Providing a natural food source for birds
Is there anything more relaxing than sitting in the garden, listening to the tweets and songs of birds as they flit and flirt throughout your plants? If you’re a serious birder looking to add more species to your life list, you’ll want to attract a wide variety of feathered friends to your backyard. And while it’s fun to fill feeders and watch birds swoop in for a snack, there’s an easier way to entice these cuties to enjoy your entire yard: add plants that produce food birds love.
For hummingbirds, you’ll want a wide variety of nectar-producing flowers. Check out some of our favorite flowering hummingbird-friendly plants here.
Many birds are also attracted to insects found on plants in your garden, so forgo the pesticides and allow the birds to snack on pesky pests. But adding seed-producing plants to your garden beds, borders, or containers is one of the easiest ways to feed your favorite birds–especially those too shy to visit feeders.
Remember to leave a treasure trove of food, nesting materials, and shelter for birds in your garden in the fall. Here are some of the Best Fall Bird-Friendly Garden Ideas to Try.
While many plants produce seeds that birds enjoy, you’ll find new cultivars bred for better disease resistance, smaller spaces, or bigger blooms that not only produce savory seeds for birds—but also look lovely in your garden.
We’ve highlighted five plants birds love for their seeds, then give them a “makeover”—introducing you to newer cultivars that feed the birds, while also looking great all season long, too.
1. Sunflowers
When you think of seed sources for birds, a bright, giant sunflower (Helianthus) may be the first plant that pops in your mind. After all, if you regularly fill your feeders, sunflower seeds dominate many commercial bird food mixes. (Have you ever watched finicky birds sort through seed mixes, tossing less desirable seeds to the ground in search of tasty sunflowers?) Growing annual sunflowers announces to the birds that you’re a gardener with good taste.
Newer compact cultivars offer small-space gardeners a chance to enjoy growing sunflowers, both for their cheerful, charming flowers as well as the seed. Whether you’re looking for massive flowerheads on tall stalks, multi-branched varieties with a long bloom period, or an array of colors, you’ll find hundreds of sunflower options.
Sunflower seeds, what birds love…
Not all sunflowers sport yellow petals. If you’re looking to add rich hues of creamy yellow, lemon yellow, red, pink, and bicolor combinations to your beds, you’ll love Summer Lovin’s 4-5-inch wide blooms. Plant these near the back of the border, as they can reach 6 feet tall.
For oodles of blooms on a single stalk, you’ll love this “bouquet on a stick.” Golden-yellow blooms appear earlier than other varieties, and the multiple flowers on one stalk provide a burst of color without planting dozens of sunflowers. The 5-to-6-foot tall plants make a great addition to narrow spaces, providing a gorgeous show from a single plant.
Named an AAS Winner in 2001, Ring of Fire blooms later in the season, offering a fresh pop of color just as the garden begins to look tired in late summer. The bi-colored, golden petals with a ring of red surround a chocolate-brown center. Reaching 4 to 5 feet tall, this beauty will attract birds as the seed head dries.
The first sunflower named an AAS Winner in 2000, Soraya produces 4-to-6-inch blooms on long stems, featuring orange petals and a chocolate brown center. The self-supported plant reaches 5- to 6-feet tall. With a branching habit and a long season of blooms—followed by seeds for the birds—Soraya makes a great addition to your garden.
While birds will enjoy the seeds left on sunflowers drying in the garden, you may want to harvest sunflower seeds to save for filling bird feeders in the winter.
Seeds are ready to harvest when they look plump, the flower petals begin to dry and fall off, and the back of the flower head turns from green to yellowish-brown. Cut the stalk about one foot past the flower head. Place the flowerheads over a bucket to catch the seeds, rubbing the seeds loose with your fingers. (You may want to wear gloves.) Store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. Learn more about making your DIY bird sunflower feeder.
2. Coneflowers
If you love watching pollinators enjoy your garden, plant coneflowers (Echinacea)—and then leave the seed heads for the birds to enjoy once the blooms fade. You’re sure to spot goldfinches, bluejays, and cardinals snacking on coneflower seeds. Ten species of echinacea are endemic to North America, with colors that include purple, lavender, and yellow.
However, newer hybrids offer a rainbow of colors—red, orange, pink, green, and even multi-colored blooms. Plus, many cultivars offer stronger stems, better disease resistance, compact habits, and masses of blooms throughout the season.
Give these perennials a try for bird entertainment in the fall…
Vintage Lime is a showy perennial wildflower that blooms heavily from mid-spring to late summer, often with sporadic blooms into fall. Borne on short, sturdy stems, the uniquely colored flowers make excellent, long-lasting cuts for floral arrangements and bouquets.
A 2020 AAS Winner. Deep red, 3-inch-wide, prolific blooms cover this compact, 18-to-24-inch-tall coneflower from mid-summer to first frost. Sturdy stems, brilliant color, deer resistance, and floriferous habit make this an excellent addition to garden beds and containers. Hardy to USDA zones 4-9.
The blooms on this low-maintenance coneflower look like lovely parasols, with a prominent cone and recurved petals. The tall, strong stems ensure upright blooms with no flopping, and each stem produces multiple bi-color blooms in white and pink. Birds will appreciate these sturdy stems when swooping in for a snack. Hardy to USDA zones 3-9.
