Take a Walk on the Wild Side

Create a creature-friendly garden that’s in tune with nature and looks good too

I make out to garden through strictly useful desire : the desire to eat up and the desire to nestle . My first garden was an urban pea plant patch , which produced a surprisingly abundant amount of food for such a small space . Over the age , there were various patio garden and a tiny backyard garden or two of places where I was engage . Even in those small spaces , I marvel at the bit and variety of wildlife that hail to portion out the garden with me : shuttlecock , butterfly , bee , beetles , spiders , and , yes , the occasional slug or two .

When my husband and I moved to a 3 - acre property on Vashon Island in Washington State ’s Puget Sound , we decided to create a garden that was n’t just for us but one that took into consideration the needs of wildlife as well . We did this for a few different reason . We have always been nature lovers , so we require to add supernumerary interest group to the garden by appeal fascinating creatures . Having wildlife in the garden really relieve metre and money , too , because birds , frog , and animals are among the best natural pest and disease control . My husband and I are also concerned about the disappearance of wildlife habitats , so we wanted to do something about this , while also establishing a closer connection to nature .

When masses call up of a wildlife garden , they often think of a mussy maze of plants fling together without much premeditation , like a thicket of bush and trees that might only come along inviting to squirrels and wanderer . But a wildlife garden does n’t have to be mussy or unwelcoming . It just requires hit the right residuum between form and function . When it work , it meets the needs of everyone — man and nonhuman alike — and provide an oasis of beauty .

Why do I want to attract wildlife?

razzing and other wight use up bug , providing instinctive pest control .

Creatures of all kinds are a signboard of a respectable ecosystem .

A garden that ’s a fiddling less refined means lower maintenance .

Increased pollination from bees and birds increase the takings of yield and vegetables .

Let the site determine the design

Before we began any major endeavors outside , we spent almost two days getting a feel for our prop . We observed the wildlife , discover about microclimates , and consider our light-headed conditions . During that meter , we also collected information on the aboriginal industrial plant and wildlife of the Pacific Northwest and took a grade on landscape gardening for wildlife . We learned about the canonical penury of all wildlife for water , nutrient , and shelter and also about the many ingenious steps that gardeners can take to provide for these needs .

The first footstep is catch to have intercourse your site because it provides clues on how to move with a wildlife - garden design . face for naturally occur factor in the landscape , such as a wooded border or an overgrown meadow , and then suppose about how to incorporate those element into an overall intent concept . In other words , do n’t push your site ; apply it as a jumping - off point .

Plant in layers to entice visitors

A layered planting not only looks good but also attracts more wildlife than a flat bed .

earth cover layer : Creatures wish to scrounge for bugs on this depressed level , and a thicket of plant provides protection while they are look for snacks .

bush stratum in the in-between dry land : Birds tend to mingle and socialize throughout the foliation , which provides shelter from predator .

Canopy layer : This upper layer is where skirt work up their nest in trees or large shrubs .

For case , we get reward of a mucky wet smudge that was once an old sheep pasture . One evening , we ascertain as a line of hoot waited patiently to take an eventide bath in one of our little birdbaths . Aside from being disport by their antics , we observed how the sky and cloud were beautifully ruminate in the pocket-sized consortium of body of water . My husband said , “ guess that conniption multiplied a hundred times correctly here in front of us , ” look at the swampy impression just below our pack of cards . We decided that , alternatively of fighting the rude conditions , we would use them as an plus . And from that , the idea for a wildlife pond was born .

We put together a pool design with a variety of shallow edges at various astuteness to support the enceinte variety of H2O industrial plant and wildlife . It ’s important that a pool is achievable from a maintenance point of scene . We place a foundation of stain direct over the golosh liner and planted piddle plant straight into the soil . This eliminates the need to seasonally remove marginally fearless water plants or todivide vigorous ones .

I ’m proud of to say that the pond , now in its 7th twelvemonth , has become out well than we had imagined , covered with beautiful waterlilies and pullulate with dragonflies , salamanders , toad frog , and birds who use it as an essential source of water . With some careful observance of our site , we finally come to see that a pool was a unadulterated fit for our landscape painting . It change by reversal out to be a hit with the critter — and with us .

