What tree for birds? (1 Viewer)

[skyking_comms]

Hi,

We have just moved into a house in Gloucestershire which has a 100ft long garden. The house wasnt lived in for a year and the garden was overgrown.
We have now got it to a tidy state and I'm now looking at planting a tree at the bottom of the garden. It will get sun all day. We already get goldfinches, sparrows and blue tits in the garden. Im looking at what tree I can plant to encourage more birds. Any Ideas?

Thanks,

Darren

 

[Seatallen]

Would it be worth going for something like a Hawthorn rather than a larger tree? Very bird and insect friendly.

 

[skyking_comms]

Any paticular one for birds?
Also have 2 small children.. would the thorns be an issue?

 

[KC Foggin]

Any berry producing tree should work well for you.

 

[delia todd]

would the thorns be an issue?

Only once

Otherwise I agree with KC - any native berry producing tree. Rowan is excellent.

D

 

[ChrisKten]

A Conifer, such as Leylandii, will give you a good chance of Goldcrests visiting during the Winter. But I agree, something that bears fruit is great for different species.

 

[steve west]

Maybe plant two smaller trees - one deciduous fruit-bearing "bush" and another conifer for a bit of life in the winter.

Steve

 

[joannec]

Only once

Rowan is excellent.

D

Rowan is good provided you are not on clay soil which it dislikes! Personally I would plant a Silver Birch, which is excellent for attracting invertebrates which in turn attract birds........and the catkins will attract tits, Redpoll and others too. Only Oak is better for the numbers of species it would attract but it takes a lifetime to grow............Silver Birch is hard to beat. That's what I would plant...........and it looks good too.

 

[Kits]

This thread from our sister forum, Gardener's Forum, maybe of some help to you.

 

[turkish van]

I would be tempted by an alder. One of the only deciduous trees that is busy in the winter as many birds come for the cones. I've found they're very good for minibeasts and are well visited in the summer, finches seem to like them. They grow pretty quickly but not huge and bushy so won't cast too much shade on the rest of the garden. An underrated tree I think. Nice leaves too.

 

[Monahawk]

Alders are great. They attract lots of finches especially redpolls, siskins, goldfinches and chaffinches. Tits like feeding in their leaf cover which attract all sorts of insects and grubs. Bare in mind though,alders like damp areas, so if your site is bone dry or too well drained then forget alder. Birch is worth considering as it attracts similar birds and like alder it grows fast. Any other native tree is worth considering but if your going to plant oak, expect to live over 100 years if you want to reap their rewards with the wildlife these amazing trees attract.
A tip worth noting when considering planting a tree or trees, is to take a look around your local area and see which trees seem to thrive, then you will get an idea what type will do best. Also it is important to check out your soil type.
Good luck with your choosing and planting.

Si.

 

[Cheshire Birder]

Since most of the obvious suggestions have already been made, i'll suggest an Apple tree. The windfall apples often attracts winter thrushes.

CB

 

[skyking_comms]

Thank you so much for all the replies. I'm overwhelmed by all the responses!

I have ruled out a Hawthorne due to having small children. I planted a silver birch in my old house so want to do something different in the new house.

Im either going to go for an Alder or Rowan. Can anyone advise which native types I should go for and what size I should buy?
I can then go into my local nursery fully armed with all the information ready to buy one.
Darren

 

[turkish van]

Thank you so much for all the replies. I'm overwhelmed by all the responses!

I have ruled out a Hawthorne due to having small children. I planted a silver birch in my old house so want to do something different in the new house.

Im either going to go for an Alder or Rowan. Can anyone advise which native types I should go for and what size I should buy?
I can then go into my local nursery fully armed with all the information ready to buy one.
Darren

Common Alder is Alnus glutinosa and our native. Italian Alder is also planted here but isn't native.

Native Rowan is Sorbus acuparia though the berries always vanish from the more exotic varieties too. Much as I like rowans they aren't great for insects on the leaves and one the berries are gone in the autumn they are pretty bare.

Definitely go to a tree nursery (as opposed to garden centre) and buy the biggest you can afford/get!

If you want berries without taking much space you could get an elder too (Sambucus nigra) which you can keep reasonably small and bushy but will give you an abundance of berries that birds love. They are also edible for us and great for jams etc. And pretty good for insect life.

 

[turkish van]

By the way, alders like damp but I have planted and seen them in 'normal' conditions - not bone dry but not especially wet - and they seem to get on fine. I guess they won't reach their maximum height but that's not always a bad thing.

 

[King Edward]

There's no need to spend a lot on an expensive large tree - you can get small bareroot ones very cheaply, and they'll probably establish better and grow faster once they get going. Now is the time for planting bareroot (time for the roots to grow before the leaves come out) - make sure you keep a decent area around it free of grass/weeds. Some kind of mesh guard might be useful as well (for a small tree) - probably you don't have rabbits, but a newly planted small tree is easy to not see and step on by mistake.

You might think about planting some shrubs as well - just about any woody plant will attract birds - and you can keep them reasonably sized by pruning/coppicing as required.

There are various nurseries selling trees and hedging plants online - it's worth having a look to get an idea of what species are available (and prices for different sizes), even if you end up buying elsewhere.

 

[skyking_comms]

Thought I'd let you know that I went for a Rowan in the end, thanks for all the replies.

I now need to find some bushes to plant around the garden, Always welcome for ideas!

Darren

 

[NoSpringChicken]

Thought I'd let you know that I went for a Rowan in the end, thanks for all the replies.

I now need to find some bushes to plant around the garden, Always welcome for ideas!

Darren

An excellent choice. They are lovely little trees. Some of the Hebes are good shrubs for wildlife. They are evergreen, the flowers attract insects and they provide cover for a surprising number of birds. Some of them can get quite big though.

Ron

 

[Monahawk]

Good choice mate. Mistle thrushes and blackbirds will thank you.

Choice of shrubs or bushes. If you want to attract, bees ,butterflies, hoverflies etc to your garden chose buddleia, fuschia [hardy varieties],or hebes. Check out viburnam species too both evergreen and deciduous varieties. There are loads of berry bearing shrubs, some better than others for birds, so get some advice from a good nursery or garden centre. There's a big choice out there.

Si.

 

[Jacana]

Lavenders are also excellent for insects, ours are covered in bees in the summer and most years we get Hummingbird Hawkmoths. Cotoneaster is also brilliant for birds and has the added bonus of being very tough, you can chop it back to any size and it'll still produce loads of berries.