Hello,

I have a 60 ft x 10 ft full-sun spot which has been used for garden
crops. Over the past 2 years its been mulched and is loam down to
12-18 inches. However, it's next to the neighbors' house and during
the winter it's pretty barren. Fences are prohibited by the township
so I figured this would be a nice spot for some bushes or shrubs. I
also have a separate but well-established forsythia section which
provides cover for birds, but very little in the way of food for them.
It's currently running rampant, and I was considering removing a few
of them in favor of a new, more benficial bush.

I've been searching for shrubs that would be beneficial for
established (or attract new) wildlife to the area, particularly birds.
This area is zone 5, nw NJ, mountainous, very acidic and heavy clay
soil. The immediate area they would be planted receives about 6-8 hrs
of sun per day in summer, but was also considering beneficial shrubs
for partial-sun areas.

I've been looking into both american cranberry bushes (viburnum
trilobum), as well as northern bayberry (myrica pensylvanica). I
read both these shrubs could be used as both fruit and cover for local
native wildlife. I was wondering if anyone had any other
recommendations for shrubs in this area, or advice on what challenges
the above two would have growing in this area. I keep reading that
bayberry is a coastal plant, and was wondering if it would fare well
in the mountains.

As a notice, this msg is cross-posted to both rec.birds and
rec.gardens. Thanks very much for any advice,

Dan

Dan said:

I've been searching for shrubs that would be beneficial for
established (or attract new) wildlife to the area, particularly birds.
This area is zone 5, nw NJ, mountainous, very acidic and heavy clay
soil. The immediate area they would be planted receives about 6-8 hrs
of sun per day in summer, but was also considering beneficial shrubs
for partial-sun areas.
You might want to consider myrtle (though it's more of a tree than a bush).
We've got a couple in our yard and the birds absolutely love the berries.

--
Bob
Kanyak's Doghouse
http://kanyak.com

In article , wrote:

Hello,

I have a 60 ft x 10 ft full-sun spot which has been used for garden
crops. Over the past 2 years its been mulched and is loam down to
12-18 inches. However, it's next to the neighbors' house and during
the winter it's pretty barren. Fences are prohibited by the township
so I figured this would be a nice spot for some bushes or shrubs. I
also have a separate but well-established forsythia section which
provides cover for birds, but very little in the way of food for them.
It's currently running rampant, and I was considering removing a few
of them in favor of a new, more benficial bush.

I've been searching for shrubs that would be beneficial for
established (or attract new) wildlife to the area, particularly birds.
This area is zone 5, nw NJ, mountainous, very acidic and heavy clay
soil. The immediate area they would be planted receives about 6-8 hrs
of sun per day in summer, but was also considering beneficial shrubs
for partial-sun areas.

I've been looking into both american cranberry bushes (viburnum
trilobum), as well as northern bayberry (myrica pensylvanica). I
read both these shrubs could be used as both fruit and cover for local
native wildlife. I was wondering if anyone had any other
recommendations for shrubs in this area, or advice on what challenges
the above two would have growing in this area. I keep reading that
bayberry is a coastal plant, and was wondering if it would fare well
in the mountains.

As a notice, this msg is cross-posted to both rec.birds and
rec.gardens. Thanks very much for any advice,

Dan


I'm a great fan of Viburnum trilobum, it just strikes me as having every
conceivable positive trait: Gorgeous leaves, gorgeous buds & lacecap
flowers, bright berries that last into winter, & trainable (I'm
espaliering a "Wentworth" V. trilobum to become a "wall" of the back
porch, & it's so obedient to shaping). Birds usually won't eat the berries
early in their season, but after the fruits have been frozen a couple
times, & other berries have vanished from the landscape, birds then get
the viburnum cranberries. A very similar shrub is Viburnum sargentiana;
we have the cultivar "Onondaga." It's buds are pink rather than greenish
white as on trilobum, though they lose their pink when opening & are the
same white lacecaps, but for a while during the flower's development there
are white flower petals surrounding interior pink buds. Then of course the
same maple-like leaves of great beauty, but adding a bright flush of
marroon when first emerging & a faint maroon blush when the leaves are
mature.

In the understory amidst larger shrubs you could plant little
part-shade-liking evergreen lingonberry bushes & wintergreen shrublets
which flower twice a year & produce lots of tasty berries.

I'm curioius about the ban on fences. So you can't legally have an
arbor-entried enclosed garden? Local government intrusions into very basic
property rights is such a ****er. Maybe you could legally put up a
free-standing trellis for a climbing vine.

-paghat the ratgirl

--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
See the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com/

The very best thing you can do is seek out your local chapter of The Native
Plant Society. Here is the URL for New Jersey:

http://www.npsnj.org/

You want to provide the proper fruit, berries and cover which is native to your
area and region of the state. You will be far more serving to the birds if you
give them what is there before builders mow it all down.

As much as it kills me, my project for this fall is to remove all shrubs which
are not native and replace them with natives, which berry.

You can't go wrong that way.


