Throw an animal party at your place!

[The following blog post was originally written February 2021 and published on our old website. It has been reposted here because it’s awesome]

As I write this, I'm looking out my window at inches of snow on the ground. Not quite "gardening time", huh? Well, actually, this is a wonderful time to be gardening in your brain. What? I mean: this is a great time to start planning a pollinator garden.

We've been talking in nature class about animal parties... meaning: planting native Ohio plants that will attract all sorts of beautiful friends to your yard! We're talking hummingbirds, ladybugs, butterflies, bees with fuzzy butts and more!

Pollinator gardens come in all shapes and sizes, and they're not as hard to start (or maintain!) as you might think. Of course you can start small (even one native plant will bring some parties!) but I thought it'd be fun and inspiring to talk to someone who went big... I mean real big!

Carolyn Turner is a Columbus local who has converted her entire front and back lawns in her residential neighborhood into a wildlife oasis... her animal parties are crazy! I have had the privilege of seeing her awesome yard in person... and holy cow! I interviewed her by email this past week about all things native plants and habitat creation. The interview has been edited for length.

Why natives? What caused you to want to convert your yard?

Back in 1986 when my husband and I bought our present home, there certainly was not the knowledge or awareness of the importance of natives - I don’t think I even knew the concept of natives vs nonnatives. Nor did I even think about gardens needing to do more than look pretty. I did know that yards of grass were boring, so we began ripping out the lawn for flower beds. I had been raised in the country, a daughter of avid gardeners who competed with each other to grow the tallest joe pye weeds or the biggest tomatoes in their vegetable gardens.

Carolyn’s house when they purchased it in 1986

Where did you start? Did you know you wanted to go all the way immediately or was it gradual?

It definitely was gradual. One of our first projects was a tiny flowerbed around the mailbox in the (gasp) front yard. At the time no one had beds around mailboxes - now it is pretty common in our suburban neighborhood.

Carolyn’s first floral project… small, easy and quick!

How did you eliminate existing turf?

We did it the old-fashioned, all-natural way - stripping sod by hand and rototilling! This was long before lasagna gardening was on the scene. [Note: Lasagna gardening refers to using layers of cardboard/leaves or mulch to smother the grass below. Google has lots of info on "how to"]

The rototiller [Note: tilling disturbs soil and brings up weeds. Smothering or hand-pulling is best]

How long did it take to eliminate the turf/weeds?

We would choose a bed to expand on the weekends; both of us were working, raising kids, etc. We would choose something manageable that we could start and hopefully complete in a weekend.

How did you plant natives?

I initially purchased potted plants, then moved on to plugs [Note: plugs refers to deeply rooted plants in special containers] and now am collecting seeds. I am a fan of milk jug planting, letting the cold outdoors weather do the work for me of stratifying the seeds, which many native plant seeds require before they will germinate [Note: This is the "Winter Sowing" I keep talking about! See my January blog post for how to do that!]

Was there a specific strategy involved in your plant selection/layout?

As I became more aware of the importance of natives and that I could choose to plant a particular tree, shrub, or flower to attract a particular butterfly or moth, everything started to change in our yard. It wasn’t just planting natives, it was a gradual move to habitat gardening - to support wildlife by installing the plants with which they have co-evolved. We started adding native shrubs like spicebush, dogwood, pawpaw, redbud and more. We bought two wafer ash trees to feed our giant swallowtail butterfly caterpillars. We saw the female butterfly lay her eggs on a rue plant in our garden. She laid lots of eggs and when those eggs hatched and the caterpillars devoured the rue, we had to find another host plant!

Of course, the trees and shrubs we planted had their individual sun/shade requirements that determined where they would be planted. Twelve years ago we started raising monarch and swallowtail butterflies. That changed everything for us. We realized the importance of totally eliminating pesticides and herbicides. No more lawn care companies. Then we learned about all of the butterflies and moths and other insects who overwinter in Ohio as chrysalids/cocoons or caterpillars and a couple who actually overwinter as butterflies! No more raking up leaves from our flower beds or cutting flower stalks down in the fall that might contain an overwintering insect.

Over time, Carolyn expanded her flowerbed around the mailbox… here it is this past Summer. Ta da!

When you got your first blooms and first wildlife visitors, describe the feeling.

It is awe inspiring, but at the same time you realize these visitors are dependent upon us to save something for them. I read that a naturalist commented that we are leaving nothing but scraps for our wildlife now - places that no one else can build on, make money from - that’s what we give to our wildlife. Sadly, it is not enough. One of my dear neighbors, whose yard contains only grass, came over to visit one day in the summer, when butterflies were all over in our yard, flying from blooming flower to blooming flower. She said, with a pouty expression, “Why don’t the butterflies come to my yard?” Once you think like a butterfly, you drive through neighborhoods where you only see grass and wonder, where does a butterfly find any nectar?

Fuzzy butt little bumblebees and a Monarch butterfly enjoying Carolyn’s Joe Pye

What level of maintenance does your yard habitat require? Water, weeding?

