A habitat garden begins with a sense of place. It honors the land as it is, building on the native plant community and protecting what already grows there. Like nature itself, these gardens have many layers — trees, shrubs, vines, perennials, wildflowers, and bunchgrasses — all working together in quiet harmony.
Habitat gardening is more than a sustainable practice; it’s an act of stewardship. It means paying attention to the living cycles around you, tending soil and water with respect, and letting life express itself in small, surprising ways. Nature teaches that life itself creates conditions conducive to life. The creatures that share your garden contribute to this balance, adding a lovely sense of amiable disorder and wild beauty. Welcome it. Be an editor rather than an architect — let volunteer seedlings grow where they choose.
Plant first for the insects. Grow a generous mix of flowering plants that bloom, fruit, and seed across the seasons. Include larval host plants for local butterflies, and if space allows, tolerate some “managed” weeds that feed and shelter insects and birds. When using non-native plants, choose carefully so nothing invasive escapes into wild lands.
Build your soil with compost and mulch; recycle what your garden gives you. Even small gestures — a shallow saucer of clean water, a patch of sun-warmed stone, or a stand of aster and carrot family blooms — create connections for life to thrive.
Above all, be a benevolent steward. The more living diversity you nurture, the richer and more resilient the world becomes — right in your own garden.
Welcome to my little corner of green paradise. If you’ve ever felt the inexplicable joy of watching a tiny seed evolve into a thriving plant, or if you simply find solace in the soil under your nails and the rustle of leaves in the wind, you’re in the right place. This article is all about my personal journey with planting — the wins, the oops moments, and the pure wonder that comes with coaxing life from the soil.
As a dedicated habitat gardener and naturalist, the most pleasurable and satisfying reality about creating habitat is when all the ‘others’ actually come to live in and make the most of the sanctuary you have created. Human beings can have a very positive effect on the land when they create habitat gardens that increase bio-diversity […]
While out walking the trails and open spaces in various parts of Marin County, I’m often astonished at how certain native plants can grow and adapt very nicely to a variety of exposures, habitats, and communities. Coffeeberries, for example, grows in shady California bay forests, in dry oak woodlands, upslope from streams in riparian zones, […]
It’s a bit artificial to create a listing like this which is defined by the months of the year; as we all know, nature does not follow the human calendar. Day lengths are set and reliable, but local weather is not, and neither are the conditions within micro habitats. The natural world responds to these influences […]
I love watching the birds at my feeders, which are strategically placed away from potential danger and in such a way that I get a great view from my favorite place to sit and read. I’ll notice all the activity in a peripheral sort of way, but when something unusual happens, or a bird appears that’s out […]
A plant that is definitely not easy in garden culture is Mule’s Ears (Wyethia species) and there are several look-alikes—all native California sunflowers. I recognized a very large patch of Mule’s Ears growing on a south facing slope in the open space east of my house. At first I was confused about exactly which species […]
Before bringing caterpillars (larvae) into your home or classroom be sure that you know what species of butterfly they are and what their larval host plant is, and be sure that you will have an ample supply of fresh host plant material to raise them through all the instars. When deciding to ‘capture’ a creature […]
Even if it’s just for an hour or two, I make time to do some work in my garden every single day, and my favorite time to be outside is at dusk when all sorts of creatures are stirring. Since my tasks, like weeding or potting up seedlings, are often simple and somewhat repetitive, I’m in a meditative state […]