Deep in the concrete jungle of New York City, in an exuberant community garden surrounded by tall buildings and enclosed by a chain-link fence, a sign proclaims that this block-long space is a certified Backyard Wildlife Habitat. Step inside. The birds are singing.
Certifications such as the National Wildlife Federation's Backyard Habitat program are raising awareness of gardens as natural environments. Birds, butterflies, toads and turtles never pay any attention to signs when they are sizing up a garden, but official signs do the work of informing your neighborhood and community of your commitment to nature and the environment.
"Any kind of sign -- whether it shows your garden is a pesticide-free zone or a backyard wildlife habitat -- it's a signal to your neighbors that you are doing something different, and it defines what you're doing," says Kim Eierman, a horticultural consultant in New York. Eierman's company, EcoBeneficial, works with clients to improve their environmental footprint.
Eierman lives in a suburb of New York City where gardens are very small. "My message to folks is, 'If I can landscape for the environment, anybody can,'" she says. "A small lot can make a big difference."
You don't need credentials or experience to make your statement. The NWF's habitat program helps interested gardeners turn their backyards into spaces that offer wildlife food, shelter, water and places to raise their young. The NWF provides guidelines, tips and, above all, encouragement. If you have a few shrubs and a birdbath, you qualify. If you have more extensive landscaping -- a mixed-shrub border, a couple of trees, pretty flowers and a small brush heap, you're a first-class habitat gardener.
Besides the NWF, the Monarch Waystation program sponsored by Monarch Watch, which supports monarch butterfly research and conservation, encourages gardeners to make their own backyards a haven for monarchs. The Xerces Society's Pollinator Habitat program asks gardeners to "sign the pledge" to provide habitat for pollinators and protect them by avoiding the use of insecticides.
As is apparent from the emphasis of these programs, pollinators are particularly vulnerable. Modern farming practices, loss of habitat, and the widespread use of garden pesticides have all contributed to a decline in populations of bees, butterflies, birds, flies, bats and other pollinators. To increase awareness of the gravity of this situation, a number of conservation and garden groups have joined forces to form the National Pollinator Garden Network and sponsor a Million Pollinator Garden Challenge. Their goal is to register one million public and private gardens, parks and other properties whose owners are committed to growing plants rich in nectar and pollen to revive pollinator populations. The map of registered gardens on the network's website shows the impressive progress of their efforts.
Another group, The Pollinator Partnership, offers visitors to its website a virtual gardening tool: You can plant a window box for pollinators online. You can share your virtual window box on Facebook, to get the word out, and take your plant list to a garden shop so you can create the real thing. The Pollinator Partnership also offers a bee-friendly certification program for farmers.
In her business, Eierman advocates relying on native plants of all kinds, but she does not do so at the expense of good garden design. Garden paths, walls, patios and other hardscape features define a garden's spaces and give it much of its character. Within this context, plants need not all be trimmed and tailored, she says. For inspiration, she recommends the extensive plant lists available on the Xerces Society's website.
The first step toward making your garden a better ecosystem may be the decision to eliminate some of the lawn. "Typically, people cling to a lot more lawn than they could ever possibly use," Eierman says. "They don't think about how harmful it can be, especially if they are not managing it organically." A smaller lawn also saves you time and energy.
Eierman suggests creating what she calls a "pollinator victory garden" full of an assortment of flowers, with blooms from spring through frost, concentrating on pollinator-friendly plants in large groups to help sustain healthy populations of beneficial insects. A diverse planting makes any garden more beautiful. Milkweeds, hyssop, zinnias, cosmos, day lilies and joe-pye weed are among the many great flowers that will bring butterflies and other pollinators to your garden.
It's fine to grow nonnative plants, Eierman says, but native plants support native insects -- many of which depend completely on them. Trees and shrubs give the garden depth and character and also provide habitat.
The birds and the bees can't read signs, but they can read the signals you send them by planting a garden they will regard as an attractive habitat. The signs are really a statement for the benefit of your neighbors. Good things sometimes need to have attention called to them.
Sources
Official signs identifying your garden as a Wildlife Habitat, Honeybee Haven or Monarch Waystation, among other designations, are available from a number of organizations, all working to promote ecologically sound gardening practices and awareness of the importance of insects and other wildlife in our gardens.
The application processes are all online. It takes only a few minutes to click through the steps for qualification, and along the way you're likely to pick up a few great gardening ideas. The sturdy signs are available for a fee, and you'll have to mount them yourself on a fence or a post. Here are a few of the possibilities:
-- The National Wildlife Federation's Garden for Wildlife initiative spreads the word about habitat loss and promotes local, garden-scale efforts to increase habitat for birds, butterflies and other wildlife. On the NWF website, nwf.org, you can learn about native plants and the conditions wildlife needs, certify your garden as a Backyard Wildlife Habitat, and purchase a sign.
-- Monarch Watch, monarchwatch.org, promotes butterfly gardening, especially for monarch butterflies, which are particularly threatened. A good monarch butterfly garden includes milkweed, which is the only food monarch caterpillars eat. Monarch butterflies are attracted to many different flowers, but the females lay their eggs only on milkweed. The website offers tips for butterfly gardeners, lists sources for milkweed plants and seeds, and takes visitors through the steps to make a garden a certified Monarch Waystation.
-- Beyond Pesticides, pesticidefreezone.org, sells ladybug and honeybee signs with the words "Pesticide Free Zone." The sign is also available in Spanish.
-- The Pesticide Action Network, panna.org, offers tips on bee-friendly gardening. Join the group and receive a "Honeybee Haven" sign.
-- The Million Pollinator Garden Challenge website, millionpollinatorgardens.org, is a rich source of information on pollinators and pollinator gardening for home gardeners, communities, schools and businesses. You can register your garden on the site. Signs, flags and banners are available at gardencentermarketing.com.
-- The Xerces Society, xerces.org, is dedicated to the protection of invertebrates, including butterflies, beetles and worms, as well as their habitats. The organization's pollinator conservation resources include books, regional plant lists, conservation guides and links to nurseries and garden shops that sell native plants.
-- Kim Eierman is the owner of EcoBeneficial, a horticultural communications and advisory business. She works with gardeners and businesses in New York, Connecticut and New Jersey to turn their gardens into ecologically smart landscapes that support birds and pollinators. Virtual landscape consulting for other regions is also available. Her website, ecobeneficial.com, includes videos and podcasts on garden ecology and sustainability, plus tips for turning your garden into a Pollinator Victory Garden.
(For editorial questions, please contact Clint Hooker at chooker@amuniversal.com.)