Imagine it's January and everything is blanketed in snow. Your neighbors go outside and spend money filling their bird feeders with food. While they do this, you stay indoors and keep warm with a cup of cocoa, while birds like cardinals, blue jays and cedar waxwings are enjoying a free all natural buffet.
Bring Hummingbirds Right To Your Window!
Check PriceThe solution is simple. Instead of spending money on bird seed, clever gardeners fight winter by planting native cold-weather berry-producing plants. These plants not only survive winter, but they also use this season to highlight their main attribute: berries loaded with the fats and sugars birds need to survive the cold.
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1. Winter Showstopper: Winterberry Holly
Winterberry’s bright red berries really stand out and are a great sight to see in winter after snow has covered the ground. Winterberry is a native holly that does well in hardiness zones 3-9 and produces berries that are highly nutritious and birds like robins, catbirds, and mockingbirds will totally clean a bush of its berries. For berry production, plant both male and female winterberry plants and space them 6-10 feet apart in moist and acidic soil.
2. Serviceberry – A Breakfast Treat for Early Risers
In early summer Serviceberry makes dark berries that birds love. Cedar waxwings, thrushes, and cardinals love grabbing these protein-packed snacks. Serviceberry is hardy in zones 4-9, and can function as an understory tree or as a large shrub, providing food for birds at several different levels in your yard.
3. Arrowwood Viburnum: A Great Attraction for Birds
This native viburnum bears blue-black fruit that is an important source of winter fuel for over 35 species of birds including thrushes, woodpeckers, and game birds that rely on viburnum's berries for fat reserves. Hardy from zones 2-8, this shrub can be planted in partial shade to full sun and is virtually maintenance free once established.
4. American Elderberry: End of Summer Feast
The dark purple clusters of berries on elderberries ripen in late summer, just as the birds need to prepare for migration. Woodpecker, flicker, and pheasant are some birds that can completely strip an elderberry bush in a matter of days. Elderberry is hardy in zones 3-9 and thrives in areas that are too wet for other fruiting plants to survive.
5. Flowering Dogwood: The Favorite Of The Fall
In fall, as migrating birds require high-energy foods, the dogwood plants' bright red berries become available. Woodpeckers, cardinals, nuthatches, and over 40 additional species eat dogwood berries. Additionally, the colorful stems of the dogwood plants create interest in the winter, long after the berries have disappeared.
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6. Northern Bayberry: Champion of the Coast.
The grayish-blue berries of the bayberry last throughout the winter, providing emergency food when other sources are no longer available. Yellow-rumped warblers and tree swallows are especially fond of these berries due to their high fat content. For berry production select female plants and for best results, plant in zones 3-7.
7. Winter Warrior: Red Chokeberry
Don’t let the name mislead you – birds really enjoy the tart red berries of the chokeberry. These branches remain full of nutrient-dense berries all winter, providing a reliable source of food during the harsh winter months. Chokeberry is especially important to grouse, pheasants, and songbirds when other food sources are covered by snow. Plant in zones 3-9.
8. Staghorn Sumac: An Interesting Backdrop
The winter scenery screams for attention with the tall cone-shaped clusters of sumac's red berries that rise above the snow. These berries give food and help over 30 species of birds keep their body temperature up during freezing weather. Over time, birds are supported more and more as sumac naturally spreads and creates larger colonies.
9. Eastern Red Cedar: Provides All Year Long
This evergreen tree makes little blue berries that the cedar waxwing, robin, and mockingbird depend on in the winter. The dense branches of cedars are also very valuable as windbreaks and provide nesting sites. To achieve berry producing trees, plant both male and female trees. One male can pollinate up to six females.
10. American Hazelnut: Favorite of Squirrels (and Birds)
Though squirrels are fond of hazelnuts, blue jays, woodpeckers, and nuthatches store these protein-rich nuts for winter use. Plants that are hazelnut shrubs will generate great wildlife habitat and produce food that supports birds in the winter's harshest months. For best production, plant in zones 4-9.
11. Tall Feeder: Wild Black Cherry
This native tree grows small black cherries and they are eaten fresh or fermented by over 50 species of birds. Sweet treats, such as these, are irresistible to seed-eating birds like cedar waxwings, cardinals, and thrushes. The wild cherry tree grows tall and provides a natural bird feeding station, enticing birds to the upper canopy.
12. American Mountain Ash: The Northern Specialist
Mountain ashes have striking clusters of berries that red in color. The berries are emergency food for birds located in the northern part of North America. Birds such as pine grosbeaks, evening grosbeaks, and Bohemian waxwings feed off of these berries. Mountain ashes can be planted in areas 2 through 6 where they would survive through harsh winters. During the time of winter, the berries will become food sources that will be important for the birds.
How to Plan Your Bird Garden to Attract the Most Birds
When building a bird habitat, it's not just about the types of plants used, it's how they are arranged. Wild cherry and mountain ash are ideal for backdrop plants, medium shrubs like viburnum and elderberry go in the middle. Use low growers like winterberry in front. This increases foraging opportunities and escape routes for birds from predators.
Timing Your Berry Buffet
Bird enthusiasts who are serious about bird watching in the winter plan for different types of bird feed to be kept out during specific times of the winter. During early winter, elderberry and serviceberry, feed first arrival migratory birds. Winterberry and chokeberry provide food for those birds that do not migrate in the winter. Birds that do not migrate need food sources through January and February which are the coldest months for them. In the case of late winter, sumac and bayberry are available to provide for birds that do not migrate during the times of spring when it may seem as if there are no winter sources.
The best bird gardens will include 4-6 different native berry producing plants that have different times of berry production. This will create a natural feeding sequence for the birds, which will keep them coming to your yard from July to March. This will reduce their dependance on your artificial feeders and will help the birds during their most difficult survival season.
