Your wildlife garden design will depend on your space and existing plants and trees. No two gardens will be the same. In a suburban area, like my neighborhood, it’s a given that the houses have lawns and some trees. Some plants do well in some areas, some in others.
Because of this, there really isn’t a blueprint plan for wildlife garden. I am no landscape designer, but there are some basic considerations that help a lot in planning your wildlife garden.
Plants for a Wild Garden
In considering in designing your wildlife garden, remember that it should include different kinds of plants to serve different purposes.
- Shrubs and bushes to provide cover, nesting opportunities, and possibly fruit or seeds for wildlife.
- Flowers to attract birds, butterflies, bees, and other pollinators. Also to provide nectar for hummingbirds.
- Trees for cover and nesting opportunities.
Something else to consider in your wildlife garden design is that you’ll want some evergreen plants for winter, as well as plants that provide food sources at different times of the year. For example, a holly plant produces berries in the cold winter months.
The Habitat Network has this nifty interactive feature that will tell you what plants provide food for different types of birds.
Use plants native to your area as much as possible. These are, after all, part of wildlife’s natural habitat. But also, because these plants are native to your area, they will perform the best. For example, there’s no use in me trying to grow flowers from an English garden in the intense Central Texas heat. Native plants also require less water, which is important for conservation.
Definitely consider planting native wildflowers. They are beautiful and require little maintenance. And they attract lots of butterflies and hummingbirds.
Adding milkweed is a must! This is the sole source of food for Monarch caterpillars, so if you want to bring these beauties to your wild garden and support the threatened Monarch butterfly, make sure to include plenty of milkweed.
Wildlife Garden Design
One of the best ways to get started is to draw your yard on graph paper. Include all existing plants and structures. Analyze the spaces. Where might you add a bed? A shrub? Where could a water feature go?
Areas of Interest
When planning your garden, think about creating areas of interest. If you have a larger space, you can break up the areas with “rooms.” Place a bird bath in one area, perhaps framed by a shrub or two and some smaller complementary plants.
A butterfly garden could be a bed of butterfly attracting flowers and a bench for viewing.
Or a room might be an amphibian area with a toad house and a ground water source such as a pond. Another room might be a stand of beneficial insect attracting plants and an insect hotel.
The possibilities are endless!
Layer Plants
In the natural world, plants grow in layers. There are tall and short trees. There are shrubs and smaller annuals and perennials. Finally, there is ground cover and vines. Including plants of varying heights is important because different animals have different needs. Rabbits need shrubs for cover. Some birds prefer tall trees, some shrubs and shorter trees. Frogs and toads need ground cover and vines. Planted with proportion in mind, this also gives the garden visual appeal.
Think Color
Hummingbirds love the color red, along with yellow, orange, pink, and purple. We have some yucca plants that the hummingbirds just love.
On the other hand, red discourages bees, so you’ll want to be sure to provide other plants of varying colors. They are especially attracted to yellow.
And just because you are designing for wildlife, that doesn’t mean you can’t keep yourself in mind too. What colors do you love?
Be Creative
Consider sprinkling some herbs among your flowers. Herbs are great for cooking, of course, but they also help attract beneficial insects, which help control all those baddies we don’t want. They smell good too! You might try dill, coriander, sweet alyssum, nasturtium (not sure if this is exactly an herb), and/or borage. It’ll spice up your garden! (Pun intended.) The caterpillar of the gorgeous black swallowtail butterfly happens to love dill.
You could also plant a specific crop to attract beneficial insects. I just planted a bag of Uncle Dave’s Good Bug Habitat Mix along the edges of my vegetable garden. You could even use these to create a border for another area of interest.
Not everything has to go in the ground, by the way. Plants in decorative pots can add variety and beauty. I did this with my hibiscus and Mandevilla. I love the flowers on these plants so much, but they won’t winter well in my area. This way, I can bring them in when the temperatures dip to freezing.
Hardware
Birdhouses
Although it might seem like the place to put them, birdhouses placed in trees can provide easy access for predators. The best way to place a birdhouse is on a pole with a baffle around the base of it. The NestWatch site says that it’s not only cats and squirrels that may go after birds’ eggs, but also snakes, raccoons, and even fire ants!
Birds also prefer their nest boxes to be in a sunny location.
Bird Feeders
Place bird feeders near shrubs or trees, which will allow birds cover and a place to perch while they wait their turn to dine.
Be sure to keep bird feeders clean to avoid spreading disease. Wet seed can go bad quickly! Disinfect regularly with a 10 percent bleach solution. And always throw out wet seed and clean the feeder afterward.
Check out my recommendation for the best bird seed here.
Insect Hotels
You can buy one or make one yourself. If you choose to buy one, be sure to get one in which you can remove or replace the parts. Mason bee tubes need to be cleaned or replaced each season.
The CrownBees company offers all kinds of supplies for Mason and leafcutter bees.
Toad Abodes
Toads are great for eating bugs in your yard. If they make you a bit squeamish, not to worry! They’re usually out only in the evenings and early mornings, so unless you’re looking, you won’t see them much. I happen to think they are adorable!
Toad houses are super easy to make. I made this one from a clay pot.
Make sure to include a water source nearby. Toads love a soak on a hot night!
As easy and simple as they are to make, there are so many cute ones on the market. Unlike the insect hotels, which are often not that practical if you buy them, I don’t know of any such issues with toad homes. They vary quite a bit in price too.
I love this one on Amazon because it’s cute and comes with a bath:
Butterfly Puddlers
Puddling isn’t just a way for butterflies to get a drink, it also supplies butterflies with nutrients found in the ground.
Butterfly puddlers are also super easy to make. Just get a shallow dish–could be a glass pie pan or a clay pot drainage tray, fill with sand and a few rocks, then add water. Voila!
Here is the one I made (yes, my sign needs to be repainted!):
And just like with the toad houses, there are some super cute ones for sale like this one:
You can see there are lots of ways to design your wildlife garden. You can truly make it your own one of a kind wildlife haven. The only thing you absolutely have to do is have fun doing it!