Beautiful Wildlife Garden Lisa Gustavson

Welcome to Part 5 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 Lisa Gustavson, author of the popular blog Get In The Garden. Check out how she describes her work:

I’ve been planting and growing with my husband and our four children for over fifteen years… starting when and we bought our first (and present) home in upstate NY (zone 6). In raising our four children we wanted to provide a beautiful and natural backyard playground for them to explore and discover in. Our choice from the very start was to grow only plants that would feed us or nature. Ever since, we’ve been growing organic, sustainable food for our family and nature right in our half-acre yard. We planted native shrubs and flowers for wildlife, provided feeders and shelters and have even built a small pond. Herbs, edible flowers, vegetables and fruit trees occupy the space that was once a lawn. We have regular visits from deer, skunks, possums, raccoons, rabbits, herons, woodchucks, ducks and even a fox! There are plenty of resident birds, frogs, toads and bees that not only are fascinating to watch…they’re co-workers in our efforts. Gardens and wildlife work beautifully together!

Listen now to this fascinating conversation:

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Lisa talked about:

How to get your neighbors to love your wildlife garden, too
Why pollinators are so important to your vegetable garden
How to involve your kids in learning about nature
Why planting just one native plant can make a big difference
Why your wildlife garden is also healthy for you and your family

Make sure to check out Lisa’s blog, Get In The Garden, and follow @GetInTheGarden 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!]

Show off Your Wildlife Garden–we’d love to see what you’ve got, so pick your favorite photo of your habitat garden and get the chance to be published at Ecosystem Gardening