Gordon Ownby Captured Toyon’s most spectacular ornaments
December 2025. By JT Wilkinson: We’ve long enjoyed the birdsong that emanates from Toyon hedges in our gardens – particularly when their trademark berries reach their Christmas color. While we maintain for the birds, we seldom watch, wait and wonder in a way that would allow us to see their greatest ornamentation. This year, Gordon Ownby did that work for us.
By Gordon Ownby
By Gordon Ownby
Toyon and Cedar Waxwings get along famously! This triumphant moment preceded a full flock of waxwings joining this dapper gent in the Songbirds Garden.
The Ownby’s well-established, two-story Toyon transformed a front garden trail into a hidden delight. The same deep, dense, expansive leaf cover that makes Toyon a wonderful privacy screen for humans attracts birds of all feathers to its protected habitat.
Depending on the location of your garden, you may see Toyon berries emerge as little green spheres as early as September. They add holiday color long before Christmas, as they generally transform from green to yellow and orange just in time for Thanksgiving. Even as they fade, birds will continue to feast on them.
The drama of the berries and the birds tie Toyon’s person brand inextricably with its winter aesthetic. That doesn’t do it justice! It’s amazing in every season. Spectacular, long lasting blooms transform it into a cloud of white blooms in spring. Bees and butterflies adore the blooms every bit as much as birds love its berries.
Plant Palettes
See and save more songbird-attracting native plants and natural Christmas decor in Pinterest.
More Information
- Harvest your hedges
- Float into 2026 (on Pantone’s Cloud Dancer)
