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December 8, 2020 · Leave a Comment

Best Trees for Birds in the North

How to· Plants

The most recent Grow it, Minnesota podcast is all about creating a landscape for wildlife, especially birds. Mark Moeller, a certified arborist from Davey Tree Expert Co., was my guest and he suggested about a dozen of the best trees for birds in the North. Here are his top picks:

A hedge of arborvitae adds privacy and bird habitat.

Arborvitae: If you want lots of birds in your yard, you need to meet their basic needs, including food, water, shelter and places to nest. Arborvitae meet those last two needs perfectly. If you’ve ever had a mature arborvitae on your property, you know it becomes a bird condo in winter! Eastern arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis) is an evergreen that can grow up to 40 feet high and 15 feet wide, but there are many smaller arborvitae cultivars that fit into urban landscapes beautifully. I have an ‘Emerald Beauty’ arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis x ‘Smaraged) in my backyard, and even though it will never get taller than 10 feet, it had a pair of (I think) chipping sparrows nesting in it last summer. Arborvitae provide lots of cover for birds, and are great placed within quick flying distance of feeders, according to Mark. If you have room on your property, another excellent tree for birds is the eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana).

Crabapples hang from a large tree. They will feed birds all winter.

Crabapples: Walking around my neighborhood, I see many large, older crabapple trees absolutely laden with red fruit. Not only are they beautiful in the frosty days of early winter, but crabapples are one of the best trees for birds in the North. For birds that overwinter in Minnesota, those berries are survival food. There are dozens of crabapple varieties available (be sure to get one that has fruit!) but Mark really likes snow crabapples (Malus ‘Snowdrift’), which grow 15 to 20 feet tall and wide and have pink flowers. He says, “they have a great branching structure and are followed by orange-red fruits for wildlife. These fruits are ‘persistent’ and therefore typically stay on the tree throughout the beginning of winter.” Another good variety with resistance to apple scab is ‘Prairie Fire’.

Oaks: Oaks are one of the best trees for pollinators and wildlife generally. They provide food and shelter to more than 300 species of pollinators. Of course, squirrels also love oaks and their acorns (you can decide how you feel about that). Like many arborists, Mark is a fan of the northern pin oak for Minnesota.

Serviceberries have a pretty white flower in spring.

Serviceberries. This is another favorite tree of arborists, nursery owners and other plant people. The serviceberry (Amelanchier) is a native tree that comes in either multi-stem or single stem options. It was recommended by the St. Paul city forestry office as a good tree for urban yards because it does not get too large (topping out at 15 to 25 feet), has dainty white flowers in spring and berries that feed birds in summer and beyond (if they last that long.) This is just about the perfect urban tree.

Hackberry. Mark also put in a pitch for hackberry as a great tree for wildlife, especially if you want to attract cedar waxwings. Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis) is a native tree in southern and central Minnesota. It has the tall grandeur of an elm and was often planted on boulevards after elms were killed by Dutch elm disease. The tree is super tough and can handle drought, dampness, salt-spray and ice. One of its best attributes is its craggy bark, which provides winter interest in the landscape.

Mark Moeller

Other Options for Food: In winter, Mark recommends that people include some feeders on their property, both seed and suet. As he noted, wildlife provides a lot of entertainment, especially for families with kids at home doing distance learning! So put your bird shrubs and feeders in a location where you can see them from indoors. Having birds in your yard is also a great opportunity to teach your children about plants and birds. His other recommendations for best trees for birds were largish trees/shrubs with fruit, including chokecherry, elderberry, riverbank grape (be careful with that one: it can get invasive) and red mullberry.

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New podcast episode and giveaway! Dill is one of t New podcast episode and giveaway! Dill is one of those plants that brings in all sorts of beneficial insects, creating a productive, healthy vegetable 🍅 garden. On this week’s Grow it, Minnesota podcast, I talked companion planting with local food advocate and gardener Michelle Bruhn from @forksinthedirt. 

