{"product_id":"grouse-songbird-fruit-add-on","title":"Grouse \u0026 Songbird Fruit Add-On (9 Plants) | Spring 2027","description":"\u003cp\u003eAn add-on to any wildlife planting: fruit for grouse and songbirds. \u003ca href=\"\/products\/mountain-ash-bundle-of-2\"\u003eMountain ash\u003c\/a\u003e berries hang on all winter, and \u003ca href=\"\/products\/aronia-berry-bundle-of-5\"\u003earonia\u003c\/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"\/products\/elderberry-bundle-of-5\"\u003eAmerican elderberry\u003c\/a\u003e fill in the shrub layer.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"mft-facts\"\u003e\u003ctable class=\"mft-facts-table\"\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eWhat you get\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e9 plants: Mountain Ash (3, 3-5 ft.), Aronia (3), American Elderberry (3, 2-3 ft.). Bare root, shipped or picked up in Missoula in spring 2027, roots wrapped in moist sawdust. Guaranteed to bud out.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eHardy to\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eZone 3 (winters to about -40°F). Check your spot with our \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/cold-hardiness-calculator\"\u003ecold hardiness calculator\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eWhy these\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMountain ash berries stay on the tree all winter for ruffed, sharp-tailed and blue grouse, robins and waxwings (US Forest Service). Aronia and elderberry are both on South Dakota's Woody Habitat list for wildlife shelterbelts.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003ePollination\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eAronia is self-fertile, and the elderberries set better fruit planted together.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\u003c\/table\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003ch3\u003eProtect Them\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eDeer, elk and moose browse young plants hard, and bucks rub trunks in fall. Cage each tree until it's out of reach: a welded-wire cage about 5 ft. tall and 3 ft. across works for deer. Where elk come through, MSU recommends an 8 ft. fence with a top rail. Trunk tubes alone won't stop rubs. Water with drip the first couple of summers.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBear country:\u003c\/strong\u003e fruit draws black bears and grizzlies. Plant well away from houses and outbuildings, and use electric fence where bears are around.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eIs Planting This Baiting?\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eGrowing plants is habitat work. Rules on fruit or nuts you pick, move or pile up vary by state, so check your state's hunting regs before you hunt over it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor the full how-to (why these plants work, spacing, protection and timing), read our \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/ruffed-grouse-habitat-planting-guide\"\u003eruffed grouse planting guide\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSee our other wildlife bundles on the \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/wildlife-orchard-bundles\"\u003ewildlife orchard bundles\u003c\/a\u003e page.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003csmall\u003ePhotos: Bohemian waxwing by \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Bohemian_waxwing_(50829481011).jpg\"\u003eU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service\u003c\/a\u003e (public domain); mountain ash berries by \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Sorbus_decora_15-p.bot-sorbu.deco-15.jpg\"\u003eGilles Ayotte\u003c\/a\u003e (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons.\u003c\/small\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Montana Fruit Trees","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45840799727682,"sku":null,"price":229.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0626\/5687\/2514\/files\/1920px-Bohemian_waxwing__2850829481011_29.jpg?v=1793317860","url":"https:\/\/www.montanafruittrees.com\/products\/grouse-songbird-fruit-add-on","provider":"Montana Fruit Trees","version":"1.0","type":"link"}