Photo by furryscaly

Welcome to Part 4 of Meet the Team at Beautiful Wildlife Garden.

You may recall that Beautiful Wildlife Garden came about after a discussion between Helen Yoest and I about how nice it would be if we could start a conversation that redefined beautiful. We hoped to help people begin to see that wildlife in the garden, and wildlife gardens themselves, really are beautiful.

Make sure to listen to that interview that put this ball in motion, where Helen interviewed me for the Gardening with Confidence show on Web Talk Radio.

Today we’re chatting with Chris McLaughlin. You may recall my interview with her about her new book, the Complete Idiot’s Guide to Composting, which teaches us to remember the wildlife that thrives in healthy soil. She’s been gardening for over 30 years and became a Master Gardener in 2000.

While living in the California Sierra foothills, she did wildlife rehab with Sierra Wildlife Rescue. It seemed natural to Chris to blend her love for gardening and wildlife by becoming certified as a Backyard Wildlife Habitat Steward so that she could help people create wildlife gardens in their yards. On her Northern California suburban farm, Chris grows anything that’ll stop long enough to grow roots and has vegetable gardens, wildlife gardens, and flowers gardens.

Listen now to this fascinating conversation:

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Chris talked about:

  • How to choose a few multi-purpose native plants to get your wildlife garden started
  • Why snags are important wildlife habitat
  • How to create cover so wildlife can raise their young
  • How to attract bats to your bathouse
  • Why your wildlife garden is also healthy for you and your family

Make sure to check out Chris’s blogs, A Suburban Farmer and Kids Safe Landscape, and follow @Suburban_Farmer on twitter.

Meet the Beautiful Wildlife Garden Team by listening to the whole series, and while you’re there be sure to join in the conversation at any of the interesting posts. I learn something new almost every day. How good is that?

The Beautiful Wildlife Garden facebook page is a happening place where you can participate in discussions and show off photos of your beautiful wildlife garden.

And you can follow @WildlifeGarden on twitter to keep up with the latest news.

[Music from the amazing Kara Barnard. "Blackberry Blossom" from the album, Fret Hopping in Brown County. Thanks, Kara!]

{ 3 comments }

Beautiful Wildlife Garden Kathy Green

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Welcome to Part 3 of Meet the Team at Beautiful Wildlife Garden. You may recall that Beautiful Wildlife Garden came about after a discussion between Helen Yoest and I about how nice it would be if we could start a conversation that redefined beautiful. We hoped to help people begin to see that wildlife in the garden, [...]

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I wanted to take a moment to thank a special reader. Ursula Vernon has been one of my most active participants here at Ecosystem Gardening, and I wanted her to know that this does not go unnoticed by me. Ursula, I am honored and touched by your support! We’ve seen Ursula’s garden because she’s used [...]

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Invasive Chinese and Japanese Wisteria Chinese Wisteria (Wisteria sinensis) and it’s relative Japanese Wisteria (Wisteria foribunda) are landing squarely on the Most Hated Invasive Plants list. One of my neighbors across the street has this plant in his yard. Not only is it pulling down the arbor in his yard, it is spreading its runners [...]

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[Guest submission by Cindy Ahern through the Show Off Your Wildlife Garden feature] This tiny jewel in my garden is what sparked my interest and love for wildlife gardening. Ten years ago, a Ruby-throated Hummingbird checked me out…up close and personal, inches away from my face. The excitement and joy I felt from meeting this [...]

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[Guest submission by Ursula Vernon through the Show Off Your Wildlife Garden feature] I spotted this wee little Carolina Anole hiding in the potted spicebush on the back deck. He was quite possibly the smallest lizard I’ve ever seen, barely an inch long without the tail. To give you a sense of how wee he [...]

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I told you about how a long-time dream of mine to develop a community of gardeners to redefine what is beautiful in the wildlife garden came about while Helen Yoest interviewed me for her show on WebTalkRadio. And I’m so thrilled at the response we’re getting at Beautiful Wildlife Garden. The exciting news is that interview that [...]

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