Plant recommendations for attracting birds to your New York garden.

Consider… we build gardens to bring nature closer to us.  Among the many benefits of gardens is the “entertainment value” of nature --  the beauty and wonder of watching birds, butterflies and pollinators, as they bring out the inner child in all of us. 

The question "how do I attract birds into my backyard?” is consistently posed by residential garden design clients and urban dwellers in need of a terrace garden design. The answer to attracting birds into your garden lies in understanding a simple principle. 

Through thousands of years of coevolution,… birds, butterflies, insect pollinators have become interdependent with native plants. Many of these plants benefit from birds and pollinators, and the plants have evolved specifically to attract them. The plants provide food, shelter and a place for birds to raise their young. In return the plants benefit from propagation as the birds disperse their seeds and fruit with a bit of fertilization. Native plants, unlike most exotics have an array of insects that are attracted to them, which also serves as bird food. Many people want gardens without insects. But without insects there would be few birds, as 90% of all birds feed their young with insects!  

According to Stephen Kress, VP for Bird Conservation, National Audubon Society, “improving the quality of land for wildlife is the single most constructive step that anyone can take to assist bird populations. Backyard gardeners and landscape managers can increase the number and variety of birds by studying their habitats and mimicking them at a manageable scale”. 

For urban dwellers that becomes a bit difficult because of limited size,… How do you design a roof garden, create ideas for a terrace garden, rooftop garden or small backyard garden with those garden concepts? Answer...challenging, but very possible!  

In a New York City backyard garden, local birds such as pigeons, starlings and house sparrows tend to be most attracted to bird feeders. Ecologically inspired garden design with native plants will attract a greater variety of birds such as cardinals, finches, jays, doves, thrushes and warblers.