Six bird friendly shrubs for your winter garden shows you a selection of plants that will give you pleasure as you gaze out of your window at the garden. Colourful berries are the main focus as they will provide food for feathered visitors over the cold season.
Bird Friendly Shrubs
Firstly a list of the shrubs (in alphabetical order). There are both native British species and some non-native ornamentals too. This selection of shrubs vary in size, and include climbing shrubs, so there should be art least one which will fit into your garden. And because you may have a suburban garden, a cottage garden or an urban courtyard, they also offer different styles to suit your own garden. Indeed, if you grow them in a suitable sized pot you could grow bird friendly shrubs even on a balcony!
- Guelder rose, Viburnum opulus
- Hawthorn, Crataegus monogyna
- Honeysuckle, Lonicera
- Hedge rose, by which I mean both Rosa rugosa and Rosa canina
- Holly, Ilex aquifolium
- Ivy, Hedera helix
The Shrubs and the Birds
You may like to choose your shrubs on the basis of the birds that already visit your garden. Or you could add some new plants to entice a wider range of local bird species in.
Guelder rose, Viburnum opulus
The Guelder rose, Viburnum opulus is a British native species, often found in hedgerows. It is a deciduous shrub and bears glossy red berries from November through to March. A good plant for hedges in a wildlife garden, the berries are especially enjoyed by Mistle Thrushes and Bullfinches.
Hawthorn, Crataegus monogyna
Strictly speaking, the berries of the British native Hawthorn, Crataegus monogyna, are referred to as haws. The clusters can often still be on the shrub in February and March. A wide range of birds enjoy these haws or berries, including Blackbirds, Starlings, Chaffinches, Greenfinches, Redwings and Fieldfares. There are many reasons to plant a Hawthorn in your garden, and this is one of them!
Hedge Rose
You’re getting two for the price of one under this heading!
Rosa rugosa produces some of the largest hips of all the roses. An upright shrub rose, it makes a prickly hedge to deter unwanted visitors and welcome wildlife. The hips are enjoyed by Mistle Thrushes, Fieldfares and Blackbirds. Rosa rugosa is a good shrub for a wildlife garden on the coast.
Rosa canina, the dog rose, is the British native and the small, juicy rosehips are enjoyed by a wide range of birds. It can be found twining its way through hedgerows, and is a pretty addition to cottage gardens.
Holly, Ilex aquifolium
When collecting berried Holly stems for your Christmas decorations, you should always leave plenty for the birds. Blackbirds, Song Thrushes, Redwings and Fieldfares are particularly fond of Holly berries. Holly, Ilex aquifolium, European Holly, is the native species, but there are other Hollies which can be categorised as bird friendly shrubs for British gardens.
Only the female Holly bears berries, so do check when you’re buying, although there may be male hollies in neighbouring gardens. If you’re buying more than one shrub, the usual ratio is one male to three female .
Bird Friendly Shrubs – Climbers
Honeysuckle, Lonicera
The Honeysuckle I’m referring to here for your cold season garden, is not the winter flowering variety but the summer flowering. This is the first of our climbing bird friendly shrubs. Lonicera periclymen has red berries which Thrushes, Bullfinches and Warblers are fond of. Black berries can be found on the evergreen honeysuckle Lonicera ‘henryi’
Ivy, Hedera helix
Weed or wildlife larder? Our native ivy, Hedera helix can be classed as both! When the black berries appear in winter, they’re devoured by just about all of the garden birds. Thrushes, Blackbirds, Starlings, Waxwings, Jays, Finches and even Pigeons will come to feast.
What are the Benefits of Berries to Birds?
As you’d expect, berries are an important food source for many birds during the winter. Ivy berries can offer up more carbohydrates than a chocolate bar which is very useful when temperatures drop! Some birds eat the berries for the flesh, whilst others enjoy eating the seeds within.
Most of the shrubs above are British natives, but some have non-native cultivars that are also popular as bird food.
Whilst feeding the birds in winter is important, do remember to choose shrubs that will suit your garden size and soil. For example, as a climber, honeysuckle takes up little room in the border, whereas in a small garden a free standing holly is probably not a good idea.
And Finally…
If you would like help with creating a bird friendly garden that is a garden that humans can enjoy do get in touch. Plews is able to offer you just the design or a full service.
For further inspiration check out Plews Potting Shed blogs, and find us on Instagram and Facebook
As for watching and recording the garden birds this winter why not join in with the RSPB Big Garden Bird Watch over the last weekend of January? An annual event, this provides a snapshot of the British bird population. If that whets your appetite, the British Trust for Ornithology – BTO – have volunteer surveys where you can record your garden birds throughout the seasons.
Related Gardening Blogs for You from the Award Winning Plews Potting Shed
Specific Bird Friendly Shrubs
Hawthorn
Holly, Yerba Mate, Coffee – What’s Growing in Your Garden?
Is Ivy Weed or Wildlife Habitat?
Winter Gardening
10 Winter Flowering Shrubs – Planting Ideas for your Garden
Cold Weather Gardening – Questions and Answers
Gardening in January – Tasks, Ideas and Flowering Plants
British Garden Birds in Winter
Your Garden in Winter – Digging
Snowy Winter Gardens
12 Design Ideas for Your Winter Garden
And a winter short story
The Wolf Moon in Your Garden
