the inner bark and flossy seedheads of last year's plants to line their nests. Don't forget shrubs that produce berries or fruits. Mockingbirds, thrashers, and thrushes will thank you for that. Some plants have berries that persist into winter and can provide spots of color in an otherwise gray landscape.

Cover and shelter for birds can be created using trees and shrubs. Well-placed trees will provide jumping-off points for courtship displays as well as places to feed, perch, sing, and nest. Dense shrubs make perfect hiding places for birds as well as protection from the elements. Plants of different heights offer more choices in this regard and will accommodate different kinds of birds. Trees and shrubs may also yield food, either through their seeds, flowers, or fruits. Birds are more likely to visit your garden if there is an abundance of vegetation in which to hide and feel safe.

Bugs Aren't Bad

Another source of food for birds, of course, is insects. Strangely enough, the pictures in catalogs show no signs whatsoever of the presence of any insects. All of the plants are perfect and unblemished. As bird gardeners, we might actually prefer to see a few signs of insect damage in our plants, for without insects, what are the warblers and flycatchers going to eat? Living with insects takes a certain shift in attitude, but their presence indicates a healthy, well-balanced environment. It is important to remember that most birds eat insects at one time or another. And bear in mind, too, that many insects, such as lacewings and lady beetles, are quite beneficial in the garden because they eat aphids. Then there are the butterflies-those flighty, fancy creatures that we love to see flitting among the flowers. They are insects, too.

A Work in Progress

If and when we get our new plants established and decide to compare them with the original catalog images, they may not quite match up. What went wrong? We can console ourselves with the possibility that the catalog photos may have been digitally enhanced with a software program. Colors may have been brightened and additional flowers and fruits added. Remember, too, that the individual microclimates in our yards are undoubtedly more demanding than the carefully controlled greenhouse environments in which many of these plants were raised. And what about wind, hail, snow, and rain? They all take a toll. Don't despair if your plants are not picture-perfect; they are probably more natural looking and that's what the birds prefer..

A garden is never complete; it is a work in progress and continues to change and evolve over time. There will always be new plants to try, the possibility of new birds stopping by or even remaining to nest, delighting us with their colors, movement, and songs.