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PLANT OF THE MONTH
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Delicate white blooms add colour
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Shrubs are used by birds for resting or nesting. Highbush cranberry (Viburnum oplulus var. americanum) is a favourite for the tasty berries and shelter they provide. Their delicate clusters of flat-topped, white spring flowers and red to burgundy fall colour make them beloved by homeowners as well.
Look around and you may see some bright red berries clinging to their stems into late winter. Emerging in September, they’re mostly ignored by birds until the cold softens and sweetens the tart fruit. You’ll find cedar waxwings, robins and cardinals enjoying these berries throughout the winter. Although not a true cranberry, people can also enjoy the sour fruit in jams or jellies.
As spring replaces winter, highbush cranberry’s lacy white flowers emerge to support a variety of butterflies, moths, native bees and syrphid flies. Spring azure butterflies also rely on this shrub as a host plant.
Growing up to 2-3 metres tall, highbush cranberry can help create privacy in your yard. You can also keep these shrubs smaller by pruning each year right after blooms fade. They grow best in moist clay to loam soils, in sunny or lightly shaded locations.
Plant along a fence, garden edge or cluster several together to create a grouping that will also increase fruit production. Combine with other shrubs such as red-osier dogwood, elderberry and beaked hazelnut for more variety, blooms and fruit at different times of the year. Grow below larger trees such as red maple or balsam fir.
Be sure to avoid buying invasive European highbush cranberry, which is sometimes mistaken for our native highbush cranberry. This shrub easily spreads into local woodlands and wild areas and outcompetes native plants for space, light and nutrients.
Check out nearby native plant nurseries to find highbush cranberry and other locally native plants.
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DID YOU KNOW
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Diversity provides birds food and shelter
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Creating Layers for Birds
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Birds can be picky about where they eat and raise their young. To create a garden that attracts and supports birds, you’ll need to add as much diversity to your yard or garden as possible. Layering is a great way to increase plant diversity and create a beautiful space that both you and the birds will enjoy.
Beneath the upper canopy of a mature tree is a great spot to start building a bird-friendly garden. Many birds like blue jays and blue-gray gnatcatchers love looking for food and nesting high in the tree canopy. If you don’t have any trees, this spring would be a great time to plant one. Oaks and maples are a great choice for building a bird-friendly upper canopy.
To start adding layers below a larger tree, plant small trees like serviceberry or alternate-leaved dogwood. This mid-canopy layer is where you might find birds like chickadees and cedar waxwings searching for caterpillars and berries. If you have the space, plant an evergreen such as white spruce or red cedar. Conifers provide food and shelter for birds throughout the seasons.
Planting a variety of large and small native shrubs will fill in space and provide nesting space for birds like catbirds and cardinals and foraging habitat for birds like yellow warblers and mockingbirds. Provide a variety of food sources by adding native viburnums to support caterpillars, elderberry for its big bunches of berries or white meadowsweet for its nutritious seeds.
Finally, don’t forget about the ground layer. Including flowers, grasses, ferns and vines will create early spring interest below your shrubs. Bloodroot, yellow trout-lily and ferns provide shelter for migrating thrushes and sparrows. Add a colourful border by planting flowers that do well in part shade like coneflowers, asters and goldenrods. Leave stems standing in fall to attract goldfinches who will feast on the seeds throughout the winter.
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CARING FOR YOUR YARD
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Keep deadwood from pruned trees in the garden to support insects that birds love
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Maintaining Garden Layers
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A defined, clean edge keeps a bird-friendly garden looking tidy year-round. Here are a few tips on maintaining layers within your garden while making sure you don’t disturb or deter birds.
Upper-Canopy Layer
Mid- to late-winter (while there are no leaves) is a good time to inspect your trees and large shrubs for dead or dying branches. Contact a certified arborist to have branches from large trees removed correctly and safely. After removal, these large branches can be used as decorative logs in the garden. These logs will support an abundance of beneficial insects that birds will feast on.
Mid-Canopy and Lower Layer
Birds are drawn to dense-branching shrubs that offer protection from predators and winter weather. However, large branches that cross and rub against one another should be pruned to reduce rubbing as it can create open branch wounds vulnerable to disease or insects.
If pruning in the spring, be sure to inspect your shrubs first for any hidden bird nests. If you find a nest, wait until after the baby birds have fledged (left the nest) before removing branches. Native vines, such as riverbank grape (Vitis riparia) or Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia), growing over a fence provide birds with food and shelter but will require occasional pruning to keep their spread under control.
Ground Layer
Maintain a 6-8 centimetre layer of mulch (including fallen leaves) year-round to insulate soil and plant roots during the winter, reduce weeds during the growing season and provide habitat for beneficial insects that are a valuable source of food for birds all year long. For a tidier appearance, chop fallen leaves into smaller pieces using a lawn mower before adding them to your garden.
Resist the urge to deadhead your flowering plants after they bloom. Many seed heads of native wildflowers and grasses, like monarda, black-eyed Susan and asters, are an attractive and important source of food for birds during the fall and winter.
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At Credit Valley Conservation, we create connections between people and nature, knowledge and action. We lead the protection, restoration and enhancement of our local natural environment, and we inspire a deep appreciation for the role of nature in keeping us connected, healthy and happy.
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