![]() I may have gone overboard with plant diversity - So far I have put in seven different native small trees/shrubs, plus two more low-growing shrubs. I also lost several of the native perennials, and had to move some that weren’t doing well where first planted. But another red flowering currant in the front that replaced a hydrangea bush has grown tremendously and flowered profusely this spring. Not everything I planted lived or thrived - I lost two red flowering currant bushes in the back yard. I have also added non-native flowering plants that are good pollen and nectar sources for insects and hummingbirds. Birds use the trees, Photinias, and boxwood hedges for shelter and possibly nesting sites. The azalea and rhododendron blooms also can provide nectar. In May they are covered with small white blooms that bees love. Even though these trees and shrubs don’t provide as much wildlife support as natives would, they do have some value. Plus mature European Varigated Boxwood hedges that line both sides of the walk to the front deck, and some commercial azalea and rhododendron bushes. Not everything in the yard has to be native - I inherited a Kousa Dogwood, a red Japanese Maple, and several tall Photinia shrubs – all Asian. with volunteer sunflowers that grew from errant seeds from the bird feeder. I took out the grass the hard way, cutting out pieces of sod and prizing them up, rather than smothering the grass and waiting for it to die.įront flowerbed with transplanted Common Yarrow, Pearly Everlasting, Black-eyed Susan, Oregon Sunshine, and Douglas Aster. In the front yard I replaced lawn with a flowerbed around a bird feeder, and dug out all the grass around a dogwood tree to install various shrubs, perennials, ferns and a small wildflower patch. Now my entire back yard is grass-free, replaced with various flowering shrubs, perennials, clover and reseeding annuals, along with sword ferns. So I have been ordering, planting, and gradually reducing more lawn area. I am lucky that the Willamette Valley’s climate is great for growing, and that there is a wonderful native plant nursery in Eugene, Doak Creek, which has a large inventory and delivers orders to my house. They installed two serviceberry trees and an ocean spray bush (both native), but I have done the rest of the planting. ![]() The first spring I had a eco-savvy landscaping company remove the grass along a strip in front and in one part of the backyard, install a gravel and stone walkway, and cover the ground with good soil and compost. The side yard shown above in December 2021, before landscaping and planting - non-native grass with little habitat value. ![]() When I moved in, most of the yard, front and back, was non-native grass that needed mowing and was poor habitat for wildlife. In accordance with Tallamy’s urging, I have significantly reduced the area of lawn around my house. So, what have I done so far, and what have I learned? I have been transforming my small urban yard (only about 3500 sq ft of planting space) for two summers now, following as best I can the precepts of Doug Tallamy’s Homegrown National Park movement ( /.), plus information on websites promoting planting native species to foster native wildlife, such as the Xerces Society’s Pollinator Conservation Program ( /.) and the National Wildlife Federation’s Garden for Wildlife ( ). The plants in my garden in Eugene are going to sleep for the winter, as are the bees and other insects that visited my blooms this summer. It’s November, cool and rainy in Western Oregon. ![]()
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