It’s that time of year: garden trends for 2023 are popping up all over the internet. Among the lists are water-wise gardens, wilder and more naturalistic aesthetics, and edible plants. All wonderful! And nearly every article featured the rise in popularity of Habitat Gardens, which really made my heart sing. But what exactly are Habitat Gardens, and why are they important?
A Habitat Garden is landscaping that is designed to be a functioning ecosystem, providing life-sustaining resources for wildlife such as food, water and shelter. Some people focus on one category of creatures; some examples are butterfly gardens and pollinator gardens. But, as we know, it’s impossible to choose our neighbors. Life invites life, and once we create the space, it will be a surprise and a delight to see who decides to show up to the block party.
So are you ready to turn your own yard into a Habitat Garden? Great! But how? There are the obvious ways, such as planting flowers for pollinators, adding a birdbath (remember to clean it regularly), or installing an owl or bat house. Birds need branches for perching and plants with seeds to eat. In the fall, I love watching the finches enjoy the seeds from my dried out sunflowers.
But often the work starts smaller.
It is essential to invite beneficial insects into your garden. These insects will help control populations of harmful insects and will provide food for birds, lizards, and other animals farther up the food chain. You know those leaves that you rake up every fall and dump into your trash bin? Many beneficial insects live and overwinter in leaf litter. As leaves decompose, they also turn into essential nutrients for your plants. Consider leaving a thin layer of fallen leaves (from a healthy tree; if a tree is diseased do dispose of the leaves) instead of throwing them away. Insects, including native bees, also live in mulch, in soil, and in dead, hollow stems of deciduous plants. Think about waiting to prune back dead stems until late winter.
Here are some other tips:
Use organic growing methods. This means no chemical pesticides or herbicides.
Remove lawn and replace it with habitat landscaping. Mowed grass provides little to no habitat for wildlife.
Plant pollinator-friendly, low-water, flowering plants.
Mulch with healthy fallen leaves, wood chips, or stone. Do not use chemically treated wood chips, plastic mulch, or landscape fabric.
Add a birdbath or another safe water source. Be sure to fill it and clean it regularly.
Utilize dry-stacked (no mortar) stone walls in your landscape. Wildlife loves to live in the nooks and crannies. Not to mention, dry-stacked stone is a beautiful art form!
Check out Home Ground Habitats. This is an awesome and inspiring resource right here in Novato, focused on educating people about Habitat Gardening.