Flowers for birds

[lozza_9]

Hi

Wonder if anyone can help. My team a work are clearing up a local hospitals garden and to make it look nice for people to look at from their beds. They can not access it and it has to be a garden that does not need much looking after.

My main question is, we would like to attract birds to the area but as the area is not that well accessable and asking the hospital staff to fill up bird food feeders might be a bit much, so can anyone recommend flowers that birds can eat and they don't need much looking after.

Any other advice regarding flowers thadon't need much looking after but are nice to look at very welcome

Lorraine

[scarey55]

The first thing that comes to mind is sunflowers. There's no sight better than seeing the birds hang upside down on a sunflower head full of seeds

[Capsid]

Teasel and Echinacea, gold finches love the seed heads. Easy to grow too.

[Birdie Wife]

Berberis and cotoneaster are good for edible berries, rosa rugosa for hips. Rowan trees if you take the longterm view as they are slower growing than the shrubs. What about some nice dense shrubs for nesting areas too? Native plants that are good for insects will also be good for birds that eat insects, and even seed-eating brids feed insects to their chicks.

I'd also recommend the RSPB's Wildlife Gardening Guide

[Two_Sheds]

Birds don't eat flowers, but the seeds & berries that follow.

Blackbirds eat pyracantha berries in the autumn.
Little finchy things eat teasel seeds.
Sunflowers are good.
Bluetits will eat aphids in fruit trees (hang some fat balls to attract them)

[scarey55]

Bluetits will eat aphids in fruit trees (hang some fat balls to attract them)

Thank you for that tip TwoSheds. I have fruit trees, aphids and Blue tits so that is a great tip. A definite win win situation

[Alice]

Blackbirds love the Oregon Grapes produced by Mahonia.
Sparrows love to sit on top of Red Hot Pokers and eat the seeds.
Sparrows also love the leaves of peas and sweet peas so it could be worth a little sacrificial pot.

[Sweepster]

If you are doing trees, then a Bird Cherry? Plus ivy, honeysuckle, maybe a blackberry or raspberry bush?