I have an overgrown yard with invasive, so this is an ongoing project.  I plan to get the plants I have in the ground and till an  area for a wildflower meadow and plant a seed mix. I need to plan the rest of my strategy and do a series of experiments with different naturescaping techniques.

I have three areas where I’m planting natives. I’ve created a map of everything in the gardens now with a key. I have a list of native plants that I’m going to add in May after the ground has thawed. I’m adding some of the same plants that I have in the gardens to create groupings. I’m also adding new plants to add color and diversity. I’m anxious to see how the natives that I’ve put in the gardens the last two years are doing after the cold winter. I’m going to make some changes to my bird feeding area to make the feeders and the poles more secure and I’m going to add a bird bath with moving water. I’ve had lots of birds visiting all year long and it’s been very rewarding.

Planting more natives on the septic field and continuing to pull out the invasives. Fill in-between spaces with natives and increase the ground covers. Continue pulling out the non-native pachysandra - that will be a multi-year project.

Divide and transplant some natives to share around the garden. Continue to start natives from seed. Prep several new beds for fall planting, especially shrubs.

One big challenge is that the rabbits preferentially survive on the native plants in the winter. They have girdled a few young trees and munch back the shrubs to stubs, even though I try to protect them as much as possible.  As most gardens around me are covered in grass and some non-native shrubs, our garden has become the reliable food-source. Although the natives are pretty resilient, it becomes a bit challenging (and expensive), to constantly replace trees and shrubs that have been damaged beyond repair.  However, we will continue with our mission to provide a bird-friendly space.

More sheet mulching lawn to transition to native plants.

Revising an existing bed that has lost its way. I will try some new natives that suit a sunny, dry location. The common milkweed already there will remain.

Monitoring other existing native plant beds to see if they are coming along as is or whether they need some adjustment. Always on the lookout for interlopers (weeds/invasives) that don't belong.

Sometimes, I do need to move plants to a better location and try something different. That has worked well for some- the winterberry much prefers the sunny spot I found for it.

Always something to do but just watching the garden grow is a real joy. This fall the goldfinches and white throated sparrows have been all over the agastache and rudbeckia.

My go-to resource is the Native Plant Trust in Framingham, MA. They have a really good website, classes, and garden center in the spring and summer. Also, a local shop called Blue Stem Natives in Norwell. Plants at both are often local ecotypes.

• Two main issues we have with our plantings are:

We see a pretty plant and want it rather than finding a spot in the yard for a native plant and putting in the best plant for that location!  So hard to resist especially when seasonal beauties are out, but so many impulsively purchased plants do not thrive.

The second thing we often have trouble with is giving the plants enough space.  It often looks too sparse so a gardener might fill in the space - BUT that cheats the thriving native you may have in place.

At this point in time; we’d like to add Gray Goldenrod & Eastern Blueberry to our 6b zone landscaping.

I need to do some more weeding.  Winter is coming so it is a good time to  plant but my space is left is limited.  I may let the volunteer Red Oak be.  It is close to the house but by the time it is big it won't be my problem anymore.   I could trim it at some point.  Surprisingly the fall Warblers like my mature Red Maple.  I wonder what is drawing them to it as they pass through.  The serviceberry(Amelanchier arborea) is a sapling and will hopefully make it through the winter.  The one Balsam(Canaan) Fir has completely perished in these last two late summer droughts.  The serviceberry is a hopeful replacement.

I have 25 feet along my foundation and want to plant bushes in back then I'm thinking a row of annual flowers in front. I'm thinking ones that I can collect seeds from in the fall and leave all the rest for the birds.

The strip of garden alongside the driveway was underused. The soil there is very rich and there is no grass. Perfect place for gardening for wildlife. I put in a pea-gravel path down the middle so that I easily tend to all the plants.  After that, I planted Black-Eyed Susan, Stokes Aster, Beebalm, and Cardinal Flower. I already had Cone Flowers, Sunflowers, and a different type of Cardinal Lobelia. I already have Beauty Berry, quince, jewell weed, sedum, turtlehead, false indigo, bay leaf. I would really like to add more berries and fruit sources for birds in my Silver Spring, Maryland, environment.

I’ve been working on my bird friendly yard for about 20 years but constantly find more to do. I just removed weigelia and spirea shrubs from a big island bed in the sunniest spot on my property. I put up a fence and devoted the interior of the space to a tomato garden but am creating narrow native wildflower beds along the exterior of the fence. I just installed the first one, which includes two types of goldenrod, cardinal flower, pale coneflowers, false aster, iron weed, hyssop, native geranium, germander, and a tall golden glow rudbeckia. I started all the plants from seed, winter sowing any that needed cold stratification in milk jugs. I planted densely to crowd out weeds and plan to edit later if needed. I’m also working on a hedgerow of small native trees and shrubs. One project that’s been frustrating for years is a little meadow patch I’ve tried to get established. That part of the yard is browsed heavily by deer and disturbed by squirrels and wild turkeys, who come through like a huge flock of chickens and rip out all the vegetation. I’d like to get some goldenrods, iron weed, rudbeckia, and mountain mint established. Haven’t given up yet but am getting close!

After several weeks, I’ve gotten all the plants I’ve purchased or ordered into the ground. In the mailbox garden left by the previous homeowner, I removed most of the non-ative shrubs and perennials and replaced them with all native plants. I have woody shrubs, perennials that will bloom at various times of the year, decorative grasses, and groundcover around the perimeter. It’s a true pollinator garden now, and as the plants grow and spread, should be very productive for both birds and insects. I also bordered my walk with spreading native perennials, and cleared a circle of lawn to make another small “feature” garden.

