However, it will be a few more years before these shrubs bush out and attain decent size, as they were mostly bought from the county conservation office as 2-yr bareroot saplings, and spaced 5-6 ft apart from each other.

In the meantime, what can I plant between them that will provide some structure and wildlife habitat? Right now I'm looking at sunflowers, datura, and ornamental corn because they are both tall enough for roosting, and will provide flowers and seeds for the birds and insects to enjoy.

Any other suggestions would be welcome. Thanks!

Martha

but then i probably dont understand what you mean by that ... something that will hold up chickens all night long ... crikey.. thats a big annual ..

ken

But we have lots of goldfinches, bluebirds and sparrows around here, and they can land and rest for a bit on even the tiniest branches on our yard trees. That's basically what I meant, a place for them to sit between trips to the bird feeder and bird bath.

Hence why my first thoughts were annuals with really thick stems like corn and sunflower.

Hmmm, I recall my dad planted sorghum grass every few years on the farm as silage for the cattle, and that was very large and tall. I wonder if that might work too.

Once you have these, then any kind of annual or fast-growing vine, including flowering vines, would quickly cover up those trellises and provide shelter and housing or rest areas.

Such a trellis could be as simple as having 3 sticks in a teepee formation, stuck in the ground, or a little more elaborate if you want to provide more nooks and crannies for the bird population.

Necessary for many varieties of wildlife:
Indian Grass (if its dry)
Bushy Bluestem (if its wet)
Big Bluestem
Sideoats Grama
Little Bluestem

Those I listed are the classic tall grass prairie varieties.
4" pots sizes available at Santa Rosa Gardens along with many other choices of grasses, both native and non native. They are gorgeous, provide texture, movement and glow when the panicles catch the late afternoon sun.