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presentation, the more diverse
will be the wildlife that you
attract.
Select Native Plants
Plants will probably make up
the largest part of your garden.
Whenever possible, choose
native plants when making your
selections.
The native species will attract
the most wildlife, and will require
the least care, because they
are genetically adapted to live
in your environment.
By choosing native plants,
you’ll also be helping to restore
an ecological balance which is
threatened by development and
alien species.
Wildlife depends on native
plants for food and cover, and
may not be able to adapt to
non-native substitutes.
Mitchell also points out that
“If every homeowner in the
country gave only 1/10 of an
acre to a meadow, bog, marsh,
prairie, field, or woodland, the
net gain would be an
astonishing 3.8 million acres of
sanctuary."
Each sanctuary garden that
we create is an opportunity to
increase habitat for native
plants and animals, and they in
turn will enhance our experience
of the garden.
When choosing plants, mimic
nature by selecting a variety of
species, sizes, and types. Your
choices can enhance the
garden, at the same time that
they encourage wildlife to visit.
“The more time we spend
in natural surroundings,
the more we acquire the
attributes of nature. Our
lives take on the qualities
of our environment,
becoming more ordered,
stable, and harmonious."
– Donald Norfolk
The Soul Garden
“Water is a key to
sanctuary. Its sacred
influence over human
history is unmatched
among all other natural
forces....
Lose this vital force, and
Earth becomes just
another barren rock
circling the sun."
– Christopher and Tricia McDowell
The Sanctuary Garden
“Plants are part of the
food chain for the insects
and animals that live in our
gardens....In deliberately
providing sanctuary for the
creatures around us, we
must also provide the plants
that wildlife know."
– Sherry Mitchell
Creating Sanctuary
