How To Make A Backyard Wildlife Habitat

It is really quite easy to have a backyard wildlife habitat . There are some main steps to follow which will be outlined below. The National Wildlife Federation has encouraged folks to get their backyards certified with them as wildlife habitats and if you apply for this distinction, you will receive a certificate. Better yet, you can order a plaque that you can display in your yard.

To create a certifed wildlife habitat you will need to have 4 main elements. You can find these in more detail at www.nationalwildlifefederation.org where you can also apply for certification.

The 4 main elements your habitat is required to have are:
1. Food
2. Shelter
3. Water
4. Places to roost/raise the young ones

Accomplishing this will require a variety and combination of trees, bushes, nectar rich flowers, birdhouses, birdbaths and birdfeeders. It's a good idea to place a few birdbaths in strategic places. Birdhouses need to be at different heights for different birds. Same goes for birdfeeders .
A variety of different seeds are available that attract different birds. As a tip-squirrels do not like safflower seeds. Plus, some bird are ground feeders while others prefer to be several feet above ground. It's beginning to sound like birds are fairly picky and I do believe they are. However, they are a wonder to watch. And by adding these outdoor accessories, your yard takes on a whole different feel.

This is just a sampling of ideas for you to get your backyard habitat certified. It actually is quite an honor as there are under 200,000 in the U.S. Not many considering how many there could be. Are you going to be one of those unique people?

Let me know how it goes. Would love to hear your comments.

ADDING GARDEN ACCENTS

Adding garden decor and yard accents to your landscape design can transform a ho-hum garden spot into a beautiful work of art. This also allows you to use more of your creative, unique personality. By adding a birdbath, sundial, solar lights, figurines/statutes or other outdoor decor,
your garden can take on a new life.

Water features, such as birdbaths, water fountains or ponds, not only adds a focal point, they also provide water for birds and sometimes other critters. Running water especially is a good way to attract birds. Plus, they are quite entertaining when they're splashing around.

Well placed outdoor sundials will always have others looking and trying to figure out if they really do keep time.

Some of people's favorites are garden figurines and statues. Pictured are a few different ways to use within your garden spot.








Make your own glazing ball from an old bowling ball by just painting it and putting it on a stand or just within your flower bed. Or use rocks to add just that right touch that pulls your garden spot together.

For more ideas on garden decor take a gander at what other gardeners are using in their gardens and yard. You can literally create you very own outdoor oasis by accessorizing.

What's your favorite way of using garden decor?

Bring In The Hummingbirds

From their tiny size, to the way they can hover in mid air and eat at the same time, hummingbirds have to be by far the most fascinating birds there are. Having these little feathery visitors to your garden spot is exciting and provides wonderful entertainment watching them flitter and swoop.

Getting hummingbirds to visit your garden takes some planning, especially in choosing plants and flowers. Hummers are attracted to colorful and nectar rich flowers. They use an incredible amount of energy per day and need sugar rich food that comes from nectar. They also like to eat insects which are often abundant in any garden. A mixture of annuals and perennials offers a wide variety of flowers to choose from. Below are just some of the choices you have that are magnets for these little birds.

One of the most popular is the trumpet vine because of the tubular shape of the flowers, the color (red or reddish orange) and the nectar. Hummers will spend a good deal of time going from flower to flower, then leave only to return later. Pictured is a honeysuckle vine growing next to a fence, which is similar to the trumpet vine but much more of a creeper. Consider bright red petunias (annuals) to accent the taller vines. Columbine is another popular flower that comes in different colors and also has the tubular flower and abundant nectar. Pictured is just one of the many colors available.

Delphiums, hollyhocks , bee balm, lobelia, cardinal vine, rose of Sharon, fuschia and butterfly bushes all attract the little hummers. Be sure to pick flowers, plants, vines and bushes that vary when they bloom and for how long. Hummers tend to arrive in April and stay around well into September in zone 5 and longer in the southern zones. So it very important that they have a constant source of food.

