|
A yard says a lot about a person. Some are fascinatingly complex while others consist of little more than a lawn and solitary, manicured shrubs. One yard may have every weed pulled and all bushes trimmed, while another looks like someone spread half of what they own across their front yard. Since the yard is an extension of the house, they often reflect the people that own them.
Take Sunny Phillips for example. Sunny lives in a townhouse not far from downtown Tallahassee. While the footprint of her property seems relatively small, the yard could hardly be more appealing. The front has a complexity usually seen only at larger properties, while the back may be one of the most unique backyards one could find in Tallahassee.
|
The huge back window of Sunny’s townhouse faces a steep garden. It is a sight to behold. Ferns carpet the ground. A waterfall descends through lush plant beds. A hidden path winds through the back part of the garden. A perfect blend of natural and manicured areas appears to have been achieved.
|
A walkway bordered by a short wall separates the garden from the house. On its way to the front of the property, it runs past a custom-built storage area complete with antique gardening tools, potted plants and other plants nestled in window boxes. An adjacent forested area left wild borders her property. So, what did it take for Sunny to get a yard like this?
|
|
|
The transformation
Sunny explained, “When I moved here, the yard was planted in Boston fern, common ivy, cast iron plants and boxwood. Everything was just so overgrown that nothing got light and nothing [was] really growing except those things.”
|
By now, you may be picturing landscape architects perusing their blueprints, lots of dollar signs and a crew of landscapers. But the reality, Sunny describes, was much different.
“I had a garden in here in six months. I’d like people to understand that it’s not an impossible task, that you can start on a small scale. My garden is easy.”
Sunny worked as a teacher and for the State of Florida. She doesn’t have a botany degree or professional experience as a landscaper. What she does have is creativity, and she designed her garden after reaching out to Native Nurseries for some help with planting ideas. Sunny speaks about her backyard the way most people might speak about the interior of their homes. It turns out she sees both as one and the same.
|
“I consider my garden to be several different rooms,” she continued. “You’ve got to draw your eye, to make the eye stop and go down. Instead of just sweeping, you have to have different levels of plants [and] pots to add character to the rooms. Everything you see out there has a purpose.”
That purpose includes the creatures that Sunny hoped to attract to her yard. An active birder, Sunny helps teach birding workshops around town and has searched for birds all around the world. She wanted a yard that wildlife would use just like a natural habitat so she could stay on the other side of that big window, settled in her favorite chair and observe. Her dream is now her reality.
The reward
“I see 20 to 25 bird species per day in the yard during migration, and at least 14 species every day,” she said proudly.
Sunny showed videos of barred owls bathing in her water feature, a photo of a gray rat snake slithering through her ferns and told a story about foxes passing through the back garden. Those animals were there because their habitat is there. All the key components (food, water, shelter and space to raise young) are present and, not surprisingly, her yard is now an important corridor between natural habitats nearby.
Sunny’s backyard has two immediately recognizable habitat components. First is the number of native species ensuring a consistent food supply for wildlife. Sunny’s yard is about 50/50 native and nonnative plants, providing year-round beauty in addition to the wildlife benefits. The second component, though also beautiful, is more enthralling due to its sound.
The pleasant hush of running water trickling over mossy rocks is what, for many, makes a visit to Sunny’s backyard a truly therapeutic experience. As Sunny says, “Water is good to get wildlife to your backyard. But it’s also good for you.”
If all this seems like too much to tackle, just a single bird bath, a bird house or a couple of native plants in pots can make a real difference for wildlife and, as you might be gathering, for you and your loved ones.
Sunny has a simple motto when comes to making a garden: “Everything is driven by what is good for the wildlife and what is good for the soul.” So often, what is good for wildlife is good for the soul. If we let that mantra guide us while creating gardens or simply living our lives, the world would be better for it.
|
