Help me choose a shrub for wildlife...

I am in zone 7 in Texas and want a shrub that is beneficial to wildlife within a height range of 6 feet (or more), and 5 feet (or more) wide if it can be pruned to control...

My area is dappled morning shade/afternoon sun.

Two that I'm considering are arrowood viburnum and dwarf beautyberry....

Am I over-looking the ideal shrub and don't know it? I'm a newbie to gardening so I need some advice on this!

The two you name are good. I just ordered a beautyberry for a shrub bank I'm making. I have a viburnum (even the county agent couldn't say what kind). It was labelled "snowball". It has berries the birds seem to love. It's several years old and about 4x3' . You might want to look at "red barberry",too. Here is a site that might help:

http://www.musserforests.com/browse.asp?m=2

I am thinking of plant a flowering Quince, but have no experience with said shrub. (I only plant things that are nature friendly.)

Welcome, kyjoy! How'd you manage to dredge up such an old thread?

Flowering quince (Chaenomeles speciosa) is a nice plant, but not particularly nature friendly insofar in that it isn't native here in KY and doesn't contribute much to natural/native systems. It is a perfectly nice plant to look at while in bloom.

What are you looking to promote (as in, nature friendly)? Insects? Birds? Other fauna? With that info provided, I could offer some suggestions for additional plants. Also, what kinds of things are you interested in looking at? I will launch into my list, given some coaching by you.

I would suggest elderberry,cherry laurel, or blueberries.

My backyard (in the middle of a subdivision) has been designated a National Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. I feed/water birds & provide spaces for them to nest; attract & raise butterflies; feed/water squirrels, rabbits, and more recently, the occasional deer that wonders by my property. I have toad houses, etc. As you can imagine I already have several plantings, however, yesterday, while at Kroger's, I saw some beautiful Quinces (hardy for Zone 6). The tag said birds like the berries.

As for finding the old "note." I just joined yesterday and I'm in the process of reading all the notes.

The cardinals and goldfinches were jamming my Aronia arbutifolia 'Brilliantissima' just this morning eating up the beautiful dark red berries that have hung there all winter looking lovely with the ice and snow. It gets gorgeous fall color, is quite hardy and native, and has some nice, though fleeting, white flowers in Spring.
edited to say :And my husband said he saw a chipmunk in there gobbling berries the other day, too.

This message was edited Mar 16, 2006 2:45 PM

Welcome kyjoy, Kudos for the habitat.

What do you experts recommend in evergreen foundation shrubs? I can't decide if I should just go ahead and plant the deciduous shrubs I like and edge the bed in boxwood, or is there a newer/better way?

kyjoy:

Flowering quince (Chaenomeles speciosa) has rather large apple-like fruit (description as berries is a stretch). You might cross-post your question over on the Wildlife forum, but I've never heard anyone suggest that this is considered a wildlife plant. But, as I mentioned before, it is a perfectly nice plant to look at while in bloom, with various clones in white, pink, red, or peach colored blossoms.

With a NWF-recognized habitat garden, I'd say you are one-up on many gardeners already. What kinds of shrubs do you already have?

PrairieGirl:

Your question may be descending into "it just matters what you like". For IL (and I think you hail from the frigid end), you pretty much have to use what will live. That can include broadleaf evergreens that have some wildlife value (if you are after that angle) like Ilex glabra, a coning clone of Taxus, or a very few Viburnum. OR, you could go the Buxus or Rhododendron route with broadleaves. If coniferous plants float your boat then there's a whole 'nother raft of choices to explore there . You should always at least plant the deciduous species you like.

Maybe some pics of your site are in order? If so, start a new link so others may join the fray!

The tag was some sort of a marketing deal, they're hoping to capitalize on those expressing an interest in native plants and wildlife gardening. I'm sure there are some birds that eat Japanese Quince but sadly, it contributes virtually nothing substantive to a NA habitat for actual wildlife.

Your local wildlife species are adapted to your local flora, so plant something native to your area if wildlife gardening is your priority. Also consider that wildlife need food, cover, nesting habitat, and water. Whichever of those is in the shortest supply locally will be the limiting factor.

Quince don't make berries anyway, they produce firm, pear-like pomes. I've seen them lying on the ground under quince shrubs late into the fall, then just rotting after hard freezing, so I don't think they're all that useful to wildlife.

Guy S.

Nuts! I gotta learn to read all the updates before posting. Evilibrium and Vapid Vacuole just made most of the same points I did.

Oh well, great minds think alike, when they think at all.

Guy S.

Any idea why this website would say that birds don't eat Aronia fruit? Many other sites say otherwise. http://web1.msue.msu.edu/imp/modzz/00000144.html

I've heard that from a few sources, but my own experience says its just wrong. The aronia isn't the first to go, but it definately goes in the late winter when the perhaps tastier berries are long gone. The birds eat it at a time when other food sources are limited, so it fills an important niche.

I love my aronia bushes and the robins and what ever never leave a fruit on it by end of march. This is a spectacular shaped bush and it has long lived leaves and the fruit stays on till eaten.

It's been so dry around here, that I'm wondering if they're primarily eating them for the moisture content. I've never seen a robin in there until this year.