Certainly it takes time and I do water some of my plants during extremely hot, dry weather. I know the natives will likely not die with no water, but I try to keep them in good shape, producing lots of nectar and pollen for the insects. I tell people that if you count the time most people spend on mowing the boring lawns (noise and air pollution), watering the boring lawns (using precious water), raking and mowing leaves (more noise and air pollution) - on so many levels native habitat gardens are win-win propositions for the environment and your free time!

As she does some work, Carolyn gets to enjoy the company of her local birds, bees and butterflies!

Describe the wildlife you get to enjoy now because of your natives.

Because of the combination of native plants and no pesticides or herbicides, our yard is filled with critters. From lightning bugs, to dragonflies, to all kinds of butterflies and moths, to lots and lots of birds, who enjoy all of the seeds from the native plants, to the bees and squirrels and chipmunks and rabbits. There is so much life!

What would you say to a family considering starting to go native.

Do some research, start slowly and have fun! If I were starting right now, the first thing I would do was purchase Dr. Doug Tallamy’s books Bringing Nature Home and/or Nature’s Best Hope. It is truly the most important book I have ever read about the importance of natives and the small things we can do that have huge impacts. In Ohio, development has increased 90% over the last 30 years. Wildlife habitat is being rapidly transformed into suburbs. It is really falling to us to provide homes and foods for the insects, which in turn support baby birds, etc etc etc .

You can create a small garden, with the only requirement being sun, with just a few great native plants and you will have blooms for butterflies from late spring to late fall. Plant shrubs and trees that produce berries for our birds, like viburnums, chokeberries, winterberries. Plant an oak tree! Oaks have been proven to support up to 534 species of moth and butterfly caterpillars.

Do not think all non-natives are bad or have to be eliminated. I have non-natives in my yard. Many of them provide nectar, pollen and seeds for wildlife. For example, hummingbirds get nectar from non-native hosta flowers and chickadees get seeds from those same hosta flowers in late fall. Certainly be aware of which non-natives are so aggressive that they pose a threat to our natives. Do not think that because a nursery sells a plant that it is good. English ivy, vinca, burning bush, callery pears - all non-native, aggressive and should be eliminated from your yard. If there is a certain butterfly or other insect you want to attract, plant for them. That information is readily available in any butterfly reference book - look for their host plants.

Lastly, do not be afraid to make mistakes! When I was preparing this talk and looking at pictures of our yard, I was reminded that boy did we make mistakes! From planting awful invasives like purple loosestrife, to not realizing that the beautifully pruned “tree” in our yard when we bought the house was the super-invasive, thug bush honeysuckle! We cared for that tree, watered, fine pruned for a couple of years before we realized what it was! We planted evergreens too close to our fence, forgetting that they grow! There is so much more information available now than there was 30 years ago when we started out! Join a Facebook page like Pollinator Friendly Yards or Landscaping with Native Plants in Ohio, attend classes or lectures. We also attended a national Wild Ones convention that was held in Columbus.That was a phenomenal learning experience.

Carolyn’s front yard this past Summer… the bees are impressed!

Lastly, what are your top recommended resources for planting a native garden/lawn?

We in Columbus are so fortunate! Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District is a wonderful resource. They have native trees and shrubs and flowers available during their online Spring sale which is going on now. It is an inexpensive way to get bare root plants at very reasonable prices. Especially exciting, they are making available Native Plant Kits this year. Each kit contains 50 plugs which are shipped directly to your address in early June. You must order by March 28. There are categories for Butterfly/Bird, Shade, Prairie, Prairie Grass, Pollinator, Rain Garden and Wetland. The cost for 50 plants is $140.00. They also run a program called Community Backyards. After taking a short online class, and quiz, you can be eligible for a $50.00 rebate to go towards rain barrels, compost bins or native plants and trees from area nurseries, like Scioto Gardens, which is a great place to find native plants. The rebate program should reopen in May of 2021. [Note: Also, be sure to checkout all our native plant partners on our Balanced By Nature page]

Watch for Green Columbus events. They have several tree/plant give away events . Check their website. The organization Wild Ones has a fantastic spring plant sale. Prices are low and the plants have all been dug from Wild Ones members’ yards. Consider becoming a member of Columbus Wild Ones, too. Also, you can contact Gale Martin of Natives in Harmony who is in Marengo, Ohio. You can visit her place or check her website for events around town where she will be selling her native plants. And of course, the resources mentioned above like the Facebook group and Tallamy's books! [Note: you can also ask your friendly neighborhood nature guy... Mr.Jared! Email me: jared@ldbb.care OR message me on instagram @jaredthenatureguy]

So there you have it! Lots of wonderful info from a wonderful friend to wildlife. One of my greatest takeaways in my deep dive into the world of native plants is just how helpful, friendly and generous everyone in the native plant community is! They all share a common goal: making this world a better place for wildlife and therefore a better place for us and our kiddos... and they're all willing to help you do that too! So let’s start a party in your yard!

P.S. LDBB & BFA are leading the way for Columbus daycares: we are planting native plants at all our centers to bring the party to us! Look for blooms and animal friends this Spring & Summer! Buzz buzz!

P.P.S. Does this sound awesome but also like you’d want some help? There are some awesome native-focused landscape planners here in Central Ohio! See my blog post with some great recommendations of local planners!