Pollinators, birds, meadow planting, permaculture and sustainable garden ecosystems.
Quick answer: Offer black oil sunflower seed, suet and unsalted peanuts as your core foods, and skip bread and salted snacks entirely. Most gardeners start feeding in autumn and continue through winter, though feeding year-round works fine if you switch to lighter, protein-rich food in spring. Clean feeders at least every two weeks to keep…
Quick answer: Clear or weaken the existing grass, then sow a wildflower mix suited to your soil in early fall or mid-spring at roughly 0.5–1 oz per 100 sq ft (check your seed packet). Oversow yellow rattle into existing turf to knock back grass vigor, cut the meadow once or twice a year, and always…
Quick answer: Butterflies need three things from a garden: nectar-rich flowers blooming from early spring through fall, host plants for caterpillars (milkweed for monarchs, dill or parsley for swallowtails), and a sunny, wind-sheltered spot. Plant in drifts of at least 3–5, skip pesticides and heavily double-flowered cultivars, and add a shallow patch of damp sand…
Quick answer: Permaculture is a way of designing your garden so it does more of its own work over time, through perennial plants, soil that’s always covered, and water that stays on site instead of running off. Start small: build one guild bed of about 5–10 square meters (55–110 sq ft) in year one instead…
Bee friendly plants are simple, unimproved flowers that give nectar, pollen or both. What matters is not how many species you grow but that something is in bloom every week from March to October. Three crocuses in March are worth more than twenty kinds that all flower in July. Double cultivars are close to useless:…
Quick answer: Attracting birds to your garden comes down to three things that need to work year-round: food, water and shelter. Plant berry-producing shrubs and a dense, thorny hedge, put out a shallow bird bath, keep cats indoors at dawn and dusk, and add supplemental feeding plus a nest box or two. Most gardens see…