PLANT SELECTOR – BASIC SEARCH
HOW TO USE PLANT SELECTOR TOOL
Here you will find details on 500+ plant species from which you can select those most compatible with your area and your garden plan. The suggested species will be based on your Bird Garden Zone and the biogeographical conditions of your area. Use the basic filter to select plants based on the sun, soil, and moisture conditions that match those of your garden and Bird Garden Zone, which will generate a list of plants suitable for your garden. You can then click on each plant to learn more about its characteristics and add it to your wish list*. Once you’re done, you can print out or email yourself a list of plants that will help you successfully garden for birds!
If you are looking for certain characteristics (e.g., evergreen or deciduous, winter foliage, size, flowering season), plant type (tree, shrub, herb, and/or vine), or you want to learn what species to plant to attract specific groups of birds (e.g., seed-eaters, nectar-lovers), try using the plant type-specific advanced search pages.
*When you view the plant information prior to adding them to your “wish list”, please also consider their cold tolerance based on the USDA Hardiness Zone of your site. USDA Hardiness values are based on the average coldest winter temperature typically experienced within a zone each year and can help predict which plants are more likely to thrive in certain areas, based on their cold tolerance limit. Each digit (zone) represents an interval of an approximately 5-degree C difference in temperature, and are further refined into sub-zones of “a” and “b,” narrowing the temperature ranges down to approximately 2.5-degree C intervals. For example, Zone 6 has an average annual minimum temperature ranging from –18C to –23C, which can be further refined into more precise intervals of 6a (–23C to –20.5C) and 6b (–20.5C to –18C). For this resource, each species has been assigned a single value for its USDA Hardiness between 0a (coldest) and 7b (warmest). For example, if you are in USDA Hardiness Zone “4a”, plants listed as being cold hardy in “4a” and lower (e.g., 3b, 3a, 2b, etc.,) are more likely to be successfully grown in your region. Find your USDA Hardiness Zone by navigating to this link.
Check out this video for a tutorial on how to select plants: