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Creating a
Wildlife Garden
Birds and butterflies lend beauty, entertainment,
health and viatlity to the garden, they pollinate flowers, scatter seeds and
help control pests.
To attract birds to your garden, you must have adequate
sources of food, shelter, and water.
Flowers provide color, as well as
nectar and seeds, shrubs and trees bear berries and fruit, and other plantings
provide perching sites, offer shelter, breeding places and nesting sites for
birds and other animals. Ponds, fountains or other water elements accent the
garden and provide necessary moisture and drinking sources for birds. By
combining these elements you can attract wildlife and provide a better
ecological balance to your garden.
A wildlife garden often has a looser
more natural appearance than a formally landscaped garden. Dried flowers,
spilled seeds and fallen leaves are all part of this natural look and help
support the needs of your visitors. By avoiding pesticides or herbicides,
you'll attract animals and beneficial insects, such as lady bugs and lace
wings.
Designing to attract
Wildlife
Planning Guide - Consider the following things
when planning your wildlife garden: always plant the tallest plant in the
backfround and the shortest in the foreground -- tall trees in the background,
medium sized shrubs, perennials and vines in the mid-section, small shrubs and
groundcovers in the foreground, or as borders.
Trees - Lend structure
to the garden and provide perching, nesting and roosting sites for birds. Trees
are the dominant element in your landscape and add stately elegance and
privacy. When choosing a tree consider spread, height and growth
habits.
Shrubs - Provide hiding places, shady resting spots, quick
cover from predators, and provide a great nesting habitat for wildlife. Shrubs
are useful for screens, barriers, hedges, and backgrounds, and are often used
as foundation plantings. Plant in varying heights and textures to create a more
visually interesting garden.
Perennials - Are non-woody plants that
live at least three years, and are critical in supplying birds with seeds and
nectar. Plant perennials in beds and borders or in small groupings to punctuate
an area. Always position low flowers in front of tall flowers.
Vines
- Offer shelter and quick cover for birds, and entice them with flowers,
berries, insects, shelter and nesting sites. Many vines provide a nectar drink
for visiting hummingbirds. They help unify plants of varying heights and
soften, or even hide, the hard lines of structures and houses.
Groundcovers - Provide shelter, blossoms and berries for food, and
are a key feature in any landscape by making the transition from lawns to
shrubs and trees seem natural.
Water - An important element in all
seasons, small ponds, fountains or birdbaths provide water and wading areas for
birds.
The information provided here is from Monrovia
Nursery's "Wildlife - Attract Birds and Butterflies to Your Garden"
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