Winter is when flocks of cedar waxwings and robins gorge
themselves on winter berries.

On the University of Georgia campus, these birds are now
arriving en masse to feed on
the black fruits of cherry laurel and red berries of American
holly.

Winter is the right time to transplant, so how about adding
some berry bushes to your
garden for the birds? Here are some ideas to think about when
planning a year-round berry
cafeteria for birds.

Do you want native or exotic plants? Would you prefer shrubs
or trees?

When do you want the fruit?

For the earliest fruit in spring, the bronze eleaquus is a
good choice. Its red oval
berry ripens in March or April.

Later in the spring come red and white mulberries, followed
by wild black cherry,
blueberries (wild and cultivated), Chickasaw plum, juneberry and
silverberry. That brings
us to the start of summer.

For midsummer I can’t think of many favorites — maybe
pokeweed. But as summer fades
and fall develops, there are many choices.

I like American beauty-berry. It’s not really a preferred
bird berry, but it is
beautiful. Autumn olive ripens in the fall, along with an array
of fall berry plants:
dogwoods, possum haw and hawthorns. I particularly like parsley
haw.

Fall berries that persist into winter are smooth sumac,
sugarberry, hawthorns, calloway
crab apple, sparkleberry, cherry laurel and American holly.
There are dozens more. These
are just some of my favorites.

What kinds of birds might come to your parade of berries? Not
many, come to think of
it.

Of Georgia’s 325-or-so kinds of birds, the most likely berry
feeders to visit your
backyard are the mockingbird, brown thrasher, catbird, robin,
cedar waxwing, red-bellied
woodpecker, bluebird and — well, can you think of others?

Before you buy your berry bonanza, think of any liabilities.
Some of these plants are
invasive exotics and can spread to nearby natural areas and take
over.

Do you have the right place in full sun? If your choice will
grow into a large tree, do
you have the right place?

Does your soil type meet the specification of the plant?
Blueberries and sparkleberry,
for example, like acid soil.

Call your county Extension agent and find out how to do a
soil test. The agent can send
it in and get you a printout telling what your soil needs to
support your favorite plants.

If you want a chart describing favorite berry plants for
birds, send me a note at the
University of Georgia, Extension Forest Resources, Forestry 4,
Athens, GA 30602. I’ll mail
you one.