South Facing in Bryan, TX

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hustonprincess Bryan, TX Mar 23, 2011

HOWDY All,

Well...my two butterfly bushes I just purchased last summer made it through the freezes we had, my jasmine on each of the garden arbor did too! Now nice new green leaves! My daffodils and tulips in the same area are only about 5" tall...no buds or flowers yet (boohoo). The salvia I planted from 4" plant containers are now vigorously growing and full of beautiful purple flowers (Hey hummingbirds and butterflies over here!) and my Fressia is in full bloom beautiful yellow!

I have a water bucket feature with solar water pump...sounds and looks good.

Our front yard is TOTALLY absent of any sort of trees or shrubs. I can't seem to figure out what I need to put in to attract the birds that are in trees down the street and between the highway though.

Because we rent...I have to be mindful of the size. I thought maybe a dwarf version of an apple? The starkrimson red delicious dwarf? Or a nice like you get at the nursery Hibiscus in a large pot? I know birds need water, food, and a place they can feel safe. Our neighborhood does not have any stray cats wandering around...weird but excellent. No kids running around either. We live in neighborhood of college kids...so the neighborhood doesn't have continuous traffic.

Being full South facing...the small tree would offer a sort of shading for birds too. Any ideas? I would love to get a tree that will be really a vigorous grower...one that you don't have to wait two years to enjoy. Don't want one that grows taller than 6 feet though. We don't use chemical stuffs either...only natural.

Thanks for any help!

Gig'em Aggies!

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themoonhowl Prairieville, LA(Zone 9a) Mar 24, 2011

Perhaps you may want to explore fast growing shrubs instead. So many of the "dwarf" trees are rather slow growing. You could look into some of the fruit trees, like Meyer Lemon, Texas Star banana tree or blueberry varieties.

this link is for deciduous shrubs

http://www.mortonarb.org/tree-plant-advice/article/643/intermediate-sized-deciduous-shrubs-5-8-feet.html

Post #8447091
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SoTX Karnes City, TX Apr 20, 2011

What about a semi-dwarf peach tree? Apples don't do well in this area. Peaches have beautiful blooms & if you buy at least a 2 year old tree, you'll have peaches in no time. I have some on a tree I planted this year! If you decide on a peach, make sure to get a very low-chill variety & keep it whatever size you like with pruning.

If you put out seed near your water feature, the birds will come--they love running water.

Post #8508017
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MiniPonyFarmer Gilmer, TX(Zone 8b) Apr 22, 2011

A Vitex is a beautiful, ecofriendly tree that has multiple flushes of blue-purple blooming spires and it will attract tons of bees and butterflies (not sure on birds). They eventually grow to 10-15 feet tall but will remain 6-10 feet in the time period you mentioned. They are Texas superstars I think???

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