Wildlife Shrubs

1) Plum
2) Elderberry
3) Hazelnut
4) Red Dogwood Osier
5) Ninebark

I've been planting small pockets of cover the last couple years - usually consisting of 10-12 Eastern Red Cedar plugs and 12-14 shrubs - usually the one's noted above (RDO only if in a wetter area) and mix in a few other honeysuckle, currents, false indigo, cranberry, etc. All about variety. Hopefully in 10 years if 1/2 of the trees make it to maturity, I'll have some nice little bedding areas where the deer won't have to move much to get a snack.

Look for shrubs you think will benefit the deer, but that you don't see around your property currently.

I have a ton of native chokecherries and some hawthorns, a few plums, but really none of the others noted above.
I planted all 5 of those on my property this spring and to my knowledge I have none of them native. Good point about planting shrubs your property lacks.
 
And yet another plug for Ninebark. The seed pods sure are pretty. :D

S4510029.JPG



Anybody grow Arrowwood? I've seen this one in nurseries, but not much on a bulk buy type basis. I have one. And this is what the woody portion of the shrub looks like just above ground level.

S4500006.JPG



Foliage.....

S4500005.JPG



Flower stalks and berries. Looks like the birds have cleaned them off quickly. I never noticed it blooming.

S4500008.JPG



Nice shrub that fits nicely in with a mass planting.
S4500007.JPG
 
My favorite five that I have planted in my shrub strips;

Hazelnut
Red Osier Dogwood
Cranberry
Native Crabapple
Button Brush

Along with purple osier willow, pin oak and Dunstan chestnut trees.
 
I have one arrowwood planted last spring from the arbor day foundation. Didnt do much last year in drought, but took off the spring. Went from 18" to 4' in a matter of 2 months. It is tubed for now, will remove tube next spring and let bush form take over.
 
How about some silky dogwood blooms?

View attachment 7511


Gray dogwood blooms....

View attachment 7512

Shrubs are in full swing here in June, providing vital nesting cover for songbirds, turkeys, and quail. Speaking of which, I saw two quail scoot across the driveway yesterday! ;)
I like the pics, thats for adding. I have ninebark and buttonbush on my list for next year. My gray and silky dogwood have done well so far this spring.
 
Found some wild elderberry at the farm last weekend.
enhance

enhance

enhance

There was lots of competition around it, so couldnt get a clear overall picture. Will release it next trip to get a better idea of what it looks like. Did have more of a tree form, with most branches above browse height (possibly a browse line).
 
Took a few pics of my 4 year old shrub row. These are planted along the neighbors drive. Two rows. Starting to take shape.

S4590025.JPG


S4590026.JPG

Just a wall of vegetation. This is a hazelnut buried in behind persimmon, sassafras, blackberry, and other forbs. Next winter, I will again go through the rows with the blade on the weedeater and kill the little weedy tree stumps with spray. (Did I just call persimmon a weed?)

S4590028.JPG



It won't be much for winter cover until the cedars planted in behind the rows grow a couple more feet, but until mid-November, it's pretty much a jungle.

S4590029.JPG


Ninebark, Gray dogwood, Silky dogwood, and native vegetation gettin' er done.
I love wildlife shrubs. They are beneficial for feeding wildlife, providing nesting cover for birds, and hiding lots of deer. The composition they bring to the landscape is pretty cool too.

S4590027.JPG
 
Last edited:
I found these guys eating on my silky dogwoods the other day. I noticed them last year. And they really ate some foliage last year too.

S4750001.JPG


S4750003.JPG


A shot of Seven on the shrubs up close to the house and they were a problem no more. Not much I can do if they are on the silkies out in the field somewhere.

S4750002.JPG



Sorry about the window shot, but these two native shrub rows are looking better with each passing month this year.

S4730001.JPG


Four years ago I could see straight back to the trees off in the background. Mostly looking over tall fescue. Once the cedars fill in around them, I think I will pull out a chair and sit a while in this place. Maybe with a bow. :)

S4730002.JPG

With early season skeeter dope. :D
 
You are very good at growing silkies Fish. I kind of feel left out, I have one half dead shrub in my yard.

G
 
I have jumped into the wildlife shrub late in the game. I have concentrated on filling my property in with oaks, spruce, pine, etc. But over the past two years I have added 200+ different shrubs of several varieties. I struggle with having enough time for site prep and weed control. So I am tubing everything I put in the ground. My best performers so far have been chokecherries, plum, ninebark and speckled alder. The chokecherries grew from 3-8" seedling to the top of 4' tubes in one growing season. I pulled tube on 1/2 last fall and caged. This spring/summer I have been pulling the tubes on the rest that have hit the top of the tube. I was expecting them to fill out but all have remained spindly. I left one uncaged as a test and the deer have taken every leaf off it.
I was fortunate enough to have speckled alder already on my land, and have transplanted several volunteers. This is the most bullet proof plant I have encountered. It doesn't matter what time of year I dig them up and move they survive and flourished. The deer do not browse and don't provide any nutritional value, but they love to bed in the clumps. I have primarily used for screening and bedding plots.
 
View attachment 8360 It is a native. Callicarpa americana. Deer browse it heavily and turkeys eat the berries. You might know it as beauty berry?
Ok. I know that one. Always thought it was a landscape shrub until i saw it on MO DNR tree order form. Ive got one for pretty near the house. Thanks for posting.
 
I have jumped into the wildlife shrub late in the game. I have concentrated on filling my property in with oaks, spruce, pine, etc. But over the past two years I have added 200+ different shrubs of several varieties. I struggle with having enough time for site prep and weed control. So I am tubing everything I put in the ground. My best performers so far have been chokecherries, plum, ninebark and speckled alder. The chokecherries grew from 3-8" seedling to the top of 4' tubes in one growing season. I pulled tube on 1/2 last fall and caged. This spring/summer I have been pulling the tubes on the rest that have hit the top of the tube. I was expecting them to fill out but all have remained spindly. I left one uncaged as a test and the deer have taken every leaf off it.
I was fortunate enough to have speckled alder already on my land, and have transplanted several volunteers. This is the most bullet proof plant I have encountered. It doesn't matter what time of year I dig them up and move they survive and flourished. The deer do not browse and don't provide any nutritional value, but they love to bed in the clumps. I have primarily used for screening and bedding plots.
Just seems like they need a few years to set their feet, and then they begin to sucker and grow like mad. Deer eating them off at every turn is a problem though. Good call on the speckled alder.
 
Back
Top