On Fri, 02 May 2003 06:31:02 GMT, (Dan) wrote:

Hello,

I have a 60 ft x 10 ft full-sun spot which has been used for garden
crops. Over the past 2 years its been mulched and is loam down to
12-18 inches. However, it's next to the neighbors' house and during
the winter it's pretty barren. Fences are prohibited by the township
so I figured this would be a nice spot for some bushes or shrubs. I
also have a separate but well-established forsythia section which
provides cover for birds, but very little in the way of food for them.
It's currently running rampant, and I was considering removing a few
of them in favor of a new, more benficial bush.

I've been searching for shrubs that would be beneficial for
established (or attract new) wildlife to the area, particularly birds.
This area is zone 5, nw NJ, mountainous, very acidic and heavy clay
soil. The immediate area they would be planted receives about 6-8 hrs
of sun per day in summer, but was also considering beneficial shrubs
for partial-sun areas.

I've been looking into both american cranberry bushes (viburnum
trilobum), as well as northern bayberry (myrica pensylvanica). I
read both these shrubs could be used as both fruit and cover for local
native wildlife. I was wondering if anyone had any other
recommendations for shrubs in this area, or advice on what challenges
the above two would have growing in this area. I keep reading that
bayberry is a coastal plant, and was wondering if it would fare well
in the mountains.

As a notice, this msg is cross-posted to both rec.birds and
rec.gardens. Thanks very much for any advice,

Dan

I think you should consider some evergreens like juniper or holly the bird
will use them for both food and cover. The waxwings love juniper berries and
cardinals and other birds eat holly berries, I also have Highbush
cranberries and each year some bird will nest in it, and the robins and
waxwings eat the fruit in early spring.
"Dan" wrote in message
...
Hello,

I have a 60 ft x 10 ft full-sun spot which has been used for garden
crops. Over the past 2 years its been mulched and is loam down to
12-18 inches. However, it's next to the neighbors' house and during
the winter it's pretty barren. Fences are prohibited by the township
so I figured this would be a nice spot for some bushes or shrubs. I
also have a separate but well-established forsythia section which
provides cover for birds, but very little in the way of food for them.
It's currently running rampant, and I was considering removing a few
of them in favor of a new, more benficial bush.

I've been searching for shrubs that would be beneficial for
established (or attract new) wildlife to the area, particularly birds.
This area is zone 5, nw NJ, mountainous, very acidic and heavy clay
soil. The immediate area they would be planted receives about 6-8 hrs
of sun per day in summer, but was also considering beneficial shrubs
for partial-sun areas.

I've been looking into both american cranberry bushes (viburnum
trilobum), as well as northern bayberry (myrica pensylvanica). I
read both these shrubs could be used as both fruit and cover for local
native wildlife. I was wondering if anyone had any other
recommendations for shrubs in this area, or advice on what challenges
the above two would have growing in this area. I keep reading that
bayberry is a coastal plant, and was wondering if it would fare well
in the mountains.

As a notice, this msg is cross-posted to both rec.birds and
rec.gardens. Thanks very much for any advice,

Dan

On Fri, 02 May 2003 08:37:32 -0700,
(paghat) wrote:

In the understory amidst larger shrubs you could plant little
part-shade-liking evergreen lingonberry bushes & wintergreen shrublets
which flower twice a year & produce lots of tasty berries.

Those sound nice. The area immediately north of the desired planting
area is full of mature oaks but I might squeeze a few small bushes
behind anything larger. There's a lot of bare dirt under those mature
trees. Maybe I could install a few small raised beds/mounds and plant
a few shrublets.

I'm curioius about the ban on fences. So you can't legally have an
arbor-entried enclosed garden? Local government intrusions into very basic
property rights is such a ****er. Maybe you could legally put up a
free-standing trellis for a climbing vine.

No man-made fences are allowed, such as chain link or wooden
stokade-type. Fences for farm duties are allowed, so Im liberally
using that loophole for my 8 ft fencing around the garden. The
details elude me, but I believe the township wished to keep the area
"rural-looking" (translation - let the deer run rampant everywhere).

Dan

On Sat, 03 May 2003 00:22:13 GMT, "Mary Shorkey"
wrote:

I think you should consider some evergreens like juniper or holly the bird
will use them for both food and cover. The waxwings love juniper berries and
cardinals and other birds eat holly berries, I also have Highbush
cranberries and each year some bird will nest in it, and the robins and
waxwings eat the fruit in early spring.

Thanks for the recommendations, but deer are an extreme menace here.
The juniper and holly would have to be so covered with netting that
the birds would probably get caught. But I'll try & plant one or two
close to the house; perhaps chicken wire flat on the ground around the
area will be enough. Do either require a pollinator, or can they be
planted individually?

Dan

Dan wrote:
On Fri, 02 May 2003 20:55:03 GMT, animaux wrote:

Are forsythias native?

Yes, except for Forsythia Suspensa (Weeping Forsythia) which is an
import from China.

From local observations it looks like someone
planted all sorts of non-native exotic stuff around here long ago.
Across the road are nearly a dozen mature Norway maples in a neat,
orderly row. I pull out dozens of saplings that sprout around the
yard every year.

Norway Maples are a curse in the North East, they are so dense that
nothing survives in their shade, and they spread like wildfire. Although
I have to admit that they can look stunning in fall. But if you're
planting, Sugar or Red maples are better.