Have you ever considered that your land where your home now occupy was once inhabited by nature in its natural form which includes all kinds of wildlife like plants, animals and insects. An ecosystem developed that allowed these inhabitants to function and become productive in their own environment. With the introduction of homes, commercial buildings, factories and other industrial developments, that habitat has been lost to many birds, butterflies, bees and other animals who are now forced to find another place to survive.
By introducing a selection of wildlife plants to your garden, it allows you to have the opportunity to make a valid contribution to what has been lost and to improve the environment by creating diversity of wildlife plants. It is the perfect means to allow pollinators to find a new home in your garden. In this way there is a complete exchange of benefits. You are taking care of their food supply while at the same time receiving the benefits of attracting pollinators to increase your production of food and plant growth in your own space.
What are Wildflowers and their Importance
These are plants that have existed for years from the world’s creation. No one is able to give a direct history of these plants as it was a part of God’s creation, and they grow wild and exist without any human intervention. Taking a ride in the countryside you will notice that there are many areas of uncultivated land filled with all kinds of wildflowers of different sizes, colours giving us an overwhelming fragrances of their presence. They have been able to provide food and shelter to many species of birds and other wildlife and therefore provide a basic function in their environment and creating an ecosystem that is able to function independent of any human intervention.
Seeing them in their natural habitat is really beautiful. It is possible to create this setting in your own backyard by carefully selecting plants that will enhance the space and compliment the other plants and being able to work in diversity and harmony with each other.
Creating your Space for Wildlife
When deciding to include wildlife flowers in your space. Choose which area is best suited for the plants, considering the soil type, sunshine and the other plants that may have already been adjusted to your garden. Your main objective should be deciding what purpose this garden will fulfill like a food supply for birds and other pollinators. Or is it going to be a place for shelter from the elements and a place to nest. Including water features like bird bath, ponds and fountains will provide the necessary elements for this unique ecosystem to work effectively. By choosing plants that are available in your region based on climate allows for the continuation of these plants to survive. Some research is required to be selective in finding ones that are not invasive and will be destructive to your garden.
Selection of Wildflower to Enjoy in your Garden
- Echinacea or Purple Cone Flower - Your garden will be filled with a variety of colours in pink, purple and white. They are drought-tolerant with very little water required to sustain them and they will be in bloom in the during the middle of summer. A great attraction for butterflies and bees.
- Prairie Crocus- Create a blend of colours in yellow, white and purple by choosing these plants which will bloom in early spring.
- Snow Glories – These plants will add to your ground cover to create a blanket of purple bluish hue and will bloom early spring.
- Arctic Poppy- Enhance your garden space with these flowers that bloom with colours of orange, white, red and yellow.
- Bee Balm – Flowers in shades of red, pink, and purple and is a great attraction for bees and other pollinators.
- Black-Eyed Susan- Known for its bright yellow colour and dark center blooming in the summer and is a wonderful attraction for butterflies and other pollinators.
- Alpine Paintbrush- A Plant with bright pink to reddish colour to create a splash to any garden.
- White Baby’s Breath ( Gypsophila Paniculata ) Makes an excellent border and used by many florist as part of their floral arrangement especially in bouquets to enhance and as a fill in which looks beautiful. Their beautiful white flowers are to be admired by all. A drought-tolerant plant that can survive well even in poor soil. Makes a great addition that compliments other pants in your garden space. Expect the plant to bloom in the middle of summer or the latter part.
- Pink Petticoat Columbine ( Aquilegia Vulgaris ) Showcases beautiful pink flowers with its unique pattern in pleats like a skirt well designed. This flowing plant will be sure to get your attention with this unique styled pattern. It works very well for the garden adding textures, style and is an excellent complement for the other plants. It blooms in late spring or in early summer.
- Yarrow ( Archillea Millefolium ) A drought-tolerant plant with vibrant colours of yellow, red, yellow, orange, pink and white. Your garden will be filled with the fragrance from this plant. It is quite beneficial to your garden attracting insects and butterflies to help with pollination. They have been known to repel pests from the garden.
The Design of the Garden
Design a layout of what you would like to see. Making a sketch on paper will help to arrange the plants by height, colour and bloom time. The internet has been a useful tool with this and there are sometimes free templates to get you started with your design. Once this is done select the area where the plants will be located. Next select the specie of plant that you have considered. Your planning should incorporate a blend of colours and different textures and height considerations to create diversity in the space. There is always the option to ask your local garden centers for some recommendations in making the right choices. You may choose to incorporate other plants or ponds, birdbath, benches and other features that you would enjoy in the space.