In the backyard the garden I planted atop the septic tank is filling in. It still needs plants around the perimeter, but I haven’t found the species I want at a reasonable price. The plants that are in are doing well. I also have six trees in tubes, several shrubs that will grow large enough to provide a thicket, and some native perennials and sedges planted in the shaded areas to function as both groundcover and ornament. There is still a lot to be done there, but already the plants I’ve added are making a difference.

I am looking for plants that are very low maintenance and will attract birds to my yard (9B). I noticed that the databases for plant nurseries is pretty far from my home. They have has to be closer nurseries.

I have a nice mix of perennials and annuals around the house. I like the idea of grouping them in threes so when I add more I plan to try that.  I am enjoying learning which  plants are native to my area and what I might add to attract birds and butterflies. I want to expand what I call my “butterfly garden” and make it a true nature scape area by eliminating the invasive non-native plants and replace them with others that I learned would be a good choice based on my yard and zone: cardinal flower, blazing star and smooth penstemon (for hummingbirds . I also want to add some Goldenrod and wild geraniums out back by my milkweed.  I enjoyed the worksheet as it helped me think through what birds and insects might want instead of adding just what I thought was pretty.  Some of the boxes on the sheets include items I had not considered (and need to study more). Looking at the list of Bird Academy Favorite plants for my area I have a nice start with my cone flowers, blue flag Iris and my neighbor’s purple flowering raspberries (almost in our back yard) but I want to add Salix discolor  (I need to read up and see if I have what it needs) and blue vervain. I am on my way . . . but always more to learn.  The guides, links and photos provided in this course are a huge help. Thank You.

I bought coral honeysuckle to climb up my deck posts today and plan to add some bayberry bushes in a cluster in an unused space. Long term plan is to create a water feature with moving water. I love all the native plant links and resources.  I'll be referencing them often. I'm a 5th grade teacher and we are moving to a new building in 2025.  My plan is to have my students design a native plants garden for the new school and I will use resources from this course to guide them in the design & planning process.

     

NATIVE PLANTS / Wish List:

 ZONE: 9a 

NATIVE HERBACEOUS:

• Ruellia simplex


• Lobelia laxiflora

   

NATIVE PLANTS / Wish List:

 ZONE: 9a 

NATIVE HERBACEOUS:

• Aquilegia chrysantha


• Satureja montana


• Penstemon roseus

     

NATIVE PLANTS / Wish List:

ZONE: 9a

NATIVE SALVIAS:

• Salvia involucrata


• Salvia elegans

 

NATIVE PLANTS / Wish List:

ZONE: 9a

Project: Biodiverse Garden with species that flower and produce nectar and pollen to attract pollinators such as hummingbirds, bees, butterflies, and many other insects by offering them food. In addition, these species also offer shelter and resting places.

NATIVE SALVIAS:

• Salvia coccinea


• Salvia dychlamis


• Salvia longystila

Again, great resources here! I'll be using them all.

There are so many beautiful photos in the class that I wish I had a bigger yard!  I don't have a lot of room so most of my flowers end up in pots.  I'm trying to do more natives for the birds.  I have a raised bed vegetable garden and find the finches perching on my tomato cages.  I'm sure it's much cooler for them and they are very welcome to anything in the garden, especially the bugs!

While I have had a large, native plant garden for fifteen years, I am always excited to add on to it. I feel the garden is always growing, evolving and, hopefully, becoming a better habitat space every year. This year I will be adding a space for pokeweed which is a berry-producing producing bird favorite.

I've just gotten in touch with a local native plant nursery and am excited to start looking at what I can plant! I have a friend who shares some of these low-maintenance native gardening goals so we're planning to split some orders (better deals on blueberry plants if you buy 5, etc.)

I'm hoping to plant lots of berries and fruits that birds and pollinators will enjoy--beach plums, blueberries, viburnums are all strong contenders. I also want some evergreen shrubs, so I've been looking at inkberry holly, rhododendrons, and mountain laurel for the shadier portions of my front yard.

It's hard to be patient!  To slow myself down, I'm planning to see what I'm most drawn to from my list when I visit the nursery in person, ask some questions, and then start with 1-2 bigger shrubs that can anchor that area. I've also seen some great variety packs of native plants that are tailored to specific growing conditions, so I might try some of those to lean on what experts have already figured out for me!

I am excited to take out non native plants and create a wildlife area in my backyard. I have noticed with the changing seasons that my yard gets different areas of sun depending on the slant of the light. I also don't want to have to cover anything again during a cold snap. Birds coming to the yard and I would like to add places for butterflies.

I want to add more wildflowers. My daughter planted coneflower last year but I don't know if that will come back. I've put in a couple of rabbiteye blueberries but I am not sure if they will survive. I would like to pull out some old scraggly, leggy shrubs and add highbush blueberries near our front steps. I have some beautyberry that is doing well and would like to add more. For the past couple of years I have been thinking about adding some native flame azaleas but I never find them at the plant sales - they sell out very quickly here. Hopefully our bee balm comes back again this year. I also need to figure out a native ground cover to put it that can replace the invasive ivy and liriope that I am trying to remove.

One thing, i want, is ornamental flower pots, rather than just basic pots. Not just plastic ones, nor basic clay. Pots that give a quality look. Maybe painted  plant/flower pots, of HQ material, with patterns ?