When I mention "Wildlife Gardening" to people I'm often asked 3 questions:
1-"What's the difference between regular Landscaping and Wildlife Gardening?"
2-"Isn't Wildlife Gardening more expensive?" and
3-"Doesn't Wildlife Gardening just make your yard messy and full of problems? I already have enough trouble with deer eating everything, why would I want to encourage more animals?!"
1-"What's the difference between regular Landscaping and Wildlife Gardening?"
2-"Isn't Wildlife Gardening more expensive?" and
3-"Doesn't Wildlife Gardening just make your yard messy and full of problems? I already have enough trouble with deer eating everything, why would I want to encourage more animals?!"
This easy care, colorful, bird & butterfly filled landscaping happily welcomes wildlife and visitors alike.
1: In Traditional Landscaping, lawns are sprayed to eliminate weeds and insects, and fertilized and irrigated regularly to promote lush green growth, this in turn needs mowed 1-2x/week through the growing season. Traditional Landscaping also involves spraying trees, shrubs and perennials to eliminate insects, and plants are chosen for appearance only.
Wildlife Gardening techniques encourage ecological choices to help and sustain wildlife, because everything is interconnected. Lawns and plantings aren't sprayed, fertilized or irrigated, mowing is reduced and plants are chosen for appearance plus wildlife benefiting attributes such as nuts, seeds, fruit, cover, or protection. When maintained in this manner, your landscaping is still tidy and beautiful, plus it's welcoming and healthier for you, your family, pets, visitors and wildlife.
2: Wildlife Gardening isn't any more expensive than Traditional Landscaping. It fact, it saves you money and maintenance as you're eliminating a main expense when you stop spraying, fertilizing, and irrigating.
It also doesn't mean you have to change all your current landscaping. It means, going forward, just try choosing more helpful options. Things like: cancelling your lawn chemical applications, not spraying pesticides if you see a bug on a plant, not spraying landscape or lawn weeds, picking a shrub that is pretty and also offers berries, seeds, flowers or thorns...little changes like these, will make a big difference for all of us!
3: Wildlife Gardening isn't messy. It means caring for your landscaping, just in a more eco-conscious manner. It doesn't mean just neglecting everything so your yard starts to look like an overgrown junk yard!!
And as for animal problems....Wildlife Gardening techniques provide much needed food and shelter for the animals that are all already on your property. We have to share the land. The animals seem to be clashing with us because they're being pushed out of "Wild" areas due to constant building and they're relying on our landscaping, as that is mostly all that is left. By maintaining landscaping in the Traditional manner there's no food for the animals to eat BUT the decorative landscaping. By Gardening FOR Wildlife, you share. For instance, we're currently working on shrinking the size of our lawn. This leaves us room to still run around and play with the dog and our daughter, cuts down on mowing, and increases the number of multi-seasonal interesting trees, shrubs and flowers, we and wildlife can both enjoy. Plus, when we hand weed our landscaping beds, we 'Pluck & Chuck' the weeds (throwing them over our shoulders onto the lawn. We encourage the weeds to grow in the lawn!! We then mow weekly or bi-weekly like normal. Our landscaping stays tidy, and our "grass" stays green. Now the lawn blooms beautifully in weeds, feeding so many species! Wildlife like bees, butterflies, cardinals, juncos, rabbits, deer and many more are sustained by the weed nectar, pollen, seeds or growth. When you Garden FOR Wildlife, the wildlife is happy and full from the insects, weeds, seeds, nuts and nectar that are now abundant, and your landscape damage is eliminated.
Wildlife Gardening techniques encourage ecological choices to help and sustain wildlife, because everything is interconnected. Lawns and plantings aren't sprayed, fertilized or irrigated, mowing is reduced and plants are chosen for appearance plus wildlife benefiting attributes such as nuts, seeds, fruit, cover, or protection. When maintained in this manner, your landscaping is still tidy and beautiful, plus it's welcoming and healthier for you, your family, pets, visitors and wildlife.
2: Wildlife Gardening isn't any more expensive than Traditional Landscaping. It fact, it saves you money and maintenance as you're eliminating a main expense when you stop spraying, fertilizing, and irrigating.
It also doesn't mean you have to change all your current landscaping. It means, going forward, just try choosing more helpful options. Things like: cancelling your lawn chemical applications, not spraying pesticides if you see a bug on a plant, not spraying landscape or lawn weeds, picking a shrub that is pretty and also offers berries, seeds, flowers or thorns...little changes like these, will make a big difference for all of us!
3: Wildlife Gardening isn't messy. It means caring for your landscaping, just in a more eco-conscious manner. It doesn't mean just neglecting everything so your yard starts to look like an overgrown junk yard!!
And as for animal problems....Wildlife Gardening techniques provide much needed food and shelter for the animals that are all already on your property. We have to share the land. The animals seem to be clashing with us because they're being pushed out of "Wild" areas due to constant building and they're relying on our landscaping, as that is mostly all that is left. By maintaining landscaping in the Traditional manner there's no food for the animals to eat BUT the decorative landscaping. By Gardening FOR Wildlife, you share. For instance, we're currently working on shrinking the size of our lawn. This leaves us room to still run around and play with the dog and our daughter, cuts down on mowing, and increases the number of multi-seasonal interesting trees, shrubs and flowers, we and wildlife can both enjoy. Plus, when we hand weed our landscaping beds, we 'Pluck & Chuck' the weeds (throwing them over our shoulders onto the lawn. We encourage the weeds to grow in the lawn!! We then mow weekly or bi-weekly like normal. Our landscaping stays tidy, and our "grass" stays green. Now the lawn blooms beautifully in weeds, feeding so many species! Wildlife like bees, butterflies, cardinals, juncos, rabbits, deer and many more are sustained by the weed nectar, pollen, seeds or growth. When you Garden FOR Wildlife, the wildlife is happy and full from the insects, weeds, seeds, nuts and nectar that are now abundant, and your landscape damage is eliminated.
Above is a picture of our lawn in early spring. Up close you can see that it is a combination of grass and "weeds".
It is a beautiful and helpful lawn blooming with Veronica, Violets, Clovers, Dandelions and more.....
and when mown, looks still tidy and green. A win-win for people & wildlife.
It is a beautiful and helpful lawn blooming with Veronica, Violets, Clovers, Dandelions and more.....
and when mown, looks still tidy and green. A win-win for people & wildlife.
You'll start to see how everything is interconnected. How it's all needed. And you'll notice little things like:
Birds eating caterpillars,
Bunnies eating dandelions,
Ladybugs eating aphids......
Birds eating caterpillars,
Bunnies eating dandelions,
Ladybugs eating aphids......
This baby Eastern Cottontail Rabbit happily munches on the lawn clover & dandelions, never bothering our Perennials.
Plus, you'll start to feel better, too! Being in nature: Watching it, Hearing it, Feeling it, Smelling it...it helps our bodies calm down and refocus. It encourages patience and tolerance. It lowers blood pressure, stress levels and much more. It helps all of us on so many levels.
Fall blooming Anemones provide nectar for many pollinators, including bees.