Planting ideas for birds

leanne_thomas12DeJB26Pr

Looking for recommendations.....were having the hedging taken out on our front to have a drive but will be having quiet a large planter. I plan to put a strawberry tree but want other suggestions to plant that are good for birds as lots of sparrows currently use the hedging were taking out for cover.

Fairygirl

That's a 'how long is a piece of string' question 
What sort of size is the planter? What aspect, and is it sheltered or exposed? Do you want evergreens or does it not matter? What sort of height of planting?
That can make a difference to the suggestions offered. However, anything that produces berries is attractive for birds, and shrubs like Berberis,  Holly [Ilex] and Pyracantha offer good shelter, but they're prickly so it would depend whether it's near a path etc.
Any dense evergreen gives shelter, so Eleagnus is suitable, and easy, and so are Viburnums,  although not all of the latter are evergreen. Some Osmanthus would also suit. 
'My' sparrows use all the planting in the borders, and they like the Buddleias as much as anything else. 

leanne_thomas12DeJB26Pr

I would prefer evergreens but am open to suggestions and idealy don't won't anything bigger than 8ft. It's north facing but gets a good 6 hours worth of sun in the summer and I have to say I'm not sure weather it is exposed or sheltered 😓 I imagine the soil is clay like my back garden also but untill work begins I won't know for sure 

leanne_thomas12DeJB26Pr

It's also more shelter for birds I'm looking for than food sources I've got both Berberis and 2 different types of Holly in the back garden. (Although have considered Holly in the front)

Fairygirl

What volume is the container though? 
Eleagnus is quite dense, but would do the job if there's enough room for it to thrive. 

Buttercupdays

You can get bird boxes designed for sparrows and other birds that like to nest in groups. Have a look on the RSPB website, or search online.

leanne_thomas12DeJB26Pr

The area is probably about 2-3ft wide probably the same in length. Difficult to say exactly untill the work starts.

I will be putting boxes up also but they currently dart out my hedges and bath in the dirt so I'd like to recreate what they have as much as possible as none of my neighbours have wildlife friendly gardens 

Fairygirl

Assuming the bed is open to the ground, so that plants can get their roots down properly,  and you fill it with a soil mix, Eleagnus might be ok. It's not a very big space though, so it won't grow as large as it would if it had room. They can be pruned though, so less of a problem. Osmanthus would also be fine. 
I'm assuming you would put the Arbutus elsewhere though - there certainly wouldn't be room for both in a bed that small. 

leanne_thomas12DeJB26Pr

The bed is actually going all the way along my front but that's just the biggest area width wise, and yes planted In the ground 

Fairygirl

If your soil isn't alkaline, and there isn't full on sun, you could try Pieris, Skimmia or Rhododendrons. They need plenty of moisture until well established. 
That would give a bit of variety and flower colour - otherwise it will tend to look just like a hedge. 
Personally - I'd add a small tree like Amelanchier or Sorbus [rowan not whitebeam] as well,  to give some height and interest, and autumn colour - assuming there's enough length of border.