Gardeners play an important role in helping wildlife thrive in the wintertime. Even when they are dormant, our gardens can support all kinds of living creatures. When the north wind is howling and snow is coming down, people have the advantage of bundling up or heading indoors for warmth. The creatures that call your garden home have their own ways of surviving the winter, but you can help them along by strategically growing specific types of plants in your landscape. Consider these types of plants when you add plantings in your landscape and gardens.
Pyramidal Evergreens
Conifers and needle evergreens provide some of the best shelter from cold winds, rain and snow for birds, rabbits and deer in the wintertime. The broader they are and the longer their branches, the more room there is to nest, but density also plays a factor in blocking out the weather. Grouping several pyramidal evergreens together provides the best protection for the largest number of creatures. Birds may also gain some nutrition from the seeds found in the cones or fruits produced by some needle evergreens. Plants such as junipers, arborvitaes, yews, cypress, pine, spruce are examples of pyramidal evergreens.
Broadleaf Evergreens
Similar to needle evergreens, the density of broadleaf evergreens provides shelter from cold, wind and precipitation. Their wide, thick leaves can reflect the elements even better than some conifers. Many broadleaf evergreens are lower growing and wider than pyramidal evergreens. As such, creatures that prefer to shelter closer to the ground may prefer them. Rhododendrons, azaleas, boxwoods, pieris, gardenias, and hollies are some examples of broadleaf evergreens.
Ground-Hugging Evergreens
Small mammals and birds that scavenge seeds off the ground appreciate low growing foliage of ground-hugging evergreen plants. Their branches provide a perch from which to survey their surroundings and the foliage provides cover so potential predators cannot spot the critters from above. Low growing junipers, cypress, gardenia and evergreen perennial groundcovers are good examples of ground-hugging evergreens.
Densely Branched Deciduous and Semi-Evergreen Shrubs
You might wonder how a plant that loses its leaves could benefit wildlife in the winter. Think about the time when you saw a red cardinal perched on a branch of your lilac or rose of Sharon in the wintertime. Birds enjoy coming out to soak up the sun on sunny winter days. Squirrels use their bare branches to traverse through the landscape above the snowy ground, too. The slender, leafless branches of deciduous shrubs shed snow much easier than evergreens, which leaves plenty of places for critters to perch or climb. From up high, they can survey the area and scout their next place to feed. Shrubs and trees with dense canopies may provide better camouflage and protection than those that have few stems and a more open structure. Some examples of densely branched shrubs include rose of sharon, lilac, ninebark, viburnum and weigela.
Plants With Berries
Did you know that some birds can eat as much as three times their body weight in berries every day? The fruit isn’t just nutritious, it is also rich in antioxidants which help birds combat inflammation caused by long flights during migration. Berry-producing plants and birds have co-evolved over time to work together. The plants feed the birds and in return, the birds disburse the plants’ seeds. This is timed perfectly to meet the birds’ need to bulk up for winter at a time of year when the weather is conducive to establishing seeds. In addition to birds, you may spot a number of other small mammals collecting the berries as they fall to the ground. Once the fruit is ripe, it’s a race to see who can snap it up the quickest, especially at a time of year when food sources are limited. Good examples are holly shrubs – especially deciduous (winterberry) varieties, coralberry, beautyberry, aronia (chokeberry) and crabapple trees.
Plants with Persistent Seeds
Just like people are encouraged to balance their diet with fruits, seeds, nuts and grains, wildlife benefits from similar foods. In addition to the berry-producing shrubs described above, be sure to include some plants that produce seeds which persist through fall and into the winter. You’ll find many different species of birds such as cardinals, robins, blue jays, chickadees and grosbeaks seeking out seeds during the fall and winter months. Grow these type of plants and leave the spent flowers on them so that wildlife can use their seeds for food: Allium, Echinacea, Sedum, Baptisia, Heliopsis and hardy ornamental grasses.
Ornamental Grasses
Ornamental grasses make great low maintenance plants for the landscape, but they provide much more than beauty. When left standing for winter, they also offer numerous benefits for wildlife. Their foliage is used to line the nests or dens of rabbits, chipmunks and opossums, and provides a soft place for deer to bed down. The dense mass of foliage provides camouflage for birds perched on the stems and protection from wind, precipitation and predators for animals that live underneath. Sparrows, finches and other small birds love seeds that ornamental grasses provide. Many varieties of ornamental grass are available that grow from low to medium and tall heights including native types. Grasses also help hold interest and form in the garden when left standing through winter. There are many interesting ornamental grass varieties to choose from including fountain grass, switch grass, pampas grass, and bunching varieties.
A good variety of all the types of plants mentioned above will provide help for the largest amount of wildlife in winter, along with offering beautiful, diverse gardens and landscape beds in your yard. Visit an independent Garden Center/Nursery when you are ready to add more plantings in your yard and gardens. A nursery salesperson will be able to help you choose varieties for your needs and interests as well as types that are beneficial for wildlife.
Source Credit: Winter Plants for Wildlife, ProvenWinners.com
Hoffmann Hillermann Nursery & Florist 