If you enjoy the variety and abundance of birds visiting your feeders in winter, consider creating more permanent and diverse sources of food for birds throughout the changing seasons.

Getting birds through the winter requires more than feeders. By planning and planting a bird garden for all seasons you will enhance the habitat for feathered fr iends with high–energy food, shelter, and nesting sites.

The 30’ x 30’ Bird Garden at the Carolina Children’s Garden on the Clemson University Sandhill REC in nor theast Columbia was created to attract native and migrating birds with plants and to inspire individuals, families, and organizations to experiment with preservation and restoration of bird habitat at home and in the community.

The plants selected demonstrate seasonal food supplies, insects attracted to plants for birds to consume, natural nesting materials, and places to find shelter from the elements of weather and threat of predators.

Mahonia bealei will be covered in clusters of grapelike blue–black fruits that birds love. Several bird– friendly shrubs and trees stand out on a winter walk in the Bird Garden. The dark, green glossy leaved native evergreen grape holly, Mahonia bealei, at the entrance arbor is sending forth racemes, which will soon be covered in yellow flowers. After the flowers, dense clusters of blue– black berr ies will br ing bluebirds, cedar waxwings, robins, snowbirds, and sparrows among others.

Forming a natural fence along the back of the garden are an eastern red cedar, Juniperus virginiana, and a giant Burford holly, Ilex cornuta ‘ Burfordii.’ Eastern red cedar is known to attract 54 species of birds for berr ies and insects plus the benefit of a secluded nesting site. The Burford holly is covered in red berries and is also a safe haven for nesters like cardinals, mockingbirds, towhees, and brown thrashers.

Burford holly is covered in red berries. The handsome wintergreen barberry, Berberis julianae ‘Spring Glory,’ has prickly– edged attractive leaves, thorny stems, waxy yellow spring flowers, and bluish– black berries remaining into winter. The shrub is the favorite nesting spot of mourning doves who manage to build the nest surrounded by menacing two– inch thorns.

The branches of wax myrtle, Myrica cerifera, an easy to grow native aromatic evergreen shrub, are lined with gray berries in fall and winter. Game birds like ducks, doves, geese, and quail, songbirds, and woodpeckers devour the berries.

Some say every bird garden must have viburnum. Viburnum ‘Pragense’ is an evergreen shrub with shiny dark green leaves. Glossy black berries persist through December. The early spring flowers are slightly fragrant and showy.

Ever y bi rd garden needsaberryproducing viburnum like Viburnum ‘Pragense.’ In addition to being a green grocery and subdivision for avian species, a bird garden gives humans a much larger picture of bird behavior than platform, ground, or hanging feeders can provide.

Visit the Bird Garden for ideas to import to your landscape. Join children’s garden educator, Chanda Cooper, and Audubon Society birders in the Great Backyard Bird Count to be held at the Carolina Children’s Garden on Saturday, February 19. Registration information is at www.carolinachildrensgarden.org.

Mourning dove nesting among thorny twigs of wintergreen barberry last spring.

Waxy yellow flowers of wintergreen barberry bloom in the spring.

Leaves of wintergreen barberry remain green throughout winter.