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Shrubs that Attract Birds

SHRUBS– Selling The Big Picture Includes Selling Bird Habitat.

With the growth in birding products it seems there is a wonderful opportunity to remind the consumer that plants are great products for attracting birds. Specifically woody ornamentals/shrubs make great accessories for products like birdhouses, birdbaths and bird feeders. Indeed to really attract birds you need to create appropriate habitat and shrubs are a key element in this big picture.

Given that birds need habitat why is it that very few retail stores selling bird feed, houses et al. use displays that encourage the consumer to make the connection between birds and plants. You might reply that there are lists available of plants that attract birds. Yet who has time to read a list let alone digest it in the 30 minutes they have allotted for your store. I certainly don’t.

Why not make it easy for your customers and display plants in your bird department or at least close enough so that they understand that habitat completes the bird picture. Who hasn’t seen a cardinal perched on the branch of a blue spruce or at least a picture of one? So are you selling and promoting that evergreens are a very important ingredient for attracting birds? The same question can be asked about shrubs and even perennials. Yet if 80% of your customers aren’t making this connection how much potential revenue are you letting leave your store. For those of you that do not sell plants maybe it is time to evaluate the possibilities your location or facility affords to sell plants.

Take shrubs, when they are in flower they are irresistible making them great impulse items. So putting them by the birdfeeders isn’t such a crazy idea after all. For those of you that own retail garden centers wouldn’t you rather help your customers make the connection between birds and bird habitat via the plants that you carry? Lets look at just a few of the shrubs that you can use too increase the sales in your bird department.

Viburnum – Cardinal, Eastern Bluebird, Cedar Waxwing, Pine Grosbeaks

Viburnums are the stalwart of any good shrub border and not surprisingly they are also equally important plants for creating good bird habitat. Viburnums provide everything from canopy that shelters the nests of smaller songbirds to a plethora of colored berries that birds love to feast upon. The fruit on Viburnum ranges in color from yellow, and pink, to red, blue with many aging to black. In zone 5 the fruit is on display from June with Viburnum plicatum ‘Shasta’ through into January with Viburnum dilatatum CARDINAL CANDYÔ. This is important because pointing out the sequence of berries to your customers will allow you to sell multiple viburnums. For now let’s concentrate on berry color and save the sequencing for later.

For blue fruit try Viburnum dentatum varieties like V. d. BLUE MUFFINÔ or V. d. ‘Perle Bleu’ both are wonderful plants with glossy foliage. Viburnums with stunning yellow fruit include Viburnum dilatatum ‘Michael Dodge’ and V. opulus ‘Xanthocarpum’. Viburnums with red fruit include Viburnum dilatatum Cardinal Candy, V. opulus, and V. trilobum. This is but a brief list of the Viburnums that are excellent for attracting songbirds like the cardinal to your customers garden.

Sambucus – Indigo Bunting, Oriole, Eastern Bluebird, Grosbeak(s), Song Sparrow

Sambucus or Elderberries are a group of plants that are wonderful for birds. They flower in late spring and in summer are covered with large clusters of berries. Some varieties offer cutleaf foliage in greens and in golds like Sambucus racemosa ‘Sutherland Gold’. Then there are varieties that have dark purple foliage and fragrant pink flowers like Sambucus nigra BLACK BEAUTYÔ. Plants like this have great impulse appeal making it easy to sell them.

Hibiscus – Hummingbirds

How many of you realize that Hummingbirds love the nectar provided by new Hibiscus syriacus varieties like H. s. Lavender & White ChiffonÔ, and older varieties like H. s. ‘Aphrodite’ and H. s. ‘Helene’. Now consider how many of your customers know this? Your customers will love learning this valuable bit of information especially considering the stunning flower show that Hibiscus put on from mid-summer on. This display of color is what also, makes this group of plant perfect for mid to late summer impulse sales in your hummingbird product area. Now add in Hibiscus moscheutos and you’ll have a stunning display of color.

Ilex(Hollies) Eastern Bluebird, Robin, Cedar Waxwing

The Ilex family is a group of plants that ties in perfectly with peak traffic times in the birding department. The added bonus is that with their festive red berries Ilex also herald the impending arrival of the Christmas season. Try one of the evergreen hollies like Ilex x ‘Blue Princess’ birds love the protection that the foliage provides year around and the red berries make a wonderful accent during the fall and winter months. (some branches may even find their way onto your holiday table) Ilex verticillata, the deciduous holly, is also wonderful for impulse sales. Varieties like Ilex v. ‘Winter Red’, Ilex v. ‘Berry Nice’, and dwarf varieties like Ilex v. ‘Red Sprite’ all are great for bird habitat and as a food supply. Imagine their brilliant red berries accenting some evergreens in your display of bird habitat plants. Ad-ons like these sure beat that candy bar sale at the register.

Syringa – Hummingbirds:

Lilacs are important because they provide nectar early in the season when there are limited food supplies for hummingbirds. Hummingbirds love the nectar just as much as we love their intoxicating fragrance. This combination is all the more reason to set up a display especially near your nectar feeders. After all how many lilac blooms does it take to fill a room with fragrance that alone will attract customers into your bird department. If you have a selection of early lilacs like Syringa hycinthiflora, along with French lilacs, Syringa vulgaris, and some late hybrid lilacs like Syringa prestonia you can actually have a display that is in flower for over four weeks instead of just two. Now sell Syringa x ‘Miss Kim’ which flowers after the late hybrids and now you have up to six weeks of impulse sales. When they are done flowering try a lilac candle.

Weigela – Hummingbirds Love Them too.

The flowers of a Weigela with their trumpet shaped flowes are loved by hummingbirds. One of the best is Weigela ‘Red Prince’ which covers itself in a profusion of tubular blood red flowers in late spring. Even more impressive is Weigela WINE & ROSESâ because it not only has rich fuschia-magenta flowers but the flowers are complimented by dark wine burgundy foliage. This combination of flowers and foliage makes it easy to sell W. Wine & Rosesâ even when they are not in flower. Other varieties of Weigela that are available include W. ‘Minuet’, W. ‘Pink Princess’ and W. ‘Variegata’. Both Minuet and Variegata fit today’s landscape because are more compact in size reaching only four feet at maturity.

Closing Thoughts:

The question that I have is how many of your customers realize that plants like Weigela and Syringa attract Hummingbirds? How many bird lovers realize the Viburnums attract cardinals, bluebirds and a vast assortment of other songbirds? True, the avid almost professional birder will understand the importance of habitat as a critical element for birding, yet remember 80% of your customers probably do not. Even if they do understand, you need to remind them.

Association is a powerful word. Simply having the appropriate plants close to the products in your bird department will greatly enhance your customer’s awareness of the importance of creating bird habitat when trying to attract birds.

Another alternative if you are unable to do this is create outdoor displays that draw your customers attention to plants that attract birds. Try putting up a several shepherds crooks with bird feeders on them, add in a birdbath or two and now fill in the spaces with plants. Remember the importance of changing out the display every couple of weeks with new varieties that are in flower. This will keep your customers coming back on a regular basis to see what they’re missing.

Lastly, if every customer that purchased a birdhouse, or bird feeder bought one shrub what would that do to your bottom line? Now consider that we haven’t even talked about perennials…..or small flowering trees. Both are topics better left for another day. Until then may your sales be strong and your customers loyal.

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