Functional, useful and attractive?

I'm full of questions tonight. I'm wondering, if you have a mature wildlife garden (or even if you're just beginning or in between), what function you feel your habitat provides and what is the most useful plant or part of your habitat. I also wonder, do you have to sacrifice attractiveness for yourself, while providing the functionality and usefulness of it for the wildlife. What are ways you've made your habitat attractive by still providing the functionality and the usefulness of it? We all know how beneficial rock piles and brush piles are, but what have you done to make them attractive? Or to blend better with the surrounding area. How have you incorporated a natural area, so that it stays attractive for yourself and just doesn't look like a jungle? And also, what shrubs, trees, perennials, have you incorporated to make it look more attractive? And how did you do it? We see a lot of great pictures, but the whys beyond the planting isn't talked about. Let's get a great discussion going on these questions.

Well, that's a bomb you dropped. You rolled up about 10 threads into one.

How to start. You've been to my house so you know it sort of evolved and one thing led to another which led to another which led to another.

I began identifying the exotic invasives and started removing them. I'm still plugging along at that and will be for many years to come.

I ditched my lawn service reserving the use of chemicals for all but the worst of the worst.

From there I went to the ChiBo and picked up technical publications on plants indigenous to my County. One of the greatest books I picked up was Lakescaping for Wildlife which provided me with an overview of the process. I visited a few universities and a research station and began compiling lists of indigenous species. I devoured any publication that pertained to my situation and it wasn't until a few years ago that I began using the Internet as a tool. Then I received my first Plants of the Chicago Region by Swink and Wilhelm and began fine tuning everything based on their ongoing research. I admittedly I got a little help from Gerould Wilhelm himself and before Floyd Swink passed, he offered suggestions which I followed. I originally met them volunteering in natural areas.

I've learned enough to firmly believe that there are no aesthetic sacrifices when gardening for wildlife using native plants.

If you plant it, they will come.

I expect this thread to have a very long life. I know that I will be following it. One of the advantages I have is that I don't have a very established garden. I started with a new build home 4 years ago. I mentioned in another thread that I planted buddleia davidii before I knew it was invasive. It died over the winter. After joining DG and reading I decided not to replace it. I haven't inherited any of the old Bradford pears or other common trees so I can make better choices going in.

So thanks for starting this, terry. I am interested in aesthetics, because I live in a 'no-fence' community on a man-made lake. I think you can garden for wildlife and have a 'pretty' garden, too. I hope so. There are restrictions on blocking others view of the lake. But also a lot of possibilities.

The numbers & types of birds have increased dramatically as people have put in more trees and shrubs. There are fish in the lake and the numbers are increasing, so we get Great blue heron and have seen a Great egret here for lunch. We have been able to encourage Mallards by providing cover near the edge of the lake. There were 2 broods this year on the lake for the first time since we moved in, and they have been decreasing in this area due to the increase in predators. when they nest under shrubs away from the water the eggs are almost always eaten by something. the attached pic is of a nest in the front of my house...the eggs disappeared 3 days later (hope I can get them to nest here next year). we also had robins & killdeer fledge this year in our yard, and lots of hummingbirds feeding. I have plans for bluebird nestboxes and purple martin housing, but I want to make sure I do my homework first. I joined the PMCA and think I have an ideal location to be a landlord.

I came home from work one day and found my landscaper spraying the weeds around my pool and gave him 'what for'. Tried to explain why I don't use chemicals. We have landscape fabric and river rock around the pool and it's not that big a deal to hand pull the weeds. I know he thinks I'm nuts, but I pay the bill.

I'm looking forward to seeing where this thread goes. it will be interesting for sure

gram ~a girl~

Beautiful eggs.

I remember your kildeer fledglings. I loved them.

I'm a no-fence community too. It has its good points and its bad points.

I install chicken wire around the nests of ducks. It helps. Not all that attractive but then it does serve the purpose. Chicken wire would be classified a temporary enclosure just as one that would be set up for a vegetable garden so we're now ok to have those in my neighborhood provisional upon them being removed by a set date. I bet you'd be ok with those too but you might want to check first. I have found that there is a time and place to act and ask for forgiveness later. Fencing in my vegetable garden to keep the deer out was one of those times for me so by the time I had to protect my ducks, I had already dealt with the HO Association.

how big an area do you fence around the duck nests? I wouldn't want to panic the mama duck. I don't think I'd have a problem with a temp fence. a lot of folks put up things to keep the Canada geese out of their yards (of course, it doesn't work...the geese just think it is part of the buffet line LOL).

that poor mallard pair had at least 3 nests that year that I know of and not one duckling did we see.

living on the lake, I'm surprised I don't see more frogs, turtles, toads. maybe they just stay down by the water and I miss them. I don't spend a lot of time near the lake shore..fairly steep slope and I'm not too sure-footed :) I've had little frogs that I've had to fish out of the pool from time to time.

