The document discusses the decline of local wildlife and plant life, advocating for the use of native plants and sustainable landscaping practices. It emphasizes the importance of creating habitats for birds, bees, and butterflies while considering the environmental impact of traditional landscaping. Additionally, it provides guidance on proper plant selection, gardening techniques, and resources for maintaining a thriving ecosystem in residential settings.

2. Where
Today in my town not one bird did I see
and gone is Mom’s last flowering dogwood tree.
Where gentle bumblebees once buzzed in my plants
mounds now grow with fierce red fire ants.
Purple Martins no longer fly over my head
dragonflies, fireflies, and toads have all fled.
Can I bring these all back, at least on my land?
a home where nature’s creations will stand?

3. Traditional Landscaping
PLANTS
lawns and
non-native species
DESIGN/STYLE
formal
uniform
unchanged from
season to season
UPKEEP
High maintenance
required for
a manicured look
What are this
house’s best
land features?
neat, open,
Photo from Creative Commons
What would
improve its
appearance,
usefulness,
purpose?
Is this style good
for the
environment?
Should it be?
Can gardeners
make a significant
difference to
preserve
the ecosystem?

4. It avoids or mitigatess
habitat/wildlife loss: replacing forests with cities
and prairies with farmland
pollution of groundwater and soil
pesticides to kill weeds and insects
electro-smog: microwave radiation
from cell phone towers
search results environmental impact

6. way too much mulch

7. Partridge Pea
and Firebush
Maypop Hill’s Prairie & Bee Pasture
One mowing in
January/no burn
(to protect bees
and insects in the
soil and leaf litter)
Outdoor seating
hay bale garden
annual veggies
Safe shade
Pond
Dog Yard and Orchard
House with back
porch garden
Pollinator Plants
Hugulkultur Pots
Permaculture

15. Native Food Forest

16. Download
free pdf
publications
from state
universities
Blight-resistant Kieffer
pear and Jerusalem
Artichoke flower

18. Native Mints

26. Late winter - early spring
Butterweed (Senecio species), Black Cherry, Cherry Laurel,
Cottonwood, Crabapple, Mayhaw, Red Maple,
Wild Plums, Wild Strawberry
Spring - Early Summer
Buttonbush, Black Gum, Blueberry, Blackberry, Elderberry,
Native Mints (Beebalm, Bergamot, Horsemint), Iris,
Coneflowers, Gallberry Holly. Golden Alexander, Milkweeds,
Salvias, Sourwood, Thistles, Tickseed (Coreopsis)
Titi (Cyrilla), Viburnums
Summer - Fall
Asters, Black-eyed Susan, Liatris, Boneset, Ironweed,
Goldenrod,Joe-Pye Weed, Blue Lobelia, Groundsel,
Sunflowers, Lespedeza (Bush Clover)
Find seeds or plants to grow
year-round habitat for the 3 B’s:
birds, butterflies, bees

27. Collect and organize information
notebook, photos, computer files
garden journal

28. Sources of information– books, internet (Dirt Doctor)
State and Local Native Plant Societies
Sources of inspiration
State Dept. of Wildlife & Fisheries
State Parks, Wildlife Management Areas.
Local Conservation Areas
State and Local Native Plant Societies
Online nurseries
and free catalogs

29. BONAP's North American Plant Atlas (NAPA)

30. Know mature sizes of plants
Keep plants and mulch from
touching house
Reconsider foundation plantings
which can cause issues.
Distance from building:
• Large trees
(>25 – 50 –100 ft.)
• Medium trees (>20 ft.)
• Small trees (15 ft.)
• Shrubs, other plants (3 ft.)
Wildlife habitat?
Nonvenomous King snakes kill
cottonmouths, other venomous snakes

31. Native Wildlife Needs
Native Plants
Click here
to see
the top 10
plants which
support hundreds
of wildlife species

37. Black Gum
Ironwood
Live Oak
SabalPalm
/Cabbage Palm
Some Oaks:
Cow Oak
Shumard Oak
Wax Myrtle
Winged Elm
American Elm
Holly: American,
Dahoon, Savannah
American Hop
Hornbeam
Black Locust
Catalpa
Cherry Laurel
Green Ash
Hackberry
Some Oaks:
Cherrybark , Nuttall ,
Willow Oak
Pond Cypress
River Birch
Southern Magnolia
Sweet Bay Magnolia
Sycamore
Maple
Box Elder
Hickory/Pecan
Red Cedar
Pine
(Longleaf Pine
most resistant)
Tulip Poplar
Some Oaks
Cottonwood

38. Native Viburnums
6 - 15’ (some are small trees);
large flower clusters
attract butterflies;
colorful fruit attracts birds
white flowers in spring;
reddish fall foliage

39. companions
Attract Pollinators
(bees, butterflies, wasps, etc.)
Repel Pests
(fleas, flies, mosquitoes,
beetles, etc.)
Attract Predatory
Insects
(parasitic wasps,
lacewings,
assassin bugs, etc.)

