Shrubs and trees for birds and bees
With the right shrubs and trees, your garden will be in flower from March to October and birds will find berries until deep into winter. How to choose plants for a garden full of life.
A garden with native shrubs and trees is full of life. Bees and bumblebees find nectar and pollen there from early spring until autumn, and birds find berries, insects and safe places to nest.
Flowers from March to October
Wild bees need food throughout the season. So choose plants that flower one after the other:
| Month | In flower |
|---|---|
| March | goat willow, blackthorn, Cornelian cherry |
| April | wild cherry, fruit trees, snowy mespilus |
| May | hawthorn, guelder rose, rowan |
| June–July | elder, dog rose, lime, bramble |
| August | heather, butterfly bush |
| September–October | ivy, a late nectar feast |
Tip
Choose plants with single flowers. Double flowers (such as many ornamental cherries and double roses) look lush, but have little or no nectar.
Berries until deep into winter
Birds eat berries when there are few insects about. With these plants there’s something to eat from summer until the end of winter:
- Broadleaf treeRowanSorbus aucuparia
- ShrubElderSambucus nigra
- Broadleaf treeHawthornCrataegus monogyna
- ShrubGuelder roseViburnum opulus
- ShrubAlder buckthornFrangula alnus
- Broadleaf treeHollyIlex aquifolium
- ClimberCommon ivyHedera helix
- ShrubSea buckthornHippophae rhamnoides
- Rowan and elder are ripe by August and are soon stripped bare.
- Hawthorn, dog rose and guelder rose stay on the branches longer.
- Holly and ivy keep the birds fed into February and March.
Nesting sites
- A dense, prickly hedge of hawthorn, blackthorn, holly or dog rose protects nests from cats.
- Ivy on a wall or in an old tree is a top nesting site for blackbirds and wrens.
- Leave dead wood and hollows where it’s safe to do so: woodpeckers, tits and bats need them.
- Trim hedges outside the nesting season (see When should you cut your hedge?).
What to avoid
- Cherry laurel and black cherry: birds eat the berries and so spread the seeds into woodland. Read more in Invasive non-native plants in your garden.
- A garden that’s nothing but lawn and paving: every shrub helps.
Good to know
In the guide, the What can you use it for? section of each species page also shows what the species means for wildlife.