Is Your Garden Alive?

I love sitting in my garden. It’s my happy place. I enjoy a cup of coffee or glass of wine and I observe. The chickadees and titmice scold each other in the birdbath. The chipmunks play hide and seek under the hosta leaves. The hummingbird hovers just out of reach as he sips nectar from the Spanish flag vine that rambles over the arbor. My bees line up along the moss on the stepping stones to drink. Up the hill I hear the pileated woodpecker no doubt working on the dead tree. Occasionally a snake will slither by (which has taught me the art of the silent scream). My fountain gurgles gently and there is nowhere in the world I would rather be.

Contrast my garden with one that belongs to one of my neighbors. The property is beautiful, pristine even. Not a leaf out of place. The guys that do the lawn make sure of that. They come at least once a week to “mow and blow.” The grass is always green and weed-free, unlike my lawn that sprouts the occasional clover and dandelions. Funny thing is I never see any sign of life there. Either from humans or animals. For all the time my neighbor spends on the upkeep of the property I have never seen him or his family actually sitting outside and enjoying it. In the same way, I do not notice birds or butterflies in his garden. Maybe the pesticide smell keeps them away. In my opinion his landscape is dead on arrival.

What about you? If you stand in your garden do you hear anything? Is your garden alive? If not there are some easy steps you can take to resuscitate it. Plant native plants that attract beneficial insects, pollinators and birds. Native Plant Trust has a great website. Leave some perennials standing over the winter as the hollow stems can be nesting sites for pollinators. Leave a few leaves as well; they not only shelter salamanders they can increase soil fertility. Have a small pile of brush and twigs for nesting birds like cardinals. Lighten up on pesticides or don’t use them at all.