My sadly neglected wildlife garden, overrun with invasive plants
How to plan a wildlife garden: Many of us are faced with planning a new wildlife garden for various reasons. Every time we move to a new home we must start our wildlife gardens anew. But sometimes we must begin our wildlife gardens again in places we’ve lived for years.
My friend Pat Sutton had to start her wildlife over again several years ago when her septic field had to be relocated.
Ursula Vernon was left with a mess of standing water in a spot in her wildlife garden that had to be clear cut for driveway repairs.
Susan J Tweit had the vision to look at an abandoned industrial site and know that she could restore health to this abused land. Now this garden has a wide variety of native wildflowers, even despite the severe drought in her area.
Kathy and Roger Horn bought a new house in Cape May, NJ which was surrounded by nothing but lawn. So they set out to transform this property into an oasis that was full of wildlife.
Starting to see progress (and a pathway) after pulling out everything on this side so I can start over
And I am in the process of ripping my whole wildlife garden out so that I can start over again because invasive plants have taken over and it’s easier to just start from a blank slate to clear away these invasive thugs. Last year was a difficult year and I was away for several months at a time, and during this time my wildlife garden was sadly neglected, allowing these invasive plants to gain an unrelenting foothold in my garden.
You may need to start over for any number of reasons:
- A fallen tree turns a formerly shaded site into a spot that now gets full sun
- Construction and repairs to your home
- Neglect
- You’re new to the concept of wildlife gardening and are eager to create welcoming habitat for wildlife in your garden
When faced with one of these opportunities, it’s important to make a plan before you start. Making a plan will ultimately save you a lot of time and even money as you ensure that you’re choosing the best plants for wildlife and placing them in the right place for the conditions in your garden.
How to Plan Your Wildlife Garden
Creating a 20′ wide buffer zone to hold back invasive plants from abandoned property next door
How do we decide which plants can stay, which need to be moved, and which must be eradicated?
For me:
- All of the invasive plants must be eradicated in my wildlife garden.
- Some of the native plants remaining in my wildlife garden are important wildlife habitat plants. I want to keep them, but some of them are vigorously reseeding in places where I don’t really want them.
- Other plants are happy where they are now that the invasive plants have been cut back.
In his book Sustainable Landscaping for Dummies, Owen Dell said that the best garden tool is a lawn chair. Take the time to just sit and observe what is happening in your wildlife garden before you purchase new plants.
- Where does the water collect when it rains?
- Which beds get full sun all day?
- What areas remain in shade for most of the day?
- Where do the birds already visit?
- Which plants consistently attract butterflies and other pollinators?
Getting to know the real conditions in your garden before you start adding new plants is the best way to successfully create welcoming habitat for wildlife in your garden, and will help you follow these simple steps to attracting wildlife to your garden.
Visit Nearby Natural Areas
Take the time to visit your local wildlife refuges, state and national parks, nature centers, and also participate in field trips led by your local native plant society.
Seeing how Mother Nature arranges plants will give you an idea of what plants will work well together in your wildlife garden.
Join Your Local Native Plant Society
A simple google search will provide you with contact information for your local native plant society. Joining this organization and participating in field trips, workshops, and other events will provide you with a wealth of knowledge about the native plants that will thrive best in the conditions in your wildlife garden, as well as the birds, butterflies, and other wildlife a given plant will attract.
You’ll meet other passionate wildlife gardeners who have similar conditions in their own gardens. From them you’ll gain so many ideas about which plants will provide the most bang for your buck in your wildlife garden. You’ll make friends who’ve already solved many of the questions you’ll have about how to create welcoming habitats for wildlife given the conditions you face.
And you’ll have fun!
Is Wildlife Gardening Too Hard to Learn?
Planning a wildlife garden may seem a little intimidating if you’re just getting started. You do need to do a bit of homework so that you will avoid mistakenly planting an invasive plant, and so that you’ll choose the best plants for wildlife for the conditions in your garden.
But this is not hard. If you follow the tips I’ve listed here you will soon have a garden that is full of life: the beautiful sounds of singing birds, the swirl of gorgeous butterflies, and a place of beauty for you.
So grab your lawn chair and start observing your garden!
Have you ever had to start your wildlife garden over from scratch? How did you plan your new wildlife garden? How did you choose your new native plants to support wildlife?
Update: Springtime in the New Wildlife Garden
Carole Sevilla Brown lives in Philadelphia, PA, and she travels the country speaking about Ecosystem Gardening for Wildlife. Check out her new free online course Ecosystem Gardening Essentials, 15 free lessons delivered to your inbox every week.
