Shrubs for bees and birds: 30 ideal shrubs

Bartblume – Caryopteris clandonensis

The blue flowers of the bearded beard appear from late summer to October. They are true bee and bumblebee magnets. The “Kew Blue” variety grows particularly bushy and forms many flowers.

berry bushes

Many trees bear berries and attract insects with their flowers. Here, however, those species are meant whose fruits taste so good to us that we often plant them in our gardens. For example:

• Brombeere – Rubus sect. Rubus
• Currant – Ribes
• Himbeere – Rubus idaeus
• Stachelbeere – Ribes uva-crispa
• Heidelbeere – Vaccinium myrtillus

False Jasmine – Philadelphus coronarius

You may also know this plant as the mock orange tree and you may have sniffed the intoxicating scent of its flowers. Then you know for sure that with your choice you can not only make the insects happy, but also yourself in May or June.

Fingerstrauch – Potentilla fruticosa

With a height of about 15 cm, the shrub also finds space in small gardens. This bee-friendly plant delivers a long-lasting flowering performance. For a whole four months, from May to August, it takes care of the beneficial insects.

Hibiskus -Hibiscus

The exotic shrub that is popular with bees is also known to us as rose mallow . Bees like to fly to its large, colorful flowers. They offer little nectar, but plenty of pollen. The late flowering period from July to September is also advantageous.

Rispenhortensie – Hydrangea paniculata

Of many cultivated hydrangea species, the panicle hydrangea gathers the most insects. Depending on the variety, the decorative panicles appear sometime between May and October. Dwarf varieties such as “Dharuma” are particularly suitable for bee pasture in the bucket.

Butterflies – Buddleja

Its popularity with butterflies is obvious and has also earned the shrub the name butterfly bush. But if you look closely, you can also see the smaller bees in large numbers.

Lavender – Lavender

No garden should be without this purple subshrub, as one of its many properties is that it is friendly to bees . These insects flock to the fragrant flowers.

8 shrubs for birds

Chokeberry – Aronia

The birds like the berries so much that they can rid the entire bush of its fruit in no time. They ripen from the end of August to the beginning of September and are edible, tasty and healthy for us too.

Eberesche – Sorbus aucuparia

The mountain ash can be cultivated as a tree or a shrub. It is also known to many as rowan berries – and there is a reason for that. After the first frost, the berries become sweet and are then particularly popular with starlings and waxwings.

Kreuzdorn – Rhamnus

In autumn and winter, the black drupes, which are poisonous to us, are in demand with our feathered garden visitors. A dense buckthorn hedge is also a good refuge for them.

Pfaffenhütchen – Euonymus europaeus

Native shrubs such as the spindle tree, also known as the spindle tree, have found a permanent place in the garden. The euonymus provides food for 24 species of birds. Among them are:

• throttles
• nuthatch
• tits
• robin

Especially robins love the shrub so much that it is also known as robin bread.

Red Honeysuckle – Lonicera xylosteum

The berries are poisonous for mammals, but a delicacy for birds, as anyone can see for themselves. This shrub also blends in well with a large garden or wild bird protection hedge.

Sanddorn – Hippophae rhamnoide

The ingredients of sea buckthorn are not only healthy for us humans. The fruits are also a food source for many native bird species . They hang on the branches well into the winter, enabling the animals to survive.

Stechpalme – Ilex aquifolium

As an evergreen, prickly plant, the holly is also suitable as a sheltered roosting place for small bird species in winter. From October, the berries are popular food for blackbirds, thrushes and robins, among others.

Wacholder – Juniperus communis

Many small birds can be found in the dense branches of the juniper, because they obviously feel well protected in it. Its berry cones, which ripen in autumn, serve as food for many bird species.

14 Shrubs for Bees and Birds

Berberitze – Berberis

The plant, also known as sour thorn , blooms from May to June. The yellow color of the flowers and their sweet smell attract countless insects. From August to October, the bush is covered with red berries, which birds like to nibble on. The numerous thorns offer protection against predators, which is why this shrub is also suitable as a nesting place.

Pear – Amelanchier

Nature lovers prefer native trees, as they usually offer greater benefits to wildlife. The decision in favor of the naturalized pear tree makes sense nonetheless. From April to May it offers nectar-rich flowers for the bee colony and from June delicious fruits for us and the birds. The copper pear also pleases our senses with a great color of the leaves.

Feuerdorn – Pyracantha

The white flowers, which appear from May to June, get so many insects that they hum and buzz. Wild bees but also bumblebees can be observed. The berries, which are approx. 5 cm in size, ripen from August to September and are popular food for the following bird species well into winter:

• blackbirds
• throttles
• Stare

Dogwood—Cornus

The dogweed family is large, including some trees and shrubs for a bee and bird friendly garden. For example the cornel and the yellow and red dogwood.

Haselnuss – Corylus avellana

The inconspicuous flowers open as early as February and March and offer the bee colony the first food of the year. Many birds find shelter in the dense branches and some species have the nuts of the hazel bush on their menu.

Liguster – Ligustrum

In June, the numerous small flowers with their delicate fragrance attract various insects, including the beneficial bee. Birds find a good hiding place in the evergreen plant even in winter. The berries are poisonous to us, but delicious to them.

Red Elder – Sambucus racemosa

From June to July, the grape elder, as the shrub is also often called, is a place that is heavily frequented by bees. Its red fruits also make it a valuable tree for feeding birds.

Schlehe – Prunus spinosa

The sloe is an excellent bee pasture plant because it provides a lot of nectar from March to May. It is a source of food and nesting place for our native bird species, because the many thorns are a good protection against enemies.

Snowball—Viburnum

Whether the early-blooming scented viburnum, woolly viburnum, or some other species is rooted in the garden, it will become a buzzing and buzzing insect magnet by flowering time. The berries, which ripen in late summer, are not eaten by all bird species, but waxwings love them.

Common Snowberry – Symphoricarpos albus

The snowberry is also known as the firecracker bush. From June to September, it supplies the bee population with its delicious nectar. It is also considered a bird bush. The white, berry-like fruits are hibernators and are primarily pecked at by thrushes and finches.

Black Elder – Sambucus nigra

Only in June and July do numerous insects enjoy the fragrant white flowers. After that, the blue berries are happily nibbled by birds. Old shrubs often have rotten branches, which are ideal as nesting sites for cave breeders. Other bird species use the black elder as a retreat.

Willow—Salix

Male flowers of the willow are rich in pollen, while female flowers attract with nectar. Some sand bee species have even chosen pasture as their main food source. The willow willow, also known as catkins or catkins, which is also popular in home gardens and blooms from the beginning of March, is a particularly popular species. Various bird species are only interested in shrubs that have grown larger.

Weißdorn – Crataegus monogyna

Every year in May or June, the hawthorn offers a sea of ​​white blossoms for about three weeks. The intensely sweet-smelling works magically attract honey-collecting and other insects. The thorny bush is a protected nesting place for smaller bird species, which it feeds on its red berries in autumn and winter.

Wildrose – Rosa

Unlike cultivated roses, wild roses are literally besieged by insects. For example, the easy-care vinegar rose. Their hips provide food for the birds, hile the dense branches provide shelter.