Plants for Birds: The 10 Best for Songbirds

The chirping of birds in the morning delights the gardener's heart. Find out here which bird-friendly plants you can use to attract songbirds.

blackbird, Thrush, Finch and star – these songbirds not only delight children, but are also extremely popular with adults. No wonder, after all, the birds inspire us with their beautiful singing and are also wonderful to watch. Unfortunately, birds rarely get lost in many gardens. The reasons for this can be varied: insufficient food supply, too few nesting sites or a Lack of hiding places are just some of the factors that make birds a garden avoid. Fortunately, this can be remedied with the right choice of plants - we show you ten plants that have proven to be particularly bird-friendly.

Ideally, bird-friendly plants have a densely branched habit, making them suitable as nesting sites and hiding places from predators. In addition, berry-bearing plants are perfect for birds because they provide a good source of food. However, many birds also depend on insects for food – a

insect friendly garden is therefore automatically very bird-friendly.

1. Ordinary snowball

With its ball-shaped, snow-white inflorescences, the common viburnum (Viburnum opulus) a real splendor and draws everyone's attention in the garden. But not only people are enthusiastic about the impressive flowers - birds also love the dramatic plant. The dense growth of the plant, which can grow up to four meters high, offers a great hiding place for the animals. The numerous red berries that the viburnum bears in autumn are also very popular with birds. In addition to the common snowball, the woolly snowball (Viburnum lantana) turned out to be very bird-friendly.

2. real whitebeam

With a height of up to 15 meters and a very dense crown, the whitebeam (Sorbus aria) admittedly not suitable for small gardens. However, if you have a large enough garden, you will find a versatile garden plant with the hardy wood that has numerous advantages. Their high attraction to birds in particular should not be underestimated. With its densely leafy crown, the whitebeam offers a sheltered nesting place, and the small size of its berries makes it an attractive source of food for smaller bird species too. Incidentally, the plant also owes its unusual name to its berries, which used to be crushed and used as an ingredient in bread.

3. berry bushes

Delicious berries should not be missing in any garden in summer. But not only people are impressed by the sweet treats - birds also benefit from numerous berry bushes in the garden. Particularly blackberries (Rubus fruticosus) as raspberries (Rubus idaeus) are popular with birds because they provide them with a great source of food. But also currants (Ribes) and blueberries (Vaccinium myrtillus) are real bird magnets - but you should be careful about using old varieties, as new breeds are not particularly well received by many birds.

4. sloe

Whether as jam, liqueur or syrup - the sweet and sour berries of the sloe (Prunus spinosa) can be wonderfully processed in the kitchen and therefore have many fans. But birds are also impressed by the sloe fruits and use them with particular preference as a source of food. In addition, the sloe offers another advantage for birds: its densely branched growth and its long, dark thorns, which are also found on the plant have earned the name "Blackthorn" make them an ideal nesting place in which the songbirds are protected from natural predators are.

5. wild roses

breeding roses (pink) look adorable in the garden, but often have no value for insects and other animals. If you still don't want to do without the queen of flowers, you'll find it wild roses an ideal solution: these have the same distinctive charm as their bred relatives, but at the same time offer food and shelter to all sorts of creatures. Especially the dog roses (Rosa canina) and potato roses (Rosa rugosa) are considered particularly bird-friendly because they attract insects with their flowers and open theirs in winter rosehips an important food source.

tip: If you don't want to choose a bird-friendly plant, you can sow a whole mix at once. Our Plantura beneficial insect magnet is a seed mixture of more than 20 annual and perennial plants that offer beneficial insects such as garden birds and insects a rich supply of food and a habitat.

6. service pear

the service pear (amelanchier) is a rather unknown type of fruit, which has been forgotten in many areas - wrongly so, after all the plant has numerous advantages: it is considered to be particularly undemanding and frost hardy, its fruits convince with a fantastic aroma and many varieties have one impressive autumn coloring. In addition, the plant is also considered to be particularly bird-friendly because it is an ideal source of food. In spring, the flowers of the plant attract countless insects, which are eaten by many species of birds. In autumn, on the other hand, their fruits are a popular meal.

7. holly

the holly (Ilex aquifolium), also under their botanical name ilex known, is probably one of the most popular Christmas plants in general and is often used in gardens as an ornamental tree. Its distinctive red berries, which stay on the plant all winter, are what make holly so decorative. But birds are also fond of holly: while the small berries are poisonous to humans, they provide a richly laid table for birds. However, the plant is also popular as a nesting place, especially for smaller birds, because its prickly leaves are a reliable protection against larger predators.

8. cornel

the cornel (Cornus mas) has proven particularly effective in recent years bee friendly plant It has made a name for itself as an important food source for pollinators with its early flowering in March and April. But the plant is also a godsend for birds: In addition to the insects, there are also numerous small ones Fruits in autumn are an important source of food for birds, which are magically attracted to the cornel. Even people enjoy the aromatic fruits - the cornelian cherry is particularly popular as a jam.

9. barberry

Hedges can be found in almost every garden, after all they offer protection from prying eyes and ensure sufficient privacy in the garden. But hedge plants are not only a blessing for people - songbirds also like to use them as a protected nesting place. The barberry (Berberis vulgaris): The dense wild hedge offers an ideal shelter and is therefore often used as a place for the brood. The red berries of the hedge are not only attractive, but also good food for birds. Incidentally, the attractive berries are also absolutely non-toxic for humans - with their slightly sour taste Taste, which also gave the plant the name "sour thorn", is not for everyone Matter.

10. rowanberry

The name says it all: there is probably no other plant that attracts birds as reliably as the rowanberry (Sorbus aucuparia). A total of 63 bird species can be directly associated with the plant - either they use the dense leaves of the plant as a nesting place or they eat their distinctive red berries, which appear on the tree from the end of October are located. Another special feature of the rowan berry is that it is also suitable for small gardens: some varieties of the robust rowan berry, for example the Chinese rowan berry (Sorbus koehneana), are also suitable for planting in tubs.

And if you want to support your garden birds even further, you can of course also offer additional bird food. Our Plantura sunflower seeds with extra vitamins, iodine and honey, for example, provide plenty of energy and nutrients even in winter. As you put the kernels in your own homemade bird feeder can offer, you can find out in our special article.

In addition to the right plants, there are other things you can do to bird friendly garden to design. We have prepared 10 tips for you to turn your garden into a bird paradise.