The Brothers Wild How to Guide for Turning Your Backyard into a Wildlife Sanctuary!

Transforming your backyard into a wildlife haven is not an easy task, but it is a task that anyone can successfully accomplish! With the following steps and advice you can get it done in no time! (Well it will take some time, but it'll be worth it!)

Step 1: Decide on what species of wildlife you want to attract to your backyard garden.

This is definitely the easiest part! Much of this will be based on personal preference and on where you live. There are many resources online or at your favorite bookstore, but usually you need to determine the growing zone you live in and choose plants that thrive in your zone and attract the species you enjoy most! A truly great resource for plants for the specific species of wildlife you're wanting to attract is your local nursery. Nurseries are incredibly knowledgeable and always have a wide selection of plants, bushes, and trees that are specific to your growing region and can easily recommend the best ones for the wildlife you want in your garden, such as butterflies or songbirds!

If birds are your top priority, you will also want to consider feeder locations and larger trees that flower and bear fruit. Also remember to have a good mixture of both deciduous and evergreen tree varieties for year round habitat.

Frogs make great additions to any backyard wildlife oasis, but you will need a small pond or fountain and some amount of plants that have large curved leaves or branch clusters that provide plenty of nooks and places to hide.

Step 2: Planting

The most important thing to consider is before actually planting is to have a plan! While this sounds daunting, it really is very simple and fun! Place the plants, trees, and shrubs while still in their pots in the areas and locations you like and take a step back and imagine how it will look in full bloom and after a few growing seasons. Remember you won't ALWAYS have flowers and color, so be sure to include shrubs and bushes that have year round greenery and even pretty colored leaves! For the smaller songbirds, be sure to plant smaller to medium sized shrubs or bushes, especially ones with thorns and that flower as it provides excellent cover for them for protection and nesting, as well as perches to shoot out of to come to your feeders so you can enjoy them year round!

As part of your 'planting' plan, it's important to remember a few things. Perhaps the most important is making sure all the plant species you select are native and at least half of them have a food source for insects and other small prey species, this will draw in the wildlife you're hoping for (ie: lizards, mammals, birds, etc.). Equally important in your plant species selection is choosing large and extensively bushy shrubs and bushes as this is key to attracting and retaining the wildlife species your wanting in your garden as they need habitat for cover and housing. All of these considerations can be addressed by your local nursery which will be an invaluable local resource for you.

Remember you'll need a good assortment of gardening tools to manage your plants regularly as well as plant species specific fertilizer and a fertilization schedule. Usually a well stocked nursery will also have these items too and great advice to help you make the right decisions to support your garden!

Step 3: Make Sure You Have a Source of Water

A great addition to consider in ANY garden is a pond with flowing water, a small water fall is even better! There are many 'all in one' kits available to purchase and again most nurseries will have a pond section to provide you with decorative rocks, underwater cover for fish, pumps, aquatic plants, and even fish! We have standard goldfish in our pond. They are hardy, easy to maintain, and are an inexpensive addition to any pond! They do require a running water source to refresh the water and keep your pond from getting murky, but any pond should have a running water feature regardless of any fish being in the pond or not. As you know, where there's water there is life, so adding a pond attracts anything from a small frog, to birds, to even mammals! Any sized pond with a live water feature, such as a waterfall, make amazing additions to any garden and create an even greater habitat that compliments your planting selections and is visually appealing as well!

Our backyard is teaming with life because of these steps and ongoing management! If you want a wildlife sanctuary, follow our guidelines and consult with your local nursery, you'll be well on your way to having a garden that will be blooming with color and teaming with wildlife!