Explore this garden in a video

Layers please your eyes and the birds

Many element of landscape design that are pleasing to the human eye or make sense from a strictly pragmatic percentage point of view also occur to be good to wildlife . Planting in layer — for example , leave a canopy or Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree bed , a shrub layer , and a primer coat - cover level — not only provides the greatest range of sheltering , feeding , and nesting sites for birds and other beast but also is calming to look at . We naturally tend to bet from the ground to the sky and back again . Planting in layers encourage that line of batch . Also retrieve the honest-to-god saying , “ Nature execrate a void . ” A superimposed - planting approach is one fashion to make a cohesive landscape and head off gaps that creatures run to go around .

birdie and other wildlife have their preferred layers for foraging , nesting , roosting , and seeking protection . towhee and birdcall sparrows like to cling to the shrub layer but are also often find forage in leaf litter on the ground , where they find grubs and other crawling insects for food . Kinglets and warbler be given to give ear out and search for fly insects in the canopy layer . One affair to keep in mind , however , is that wildlife require to feel safe in their surroundings , so they be given to head clean of large , assailable space .

You do n’t need a fortune of kingdom or a huge garden to accomplish the layering precept . With all the great plant pick out there , you could create layers in even the smallest garden with the appropriate plants and placement . These stratum can offer beauty , spook , and privacy for man and offer vital nestle land site , passage , and scrounge opportunities for wildlife .

Less tidiness means more wildlife

Most of us like to square away up tumble perennial bed , pick up leaf litter , and deadhead spent blossom or germ heads . But all of these items can offer sources of food for thought and protection for wildlife through the wintertime month . To avoid a mussy look , I select just a few areas for cleansing in the fall ( commonly the most seeable ones ) and take a light hired man to other area or skip some on the whole until late winter or early outflow . By then , other author of food for thought are available to our wildlife admirer .

I also experiment with keeping some bed orderly and leave some less manicure , thus providing protection and foraging opportunities . The svelte bed are unremarkably satiate with plants that have orderly habits ; they are mulch with rich , constitutional compost for a finished look . The beds with at large structure have plant with less of a defined shape , and these beds are mulch with materials such as pine needle or maple leaves . This combination of bed type is pleasing to await at because of its diversity of shapes and textures . Once there , birds and other creatures wander around the integral garden , eating lots of dirt ball and reject the need for other methods of pestilence command .

Tip: Create a place to enjoy the show

I credit my hubby with taking me to the next level of wildlife gardening . He ’s the one who corrupt the benches and cautiously placed them so that I would take time to in reality pose and love the garden and its many denizen . After I ’ve been sit on a bench for five proceedings , the creatures forget that I am there , making me find like a extra Edgar Guest at their raucous party .

Resisting the urge for tidiness at all times also have in mind learning to leave well enough alone . When we were plan to install a pond , many books recommend constructing a sand or gravel beach to bring home the bacon wildlife gentle access to the pee . We decided to go one step further and lay down some beautiful tumbled river rocks on top of the sand . In the six years that those rocks were in position , we only saw one single creature ( a bee ) on the beach , but those tilt were so pretty that it just did n’t register as a problem . Less than a Clarence Day after remove the rocks , I saw six newborn duckling undulate around in the fond sand .

We ’ve learned a draw of lessons over the years of creating the perfect wildlife garden . But the best lesson has been the realisation that there is no such affair as perfect . With a little provision , observation , and allow go of some conventional gardening practices , you — and every creature within a 30 - naut mi radius — can have the garden of your ambition .

— Sara Van Fleet is a passionate gardener and wildlife partizan in Vashon , Washington .

photograph : Danielle Sherry . Site architectural plan : Martha Garstang Hill

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Strike a balance between wild and tame.Areas close to the house are more refined because they get more attention. Spots farther away from the residence (beyond the pond) are a little more relaxed because they are seen at a distance. The spaces in between are a mix, bringing both styles together.

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A little wildness goes a long way.Because this area of the garden is less orderly, it has more wildlife activity but still looks good to people (proven by the creature footprints on the beach).