Planting aviaries

Enriching the life of birds in our aviaries

A well planted aviary is beneficial for the birds we keep. Of course a green aviary will be more attractive for the owner, caretakers and visitors too, to experience a more natural habitat of the birds. We use plants and shrubbery to enrich and simulate a natural environment, as it functions as shelter (against rain, sun, wind and predators), for roosting, food and it gives nesting opportunities. Helophytes (plants from marshy environment) may also help filtering the water in ponds. 

Bigger species of wildfowl (geese, swans) will, obviously, consume or demolish smaller plants easier then their smaller counterparts (ducks, teals). So we'll have to experiment with the most suitable plants for every species. Through the years we have planted a wide variety of flora in our aviaries, of which a list can be found below, in alphabetical order of their botanical names.

• Acca sellowiana
• Alcea rosea
• Anemone hupehensis September Charm
• Arum italicum - Italian arum
• Asplenium scolopendrium - Hart's-tongue fern
• Bergenia 'Bressingham White'
• Buddleja davidii
• Buddleja davidii 'White Fusion'
• Calycanthus raulstonii 'Hartlage Wine'
• Carex morrowii 'Ice Dance'
• Carex oshimensis 'Everlime'
• Ceanothus 'Concha'
• Chamaerops humilis
• Clematis 'Gladys Picard'
• Cortaderia selloana
• Cosmos bipinnatus
• Cotinus coggygria 'Dusky Maiden'
• Cotoneaster dammeri
• Crocosmia 'Lucifer'
• Dryopteris filix-mas - Male fern
• Fagopyrum esculentum
• Fargesia muriella 'black pearl'
• Fargesia rufa
• Fascicularia bicolor
• Forsythia
• Galinsoga quadriradiata
• Geranium pusillum
• Glechoma hederacea
• Hedera
• Hemerocallis 'Mauna Loa'
• Iris pseudacorus
• Juniperus horizontalis 'Blue Chip'
• Juniperus procumbens 'Nana'
• Kniphofia 
• Leucothoe keiskei 'Royal Ruby'
• Lavandula angustifolia 'Hidcote'
• Lonicera nitida 'Maigrun'
• Lonicera periclymenum 'Belgica Select'
• Malva sylvestris
• Melaleuca citrina
• Metasequoia glyptostroboides
• Miscanthus floridulus giganteus
• Miscanthus sinensis 'Gracillimus'
• Miscanthus sinensis 'Kleine Silberspinne' 
• Miscanthus sinensis 'Red Chief'
• Miscanthus sinensis 'Zebrinus'
• Musa basjoo
• Olea europaea 'Frangivento'
• Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Niger'
• Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Hameln'
• Phleum pratense
• Phormium tenax 'Gold sword'
• Photinia fraseri robusta
• Phyllostachys vivax 'Aureocaulis'
• Prunus laurocerasus 'Novita'
• Prunus laurocerasus 'Otto Luyken'
• Pseudosasa japonica
• Rhododendron
• Rudbeckia fulgida 'Goldsturm'
• Salix alba
• Salix gracilistyla 'Mount Aso'
• Sambucus nigra
• Syringa v. 'Michel Buchner'
• Tanacetum parthenium
• Taxus
• Thuja occidentalis 'Smaragd'
• Typha latifolia
  
• Trachelospermum jasminoides
• Verbascum nigrum
• Verbena bonariensis
• Viburnum lantana
• Viburnum tinus 'Lisarose'
• Vitex agnus-castus 'Silver Spire'
• Yucca

Our facilities from above (August 2023).

Above: black-bellied whistling ducks in an aviary planted with Verbena bonariensis (blooming purple) and Crocosmia 'Lucifer' (blooming red).