CRITTER-SCAPING

by

Sharon Lovejoy

If the word "gardening" conjures up images of endless days of weeding, spraying for aphids, poisoning pests, baiting for slugs and battling nature, it is time for you to change that image. Gardening is the most earth friendly and positive thing you can do for the world. Think of gardening as the classroom of life, the teacher of the whole process of life and death, the teacher of respect for life, and the teacher of responsibility and consequences. Think of your garden as a haven for you, for the children, and for all of the critters that fly or walk or hop in for a visit.

In order to provide a haven for birds, butterflies, bugs, bats and bees, you will need shelter from the wind (provided by walls, fences, hedgerows, trees), a variety of habitats, ground covers to mid-range shrubs, vines (these are very important for nesting birds, caterpillars and bats), trees, water (dripping fountains attract myriads of wildlife), birdbaths, and a pond...even a tiny one is magical.

Plants for the critters:

Hummingbirds and butterflies love the salvias. Plant leucantha , Greggii , elegans (commonly known as pineapple and important because in mild climates it flowers from October to April, a time when hummers need nectar)and spathacea (called hummingbird sage). Hummingbirds favor the Abutilon species and both hummers and butterflies can be found sipping at buddleia, cape honeysuckle, zauschneria (California native fuchsia), Fuchsia sp., Bee balm (monarda ), native columbine, heuchera (coral bells), hound's tongue, pink flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum glutinosum ), Grevillea , single hollyhocks, varieties of sunflowers such as Autumn Beauty or Velvet Queen, Penstemon, bottlebrush, butterfly weed (Asclepias ), Joe-Pye weed, coreopsis, lupines, phlox, sedums, verbenas, Lantana, and Veronicas. Spend quiet timeobserving what the hummers and butterflies visit.

Plant berry bearing plants to provide food for thrushes, robins, cedar waxwings, quail and numerous others. I suggest elderberries, shadblow, serviceberry, Juneberry, black cherry, chokecherry, huckleberries, buckthorns, dogwoods, (not the Cornus kousa ), wild roses, blackberry, cotoneaster, blueberry, crabapples, holly, hawthorn, snowberry, and viburnums.

Many plants provide valuable seeds for the birds. When you're thinking of seed, sunflowers are probably the first thing to pop into your mind. Sunflower seeds are loved by the birds, but there are many others that are important to smaller species of birds such as goldfinches. Here are some wonderful plants to provide seeds for your visiting friends: Alyssum, amaranth, aster, bachelor's buttons, black-eyed Susan, coreopsis, cosmos, dill, flax, forget-me-nots, impatiens, marigolds (old fashioned Calendula are the best), ox-eye daisy, phlox, yarrow, and zinnia.

Planting your garden with an eye and heart towards the critters won't do any good if you use poisons and baits. Often a daily hosing or spraying will rid your plants of aphids. Safer produces soap based sprays that act as dessicants to the aphids and will not harm critters. Recently I released thousands of lady bugs into my gardens to help with an aphid problem. It worked!

Snail or slug problem? Bury lids (mayonnaise jar, pie tin, etc.) at ground level and fill to the rim with beer. The snail's weakness for beer is their undoing. Go out in the night and pick out snails and dispose of them. For slugs I simply lay halves of grapefruits, cut side down, on the ground. The slugs take refuge in the nice, moist grapefruit environment, and dispose of them.

Earwigs a problem? Keep debris clear from the stem of your plants. Actually it has been scientifically proven that earwigs eat dozens of even less desirable garden pests. Take the good with the bad. Have ants in your garden? Good, they are aerating your soil. If ants are a problem for you, just lay down a line of powdered cinnamon; they do not like cinnamon.

Remember NOT to poison bait for snails. Ground feeding birds, such as towhees and quail, look at the little chunks of bait and think it is supper. It is. It is their LAST SUPPER.

Take time to mulch your garden beds. Save those valuable clippings and leaves, either compost or shred them, and add them directly to the beds. Start a worm box or bin so that you can top beds with worms and castings. A layer of mulch not only conserves moisture, but constantly breaks down into rich humus for the soil. It also provides a habitat for beneficial insects, toads, and frogs who will do their best to rid your garden of unwelcome guests.

Dig a pond! Yes, you can do it...just DO IT. Outline the shape of your pond with string and set aside a few minutes a day to dig. You'll be shocked at how quickly you accomplish your work. Line the empty hole with an old carpet or carpet pad, cover with a pond liner (usually a thick plastic), and line the edges with soil and rocks (you're covering the harsh edge). Fill with water and make sure to use some sort of a dechlorinator if you use city water.

Set pots of chosen plants in the pond (there are many catalogues for water plants), catch a few frogs, and drop in a few mosquito fish. Now sit back, wait, and watch. My guess is that within the first few hours of your pond's existence you will be visited by birds, dragonflies, damselflies, and perhaps a thirsty squirrel or chipmunk. If you're a city dweller you will be an oasis...the damselflies, dragonflies, butterflies, and birds will find you.

Garden friendly and you will find that you have lots of friends in your garden!

Joyous Garden Pleasures!

Copyright 1996, Sharon Lovejoy