Bird Friendly Garden

Q. I am trying to design a bird-type garden to put in next spring - yes I know we still have to live through this summer - but, I have the need to plan ahead. I would really like to include a crab apple tree in this area, but need some advice on what to buy/look for. Something that is both bird and people-friendly would be nice. Maybe a tree that doesn't drop the fruit everywhere. Any ideas?

A. What a lovely idea...right up there with designing a butterfly garden! As for clean, not fruit-dropping, that is a very hard call. Most of them are messy. What you need are trees whose flowers attract birds, but not necessarily produce fruit. Nature wants to bear fruit as that is its means of reproduction. Plus, many birds are attracted to fruit to eat.

These trees will not drop fruit:

flowering plum
spirea
redbud
lilac
dogwood
mock orange [fragrant!]

Other plants, not trees to consider:

forsythia
fuchsia
honeysuckle
jasmine
trumpet vine

You could include a couple hardwood trees to bring in the downy woodpeckers in search of insects.