Placing hummingbird feeders in the garden and throughout your landscape design will also provide more food sources. Be sure to keep the sugar water fresh especially when it's very warm outside. You can also put up a window feeder and you can bet they will use it! Watching them sit on the little perch while they (and you) eat or just flitter and eat is a real treat.

As you can tell, you can design an entire garden spot just for the hummingbirds and butterflies as they are nectar lovers as well. Be sure to accessorize with some bright garden accents to help pull your design together. Plus, you have the added benefit of being the envy of the neighborhood for the beauty you created in your flower garden.

A Berm- What Is it and Why Have One?

A berm is a mound or hill of dirt that is useful not only in landscape designs but also has varying purposes. Berms are built in different sizes and formations depending on what they are used for. For example, they can be used to redirect the flow of water, to prevent run off into a lake or stream, or to add a unique feature to the landscape. Berms built along busy roads as noise barriers are truly functional and appealing as well.

For the purpose of landscape design, berms add height to an otherwise flat landscape and offer an alternative garden spot. Micheal Glassman in his article on berms outlines the steps to building them. Glassman also provides some very good info on definition and location.

Pictured are berms in progress which are used not only to create height to the landscape but also to prevent run off into the lake. By accessorizing berms with garden decor, the entire landscape design of each garden spot flows together.

Do-It-Yourself Garden Design

Designing a garden is a work of art even if you think your aren't creative. It is not difficult to plan your very own garden if you follow a few recommended tips. Gardens actually reflect our personalities in many different ways and that will come across as your garden evolves. You are always in control of your garden spot so have fun with it and experiment.

1. Find a space that will showcase your garden and will also enhance the unity of your entire landscape. Use a garden hose, a rope or something similar to outline where, what shape and how big you want your garden to be. Then step back and visualize how and if that "fits." Experiment with different sizes, shapes and places. Now decide if you are going to border it with field stones, landscaping stone, landscaping timbers, etc. With this option, you can have a raised or mounded garden spot. If you decide not to border, you can still have a mound like effect.

2. Start digging--this is by far the most fun part! Install the border if you are having a raised bed.






3. Decide what kind of plants and bushes you want. If you are like most amateur gardeners, you may not know the names of plants and bushes yet, but you know what they look like. Go take a look around at others' gardens. Ask questions about plants. Go to your local nursery and browse. Ask some more questions. You are looking for different color schemes and different sizes as far as height and width. It's very important to know how much the plants spread, because some plants can be very invasive and take over your garden. Also, it's best not to fill up your garden spot as that will begin happening as the plants/bushes mature. It is really a matter of taste as how much to put in the garden.

4. Prepare the soil for planting by mixing compost with good topsoil. If you want to control weeds, using landscape fabric is very helpful (although you'll still have some weeds come up). Note: you can put the fabric down now or after you plant. Next, place your plants while still in pots in the spots you think they look best, rearranging if need be.You are now ready to plant. The majority of plants you purchase from a nursery/garden store will have instructions. Once you dig the hole at the recommended depth, it's a good idea to add a fertilizer like bone meal to the empty hole and run some water, letting it soak in. Place the plant (without the pot, of course) in the hole. While holding it straight, start filling the hole with some dirt, pushing the dirt firmly down around the plant so there are no air pockets. Once the plant is in the ground, step carefully around the plant to press the soil in. Immediately, water each plant/bush thoroughly.

5. If you're using one, place your border around the garden plot and then mulch to cover the entire area as that helps keep the moisture in and the weeds controlled. Don't be stingy with the mulch! You want at least 3-5 inches.

Now, step back and admire your almost completed masterpiece! A touch of garden decor enhances the garden spot. A well placed sundial, figurine/statue, suncatcher, birdbath, lighting, even rocks or boulders can be used to add that extra touch that unites the landscape design.

Once you have become comfortable with these tips, you will be able to modify. Gardens are a work in progress and can be rearranged, made bigger or smaller, added to, subtracted from. Though the basics are fairly well universal, your garden is your unique creation. Enjoy it!