Is your back tired of weeding and gardening yet? How about those knees? Have you heard of the latest trend called “rewilding”? God’s smaller creatures among us need wild spaces for habitat and safety to survive, and by converting our land into pristine gardens, we take that habitat away from them.
Please consider leaving a corner or the perimeter of your yard as wild spaces and perhaps even planting a garden for the crucial pollinators in our midst. The DNR website has wonderful tips for whatever type of ecosystem you live in as well as a Native Plant Encyclopedia available to choose plants, shrubs, and trees that would be a great addition to your natural spaces. The wonderful thing about native species is that they’re so much easier to grow! This will allow to you reject those pesticides that are harmful to birds, pollinators, and other beneficial insects as well as ourselves.
Did you know that there are natural ways to get rid of garden pests? For instance, you can pour a bit of your happy hour beer into a small dish or jar lid and slide it under your Hostas, and those pesky garden slugs that eat holes in the Hosta leaves will come for their own happy hour to literally drown in their beer! If you put a small bird feeder near your roses, it will encourage birds to eat the aphids that may be plaguing your roses.
Do you struggle with buckthorn? Not all that’s wild is native! Non-native invasive species can have a detrimental effect on landscapes, choking out the shrubs and trees we want in our yards. There are several to watch out for and websites to help you find ways to eradicate them.
The natural world is a wondrous creation God has asked us to care for. By considering natural ways of landscaping and rewilding our living spaces, we can leave room for all God’s creatures, great and small.
https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/privatelandhabitat/index.html
https://apps.dnr.state.mn.us/restore_your_shore
https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/terrestrialplants/index.html
‘12 Ways to Rewild Your Suburban Plot’ https://www.bobvila.com/articles/rewild-your-suburban-plot/
Bring more birds to your home with native plants | UMN Extension
Trees contribute a great deal to any and all landscapes, including wildlife habitat: Some Favorite Trees for Minnesota Landscapes (umn.edu)
Book: ’Bringing Nature Home’ by Douglas W. Tallamy
