Attract More Birds > National Home Gardening Club

Members offer their tips

BY: NHGC

Bird haven
I hang birdfeeders from a big maple by my front door so I can keep an eye on them. My 1-acre yard is planted with trees, shrubs, and flowers to provide additional cover and food. I also fill a birdbath daily with fresh water, and I've planted trees and shrubs around it to provide cover. -Life Member Karen Bess, Oak Harbor, WA

Know what birds like
Hummingbirds visit my trumpet vines, bee balms, columbines, and honeysuckles. I keep my lawn well mowed so robins won't have a hard time searching for worms. Robins also like the dried fruits from my crabapple trees, and mourning doves like to scratch under the pine trees. -Romulo Lachica, Berrien Springs, MI

Plants for birds
Last spring I planted sweet fennel, cosmos, lupine, and lemonade berry (Rhus integrifolia) to attract birds. I also built a small pond in the back yard and planted cattails and horsetail rush. This summer, lesser goldfinches enjoyed nibbling flower buds, and yellow-rump warblers and red-breasted crossbills bathed in the birdbath I filled for them. -Life Member Greg Williams, San Diego, CA

Natural garden
Bird-welcoming plantings in my yard include grapes, blueberries, lingonberries, dogwoods, roses, coneflowers, black-eyed Susans, and sunflowers, plus mature fir, pine, and oak trees. I try to maintain my entire lot as "wild" as I can without offending neighbors. I cut the lawn, but a lilac remains mostly untrimmed. Wildflowers are taking over grassy areas, and a clematis has run amok on the trellis. I rather like it, and from the number of birds I get, I think they do, too. -Leslie Keys, Hazel Park, MI

Food and water
My yard has red cedar, cherry, and pine trees, butterfly bushes, yarrows, poppies, zinnias, and marigolds that attract birds. I use suet in the autumn to attract downy woodpeckers, and I fill feeders with thistle to attract finches. I built a pond with a recirculating pump and water fountain to provide water for birds. -Randy Mealer, Greenfield, TN

Comments

By mcarreon pocaigue Friday, October 21, 2011 8:30 AM

I have a very small backyard with 2 Fuji apple tree, 2 Santa Rosa Plums, 1 Meyer Lemon tree, Calamansi (tiny lemonlike citrus) in a big pot. 4 different varieties of Hybrid Tree Roses, 5 Crapemyrtles (bought from Montgomery, Al) small Lilac tree 10, pots of Amaryllis, Big pot of Gardenia, 6 Potted Cymbydium Orchids, 1 Potted Peony, 6 big pots of Hydrangeas of different color, & lots of Jades (different varieties). Also I have the different colors of Calla Lilies in purplish/pink, white, & my favorite are the yellow variety. My husband's garden plant is concentrated on his Red Hot Peppers 8 big pots (mostly Thai & Filipino Variety). I have other plants that I don't know their names. My garden attracts hummingbirds & three other kinds, I don't recognize. Mila Pocaigue from Salinas, CA.

By watergardenguy Saturday, November 12, 2011 11:24 AM

I have a back yard with plenty of cover in the form of pine trees,a lilac hedge, and many other shrubs,ever greens, and deciduous trees. I provide water with a recirculating pump that flows to the top of a shallow stream and down to a pond. I also provide water in a pedestal bird bath and on the ground. I provide sunflower seed and thistle seed in feeders close to the cover of the lilac hedge and pines. I hang suet and smear it on the trunk of the ash tree outside our back door. One day after filling the feeders on a November morning I had many species of birds in the yard at the same time which included Robins, a Downy Woodpecker, a Flicker, Chickadees, Junkos, Pine Siskens,Gold Finches,House Finches,Nuthatches,Blue Jays,and a Collerd Dove. Tim, from Rapid City, SD

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Current Articles \| Archives \| Search Attract More Birds Members offer their tips BY: NHGC 2 Bird haven I hang birdfeeders from a big maple by my front door so I can keep an eye on them. My 1-acre yard is planted with trees, shrubs, and flowers to provide additional cover and food. I also fill a birdbath daily with fresh water, and I've planted trees and shrubs around it to provide cover. -Life Member Karen Bess, Oak Harbor, WA Know what birds like Hummingbirds visit my trumpet vines, bee balms, columbines, and honeysuckles. I keep my lawn well mowed so robins won't have a hard time searching for worms. Robins also like the dried fruits from my crabapple trees, and mourning doves like to scratch under the pine trees. -Romulo Lachica, Berrien Springs, MI Plants for birds Last spring I planted sweet fennel, cosmos, lupine, and lemonade berry (Rhus integrifolia) to attract birds. I also built a small pond in the back yard and planted cattails and horsetail rush. This summer, lesser goldfinches enjoyed nibbling flower buds, and yellow-rump warblers and red-breasted crossbills bathed in the birdbath I filled for them. -Life Member Greg Williams, San Diego, CA Natural garden Bird-welcoming plantings in my yard include grapes, blueberries, lingonberries, dogwoods, roses, coneflowers, black-eyed Susans, and sunflowers, plus mature fir, pine, and oak trees. I try to maintain my entire lot as "wild" as I can without offending neighbors. I cut the lawn, but a lilac remains mostly untrimmed. Wildflowers are taking over grassy areas, and a clematis has run amok on the trellis. I rather like it, and from the number of birds I get, I think they do, too. -Leslie Keys, Hazel Park, MI Food and water My yard has red cedar, cherry, and pine trees, butterfly bushes, yarrows, poppies, zinnias, and marigolds that attract birds. I use suet in the autumn to attract downy woodpeckers, and I fill feeders with thistle to attract finches. I built a pond with a recirculating pump and water fountain to provide water for birds. -Randy Mealer, Greenfield, TN Comments By mcarreon pocaigue Friday, October 21, 2011 8:30 AM I have a very small backyard with 2 Fuji apple tree, 2 Santa Rosa Plums, 1 Meyer Lemon tree, Calamansi (tiny lemonlike citrus) in a big pot. 4 different varieties of Hybrid Tree Roses, 5 Crapemyrtles (bought from Montgomery, Al) small Lilac tree 10, pots of Amaryllis, Big pot of Gardenia, 6 Potted Cymbydium Orchids, 1 Potted Peony, 6 big pots of Hydrangeas of different color, & lots of Jades (different varieties). Also I have the different colors of Calla Lilies in purplish/pink, white, & my favorite are the yellow variety. My husband's garden plant is concentrated on his Red Hot Peppers 8 big pots (mostly Thai & Filipino Variety). I have other plants that I don't know their names. My garden attracts hummingbirds & three other kinds, I don't recognize. Mila Pocaigue from Salinas, CA. By watergardenguy Saturday, November 12, 2011 11:24 AM I have a back yard with plenty of cover in the form of pine trees,a lilac hedge, and many other shrubs,ever greens, and deciduous trees. I provide water with a recirculating pump that flows to the top of a shallow stream and down to a pond. I also provide water in a pedestal bird bath and on the ground. I provide sunflower seed and thistle seed in feeders close to the cover of the lilac hedge and pines. I hang suet and smear it on the trunk of the ash tree outside our back door. One day after filling the feeders on a November morning I had many species of birds in the yard at the same time which included Robins, a Downy Woodpecker, a Flicker, Chickadees, Junkos, Pine Siskens,Gold Finches,House Finches,Nuthatches,Blue Jays,and a Collerd Dove. Tim, from Rapid City, SD Post Comment Only registered users may post comments.