Gardening for Wildlife: 21 of the Best Trees and Shrubs

Gardening for Wildlife: 21 of the Best Trees and Shrubs with Winter Berries

When the season is cold and gray, the sight of colorful birds feasting on winter berries from the trees and shrubs you’ve planted just for them is both cheering and heartwarming.

And there are so many different trees and shrubs to provide this wildlife-friendly feast!

In this article, we’re going to discuss the merits of 21 different species with winter berries for wildlife gardens. Note, that not all of these are technically berries in the scientific sense, but they are fruits!

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We’ll cover the practicalities – size and growing conditions – as well as the types of fruits these plants produce, and which birds they will attract. But that’s not all.

Winter berry production in trees and shrubs is the result of reproduction, of course!

And while having several individuals of a given plant will always result in better fruit set than having just one specimen, with some of these trees and shrubs you’ll need a male plant for the females to produce berries – I’ll let you know which ones those are.

You’ll also learn each plant’s USDA Hardiness Zone, its native region, and some related species of interest. And I’ll provide some tips on where you can purchase these wildlife-friendly trees and shrubs.

Here’s a sneak peek at our list of winter berry producers for wildlife gardens:

Before we get started learning about these different trees and shrubs, let’s amp up our motivation and consider the value and importance of growing winter berries for birds and other wildlife.

If you’re keeping the bird feeders