A Landscape To Attract Wild Creatures

Nothing brings a garden to life more than living things — desirable living things, that is. The sight and sound of birds is particularly appealing and easy to arrange. But you can also invite butterflies, chipmunks, and beneficial insects to your landscape. What brings creatures into a garden are plants — and certain plants bring certain creatures.

Following are a few general points to keep in mind when you want your garden to attract different types of life:

• Strive for diversity in your plant selection. This concept may conflict with a designer’s approach to unity, but for this plan, a variety of plants means a greater chance of attracting a variety of wild creatures.
• Provide a year-round supply of water, such as a pond or bird bath.
• Grow plants that are native to your region. These should be most familiar and attractive to your local creatures.

A Space For Kids

Designed in the shape of a clock, (see the image below) this kids’ play area appeals to the sense of fun, adventure, and taste buds of nearly all children.

Be extremely careful when selecting plants for your child’s garden. If you have any questions, check lists of poisonous plants (which may be available from your county extension office) or consult your local nursery.

This plan is meant mainly as inspiration. Feel free to change its scale (the minimum space is 10 by 10 feet) or, instead of a clock, make it into a sun, a daisy — whatever suits your needs. This plan contains the following fantastic features:

• At the center of it all is a whimsical sculpture or sandbox. Remember that the sandbox won’t be fun for kids (or for you) if neighborhood or family cats have access to it. To block out sun, cover the sandbox with plywood or an outdoor awning cloth.
• The brick clock garden is a real eye-catcher. Strawberry and blueberry plants alternate in cutouts between numbers or spaces left blank.
• The plants don’t just sit there. Various training devices get them off the ground and make them more interesting — trellises for cucumbers, cages for tomatoes, and so on. You can use a section of fence to train the apple tree into a flat espalier (plant that grows flat along a fence).
• The plants are fun. In addition to the berries, other edibles include pumpkins, figs, and grapes. Sunflowers are big and striking — and irresistible to kids.

Fun Plants

You can make a kids’ play area more fun by including plants that have extra appeal for youngsters.

• Gourds: Harvest and dry the gourds — which are as easy to grow as squash — for crafts projects or decorations.
• Popcorn: Grow popcorn just like sweet corn, but don’t plant it near sweet corn unless you want to demonstrate the bizarre effects of cross-pollination.
• Pumpkins: The draw is obvious, but pumpkins need a lot of room and water and a good three or four months to reach harvest stage.
• Mickey Mouse plant: Kids see a strong resemblance to Mickey Mouse in one stage of the black and red flowers on thislittle shrub.  ....read more