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If you could plant one tree (1 Viewer)

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Bluey

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I'm currently in the process of redesigning my garden which hasn't been touched since we moved into the new house about 18 months ago. We have some conifers that are coming down next week and I want to replace them with a bird friendly tree. Our garden is about the size of half a tennis court.

So, if you could plant only one tree in a garden the size of mine, which one would you choose that would be of benefit to garden birds?

I should point out that the soil is clay based.

Looking forward to seeing some suggestions :D

Bluey
 
Well i would love to say Oak, but i think your neighbors wouldn't be too happy.

How about something thats good for insects in the summer and has fruit for the winter like an apple tree? or something with berries in the winter? (though not so good for insects)

Could you replace the hedge with some native trees/shrubs to form another hedge, like hazel, hawthorn, elm etc.?
 
Bluey said:
I'm currently in the process of redesigning my garden which hasn't been touched since we moved into the new house about 18 months ago. We have some conifers that are coming down next week and I want to replace them with a bird friendly tree. Our garden is about the size of half a tennis court.

So, if you could plant only one tree in a garden the size of mine, which one would you choose that would be of benefit to garden birds?

I should point out that the soil is clay based.

Looking forward to seeing some suggestions :D

Bluey
Click to expand...


We have a copper cherry tree in our garden which is mature at around 14 feet high. Our garden sounds about the same size as yours. The soil is clay based and the tree thrives despite my pruning some bits off.

The tree is not very invasive and does not annoy my neighbours.

The birds love it all year around. At present a male blackbird roosts in it, when the flower buds come on the tits take great pleasure in picking some off them off. When in leaf it provides a shelter for many insects and then in the autumn the black cherries provide food for the birds. It is a focal point in the garden for all of the birds as I have my feeders on it plus it is a point of refuge when the sparrowhawk drops in for dinner!!

When this tree dies I will replace it with another one.

I hope this helps you make your decision
 
Hi Bluey

I have no hesitation in recommending silver birch. It is second only to the oak in hosting the most number of insect and animal species in the UK. I have two in my garden (heavy clay soil) and there are nearly always birds in it. It is fairly quick growing, unlike oak, and doesn't get anything like as big. But if you are worried about it getting too big I believe there are some semi-dwarfing varieties.

Gareths suggestion of native shrubs for a hedge is very good too, mixed hedge of native species is best. When wildlife gardening it is best to stick to native varieties of native species. This applies across the spectrum from trees and shrubs to herbatious perrenials and annuals. Good luck.

Joanne
 
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Bluey said:
I'm currently in the process of redesigning my garden which hasn't been touched since we moved into the new house about 18 months ago. We have some conifers that are coming down next week and I want to replace them with a bird friendly tree. Our garden is about the size of half a tennis court.

So, if you could plant only one tree in a garden the size of mine, which one would you choose that would be of benefit to garden birds?

I should point out that the soil is clay based.

Looking forward to seeing some suggestions :D

Bluey
Click to expand...

You didn't say why the conifers are coming down but I'd like to say that the conifers in and around our little suburban yard are among the bird friendliest trees on the planet. They are great for cover and besides the food provided by the cones in these trees, there is always plenty of insect food, in all of their stages.
I'm not familiar with the trees you have there, but if they're anything like ours here, the birds very much favor them.
Aside from conifers, trees having berries will always attract birds.
 
Mountain Ash is one of the first trees I'd plant in my garden (if I had one) - gorgeous creamy flowers in the summer, ton of berries during the winter and it doesn't get overly huge ;) And it's reputed to keep witches away so no worries about the mother-in-law (or in my case, my mother!) calling around! :-O
 
Silver birch or perhaps a crab apple tree. Would also recommend a native hedge - hawthorn, field maple, hazel, elderberry.
 
Last edited:
Bluey said:
I'm currently in the process of redesigning my garden which hasn't been touched since we moved into the new house about 18 months ago. We have some conifers that are coming down next week and I want to replace them with a bird friendly tree. Our garden is about the size of half a tennis court.

