Favored Bird Plants for the PNW

Now that weirdness is out of my system, I would love to hear about the birds that visit your garden and why? What plant draws and keeps them near, maybe its a pond or both, but lets pound our lists out.

Hummers love my Crocosmia "Lucifer" and Red Bee Balm which live in close proximity.

I think I am going to do some Sunflowers for fun this year, and I found my Black Eyed Susans "Goldsturm" is a bad choice for birds now I need another.

Our sunflowers are an absolute favorite of the birds at our house on the other side of the state.

Hummers are very fond of the salvias that I grow, especially the pineapple sage that blooms so late in the season.

Pineapple Sage, what other salvias? I am planning on Sunflowers too, but wonder what variety?

This isn't a bird plant, but I feel I must mention that the Figwort blossom attracts bees for months at the end of the summer/early fall. I have Scrophularia auriculata 'Variegata'. I initially found the blossoms disappointed as they stay very small, but the bees (not wasps) just love them.

It's a no fuss plant that can take plenty of sun (at least what I get) and clay (though it's said to be a bog plant). Cold/freezing winters don't bother it a bit. I've cut mine to the ground but there are leaves at the base that look fresh and nice.

Hummers love my agastache-I have a bunch of different ones, most of the salvias, phygelius, honeysuckle, (avoid lonicera japonica, though-too rampant a grower. Go for lonicera heckrotii and the other members of the family (sandersonii????)or the native lonicera ciliosa, which even likes partial shade). They also seem to like some nicotiana, and many of my lilies, particularly the taller, more pendant ones. Citronella is one they like even though it's yellow and scentless. It's an asiatic cultivar that strongly resembles lilium leichtlinii-to the point they are often confused. It's an easy lily to grow, inexpensive and multiplies well, too.

Hummers also like the blooms from Heuchera, which is surprising because they are very small. Still, they're a beautiful foliage plant that looks good pretty much all year, so it's win-win as far as I'm concerned.

Echinacea is supposed to be popular with goldfinches, but I haven't really noticed birds in them. The seeds always disappear somehow, though.

We often plant sunflowers here and there in our herb garden, and it is truly comical to watch the jays hang off them upside down to get the seeds in the fall (and yes, I do call them blue jays even tho I know they are stellars - how can you not call such a vivid bird 'blue').

Rob - were you interested in attracting a variety of birds?
If so, deciduous shrubs offer the songbirds excellent cover. Birds like safe places to hang out & easily available food.
I would echo the different plants listed in the various posts - particularly for Hummers. Monarda, too.

Sunflowers: I would recommend planting several types. I like to grow a variety that will mature at different times. Also, you can prune the main stalk early to promote more side shoots with smaller, lighter heads. The Giant sunflowers (9-12') should be staked - rain/wind do a nice job of toppling these.
I've had good luck with the Echinaceas & Tithonia, too.

What sunflower types do you plant to get big bird attraction and big plants?

A good tangle of honeysuckle is always a good hiding spot for birds (particularly in winter), and a magnet for hummers when it is blooming.

My flowering quince is always a big bird attracter. The hummers love it and the towhees and song sparrows are always around it as well as the juncos. I would say it is the most popular thing for variety of anything in my yard.

If you have been on any of the hummingbird sites, it seems like a small fountain outdoors that sprays water is very popular with them. Any kind of water feature is, or course, always popular. I see robins, solitaires and western tanagers in my bird bath in the spring and summer along with all of the previously mentioned species.

Jays enjoy the dog food dishes that haven't been completely cleaned out.

I find the hummingbirds like my ordinary garden peas even though it has a white flower, which surprised me. Goldfinches are attracted to my drip irrigation, which is as close as I have to a "water feature"

I think that, for shelter, Forsythia, Quince, Ninebark can't be beat for the small ground-foragers. They have room for the little birds, but also provide cover and protection because bigger creatures can't get in.

Rob - Because the birds favour the black seeds, I try to plant types that produce them (but they do eat the larger striped, too).
I like to mix it up - some annuals along with my perennial sunflowers. Also - plant them in succession about 10 days apart, or, plant types that mature at different times. Do you need seeds?

I had totally forgotten how "bird crazy" Mom's big quince gets. That is where we usually hear rather than see the first hummers of the season in her yard. My first are usually hanging around my large japonica.

Our sunflowers are self sown from the birdseed, and as Katye said, they are all the black seeded ones. We had a wonderful huge one right by the steps last year that I wanted to collect seeds from. It is at our vacation house, so we are only there every second or third week in the summer. I checked the plant one weekend, and the seeds weren't ready for harvest. We went back two weeks later, and I was very fortunate to be able to collect a few for us and a few for Pony for next year....the rest were munched!

As for salvias, the hummers seem to like all of mine, but really go for the salvia coccina "Lady in Red" and the pineapple sage. They like the other coccina's as well, but usually start with the bright red one.

I could use some seeds all I have are seeds from bags of bird food, which I hear are less than optimal.

Rob - if you are not going to the winter sowing event this saturday, or to Pixy's seed swap, send me a dmail with your contact info & I will mail an assortment of sunflower seeds to you.

K- sorry but I cannot make either swap due my need to go to work. :(

ok, but do you want seeds, Rob?