Earth Day is April 22, 2010. With it being right around the corner, I know some of you are still looking for ways to make a difference! Well, how about making a difference in your own backyard? I just got my garden certified through the
National Wildlife Federation's Certified Wildlife Habitat™ program. This is my pledge to maintain a healthy environment for wildlife in my little plot of land. After all, this land provides so much for me; it’s time for me to return the favor!
In order to become certified there are five elements for you to work on. Those are Food Sources, Water Sources, Places for Cover, Places to Raise Young, and Sustainable Gardening practices.
In the
Food Source category you need at least 3 sources of food for wildlife. This can be covered by seeds from plants, twigs, foliage, berries, fruits, nuts, feeders (like for squirrels, hummingbirds or birds), etc. There is no shortage of food for wildlife on my property. With 24 fruit and nut tree’s we have a steady year round supply of food, and plenty to share with our furry and feathered friends!
The second category is
Water Source. This one was a little more difficult for me as we try to minimize the water usage on our property- plus standing water in the spring and summer is a mosquito’s best friend! Thankfully we only needed one item to be certified and our bird bath covered that requirement! My next project will be to create a section in the garden that will provide water to our butterfly friends.
The third category is to create a
cover for wildlife- whether it’s to hide from predators, or to hide out from the rain. This one was another easy one for us as we have lots of shrubs and evergreens on our property for wildlife to hide- not to mention our neighbor’s ivy that is spilling into our property is a huge haven for mice and rats! Hmmm…. I wonder if I could also count under the house since that’s where the skunks like to go?
The Fourth element is to provide areas for wildlife to
raise their young. You need to have at least two to be certified. We have lots of mature trees on our property to provide locations for nests, and we also have a couple of birdhouses (although we have never had any birds in them). This year we have also started planting more milkweed plants in the garden to be a host plant for the Monarch butterflies.
The last area is
sustainable gardening practices. You only need two to be certified, but you really should be doing MORE than two. This covers conserving water- by using drip systems, planting natives or other drought tolerant plants, using a rain barrel, using mulch, etc. It also means go organic- no pesticides or chemical fertilizers. Reduce your lawn area so that you’re not polluting the air so much. Plant native plants to help your local pollinators. Instead of spraying to kill the bad bugs, try to encourage beneficial insects and create a happy balance in your garden.
So, give yourself a goal for this month and pick at least one area to concentrate on. And while you’re at it, set a goal to complete each area by the next Earth Day! To see how other Garden Bloggers are making a difference this Earth Day, check out Jan's blog at
Thanks for Today, and join in the fun!
I'll admit that in some ways I was disappointed with it, but in other ways I was completely overwhelmed, and almost jealous that we don't have something like this in Sacramento. The sunny weather brought out lots of people to the park, and we managed to see a few impromptu performances by local actors in the Esplanade as well.
The gardens have been around for about 17 years, and they added the Children's Garden in 1998. An interesting factoid: Mayor Willie Brown took the first ride on the children's carousel when the children's garden opened. Mayor Willie Brown also declared April 13th 2003 (my wedding day) as Jason & Carri Stokes day in San Francisco. Yeah, we're like famous. Okay, no we're not, he was a Board Member where I work and a super cool guy, and we got the "declaration" certificate the day we got married. Realizing I am now totally off subject (sorry), I'll move on with my little picture tour....
The plant selection at the gardens could be much better. I know it makes me sound like a plant snob (which I'm not), but perhaps I should blame my visit to Annie's Annuals the day before for making me feel like they could have done a lot better. In San Francisco they can grow SO many more cool plants, and yet they didn't. But, for a public facility I would say it's better than most!
Moving on to my tour of the Butterfly Garden, yeah, that little picture of the "Butterflies Only" sign is the only picture I took of their butterfly garden. Seriously, it was horrible. First off, it was almost all shade. And second, the plant selection was horrible (a bunch of overgrown buddleias, a dill plant, a bunch of violas, and some mondo grass) . I didn't see a single butterfly when we were there, and for obvious reasons. I'm also disappointed that they kept it really small. I have a larger butterfly garden in my own yard, and they have a million times more space to work with- I guess I expected more. Still, at least they have a butterfly garden.
Moving on to the children's garden, this is one area that they did right. They have a maze for the kids to get lost in (in a good way). They have a huge playground with really awesome slides for the kids. They have a children's museum called Zeum, which Alex was a little young for but she still enjoyed. They also have the lovely carousel, which we took quite a few spins on last weekend.
Of course one of my favorite things about the children's garden is their Learning Garden. It was a small garden full of edibles, but easily showed parents that you don't need a lot of space to have a vegetable garden. We saw an apple tree, citrus trees, artichokes, potatoes, raspberries, and a lot of herbs. And I was a proud mom as my daughter told some other kids what everything was (without me even telling her- yay! I'm doing something right!).
As a gardener, Yerba Buena Gardens left a lot to be desired. But as a parent, they did an amazing job making it a fun environment for little ones. Throw in the fact that there is a movie theater, ice skating rink, bowling alley, and several restaurants, and they've made it a nice playground for adults too. We were able to spend two full days in this area without ever getting bored- and we never even ventured off to MOMA as we had planned. All in all, consider it a must see next time you're in San Francisco.
Having a toddler has required me to really chill out in the garden. She’s going to plant things where she wants to plant them- in the crack of a sidewalk, in random pots, or in the middle of an existing shrub. If I give her too much direction, she’ll get frustrated and not want to participate. I don’t mind nasturtium everywhere in the yard because they’re fun, colorful AND edible- so they’re the perfect seed for her to have freedom with!
I planted the artichokes right on the front corner of our lot- next to the street. Whenever I’m out working in the yard I have people ask me what those funky looking blue plants are. They look at me funny when I say they are artichokes. Some folks seem to like them, but my more vocal neighbors do not (oh too bad- guess you’re not getting any). Up until now my husband has HATED where they are at. He thinks they look like weeds. Perhaps if I was a better “designer” I could have designed that section a little better so they don’t look like weeds, but oh well, right now they will have to mingle with some Loropetalum and California Poppies until I can figure out a better place for them. Now my husband is excited about them, mostly because he wants to eat them. And I do too!