Supported by
Efforts to create plantings that welcome wildlife — birds, snakes, frogs, insects — can backfire. You can do better. Start by turning off the outdoor lights.
By Margaret Roach
Like many other gardeners, Sarah F. Jayne felt inspired by the writings of the entomologist and wildlife ecologist Douglas W. Tallamy to create a more biodiverse, habitat-style landscape — to garden with the intention of sharing her property with nature.
But as she worked to increase the native-plant quotient in her garden in Oxford, Pa., by removing invasives, and taking other key steps, she realized that despite decades of gardening experience, she kept coming up short. The finer points of everything from plant choices to the tactical how-to’s of creating and caring for this very different style of garden eluded her.
