Mastodawn

What could I put in a #PNW hedge to replace Himalayan blackberries from the point of view of little birds? I’ll plant sunflowers and scarlet runners for a while, and am aiming for huckleberry and native honeysuckle in the longer term. Left the dead canes in the hedge high up for a few more years of physical protection.

“Berry birds like that isn’t invasive” might be impossible, hm.

ETA constraints: safe for humans to walk past, long term maintenance is one winter prune and mow around

#garden

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Mar 1d ago

@clew maybe you already thought of these, but could you alternate the huckleberries with tall Oregon grape? It grows faster than the huckleberries, and birds supposedly eat the berries.

Or if you have room, add a serviceberry on one corner.

If you make it two-layered, perhaps you could add salal on the front of the huckleberries.

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Cetraria

@marsiposa @clew and those are all edible by humans too. Awesome, native choices. Somewhat less palatable by humans, but flowering currants are also native and popular with birds (including hummingbirds).
Other fun, easily obtainable native shrubs for hedges here are red twig dogwood, oceanspray, osoberry, and ninebark. Remember that any native shrub is good for native birds. Even if they don't directly eat it, they might be preferred by native bugs that are then eaten by native birds.