Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Nature's bird feeders…two dozen plants that will attract birds

Nature's way of feeding the birds is one of the easiest and most enjoyable. The plants lay out the menu for you, there are no tubes or trays to clean and refill, and there's no question whether the birds are getting nutritious food.

All you have to do is choose plants that birds like and then provide routine garden care. In fact, the less pruning and grooming you do, the better the birds will like it.

How long do you and the birds have to wait for dinner to be served?

if you start with a 1-gallon plant, most of these shrubs and vines will present at least a smaller appetizer the first year; some large, fast-growing kinds should deliver a hearty feast by next winter. Five-gallon and larger plants, of course, will produce more right away. Small trees, such as dogwood and hawthorn, may take several years to produce fruit, but once established, they are among the most bountiful feeders.

Listed here are more than 2 dozen of nature's best bird feeders. All are common landscape plants that are easy to grow and good-looking. Most produce in winter or early spring when other bird food tends to be in short supply. For more information about plant sizes and best choices for your climate or sun exposure, check the Sunset Western Garden Book or ask your nurserymen. In cold-winter areas, planting will probably have to wait until mild weather arrives.

Plant in a place you can see from the house and where birds will feel safe from cats and other predators. Birds generally favor gardens with a thick perimeter of shrubs or trees around a clearing. Since banqueting birds tend to increase problems with stains or litter, avoid placing berried plants over paths or paving.

Berry banquets. Favorites include all dogwoods (shown in Cornus capitata), hawthorns, mahonias, mountain ash, pyracanthas, toyon, and most viburnums (for a heavier crop, plant several of the same kind; snowball types don't bear fruit).

Seed and insect cafeterias. Alders, birches, ceanothus, maples, and rosemary can fit into even a small garden. If you have space for larger trees, consider oaks, pines, sycamores, and willows, all especially popular with a wide variety of birds. Prolific annuals like sweet alyssum, California poppies, and forget-me-nots usually scatter enough seeds to feed the birds as well as create new plants; to get your first crop established, you may have to cover the seedbed with bird netting.

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