Gardening for Wildlife in Seattle

From bare to full of life

Today ’s photograph come from Debby Davenport .

Growing up in St. Louis , I was inspired by my mom ’s green thumb and her beautiful perennial beds . I develop a passion for grow things as well , first houseplants and then vegetable . I impress to Seattle in 1983 and continued horticulture , planting flowers and vegetables in lease 10×20 community garden lots . In 1989 , we bought a house with a 1000 - hearty - foot backyard , one-half of which was cementum . Eventually that was removed , and when our kids outgrow the sandbox and railyard space , I dug in , excavating the lawn but leaving a border of spineless blackberries , delicious for pies ! I wanted to build a landscape painting that would draw in wildlife , mainly doll and butterfly , in our urban setting . I wanted to squeeze in ornamentals and herbs as well . There are many resources uncommitted to research the best plants / indigen / drouth - tolerant suggestions : our local zoological garden , the Audubon Society , the state department of wildlife , and the urban center of Seattle . you’re able to even get your yard certify as a backyard wildlife sanctuary if you provide intellectual nourishment from a miscellany of plant , water from a birdbath / outflow / pool , and surface area of tax shelter from a divers selection of trees , bushes , and ground address that offer protection , nesting options , and places for bird to perch safely while feeding on seeds , berries , and ballock .

The early , muzzy pic give you an idea of where we started . The most unmanageable job was pulling up the lawn . Progress was obtuse , with my married man doing the heaviest jobs of spreading soil / mulch and get out out industrial plant that did n’t work . The last few picture are more recent , establish a fledged Nipponese maple(Acerpalmatum , Zones 5–9 ) and dogwood(Cornus ) , a purple smoke bush(Cotinuscoggygria , Zones 5–8),Weigela‘Gold Rush ( Zones 4–8 ) , ‘ Serotina Honeybush ’ honeysuckle(Lonicerapericlymenum , Zones 5–9 ) , azalea ‘ Snowbird ’ ( Rhododendron‘Snowbird ’ , Zones 5–9 ) , salvia ‘ Purple Rain’(Salviaverticillata‘Purple Rain ’ , Zones 5–8),Crocosmia‘Lucifer ’ ( Zones 5–8),Penstemon‘Ruby’,Lobelia‘Elmfire , Phlox , coneflower(Echinacea),blazing star(Liatris spicata , Zones 3–9 ) , Maltese cross(Lychnischalcedonica , Zones 3–8 ) . So many plants leave intellectual nourishment for wildlife . We are treated to hummingbirds , chickadee , nuthatches , wrens , towhees , a variety of woodpecker , episodic hawks , and warbler . We moved our birdfeeders to the smaller front yard , where they declare oneself sustenance in the winter to the legion “ little browned birds . ”

With their natural habitats in decline , we can help shuttle , bee , and beneficial insects by create urban refuge ; we will harvest numerous benefits from this as well .

The before picture

New seam move in

Early planting

The garden today , lush and full of life-time

look down on the garden as it was before

What a transformation !

Diverse plantings provide interest for humans and homes for wildlife .

Every inch is pack with beautiful plants .

What an unbelievable garden Debby has created .

Have photos to share ? We ’d love to see your garden , a particular collection of plants you love , or a marvellous garden you had the chance to chat !

To put forward , send 5 - 10 photograph to[email protected]along with some information about the plants in the image and where you took the picture . We ’d make out to get wind where you are locate , how long you ’ve been gardening , successes you are gallant of , failures you learned from , hope for the hereafter , favorite plants , or singular stories from your garden .

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