By creating a native plant pollinator garden, you are providing invaluable habitat for
bumblebees, hummingbirds, and other wildlife. A native plant garden is also beautiful; rich in colors, textures, and the delight of the butterflies, beautiful birds, and more visiting your yard. Did you know studies show more birds in your life make you happier? Not only providing for wildlife, your native plant garden also requires less water and maintenance than a traditional landscape, additionally saving you money, time, and effort.
Here are some tips on how to design your own native garden: 1) Find the best plants for your area: By researching through your local Wild Ones, Native Plant Society, Audubon, or Lady Bird Johnson Wild Flower Center native plant lists, you can find a great selection of beautiful, ecologically beneficial plants from your region. By cross-referencing the plants that are available at your local nurseries, as well as online nurseries, you can find and purchase the plants you need.
2) Consider each plant's needs: Each plant has its own needs, as well as wants that can help them flourish. Some native plants prefer moist areas, some prefer dry. Some plants prefer loamy soils while some prefer soils rich in clay. In your research of the right plants in the right places, it is important to consider each plant's light requirements, mature height and width, water requirements, soil preferences, bloom time, wildlife value to pollinators, birds, and more. Some plants can even complement and be companions with each other and help each other grow. In a matter of personal preference, you can also consider each plant's qualities of textures and colors to paint a beautiful canvas of plants in your landscape. Did you know red, tubular flowers attract hummingbirds? Pollinators appreciate colors too!
3) Include other elements: A native plant garden does not stop at the plants. In nature, you will find fallen trees, bodies of water, shelter for birds, and much more. By mimicking nature you can create a natural ecosystem for wildlife and a magical delight for you, your family, and friends. By including dead tree logs and trunks, these serve insects which in turn feed hungry birds. Water features, as simple as bird baths, provide for birds and even insects, such as butterflies. By providing bird houses you also provide year-round shelter for nesting birds.
Each yard is unique and there are many qualities to consider in creating an intelligent garden plan. It is also important to consider things such as slopes, shading from mature trees and structures, and other factors. Planned correctly, these elements can work to your garden's benefit. If you are planning to plant trees or thick-rooted shrubs, it is also a good idea to call 811, or your local "call before you dig" service to check for any underground utilities. Knowing where these potential lines are can keep you safe when digging and keep the utility lines safe from the plants' roots as they mature. With a good garden layout and landscape plan, you can next begin to order your plants to plant them.
Earth Love Gardens Landscape Designs
Since there can be a learning curve and it takes much time to learn and be familiar with the best practices in designing your garden, our service in creating a custom Native Plant Pollinator Garden Design may be perfect for you!
Listening to your wants and needs, we can locally or remotely provide you a yard design to make it work for you and the environment. We utilize plants that attract butterflies, flowers for bees, plants that create a bird garden, can help design a rain garden, and much more. With native plants to your region sourced from your local nurseries that serve for a pollinator garden, with the option of also designing with fruit trees, gardens beds, and other edibles through an edible garden design, we help transform your yard into the garden of your dreams!
Learn more about our Landscape Design Services.