Naturescape Gardens - When you plant it, they will come.
To have a Naturescape Garden is to have a garden that welcomes wildlife. Within Calgary it is quite common to see many sizes and varieties of birds, butterflies, moths, wasps, bumblebees, insects, spiders, hares, jackrabbits, squirrels, chipmunks and occasionally a frog, garter snake, fox or skunk. All these creatures have basic requirements to survive – water, food and shelter.
In planning your own Naturescape Garden try to incorporate elements that would attract the widest variety of urban wildlife possible. Over a short time your garden will attract a variety of natural visitors that will all contribute to keeping your space healthy. Try to not use chemical pesticides as these will disrupt the balance you are trying to achieve.
Water
Water is an essential ingredient to a successful Naturescape Garden. It can be as humble as a birdbath or as elaborate as a pond. We chose a small birdbath with a fountain and a large reservoir in order to have a low maintenance circulated water supply available.
Food and Shelter
The food and shelter is best provided by the plantings you chose to have in your garden. As long as your plant choices produce some kind of flower, nectar, seed, cone or fruit, it will become a home to insects and a food source to wildlife. For example, hummingbirds are attracted to small insects and red tubular flowers so they seek out bee balm, columbine, coral bells or scarlet trumpet honeysuckle vines. Most types of plants attract a wide variety of wildlife. A lilac shrub will attract hummingbirds, bees, butterflies and moths for the nectar, the seed capsules provide both fresh and winter food for birds, while hares may nibble its bark and it is a shelter and nesting site for a variety of birds. Some other high-use plantings include: Picea glauca (white spruce), Sorbus americana (mountain ash), Salix spp. (willow), Elaeagnus commutate (wolf willow), Potentilla fruticosa, Delphinium, Opuntia (prickly pear cactus), Paeonia spp. (Peony), Fuchsia, Cleome and Tagetes (marigolds).
Although, it is fun to provide some food and shelter and it will give an instant appeal instead of waiting for plants to mature. Chopped sunflower seeds are the best food choice since there is the least wastage, no risk of germinating and causing weedy patches and it is the food of choice for the most types of birds. If you provide a birdbox, try to make sure the opening is 1-1/8 inches in diameter so that the introduced, invasive birds do not displace the local birds.
Edges
In designing your space keep in mind that you will get the most wildlife on edges. This is where there are changes in height, from trees down to shrubs then to perennials to groundcovers. Also, plant as many different things as you can and this will bring in a variety of different animal species. Look around your neighbourhood and see what is already there and plant something different. But remember, plant a couple of each thing - you want to have enough for you to enjoy and for the wildlife to use as well.
Focal points
Some nice focal points or conversation starters in your Naturescape Garden could be:
- A Brush Pile made of shrub and tree prunings that provide shelter for lots of wildlife friends, from spiders eating mosquitoes to hares hiding from you.
- A Butterfly Puddle of exposed damp clay with some salt added to help replenish needed minerals.
- A Bat Box, Butterfly Box or an underground Rabbit or Hare House to help these creatures through our hard Calgary winters.