Thanks VV, I already have a thread on the Curb Appeal forum, I guess I'm a bit daunted by the design itself, let alone the choice of plant material. I may just stick with Ilex glabra, my first inclination, as a background hedge and call it a day! Anything I add in front of this hedge can be removed or replaced as times and tastes change. I did an experiment with ornamental grasses, and have concluded that they look best as accents rather than focal points. While they do provide winter interest, it looks too bare without evergreens. And too many grasses look alike in winter. I love conifers and viburnums, which cultivars do you favor? As far as I know, there are more than a few that do great here.
By the way, my Aronia arbutifolia 'Brilliantissima' still has berries on it, so I would definitely say that the birds prefer most anything else. I have found it to be a good substitute for Ilex verticillata, and no male pollinator is required for berries! I plan to add a couple more of these and some red-twigged dogwoods along the side of the house, for winter interest and low maintenance, as opposed to perennials.
I think that's why I keep coming back to this forum. I am a new gardener, and I find that shrubs are often overlooked as the stars of the garden world, particularly if lower maintenance is what you're after.

My aronia is way to little to make any kind of observation on if any bird eats the berries. However, I have heard that it's called chokeberry for a reason. Reason being the birds don't eat em.

Terry

they are somewhat bitter bluberries. I enjoy eating them after a frost when the sugars are at their peak. Have you ever tasted a Wentworth viburnum? Birds love them too. Choke cherry, crab apple etc.

I have never tasted the chokeberries, heard they make good jellies. Does anyone have a recipe? ;-)

yes I do. 10 choke cherries and 10 cups of sugar. That should do it.

thanks, I'll have to try it.

Wait, you mean 10 cups of chokecherries?? Well, I don't think I'll ever have quite that many. Maybe if I plant more bushes.

This message was edited Mar 18, 2006 7:46 PM

DH and I loved the Aronia juice that Costco once sold. I'm waiting for the day mine has expanded to the point that it's worth making something with the berries.

Hi!Some plants that are here in a very rough zone that work for habitat.....chokeberry(prunus virginiana),is the one for jelly as well as an important wildlife food.....Juneberry(Amelanchier laevis),a beautiful landscape plant...Pagoda Dogwood(Cornus Alternifolia).....American Hazelnut(Corylus Americana),food and cover for wildlife.....American Hornbeam(Carpinus Caroliniana,ssp.Virginiana),also known as Blue Beech and is grown under taller trees.....these are a few of the combos of tree and shrub to consider,in regards to habitat.....Dave

I love dogwoods, but I'm in Zone 6 and have never had any luck with them. My son-in-law, the landscape architect, convinced me to settled for crepe myrtles instead. I also don't plant bulbs even though I adore them because the squirrels/rabbits eat them. Apparently they don't like rhizomes as I have lots of them. Rabbits also love pansies. So I no longer plant them.

kyjoy,
If you want bulbs, the way I solved the same problem you have is by wrapping the bulbs in chicken wire or hardware cloth. I'll dig a large hole, say 12 x 12", line it with the wire, put in a layer of bulbs that go the deepest, put a little more soil on top, add another type bulb that grows more shallowly, etc. and then wrap the wire back over the top before covering with the last layer of soil. This method been working for me for 5 years.

I can't imagine why someone would recommend crape myrtle for wildlife. The birds here really do not care for crape myrtle seeds, which may be one reason they are not as invasive as they could be. I started a seperate thread on carolina buckthorn and it is recommended for wildlife. Birds love yaupon holly fruit also.

I didn't say my son-in-law recommended crepe myrtle for wildlife. I may be confusing you guys by considering butterflys, bees, and hummingbirds wildlife.

Virburnum Valley:

I planted my red flowering Qunice SHRUB yesterday. The tag says that it has berries and that birds like them. I'm anxious to see how it does. From pictures I've seen they are beautiful when in bloom.

Tags say a lot of things. Which species of Quince did you plant? The ones with which I have any familiarity all bear fruit more similar to an apple complete with seeds inside. Not too tasty to pluck off and eat like an apple but they are great cooked in many recipes.

North American Butterflies, Bees, and Hummingbirds are wildlife. You indicated you wanted it for wildlife and Lagerstroemia indica is an introduced species that is naturalizing in a few states but isn't terribly weedy and it is not the best choice for wildlife although it is a great specimen tree. Allegedly, deer will eat the leaves and bark and I'm sure there are other critters out there that will be drawn to it but Crape Myrtle is indigenous to China and is a great plant for their wildlife.

Exactly which butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds are you trying to attract to your property and maybe that will better enable other members to figure out what information you are looking for. Have you ever considered Kalmia latifolia, Lonicera sempervirens, or Asclepias spp.?

Ooops, Guy already covered what I was saying about Quince and Crape Myrtle,

While we are talking about shrubs for wildlife...what about yews? I have never thought of yews as a wildlife plant, but the neighbor across the street has a large one. The birds sure seem to love building nests in the there, so it is at least providing shelter. It has lots of red berries in the winter. Do the birds or other wildlife eat those berries?

- Brent

I purchase my birdseed at Wildbird's Unlimited, a store that blends seed expecially for birds indigenous to our area. It is more expensive than seed purchased at a farm store, however, there is no waste. I haul it, as well as my mulch, on my Gator. Works great.

Brent - I do belive the birds eat the berries (arils) but they are poisonous to humans. ;-)

I have heard that the arils are OK to eat, just spit out the seeds, and never eat the leaves. Anyone care to test that?

Guy S.

Hello Brent! Here,in my humble prairie, I've got three Yews on the west-facing slope,which are actually small trees now,about six feet.The cardinals devour the red berries as well as the Carolina wrens...Dave

Wowwy - - - I've NEVER seen cardinals eat Carolina wrens . . .
;-)

Guy S.

hahahah.....must learn to edit.....deit I syaed....

hahahah.....must learn to edit.....meant to say that the wrens devour the cardinals as they eat the red berries......