The Mallard enclosure was good sized so they could land and take off. Our babies all survived from the second nest. We also hooked up a temporary motion triggered light. Momma won't abandon her nest because of a light going on but it did alert us to get up and go check out what triggered it. Usually feral and stray cats but some coyotees did come in looking for a free meal. If the ducklings can make it to water, you're good to go.

The Canada Goose doesn't like zigzagged threads. Do a search on deterring that bird and you will run across many innovative ways to do so.

the geese don't bother me. I enjoy them. I think the things the neighbors go thru to try to deter them are hysterical. there are patio homes (don't know if you call them the same thing, an association like condos but single homes) across the lake with mostly older retirees. they never come out in their yards except to chase the geese or pick up the goose poop. if they don't use the yard anyway, I don't get why it bothers them. but it's funny to watch. they bang tin pie plates together, put stones in a jar and rattle it, just plain yell at them, one guy has a radio-controlled tank that he chases them with. they're back in 5-10 min. my neighbors on both sides have tried putting up fishing line strung between garden stakes. the big ones step on it so the littles can get by. I'm just afraid they're going to get tangled in it, but they always figure it out. we were warned about the geese when we chose the lake front lot. if you don't want to live with them, you should live elsewhere, is what I think.

Terry, great questions.

I'm going to answer the first question for now and address the rest later.

" . . . what function [do] you feel your habitat provides and what is the most useful plant or part of your habitat." My habitats are just beginning so things may change. I started by adding native plants to increase diversity and encourage native wildlife. I didn't really have a plan, I just wanted to add natives. While researching native plants on the net I kept running into sites that addressed "invasive species." After taking a good look around my yard, I realized I had quite a few invasives.and started removing them two years ago. This summer I removed invasives from the last area, however, I don't kid myself that they're gone completely. I'm planting a wildlife hedgerow that provides berries, nuts and shelter. I also have two birdbaths and hope to put in a pond to attract herps. Since I only have 1/4 acre plot, I intend to remove most non-natives next so I can fill up what space I have with natives. I'm not a purist, but with so little land I feel I have to make some tough decisions.

My most useful plant? Vaccinium corymbosum (highbush blueberry)

Equil, a friend of mine gave me a 200 gallon form that she removed. Over the winter I'll be picking your brain . . .

Don't set it up now. You'll inadvertently lure them to their death.

I don't plan on setting it up til the Spring, but I'll be planning it over the winter. I've got a lot of reading to do before I even think about putting it in the ground.

I saw the most beautiful water feature thing this past summer and I passed on it because of the price. I keep thinking about it and I may go back to that garden center and see if its still there. Perhaps fall pricing might be in my favor. It looked like a large antique aged urn tilted at an angle emptying into a rocky basin. I'd like to add a water feature but my lazy gardener philosophy has kept me from doing it in the past.

I do have a rain barrel that seems to attract its fair share of toads though. I also have a rain garden - that is attractive to me... but may not be to someone else.

I think the beauty is in the eye of the beholder and you really shouldn't feel you have to sacrifice appearance to accomodate wildlife.

My brush pile (that is slowly being rebuilt) is hidden behind the rain garden. You cannot see it unless you walk past a certain part of the yard.

My compost pile is in full view right next to my house. Its adorned with a wind sock and some bamboo chimes. I like it. Most people probably would not. Though I have had people sitting on the patio right next to the compost pile, ask to see my compost pile. So its not as obvious - as I think it is.

The worst part for me is waiting for the native plants to mature. New plantings tend to look like crud.... it takes a couple years before they fill in and look nice... its that interim time that I don't like.

Terry, Your second question, "I also wonder, do you have to sacrifice attractiveness for yourself, while providing the functionality and usefulness of it for the wildlife.

I have found that there are quite a few native plants that are very ornamental. My favorite in this department is Hydrangea quercifolia (Oakleaf hydrangea). The blooms are long lasting and turn from snowy white to deep maroon, the beautiful oakleaf shaped foliage turns yellow, red and burgundy in the fall, and the bark looks like cinnamon. In a word, they are gorgeous. To my knowledge, the wildlife value is to the pollinators. I recently planted one in a flower bed in the front yard and it's as pretty or prettier than any of the exotics growing on other front lawns on my street.

Who can deny the beauty and use to wildlife of Echinacea purpurea (Purple coneflower)? There's a guy down the street from me that has all different kinds of conifers in his front yard and a small stand of Purple coneflower right in the middle, and it makes a beautiful accent.

