As our deciduous landscapes transition to barren branches for winter, you may conclude that a few points of winter interest or wildlife benefit would be a welcome addition.
What about more color, or benefits of food or cover for wildlife? Take some time to survey your winter landscape and imagine what plants could be added to achieve your goals.
After looking and imagining what could be, the next step is to research plants that will achieve your goals. Most choices will have pros and cons, so research is always a good idea. Consider native plants first. Then, plant these trees or shrubs next spring around Arbor Day.
You may be surprised to learn that some of the plants you have considered are invasive plants you should avoid. Go to https://ag.purdue.edu/reportinvasive/ as part of your research, and search under “Species Information.” Another good place to look is the Indiana Department of Natural Resources website, https://www.in.gov/dnr/rules-and-regulations/invasive-species/. A couple of prime examples include callery pear (cultivars of ornamental pear) and burning bush.
After finding a species or several species you like, search further to see what advantages or disadvantages they offer. Does it accomplish your improvement goals? What are common insect pests or diseases? If susceptible to diseases, are there resistant cultivars available? What is its mature size? Is the plant suitable for the site in your landscape? Consider your soil type and pH, topography, moisture requirements, full sun or shade, and other factors.
Maybe your goal is just more green color, which can be achieved by adding evergreen trees or shrubs. Homeowners can choose from traditional evergreen trees with needles, like pine, spruce, fir, or hemlock. There are also evergreen shrubs with needles, like arborvitae, junipers, mugo pine, and yews. Broadleaf evergreen shrubs may include boxwood, holly, or rhododendron. Evergreen trees and shrubs benefit wildlife by offering cover, especially for birds.
Some shrubs, like red-osier dogwood and bloodtwig dogwood offer red or yellow-green stems that can add winter interest.
Common ninebark offers interesting exfoliating or peeling bark when mature. If you have a wet spot in your landscape, a river birch tree is also one that offers peeling bark. Kentucky viburnum and paperbark maple shrubs each have peeling bark. American beech (tree) and serviceberry (shrub) each have smooth gray bark that easily contrasts with snow.
If you haven’t experimented with ornamental grasses, leaving these grasses through the winter can add an interesting “texture” to your winter landscape. Look into northern sea oats, switchgrass, miscanthus, or feather reed grass.
There is a balance in attracting wildlife to your yard. Some wildlife can become pests, while others may just need a temporary home or dry or fleshy fruit for nourishment.
Tall shrubs or small trees that are attractive and offer some wildlife benefits include flowering dogwood, flowering crabapples, highbush cranberry, hawthorns, and domestic fruit trees.
Shorter shrubs that provide fruit for wildlife, and winter color, include the shrub dogwoods (Cornus spp.), viburnums, chokeberry, bayberry, elderberry, winterberry, and others.
Nuts provide hard mast nourishment high in protein, carbohydrates, fat, and other nutrients for animals. Consider oaks, hickories, or beech trees. Black walnut is also an option, but many (including me) find navigating mowers through fallen nuts in home landscapes a real pain in the neck.
Remember that native trees and shrubs support insect populations, which support songbirds.
Whatever your overall goals, make a winter project of researching potential new trees or shrubs for your home landscape. I have not listed every possibility in this article. These augmentations could offer some new features to your backyard vista next winter.
For more information, access the Purdue Extension publication, “Putting a Little Wildlife in Your Backyard this Spring,” at www.edustore.purdue.edu.