Sunflower

Sunflower

Bird watchers know the value of offering sunflower seeds to the birds in feeders. So why not offer sunflower seeds in a natural setting? Black oil and striped sunflower seeds for planting different varieties are easy to find at local stores. Planted early enough, mature plants will offer a new perspective to your landscape for birds. Keeling the heads intact will challenge nuthatches, chickadees, and woodpeckers craving the seeds, and will provide good entertainment for you as long as the seeds last. As with sunflower seeds purchased for feeders, the shells can inhibit growth of grass and other plants if left on the ground, so cleaning up from under the stalks may be necessary.

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.