44. Fall provides many wildflowers for gardens
and forage for bees

45. Crushed leaves repel
biting insects

49. Native bees,
wasps, gnats,
mosquitoes,
are essential
for pollination
and to feed birds

50. Soil nutrients?
depleted
pH? Low calcium
= very low
Moisture?
well-drained

51. micro-irrigation

53. Chinese Privet
Ligustrum sinense
JapanesClimbing Fern
Phyllanthus urinaria

55. Creative Commons
Summary
Goals: native plants, edibles, shade, pollinators
Design: to match your soil, conditions
Stewardship: know your real pests
use nature-friendly methods

56. Public Domain: USDA

57. Introduction …………………………………………………………..................................……2
Gardening by Guessing …….......……………………………………………………….…......3
Natural Landscaping with Native Plants …………………………………………….……..4
Chapter 1: Planning for Natural Land Use
Wish List, Ideas, Inspiration, Sources of Native Plants …………………………….…...... 5, 6
Site Planning, Sample Site Map, Alternatives to Foundation Plantings ………….…. 7-9
Landscaping Ideas, Pointers, Low Maintenance …………………………..…...10, 11
Lawn and Alternatives …………………………………………………….…..…12
Chapter 2: Land Use Design Ideas
Ecosystem Gardening, Edible Forest Gardens …………………………………….....…13, 14
Native Plants for Medicinal Gardens ………………………………………………...…15
Native Plants That Repel Pests, Small Trees for Safe Shade, Homesteading….....16-18
Chapter 3: Practical Matters
Sustainable Practices, Choosing Plants, Planting Basics, Fertilizers, Composting….......19-25
Soil pH, Crop Rotation, Fruits and Nuts ………………………………….……....…26-30
Companion Plants/Insectary …………………………………………….….…..….…31
Herbs and Native Plants in Companion Plantings ……………………..…...….32-36
Organic Solutions: Weeds, Plant Diseases, Insect Pests, Big Pests ….….....37-40
Chapter 4: Attracting Wildlife.
Birds, Creating a Bird-Friendly Habitat, Hummingbirds …………………….....…..41-43
Butterflies, Bees, Nectar Plants for Pollinators ………………………………...…44-46
Roadside Maintenance that puts nature first ………………………………....…47-48
Chapter 5: Native Plants for the South
Trees, Shrubs, Ground Covers, Vines, Grasses & Grasslike Plants, Water Plants…...…. 49-67
Chapter 6: Flowers and Seasonal Interest
Late Winter/Early Spring, Spring/Early Summer, Summer/Fall ………………....…..68-84
Chapter 7: Monthly Calendar
January – April …………………………………………………………………..…………..84
May – December ………………………………………………………………..…………85
Chapter 8: Glossary of Important Terms, Facts, & Other.Useful.Information.………..........86-94
Additional Resources……………………………....……………………………...…................94
A leaf well spent………………………………………………………….……….................…95
Index……………………………………………………......………………………….…..96-107
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1654657514
Wildlife Corridors and Pretty Ditches
Yikes! 
The things some people do for a perception of neatness!
Surely the untrained employee who sprayed herbicide here does
not consider this area beautiful. or healthy.
Federal, state, and local agencies have policies which recommend
schedules for mowing roadsides, cleaning ditches, and dealing with
various issues of water drainage and safety. These policies are available to read online.
In some cases, botanists and biologists may be consulted for their recommendations, but do
maintenance crews follow guidelines?
The average roadside is very often reduced to the appearance of a putting green or an ugly
dead zone, as we see in the image above. Notice how some plants have developed
resistance to the herbicides.
But not all southern roadsides are shaved. poisoned, and denatured to this execrable
degree.
The roadside, below, in Washington Parish, Louisiana, shows us how it is possible to
maintain
roadsides while providing a pretty view for drivers to enjoy. Even there,
notice the
bare spots of ground where mowing too low (more than around 6 inches)
has
impacted roots of grasses, possibly leading to erosion on slopes.
An excellent resource that states and local agencies could use to
preserve nature
while achieving basic goals is this handbook from The Xerces Society:
Roadside Best Management Practices that Benefit Pollinators; Handbook for
Supporting Pollinators through Roadside Maintenance and Landscape Design
SHRUBS, 1-10 feet
Shrubs come in so many sizes and shapes that they fit just about anywhere. They are useful
in perennial beds as individual specimens or as foundations around which flowering plants
bloom and fade with the seasons. While they can be pruned for hedges and to keep them
from growing too tall, species and varieties should be chosen to avoid frequent trimming.
Evergreen/Semi-evergreen
Blueberry/Huckleberry – grown as ornamentals and for colorful fall foliage and fruit which
attracts
birds; require acid soils
•Baygall Blueberry, Vaccinium fuscatum, 4-9’; S-PS; A W; dark pink flowers in late winter; dark
berries
in summer
•Dwarf Blueberry, Vaccinium darrowii, Vaccinium myrsinites--which is native to other
Southeastern states, 1-2’; S-PS; A W,; small leaves, edible black berries
•Dwarf Huckleberry, Gaylussacia dumosa, ½-2’; S-PS; B; W; glossy leaves, large dark berries
Bush Honeysuckle, Diervilla sessilifolia, 3-5’; S-PS; B (special value to bumblebees); small
yellow
flowers in summer; best in dry sunny sites; also see Diervilla lonicera for upper South
Coastal Doghobble/Coast Leucothoe, Leucothoe axillaris, 3-6'; PS-Sh; leathery leaves; white
available at