Bird Friendly Garden - Proven Beauty

Guides

Bird-Friendly Garden

arranging edible flowers on a kitchen counter

Bird-Friendly Garden

Birds are a great boon for a healthy garden! In exchange for food and shelter, they provide us with free pest control services and fertilizer. They help to balance the food chain by taking care of mice, moles, voles and insects. Our guide will help you choose plants that provide shelter, water, and food for our flittering friends.

Shelter

Look for large shrubs with open structure that allow plenty of room for birds to fly in and out, and to find hiding places within the shrub. Aim for a good mix of deciduous and evergreen shrubs so your yard provides year-round habitat.

DECIDUOUS SHRUBS

EVERGREEN SHRUBS

Nesting

Look for large shrubs with dense branching – this creates more nest attachment points, as well as making nesting sites more difficult to access for predators and other birds. Evergreens not as important for nesting sites because nesting occurs during growing season.

SHRUBS FOR NESTING BIRDS

Water

To help your feathered friends find water, choose plants with cup-shaped flowers that hold dew, rainfall, and irrigation water that birds can sip at their leisure. Consider placing a bird bath or fountain near shrubs or trees. Birds are more likely to use a water source if it is located near their food and shelter. Providing a drip or misting feature can also attract birds, as the sound of dripping water can mimic the sound of rain and attract them to the water source.

SHRUBS THAT HOLD WATER

Food

Providing food for birds is a great way to attract more feathered friends to your yard. Many species of birds rely on berries and seeds as a primary food source, so planting shrubs that produce these types of food can help support the local bird population. Some great options for bird-friendly shrubs include elderberry, serviceberry, and chokeberry, which all produce fruit that birds love to eat.