Birdgardening, what it is
Which plants to prefer for birdgardening
Decorative elements for the garden
Which birds will visit your garden
 

Birdgardening, what it is

It is a way to open the green spaces of your home to biodiversity , inserting natural elements to welcome and protect insects, birds and small animals and specific plants that can attract more certain types of birds.

It is not complicated, but there are some rules to follow in order to enrich your garden with life and make it a meeting point between the plant and animal kingdoms.

Which plants to prefer?

An element that must not be missing in birdgardening planning is the hedge . Possibly the evergreens and shrubs that produce berries .

Hedges are natural shelters where birds can nest and protect themselves from the cold and other predatory animals. A little rough and wild bushes such as rose hips or cottons  are particularly suitable, with their red berries , and the green colored branches attract various species of birds, such as wrens, robins , blackcaps, finches.

Both cotonastro and dog rose prefer a sunny or semi- shaded exposureand are well suited to any type of terrain. 

Another bushy species very suitable for creating a birdgarden is the viburnum , it belongs to the Caprifoliaceae family and has a very branched structure that can reach considerable heights, up to 10 meters.
It has leathery leaves, red fruits, berries that appear in autumn and white or pink flowers, grouped in bunches. There are many species of Viburnum , some evergreen others deciduous.

For a simpler birdgardening it is better to choose an evergreen that guarantees attraction and shelter in all seasons of the year and withstands various temperatures.

A beautiful shrub that can embellish the garden at all times of the year is the callicarpa . From Spring to Autumn it provides vibrant colors with its white, pink and red foliage and bloom, while in winter it is adorned with purplish berries, inviting nourishment for some birds such as blackbirds, thrushes and starlings.

If there are walls, low walls or racks , you can insert creepers such as ivy or honeysuckle with particularly fragrant flowers. The honeysuckle is an intrusive climber , which must be controlled in its growth, however it fills in a very rich and suggestive way spaces that need to be embellished. Its flowers attract beneficial insects such as bees and its structure welcomes and provides refuge to blackbirds and redstart. 

The choice of flowers must also be guided . Colorful and fragrant flowers are attractive vectors. The selection of species with alternating blooms is advisable, to ensure as much ” color ” spots as possible in the birdgarden. For example, the Rudbeckia, a sort of yellow-orange daisy, whose shrub can reach a meter in height, with dense foliage of a bright green and spirally arranged. It blooms in summer and autumn and its bushy structure easily welcomes guests from the animal kingdom. Naturally, an essential condition for the creation of a garden for biodiversity is the

no use of pesticides, fungicides and any other type of chemical “poison” that could harm birds, insects or small wild animals. 

Decorative elements for birdgardening

If space permits , creating borders with stones, inserting small nests, wooden houses will facilitate the arrival and “settling down” of various species of birds.

The element of water must not be missing, therefore a small fountain , or in any case containers for the collection of water which must be renewed frequently; many species of birds in addition to drinking love to wash their plumage.

What garden birds

Once you have created a small green paradise, with protective and welcoming structures, attractive colors, which birds can come to live in this ideal habitat?

• Great Tit : colorful bird that hatches twice a year in spring and that prefers sheltered places, such as man-made houses.
• Owl : nocturnal predator, loves to stay hidden in bushes and nest in basket nests.
• Blackbird : one of the most widespread species, it prefers open areas, mangers. It moves scurrying on the lawn and hides in brambles, bushes, hedges. 
• Sparrow : it nidifies easily in the houses, and it hatches even three times a year. 
• Robin : prefers open nests, mangers where he can observe his surroundings. 
• Goldfinch : with its colorful plumage and long, thin beak, it can become a stable inhabitant of the garden.