So, if you could plant only one tree in a garden the size of mine, which one would you choose that would be of benefit to garden birds?

I should point out that the soil is clay based.

Looking forward to seeing some suggestions :D

Bluey
Click to expand...

Although it's a shrub not a tree,a Mahonia might be worth considering
Ours is evergreen and has bright yellow flowers in winter, which attract bumble bees on sunny days, and juicy berries in feb/march just when they're needed for young blackbirds and thrushes!
 

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You can't go wrong with a crab apple perhaps M. royalty, M. red jade or M. robusta.

Just to throw another option out there how about an alder? Native, nice leaves (beloved of insects) and catkins and seed heads that finches will attack with abandon. Google images for Alnus glutinosa aurea or Alnus glutinosa imperialis. These two have spectacular buttercup yellow young leaves and intricately cut disected leaves and a slight weeping habit respectively. Highly recommended as year-round ornamentals and wildlife trees (you have to look at it too).
 
Bluey said:
I'm currently in the process of redesigning my garden which hasn't been touched since we moved into the new house about 18 months ago. We have some conifers that are coming down next week and I want to replace them with a bird friendly tree. Our garden is about the size of half a tennis court.

So, if you could plant only one tree in a garden the size of mine, which one would you choose that would be of benefit to garden birds?

I should point out that the soil is clay based.

Looking forward to seeing some suggestions :D

Bluey
Click to expand...
We´ve also got a clay-based, small (half tennis court or smaller) garden, and I´m no gardener but I´ve tried to plant for the birds. We´ve a fairly respectable garden list of about 36 species over the past seven years. Along the back fence, I´ve planted pyrocantha for the berries. In one corner, there´s a bamboo for the cover and insects. There´s a silver birch in the other corner, which acts as the "aerial" for the birds in winter, and as cover and food in summer and autumn. The leaves exude a gooey sap which attracts insects and hence birds, and the catkins are very popular. I´ve recently planted a eucalyptus too in another corner, I like the smell they give, but that´ll have to be pruned each year once it takes off because it´ll take over the air-space of the whole neighbourhood. I´ve no idea if eucaplyptus is any good for birds, and there are no reports of koala bears in Ireland (but you´d never know what with global warming... ;) ). I´ve also got a "buddleia" or butterfly bush against another fence, needs lots of cutting back in September, but it´s great for attracting butterflies. I even had a Hummingbird Hawkmoth last summer (mind you it wasn´t anywhere near the buddleia, but attracted by a flowerpot into which I´d chucked a packet of "wildflower" seeds I got free someplace....). And because the trees and shrubs I´ve planted are fairly slim, or can be pruned up the trunk, there´s still space for the kids to play, and I´ve three of those. Mind you, they want a dog now, so that might put an end to the garden birding. Best of luck with your planting, let us know what you chose!
 
Crab Apple, Red Jade or Red Sentinel the fruit remains on the tree until march so provides food through the winter.

s.g.
 
We have some conifers that are coming down next week and I want to replace them with a bird friendly tree
Click to expand...

Just to echo what markellisonart wrote, conifers aren't necessarily bird unfriendly! Even things like leyland cypress, though they don't really offer much in the way of food for birds, they do provide good cover and provide nesting and roosting sites for greenfiches and the like. They're also pretty good as a windbreak if you want to attract butterflies etc in. So maybe you could think of hanging on to one or two while your new trees get established (if it's not too late!).
 
I have a mature garden and lucky enought to have a number of trees. Although they use all the trees, Ivy seems to attract most of all. Evergreen and plenty of protection
 
hillie said:
I have a mature garden and lucky enought to have a number of trees. Although they use all the trees, Ivy seems to attract most of all. Evergreen and plenty of protection
Click to expand...
I agree with you about the Ivy. The berries are ripening now, when there's not much natural food about. Our neighbour has a telegraph pole outside their house, and ivy is slowly climbing up it. I've watched pigeon, blackbird, song thrush and blackcap all feeding from it recently, even though it's by the main road and footpath.
 
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