Preparing the Space
Prepare the space as you would for your regular garden by clearing away debris, stones or anything that can cause the growth of these plants to be obstructed. A good blend of soil mix. Plant according to package or if using seeds sew as instructed also remembering height and it is also best to incorporate other plants with these wildflowers to create colour and textures. Not all plants will bloom at the same time, it is recommended to create a schedule to make the timing of these plants efficient to bloom at different seasons. Allowing the garden to be continuously blooming with an array of colours and smells from the space. Also, you will observe that some wildflowers will not need to be planted year after year as they will seed into the same space to give you addition plants for the next year.
Some maintenance will be necessary. By pruning and removing the dead flowers. It will also be essential as your garden becomes an attraction for birds and other insect, they will be weeds that will also need to be removed and this can be done by using natural weed removers or by hand which is sometime the best way to avoid disruption of the root system and also to prevent any accidents from spaying plants that should not be done. It is also good exercise that keeps the body fit. Gardening is one of the best ways to spend time with nature breathing in the fresh air which is a healthy alternative to staying indoors frequently. Spending time in this beautiful environment gives one a sense of peace and tranquility.
The Benefits of Creating the Right Habitat for Wildlife
As your plants begin to grow in their new environment begin to observe which pollinators are visiting. If your space has now increased with more birds, butterflies, bees and other insects there is a good chance that you have selected the right plants that they are attracted to. Your garden is now rich and buzzing with a variety of pollinators and that means it is effective in providing a good food source, shelter and the necessary means which they need for their survival.
Not only are you helping to provide the food source, but they are visiting your gardening and helping to expand your food supply by pollinating your garden to enhance your space and the production of your fruits and vegetable. It would be interesting to note if you did a before and after check to see how much your production has increased with the assistance of these visitors. I am sure you will notice the increase over time. What you have engaged in is a balance in the food chain supply and helping with the environment.
Maintaining your Garden
To maintain any garden requires some effort on your part even though you have invested in some drought-tolerant plants there is some care that is required. Taking a hands-on approach and getting involved with pruning, removing dead branches and flowers so the plant is able to be revived.
The garden must have the essential requirements for adequate growth which includes water, sunshine and the removal of pests which unfortunately you will encounter at some stage in the growing cycle. If this is your experience with pests sometimes isolation of the plant will work or a natural pest control. If this is an impossible situation then you may have to remove the entire plant to avoid contamination. Also, you will also notice seeds and seedling which will appear, and these can be collected and replanted in the next season. The garden in this way will be in a complete cycle of continuous reproduction. Continuing with regular maintenance is essential for producing a health atmosphere for you and for the garden space.
Sharing your Space with Family and Friends
Once the atmosphere has been created it is time for you to sit and enjoy the space with your loved ones. There is nothing more enjoyable than creating something for you and others to enjoy. Create opportunities to relax with others, inspire others in the space to join you in helping with the environment and teaching others about the benefits of having your own garden space from which you are able to harvest from these plants. A good lesson can be learned about the role that insects and birds play in the assistance of our own food supply. It gives us a glimpse into their natural habitat and each day from your own observation you will learn more about how they function even as the season change.
The Significance of Engaging in Preservation
Recognizing that we have been given a beautiful world to live in is significant and helps us to understand that conservation is an important factor in handing this over to the next generation. We have been given many opportunities to make meaningful changes if we took the time to implement changes to our own lifestyle by conservation. Using different methods to conserve water making use of rainwater, practicing urban gardening, trying new methods of sustainable gardening by choosing to use vertical gardening if necessary. Making use of unused land space, Community outreach programs with community gardens. This is certainly a start to conservation.
We are aware of the dangers of using chemicals in on our food supply. Let us try to find better methods of getting rid of pests by using natural products that aids in the conservation of our society or consider companion gardening which helps to deter some pests. This will reduce the need to use pesticides in the food supply chain. Mulching has been known to help to control weeds by supressing their growth also and helps with maintaining the soil moisture. This method helps to conserve the amount of water required to irrigate crops.
The benefits of having a wildlife garden are beneficial especially with the people migrating to urban areas due to jobs and the attraction of urban life. It is this migration that has caused developers to engage in building more condominiums which many are attracted to. The need to invest in more sustainable garden is essential. If more rooftop gardens were a part of the investment in this example outdoor spaces would be transformed into an oasis to foster more wildlife where we all could benefit from this exchange between plants and animals.
Let us take the time to engage ourselves and others in the preservation of our habitat. If we were to study history to see how our ancestors lived, we will realize that if they had not taken the time to preserve what they had we would not be here to enjoy what they have left behind. These principles have been able to become beneficial to us and even today some of their practices have been handed down from generation to generation. Let us take some time to learn and to invest and to comprehend more about our plants and animals. We can both learn from each other how to live with each other so we can live in a thriving ecosystem with both plants and animals.