What attracts wildlife and pollinators to this Coneflower? Is it the color or something more?
Today is a question day in my beautiful wildlife garden. Each fall I look at my gardens with a critical eye, trying to determine what looks and works well, which areas need to be thinned, and which areas should just be torn out and started over. And although I design and create gardens for others, I sometimes have a hard time applying the same principles to my own yard. Part of my home garden design thought process stems from the fact that I plant more for wildlife in my own gardens than I am often allowed to in others. My wildlife gardens are not as “tidy”, “well spaced” or “color coordinated” as designs I’ve done for other people. But they are still beautiful in many ways, especially when I know that many of my wildlife friends depend on my plant choices for their food, shelter and survival.
Many factors should be considered when designing a new wildlife garden or redoing an existing one:
- What types of wildlife would I like to attract?
- What is the best way to feed wildlife of many types?
- How can I incorporate the plants that natively grow in my yard into a new garden setting?
- Is it okay to have both native and exotic species in my gardens?
- What type of soil do I need for all the wildlife in my ecosystem. Remember to consider not only the birds, bees, reptiles and mammals, but the insects that live on the ground and the decomposers who help keep the ecosystem alive.
- What do I really feel comfortable with in terms of design, colors and overall look? Can my wildlife garden be tidy and still provide food and shelter?
This penstemon is a beautiful native that attracts bees and hummingbirds. It fits well into both wild and tidy types of wildlife gardens.
Walking through my gardens while thinking about wildlife is always a good way for me to consider the biggest picture: We are not only creating beauty for ourselves, but providing an important ecosystem for so many other things around us. What will you come up with in your wildlife garden designs?
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About Kathy Green
All good questions to ask, Kathy! That may seem complicated, but once you answer these questions the first time, it’s quite easy to create welcoming habitat for wildlife in your beautiful wildlife garden.
Carole Sevilla Brown recently posted..Sleep, Creep, Leap 3 Years in a Nebraska Wildlife Garden
A slightly different mindset than your average garden but so rewarding. Thanks for putting together the links to help answer those questions.
Gloria recently posted..Harvesting seed.
Exactly the questions I have been pondering of late. Thx for the links as I answer these for the future..
Donna@Gardens Eye View recently posted..Radiant