When it comes to choosing berry-bearing shrubs to plant in your yard, first ponder if feeding birds is part of your plan. If it is, then the choice is clear: native berry bushes are the way to go.
The benefits of planting native shrubs — especially for birds — comes down to the berries' higher nutritional value. The sorts of feathered visitors that come to your yard are either migrating or overwintering birds. And both need a steady food source to power them through New England winters, whether they are staying put or flying south. So, if you plant berry bushes with higher fat content, that will benefit all types of birds and other wildlife, too.
Research shows that the caloric content in berries from both native and non-native bushes are roughly the same. Where they differ greatly is in the fat content. Non-native berries contain about 2% fat. The native berries have up to 48% fat content.
Plus, the benefits of planting native berry bushes go beyond bird nutrition — they are less aggressive and more adapted to the environment because they've coevolved with birds, wildlife, other plants and soil for millennia.
Luckily, the list of native shrubs is long — aronias, serviceberries, gray dogwood, viburnums like nannyberry, black haw and American highbush cranberry, elderberry, buttonbush or cephalanthus, and winterberries — with some growing best in wetter areas.
The gray dogwood is thought to be a bit invasive, but do consider that 100 different bird species feast on its berries — it is a key species to have in the environment.
So, survey your landscape to see where you can plant some native berry shrubs. And if you're considering planting a lot of them, the Vermont Association of Conservation Districts has a list on its site of annual plant sales, which happen in the spring. It's one way to purchase smaller versions of a lot of these different shrubs and save some money, too.
How to transform a steep bank with wildflowers
Q: I have a dream where this bank in my yard is transformed from a place where weeds, poison ivy and vines transform into a wildflower bank, feeding pollinators. The bank is too steep for any human-powered rototiller. I've tried twice. I've weed whacked it and then hand-weeded it once, and then seeded it, to have a rainfall wash it away, or maybe birds eat all the seeds. I've almost given up, but when I walked around the yard this week in the sunshine, the dream came back. - Amanda, in Middlebury
A: With some planning and patience, you can make your dream come true! First, begin with the sorts of plants that will hang on to the soil and fill in the spaces.
Creeping and low-growing plants, like creeping Juniper and some forsythia like 'Arnold dwarf', as well as stephanandra, and gro-low sumac can work. These are going to creep along and root along their stems, cover the bank, and hold the soil so it doesn't erode away.
In between, plant some wildflowers and pollinator-friendly plants. Catmint, geranium and sedge are some favorite perennials that like to spread along a slope. Bee balm, phlox and mountain mint are also nice ones.
Try to take the planting project one step and one section at a time. And expect that you'll likely need to weed and weed-whack between some of the shrubs before they get established. But slowly you'll see the plants will creep in and keep the weeds out, and you'll have a beautiful-looking slope.
Adding low-growing plants that work between walkway pavers
Q: A fieldstone patio I built 15 plus years ago became overgrown with thyme, which I harvested and weed-whacked but which built soil very effectively and subsumed my stones. Now all rebuilt and even added to a bit, but what to plant in the spaces amongst the stones that is attractive, low and slow-growing, edible if possible, and holds the dirt in a downpour? - Will, Craftsbury
A: Creeping thyme can indeed inundate fieldstone pavers, unless you cut it back every few years or so.
Try planting some alternatives, like low-growing veronicas. Wooly and Turkish veronica flower in spring and can take some foot traffic.
If your fieldstone walkway is in a shady area, blue star creeper grows well. It flowers early and can also can take some traffic. If the walkway is an area with less foot traffic, some of the lamiums, which is a common groundcover perennial, look great with their variegated leaves.
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