Bird-Friendly Native Garden Kit: We know that pollinators and other beneficial insects need native plants, but so do our native birds! Nearly every kind of native land bird feeds its babies insect larva (caterpillars), which needs native host plants. Hummingbirds require lots of nectar and are particularly attracted to flowers with tubular petals.
Most birds need plenty of seeds! The seed heads of native plants, left on the stalk for the winter, are an essential source of food--also the easiest and cheapest backyard bird feeders. Native plants also provide optimal nesting materials. If you give over a portion of your lawn to native plant gardening, you are providing valuable cover for native birds and you will see more of them in your yard.(Source: Michigan Audubon Society: Native Plants for Bird-Friendly Landscapes)
The variety in this kit will provide blooming flowers from May through October with colors from pink to purple to golden yellow.
Design Tips:
- Prepare your garden site (follow the link for details as well as information about plant spacing)
- A sunny location with medium to dry soil moisture is ideal for this grouping.
- Group plants of the same species together
- Consider the height of each plant—position taller plants at the back and shorter plants at the front.
- 1 sq foot/plant
Kit Contents:
5 different varieties, 2-3 of each (total of 15 plants); Details for each plant are below, including ecosystem services for birds in bold. Photos of each appear to the left on your screen in the listed order.
Garden size: 3' wide x 6' long or 18 sq. feet
2 - Beebalm - hummingbirds, larval host for Orange Mint and Hermit Sphinx Moths
3 - Lavender Beardtongue - hummingbird nectar source
2 - Pale Purple Coneflower
2 - Purple Coneflower - seed for birds
3 - Sand Coreopsis - seed for birds
2 - Showy Goldenrod - seed for birds, larval host
3 - Little Bluestem - seed for birds, cover, nesting material
Beebalm (Monarda fistulosa)
Sun Exposure: Full, Partial
Soil Moisture: Dry to Medium-Wet
Soil Type: Thrives in a wide range of soils: acid to lime, rich to poor, sand to clay
Height: 4'
Bloom Time: July through September
Bloom Color: lavender, pink
Resistance: Deer, Drought, Black Walnut
Attracts: Butterflies, bees, hummingbirds
Pollinator benefit: Excellent nectar source for hummingbirds; Larval host for Orange Mint and Hermit Sphinx Moths
Beardtongue/Foxglove (Penstemon digitalis)
Sun Exposure: Full, Partial
Soil Moisture: Medium, Medium-Dry
Height: 2' to 3'
Bloom Time: June, July
Bloom Color: White to pink
Resistant To: Deer, Drought, Black Walnut
Pollinator benefits: Excellent nectar source for butterflies, native bees and hummingbirds
Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
Sun Exposure: Full, Partial
Soil Moisture: Medium-Wet, Medium, Medium-Dry
Height: 4'
Bloom Time: July, August, September
Bloom Color: Purple
Tolerate: Deer, drought, heat, humidity and poor soil
Attracts: Butterflies, native bees, birds love its seeds,
Pollinator benefit: host plant for the Ottoe Skipper butterfly; great nectar source for bees and butterflies
Sand Coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata)
Sun Exposure: Full
Soil Moisture: Medium-Dry, Dry
Height: 2 ft
Bloom Time: May, June, July, August
Bloom Color: Yellow
Drought: Resistant
Attracts: Butterflies and Bees
Pollinator Benefit: good nectar source for butterflies and hummingbirds
Showy Goldenrod (Solidago speciosa)
Sun Exposure: Full Sun
Soil Moisture: Dry, Medium
Soil Type" Loam, Sand
Height: 1'-3'
Bloom Time: August, September, October
Bloom Color: Yellow
Deer: Resistant
Attracts: Butterflies, native bees, birds
Pollinator Benefit: Late season nectar source; value to native bees for pollen and nesting materials; migrating Monarchs
Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)
Sun Exposure: Sun, Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Dry
Soil Type: Well-drained soil. Sandy, Sandy Loam, Medium Loam, Clay Loam, Clay, Limestone-based
Height: 2'-4'
Leaf color: green
Fruiting Time: May-August
Fruit: white, greenish-yellow seed heads
Attracts: Butterflies (a large variety of skippers); Birds with seeds and nesting material
Pollinator Benefits: Larval Host for Ottoe Skipper, Indian Skipper, Crossline Skipper, Dusted Skipper, Cobweb butterfly, Dixie skipper; nesting materials for native bees