© 2012 – 2013, Carole Sevilla Brown. All rights reserved. This article is the property of Native Plants and Wildlife Gardens. If you are reading this at another site, please report that to us
About Carole Sevilla Brown
Very good post. I’ve been getting a bit discouraged with my gardens. You have given me new hope.
Mary, there’s always hope in the wildlife garden! When the Hummingbirds come to feed, the butterflies fill the air with their swirling beauty, the birds nest, every time something like this happens, I’m filled with hope and happiness
Carole Sevilla Brown recently posted..Starting Over: Deciding What Can Stay and What Must Go
“Owen Dell said that the best garden tool is a lawn chair. Take the time to just sit and observe what is happening in your wildlife garden before you purchase new plants.” I couldn’t agree more. It is a simple idea that people forget in their rush to get things done.
Kathy @nativegardener recently posted..California’s White Sage of the Chaparral
You’re so right, Kathy! It’s so good to just take some time to observe and see what’s already happening out in the garden.
Carole Sevilla Brown recently posted..Starting From Scratch In the Wildlife Garden
I am in the process of covering my entire yard in trees and shrubs that produce food but the wildlife keep eating it all. Mother nature has put me on a starvation diet! My end goal is to get rid of 100% of the lawn. Maybe next year I will be lucky enough to get a rasberry or two!
Renee, kudos to you for getting rid of your lawn! It’s a great way to make space for food for wildlife (and hopefully you too)
Carole Sevilla Brown recently posted..Why Focus on Ecosystem Gardening When There is So Much Wrong in the World?
Great post, Carole! And thanks for the nod at the beginning.
I’m with Kathy–I love the quote from Owen Dell. It is so important to “sit” with what you have before you decided to make any changes. I tell my students to also spend time out in their garden at all time and seasons, so they can know what it’s like to be a plant, rooted in place.
Susan J. Tweit recently posted..Completing a circle: an “artifact” returns home
Susan, spending time in the wildlife garden through all of the seasons is such a great way to be mindful about the plants and animals who choose to share their lives with us, it’s wonderful for improving our own health too! And, you’re welcome
Carole Sevilla Brown recently posted..A Love Letter to Wildlife
I love the idea of sitting and watching the garden…I need to do that more…I will need time to digest this post since there is so much in it that is so useful!
Donna@Gardens Eye View recently posted..Work in Progress
Donna taking the time to just sit and observe is one of my ways of being mindful. Daily cares and stresses seem to just melt away as I tune in to a parade of ants, a bee on a flower, the sound of bird song filling the air. Plus, it’s the best way to really get to know your garden.
Carole Sevilla Brown recently posted..The 5 Pillars of Ecosystem Gardening
Carole, I feel like I’ve started my wildlife garden three times over the past few years. Once because we took down a dying tree and removed a bunch of pachysandra, once because we need to put in a new septic tank and again because of tree removal. It can be a frustaring but very exciting time.
I, too, love the quote about sitting in your garden and just enjoying it. When I teach garden design classes I always tell my students to pick up their normal garden chair and move it somewhere completely different in the garden. It’s amazing what you see from that new perspective.
Debbie recently posted..Wordless Wednesday ~ Smokin’
Debbie, I’m not sure I would have had the patience to start over 3 times! Your dedication to creating a beautiful garden while providing habitat for wildlife is commendable. I like to move my garden chair to a new spot every day. It’s so amazing the new things I notice when I do that.
Carole Sevilla Brown recently posted..The 5 Pillars of Ecosystem Gardening
I find it works to just do an annual removal. For this year I have finished the area in front of the house and both sides and continue in the back as I have time. My wife and I have planted, or observed already there, 59 species of native plants.
Marc, kudos to you and your wife for planting so many native plants! My trouble started because I was away for several months last fall and things got really out of hand without my being there to hold them back, so I wiped the slate clean so I could start over.
Carole Sevilla Brown recently posted..Starting From Scratch In the Wildlife Garden
As far as recent projects are concerned, it all started with rebuilding our front porch steps. In order to improve the grade, we then needed to realign the brick walk connecting the porch steps with the street and our driveway. And this involves 1) moving 30 years’ worth of plants like woodland phlox and ferns and 2) disposing of soil in places around the foundation where drainage could be improved, which involves 3) moving more plants. Fortunately, I’ve had the time and resources to hire some good gardeners to help with the plants (husband is doing the grading and brick work). And actually it is just what I have needed to push me to do some transplanting – phlox for example – to places where I have planned to put them but have never gotten around to it. So next spring we are not only going to have a lovely curved path but we will have an impressive display of blue all along our frontage.