Winter Gardening for Wildlife

While the feeders we leave outside offer one way to help these birds survive the challenging winter weather here in the Gorge, your garden can be an important source of sustenance too. Anna’s Hummingbirds, like bees and other pollinators, rely on nectar-rich plants, some of which are native to our area and some that we have introduced. Long after we put them to bed, our gardens can offer food and habitat, even in the depths of winter. It is in the colder months, when things go quiet, that the pollen- and nectar-rich food sources are more scarce and additional support from gardeners can be of critical importance. There are a number of ways to provide such support, beginning with thinking about how you might plan your planting throughout the year to include winter-blooming trees, shrubs, and flowers.

Planting for winter blooms benefits pollinators and birds in particular even as it gives us humans some much-needed color and structure when the days are gray and we can only wistfully imagine the inevitable lushness to come. While birds’ feathers help them stay warm when temperatures drop, the berries on a variety of plants help provide them with energy they need to get through this challenging time. From the abundant berries of the Kinnikinnick or the Snowberry to Mahonia (Oregon Grape), all native to the Pacific Northwest, your garden can serve as a buffet for birds through the winter months. A useful introduction to winter planting for structure and for wildlife support can be found here or accessed via QR code below. Titled, “Trees and Shrubs for Fall and Winter Bloom” by Neil Bell, Heather Stoven, and Andony Melathopolous at the Oregon State University Extension, you can learn about some of the plants “attractive to plants and people” in our area that flourish in the winter months.

Many of the area’s more than 500 species of native bees go dormant during these colder months (and until the temperatures exceed 55º F again in spring), but that doesn’t mean you should forget the bees and other insects in winter. European honey bees remain active throughout winter, and by February or March, bumblebee queens and mining bees become active too, so having a supply of winter flowering plants will help sustain them until the weather warms and the landscape is absolutely bursting again. Useful ideas for making your garden an ecosystem support system during the fall and winter months might be found in “Maintain a bee-friendly garden in fall and winter, too” by Candy Solovjovs at the Oregon State University Extension and accessed here or by scanning the QR code below. Wintersweet, Sweet Box, and Daphne provide both food for pollinating insects, like our bees, and intoxicating fragrance for us as early as January; White Forsythia, Winter Honeysuckle, and Winter Hazel continue this olfactory dance even as they feed bees and hummingbirds through February. The yellow catkins that dangle from the European Hazelnut, as well as its contorted branches, are as much a feast for our eyes as a dining opportunity for our winged friends.

Some of the ways we might support pollinators and other wildlife in winter are far less showy, though no less important. As tempting as it might be to tidy the spent stems, fallen branches, and leaf piles that remind us that the peak season has come and gone, we should remember that those disheveled masses might well be protecting some of the beneficial insects that help make our gardens thrive the rest of the year. Embrace the messy! If you leave dead seed heads, birds might have a much-needed nibble; and the twiggy tangle you might be inclined to haul away could well house a creature just trying to squeeze in a good nap, or who may be scurrying below the surface, before the season gets into full swing.

Nesting just under the soil, in leaf matter, or in the hollow stems that linger long after the blooms you might find bees, butterfly pupae, ground beetles, centipedes, and more, so this is one of those times when you can generally leave well enough alone. If you want to learn more about how your untidy garden might be the perfect place for supporting insects and other wildlife this winter, take a look at this piece titled “Protecting Overwintering Beneficial Insects” by Virgene Link here or scan the QR code below.

At the very time of year the bustling of the garden might feel like a distant memory, it’s worth keeping in mind that there is much life out there, and much we can do to help support and sustain it. If your own garden does not as yet have these plants, you can simply keep them in mind and plant them this coming season for next winter. And as you wind your way around town, take special notice of all the ways that among the stillness and quiet, the landscape is still teeming with life. Plus, this is the perfect time to start dreaming about what you will plant in the coming season. Keep the Central Gorge Master Gardener Association Annual Plant Sale, held in May the Saturday before Mother’s Day, in mind as you make your plans, too. We have a range of plants, including some for wildlife support throughout the year, and at budget-friendly price points.

Central Gorge Master Gardener volunteers provide free beginning gardening classes and continuing education to home gardeners. For research-based information about specific gardening or pest questions, submit your concern online at extension.oregonstate.edu/mg/hoodriver or by phone at 541-386-3343.

The Central Gorge Master Gardener program is a division of the OSU Hood River County Extension Service. OSU Extension Service prohibits discrimination in all its programs, services, activities, and materials.

Find them on Facebook and Instagram @centralgorgemastergardeners.