Sewell (Washington Township), New Jersey

Birdscaping for Winter Interest

By Barbara Trueheart, Master Gardener

 

Many people think of the winter landscape as bare or barren and devoid of life.  However, if we look a bit closer we find that this is not the case at all.  Winter really isn’t just that dreary season between fall and spring!  Yes, it’s true that the leaves have fallen, or in the case of some oaks, they remain on the tree, brown and dry.  Yet there CAN still be interest in the landscape in winter. This article addresses five elements for winter interest in the landscape.  These elements are food, color, texture, structure, and movement.

 

Let’s tackle the first element:  food.  Food is still available to the birds in winter in the form of seeds and berries.  If you let Coneflowers (Echinacea), Black Eyed Suzans (Rudbeckia), Stonecrop (Sedum 'Autumn Joy') and other perennials standing in the fall to go to seed – GOOD FOR YOU!  While they may not be what we would initially call “pretty,” birds such as the American Goldfinch, Chickadees, Tufted Titmouse, various sparrows, and others think it’s “pretty beautiful” and will pick at those plants to get seeds until they’re all gone.  I personally think there is something beautiful about those stalks of flowers while everything else in the yard is covered with a blanket of snow.  Perennial grasses, too, provide seed and look beautiful blowing in the wind on a wintry day.  Actually it is better to leave perennials and grasses uncut until late winter or early spring anyway.  Cutting perennials in the fall can allow the stem of the plant to act as a straw for moisture in the form of rain, snow, etc.  When this moisture freezes and expands you can imagine what happens to the plant.  I would rather leave my plants intact to prevent winter damage and enjoy watching the birds clinging to them for seeds, wouldn’t you? 

 

Berries are also available in winter.  Many birds love hollies (Ilex sp.).  The evergreen holly berries provide food and the holly also provides shelter for our wintering feathered friends. 

Berries are also available in winter.  Many birds love hollies (Ilex sp.).  The evergreen holly berries provide food and the holly also provides shelter for our wintering feathered friends.  There are also deciduous (lose their leaves in winter) hollies – Winterberry (Ilex verticillata).  Winterberries are also “bird magnets”.  Even without green leaves, the Winterberry stands out in a snowy landscape, its’ berries looking like tiny ornaments on a tree. The holly berries can come in a variety of colors from red to yellow to orange. Both the evergreen and deciduous holly come in many shapes and sizes.  Some are small enough for a yard like mine (about 1/3 acre) while others grow very tall and are more suitable for a larger yard.  Nandina (Nandina domestica) is another berry magnet for the birds.  Although it is sometimes referred to as Heavenly Bamboo it is not a member of the bamboo family at all but its appearance resembles bamboo.  The taller varieties have stems that are loaded with berries.  The branches having an arching form and together with their fruit look fabulous against the winter landscape.  Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus virginiana), which is actually a member of the juniper family, provides a great home and/or dinner of berries and cone seeds to many a bird. It reaches 40-50’ in maturity.  Scarlet Firethorn (Pyracantha coccinea) is a thorny shrub that provides food and shelter.  Birds flock to the orange-red fruit when it ripens around September and it is a favorite of the Eastern Bluebird.  The fruit will usually last into the winter giving birds a nice treat.  Last year I had a Tufted Titmouse group in a roosting pocket in my Firethorn.  These are just some of my favorites but the list goes on. 

 

Color is another form of winter interest.  Many people think of green when they think of winter plantings because the first thing that pops into their mind is the evergreen tree, but a closer look reveals that green comes in many different shades.  For example, there are emerald green, blue-green, and yellow-green just to name a few.  Look at the photographs in this article and notice all the various shades of green.  A glance at the photographs also shows that green is not the only color in the winter landscape.  There are reds, yellows, bronzes, oranges, tans, browns, pinks, whites, and even soft shades of purple!

 

When shopping for plants for the winter landscape consider not only the many colors of evergreens and other plant material but the many different textures like the needles on hollies, firs, cedars, heathers.  Some are feathery and soft, other are sharp or bristly.  Some winter leaves are waxy like the magnolia leaf and some are smooth.  Texture and color of different barks add interest as well.  Consider the red bark of Red-twig (Cornus alba) or Red-osier Dogwood (Cornus sericea) and the yellow bark of Yellow Twig Dogwood, for example.  Japanese Coral Bark Maple (Acer palmatum ‘Sango Kaku’) pops in the snowy winter landscape as well.  The twisting, contorted Harry Lauder’s Walkingstick (Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’) stands out in winter especially against a white backdrop, like a vinyl fence.  And who doesn’t admire the peeling/exfoliating bark of the River Birch (Betula nigra) in winter? 

 

Structure, the fourth element in this article, need not be limited to living things in your landscape.  Arbors, trellises, ponds & waterfalls, boulders, garden statues, gazing balls, urns, and don’t forget – the heated birdbath and your APS Pole system, feeders and birdhouses - are just a few examples of structures that provide winter interest.  Having year – round structures in your landscape can take away the “winter doldrums” so many of us experience.  We should think of our landscapes as an extension of our house; another “room” perhaps.  Why shouldn’t our outdoor rooms be as exciting as our indoor ones?  So, crank it up a notch and add some interesting structures to your garden this winter!

 

Movement, the fifth and final element in the winter landscape, can come from both plant material and accessories.  Waterfalls, wind-chimes, and decorative flags are examples of accessories which provide movement in the winter landscape.  Good examples of plant materials that provide movement are grasses, weeping varieties of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs, and pendulous shrubs, like Nandina.

 

So, if your yard is suffering from lack of interest, think of the elements you can use to add winter interest:  food, color, texture, structure and movement.  Even by adding one thing at a time, eventually you will have a landscape that will perk you up even on the dreariest winter day!  My advice is to do your research – drive around the area and look at different landscapes, take pictures, research in books and online, check with local nurseries, like Triple Oaks Nursery, ask questions and buy native plants whenever possible, and pick what works best for you and your family.  Enjoy the winter season and have fun out there!

About the author - Barbara isa retired early childhood educator who joined our WBU staff three years ago.  Besides becoming a certified birdfeeding specialist, Barb became a certified Master Gardener through Rutgers Cooperative Extension Service here in Gloucester County last May.  Through the Master Gardener program Barb volunteers on countywide projects.  She is also a member of the Gloucester County Nature Club and the South Jersey Land and Water Trust.