Coneflower

Purple Coneflower

Botanical name: Echinacea purpurea. Purple Coneflower enjoys full sun/part shade, and grows 2-4′ tall. The purple flowers last long in bloom (from July through September); attracting a variety of butterflies. Grows up to four feet tall in moderately dry to slightly damp soil, in full sun or light shade.

The seed heads are often visited by chickadees, sparrows, and goldfinches, or siskins and redpolls when in high numbers. They prefer full sun and a well drained soil, but will do well in almost any soils, and tolerate dry soil conditions. Adding a general purpose fertilizer once or twice a season may help. Coneflower will grow tall, 24″ to 42″, depending upon variety. The plants will form many branches. Encourage new blooms by removing all dead flowers.

Millet

Millet

This tiny seed grows best in full sun/part shade, and forms a vertical cone-shaped head 3-4′ tall. The hulls have a dull shine, yellow-gold or red-brown in some varieties. They have terrific survival abilities, responding equally well in drought and water-logged conditions. Millet prefers hot summers and is very drought-resistant once established. For best results, start the millet seeds in a greenhouse in early spring and plant them out after the last frost. If your summers are potentially cool and wet, plant the millet in a sunny, well-protected location.

Liatris

 

Liatris (Blazing Star) will possibly serve two purposes for attracting birds. First, the plants have great attraction for butterflies and bees; blooming in August and September, which could bring about insect eating species such as flycatchers. Secondly, the produce a large quantity of seeds in the late fall which can be eaten on the stalk by chickadees and goldfinches, or fall to the ground for migrating sparrows.

Liatris can thrive in places where scarcely anything else will grow. They will grow in any soil or shade, but prefer a moist soil and partial shade. Even if liatris does not attract birds, its a worthwhile plant for your yard as it draws in a variety of butterflies. This plant prefers full sun/part shade and grows to 3-4′ tall.