We’re both fans of a new book by @jessicawalliser called Plant Partners that looks at the science behind companion planting. A lot of it boils down to creating healthy soil and a welcoming environment for bugs, bees and pollinators. My review of the book is over on the My Northern Garden blog (link in bio) and I’m giving away a copy of the book. To be eligible for the giveaway, just comment below — do you use companion planting methods? What combinations work in your garden? What flowers do you plant near your veg garden? The winner will be chosen March 10 (US and Canada only)
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Obsessed with this water drop. . . . #houseplants Obsessed with this water drop. 
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In normal times, we’d be in our first week in Fl In normal times, we’d be in our first week in Florida right now, which would mean a visit to the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens on our first full day there. Always great art and gardens to see. Then some beach time and plans for our first preseason game. (Twins, Pirates, Orioles, it’s all great.) We were very lucky to get the trip in last year and hope to be in Sarasota again this time next year. Meanwhile I’m indulging in some Insta-nostalgia and feeling grateful for longer days and sunshine here in Minnesota. Which vacations are you remembering fondly these days? 
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#gardentravel #florida #sarasota #publicgardens #marieselbybotanicalgardens #tbt #mngardener #longwinter
New issue of Northern Gardener and a cup of tea— New issue of Northern Gardener and a cup of tea—great way to pass a gloomy late afternoon. This issue is full of ideas for spring from @jenniferrensenbrink @monarchgardensbenjaminvogt @gbrownhudson @seedtofork and more. Stunning cover image from @riedelphoto.  Available March 1 on newsstands or subscribe through @mnhort! 
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#northerngardener #mngardening #coldclimategardening #calibrachoa #gardenforfrogs #perennialgarden #gardentips #nativeplants #nativeplantgardening #growyourownfood #iceberglettuce #growasalad
Winter ❄️ sowing? Have you tried it? Today’s Winter ❄️ sowing? Have you tried it? Today’s guest on the Grow it, Minnesota podcast is Michelle Mero Riedel, who introduced me and readers of Northern Gardener to the concept more than a decade ago. It’s been one of  our most popular articles ever. 

In winter sowing, you create mini-greenhouses out of milk jugs and other recyclables. Perennial flowers 💐 can be planted in February and March, while annuals, vegetables and herbs can be set out in April. Mother Nature does most of the work. It’s a budget friendly way to grow lots of plants! 

For more info, check out the podcast or a new blog post over on mynortherngarden.com. Links to all in bio. 
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#seedstarting #seeds #wintersowing #wintersown #gardeninspiration #howtogarden #garden #mygarden #growyourown #mynortherngarden #gardeninfo #mnpodcast #gardenpodcast 
#mngardening #minnesota #mnhort
#gardeninglife #coldclimategardening
#stpaulgarden #stpaulmn
#Zone4garden #zone4b
What is this? Like day 10 or 12 with temps below z What is this? Like day 10 or 12 with temps below zero? Time to ramble back to June when the penstemon was covered in bees and the veronica looked so pretty. June is my second favorite month in the garden (believe it or not, September is number one for me). What’s your favorite month? P.S. only 14 weeks until June! 
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Oh boy, check out the bucket hat and shades. I was Oh boy, check out the bucket hat and shades. I was digging through some old family photos and came across this one of me circa 1990s, I’d guess, weeding at our first house. I had a lot to learn (like A LOT) about gardening, and little did I know then that I’d be writing about gardening for a living someday. Lots of good thing happen in the garden. 
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#tbt #mygardenstory #mynortherngarden #gardenwriter #weeding #oldphoto #buckethatsareback
Somebody brought me a bouquet! Thank you, @resawit Somebody brought me a bouquet! Thank you, @resawithoutherspoon 
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#flowers #bouquet #flowersmakemehappy #plantsmakepeoplehappy
The latest episode of Grow it, Minnesota is all ab The latest episode of Grow it, Minnesota is all about plants with medicinal uses.  I interview author and herbalist Matthew Alfs about his new book on Edible and Medicinal Wild Plants of the Midwest. We talked about a few of my favorite plants such as wild geraniums and anise hyssop and also about what we call weeds that have other uses. 

It was a fascinating discussion with a real expert. Matthew recommends consulting multiple sources before using any plant medicinally and his book would be a good one to start with. 

Listen to the podcast at growitminnesota.com or wherever you get your podcasts. 
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#gardenpodcast #anisehyssop #geranium #geraniummaculatum #dandelion #herbalist #plantsareamazing #minnesota #mnhspress #mnplants #mnpodcast
I love ❤️ that my local grocery store has plan I love ❤️ that my local grocery store has plants in the temptation spot near the 10-items or less lane. They’re better for you than chips and just as enticing. I resisted this time but plant impulse buys happen to all of us! 
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Leaving plants up in winter gives you something to Leaving plants up in winter gives you something to look at, but helps pollinators and birds more. As the sun gets stronger in late January, these are a few of my favorites for winter interest. 
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What’s a northern gardener to do all winter? In What’s a northern gardener to do all winter? In these pandemic times, I’ve been having fun making quilts. Small, easy, no stress quilts. And, these garden themed fabrics on discount through Etsy were irresistible. 

I’m a beginner quilter and learned the craft through YouTube! (My favorite tutorials are the scrap buster quilts from @justgetitdonequilts) This fabric bundle included 21 different half yard prints, so I’ll probably have fabric left over for next winter too. 

How are you keeping sane/busy this winter? 
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#gardenlife #gardenfabric #modafabric #offseason #beginnerquilter #winter #minnesotawinter #minnesota
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