Dense petals in a pretty palette of pink hues surround a green cone—adding a pop of interest to the garden. Lush foliage and sturdy, upright stems create a great backdrop for the continuous, profuse blooms from late spring through fall. Compact, 18-to-24-inch plants work well in containers and smaller gardens. Hardy to USDA zones 4-9.
To attract all types of birds, include a water feature in your garden.
A mister, bird bath, fountain, or even a small dish of water lets them enjoy a drink, bathe, and cool off during hot days.
3. Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia)
If you love a burst of late-season color, along with seedheads that lend winter interest, Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia) makes a terrific addition to your garden’s bird food smorgasbord. With pretty yellow petals contrasting with the dark “eye” of the center cone that produces tasty seeds for the birds, Black-Eyed Susan is a classic plant in many gardens.
New cultivars bring benefits like compact forms, interesting colors, and better disease resistance to the mix. Whichever plant you choose, American goldfinches, nuthatches, chickadees, and towhees will appreciate the seeds.
Excellent perennials for late-season color and birds love them…
An annual variety, this AAS Winner Rudbeckia hirta should really be known as “Green-Eyed Susan”—it sports a bright green center cone. These large 4-6” eye-catching flowers are on a compact plant that grows only 12-18 inches tall making them a perfect addition to borders and containers all summer long.
A 2020 AAS Winner, this compact, perennial Rudbeckia with bright golden-yellow flowers adds a big burst of color to late summer gardens. With dark centers contrasting beautifully against the yellow, arched petals, you’ll enjoy the pretty show through fall—and then the birds will adore the seedheads. Grows 18-24 inches tall. Hardy to USDA zones 4-9.
The first Rudbeckia hirta that’s truly a perennial. With a compact habit and 5-to-7-inch blooms, this Black-Eyed Susan makes a bold statement in the garden, attracting pollinators before the birds arrive for their snacks. Plus, growing only 12 to 18 inches tall, it’s ideal for small space gardens, borders, or containers placed where you can enjoy watching the visiting birds. Hardy to USDA zones 5-9.
Goldblitz is a hardy perennial with a natural day length, so you can enjoy its flowers sooner in your summer garden and longer into the season. A great seasonal marker for early-fall color and a wonderful food source for bees, migrating birds, and butterflies. Hardy to USDA zone 3A
4. Marigold
The workhorse of the garden, marigolds provide pretty pops of color among veggies, help attract pollinators while also repelling pests, and look lovely planted in borders along paths or filling containers. But did you know that birds love the seeds, too? Who knew that the humble, annual marigold provides so many benefits in the garden?
Look for newer cultivars with bigger blooms, earlier flowering, and pretty colors.
Look for these new cultivars that birds will love too…
For a perfectly pretty, compact plant, give Super Hero Spry a try. An AAS Winner, the dark maroon lower flower petals against golden upper petals looks lovely in the garden. Less than 12 inches tall, this is a perfect plant to add to borders or containers.
Brighten up garden beds or containers with the fully double, carnation-like blooms of White Sugar and Spice. The creamy white petals contrast beautifully against the green feathery foliage, adding elegant interest to the garden all season.
Plant enough of these 24-to-36-inch tall beauties to enjoy them in bouquets, as well as in the garden. With fluffy, 3-to-4-inch, bright-orange blooms on sturdy stems, they make a gorgeous statement in beds and containers—and the birds will appreciate the seeds in fall.
This marigold is distinct because of its irregular gold and red design. The flower is gold with red petal tips in a unique design, no flower pattern is the same. Free flowering, this marigold will reach 8 to 12 inches tall and spread about 12 inches too.
5. Zinnia
Who doesn’t love zinnias? Sprinkle some of these annual seeds in the garden, and you’ll enjoy a brilliant burst of low-maintenance color in the heat of summer. But some older zinnia varieties topple in wind, succumb to powdery mildew, or produce only a few blooms.
Thanks to new introductions by breeders, you can enjoy gorgeous colors, fabulous forms, and compact habits for small spaces—while still producing seeds for the birds. (Hummingbirds will stop by for a sip of nectar, too.)
New colors, new looks, same bird love…
Discover the Zinnia hybrida Belize series in single and double flowers. These plants boast a compact plant shape and excellent branching, perfect for small gardens or containers. With a vibrant palette of five colors, this series offers endless possibilities for adding bursts of color to your garden or landscape.
Huge, vibrant colored blooms and fully double flowers make Zesty a terrific addition for impressive patio containers (where you can watch the pollinators and birds enjoy the blooms and seedheads). Or use the 18—to 24-inch plants in borders or mixed beds. Colors include Fuchsia, Pink, Scarlet, White, plus the first double zinnia available in Purple.
Fully-double flowers increase flower longevity with lasting impact. Excellent disease resistance partnered with heat and drought tolerance provides superior season-long garden performance. Vigorously branched plants are excellent in landscapes, containers, and hanging baskets. Available in four colors: Fire, Deep Yellow, Cherry, and White.
Want to showcase a star in your garden? Add the AAS Gold Medal and Fleuroselect winner Profusion Red Yellow Bicolor Zinnia. Recognized for its bold, vibrant red center ring surrounded by golden-yellow outer petals, this zinnia’s aging flowers morph into soft shades of apricot, salmon, and dusty rose, creating additional interest in the fall garden.
With fresh varieties of tried-and-true classic flowers, you’ll love the colorful, unique, interesting additions to your garden—and then enjoy watching the birds feast on the seeds.
Pretty flowers followed by bird-nerd entertainment? Yes, please!
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