What other native beauties are folks growing out there?

Fireweed, before I joined DG, I was planning on a burning bush in my front yard for the fall color. I have changed that plan to include an oakleaf hydrangea instead. it has a longer season of interest besides. The best looking plant in one of my beds this year was Echinacea purpurea. The bees and butterflies love it and I let it set seed for the birds. I realize some people don't like the look of the black stems, but I have other things planted around it that are still blooming. And I think it leaves some interest in the garden when the snow flies.

I agree with joepyeweed that it takes time for a new planting to look like anything, but that's true whether it's native plants or exotics.

O.k. Now I need an oakleaf hydrangea. I have a spot that I had a Calycanthus in, it looked really good, but it up and died on me. I've got no idea why. Everything else looks fine, but it's as dead as dead can be.

To me, the attractiveness part comes into play because of all the green lawns around me. I'm going to look like a jungle and I wonder how attractive it will be to other people's eyes. Or rather how natural it will look in a sea of green, if that makes sense.

My plants are so small, so I can't really say what beauties I have. I have a larger Calycanthus on the opposite side that I love. The blooms are beautiful. I'm also very excited to see what the spicebush (Lindera bezoin) is going to look like. I also have a ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius), that is growing very strangely and it will be inteteresting to see what type of shape it takes. Right now, it's growing out sideways, but nothing going up. The Sambucus is extremely attractive also.

For perennials, anything with weed in it. I LOVE Joepyeweed and Ironweed (Vernonia altissima) is mighty fine too. Right now, with all the different asters blooming, it looks so beautiful.

JPW, Your yard sounds wonderfully interesting. I have places in my yard that probably appeal only to me, too. I started a log pile earlier this year that I've reassembled several times because of suggestions from others. I finally just did it the way I thought looked best and would be the sturdiest for wildlife use. To me it looks like a critter lodge, to someone else it might look like an eyesore.

Grampapa, you have me running out to check out the stems on my coneflower. Mine are green, do you mean they turn black over winter?

Terry, I saw a picture of your last front lawn on another thread and it was lovely. Is the neighborhood you're in now a lot different from the last one? If you feel the need to grow a little grass, do you get enough sun for buffalo grass? Frankly, I'm struggling here with my front lawn. About 2/3 of it is still grass and I'm also trying to figure out how to do away with the grass while maintaining a front yard aesthetic. I'm thinking about rocks and native groundcovers, maybe some Juniperus horizontalis (Creeping juniper) to fill in around the garden beds. My front yard is small so I'm probably making it harder than it has to be. I've thought about taking out the straight cement walkway and putting in a more interesting meandering one. Hey, all it takes is time and money, right?

Thanks fireweed, I think it looked pretty good for less than 17 months time of working on it. I swear I worked non-stop on it. That house was in a subdivision. Almost all green grass, a few trees left by the builder still stood in yards. The builder cleared out timber to build on and thankfully, when he got up to where he built ours, he left most of the trees. It also helped that we had almost an acre of land, so he only cleared part of it to build the house. Leaving a few trees even where he cleared for the house. My house now, is on one of the oldest streets in town. Most houses date from the later 1800's to the early 1900's. Mine is 1896. All my neighbors have green lawn, and the most planted perennial on my block would be the ditch daylily. Otherwise, there's a few hosta. One house, almost a block north, has landscaping, but it's barberry, and some spireas, with yucca by the street. Not anything even remotely like mine, and almost not as much lot as we have (and we don't have much!). Equil keeps telling me about buffalo grass and I even mentioned it to my dad. He'd already heard of it from the guy my parents used at their second home in AR. But the cost is outrageous. My dad found a site, that said if you buy the seed, you only have something like 10% germination success. They said it was best to buy plugs. My plan was, to kill off this grass, and buy the no-mow from Prairie Nursery and sow that this late fall. But it's been windy, rainy, etc. and we've yet to be able to spray Round-Up. So, it might have to wait till next fall and we don't have so much other stuff we're trying to do outside. I'm still waiting for a call back to tell me when I can get mushroom compost from the mushroom factory. When I get that, and get it spread, I'll take pictures and post those. Oh, and on the sun, I hope to not have too much sun someday. Right now, my trees and shrubs are little. We do have a right of way, between the street and sidewalk, that I'm not allowed to plant on. But I'm killing that grass off, since we're the ones that take care of it, and do the no-mow on it also. The lady up the street has her yucca's and whatever else in that area, so I'm not quite sure why I was told it was a no no. I keep forgetting to ask our friend, the zoning officer for our town. I also wasn't supposed to plant beyond a certain point on the side street side he said, but I did anyway :o)