Flora & Fauna
Having a thriving garden is about way more than just the produce you grow. It is a small ecosystem that takes many different elements to survive. It is all about balance.
In my garden, it was important for me to incorporate some kind of pollination element. This meant, flowers primarily. Almost a quarter of my garden is used for wildflowers to promote healthy pollination to attract all kinds of pollinating animals. However, like I said the balance does go both ways. Having to much of something can not always be a good thing. In my garden, I have random wildflowers planted just in the bare ground to grow freely but I do still have native plants immersed in that area as well as perennial flowers in pots around my property.
Native flowers and plants are a good element to add into any landscape because it promotes a healthy ecosystem. A pollinator will obviously go for whatever plants it needs to but having native plants allows for a better balance. A native plant just refers to a plant or flower that was orginated in your area so there is a lot of research on knowledge on how to grow it. There is also a lot of research on what to grow with it. The problem with growing to many “random” plants is if they are not native, they may have a hard time adapting to their new ecosystem. They may choke your plants looking for water, eat everything that the other plants need, or attract unwanted pests.
The flower area in my garden has blossomed every year because I have it positioned inside my garden area right next to my produce and I have a mix of wild pretty flowers and the highest pollination flowers. For this, I did not measure out or decide which wildflowers I wanted. I started by just sprinkling seeds of some native plants from my area. Then I simply just took a packet of wildflowers and sprinkled those everywhere else.
I do also have a bee house situated in my flowers. This is a good thing to have so it promotes the bees to stay close by and get the most pollination.
The balance between flora and fauna can be tricky. While animals and other plants can be a good thing and they are necessary, it can also be harmful. My garden is completely fenced in with a gate to keep small critters out like squirrels and rabbits but they still tend to wander in. We did have a case of baby bunnies born in one of our raised beds last year. But, wild animals like that, if you touch them, mom will not come back. So, the best thing to do is to just work around them. If you are present enough in your garden, the animals will notice that and turns into a place they do not want to go. So I have proof that you can get rid of small critters naturally.
One last tip I have to share is about bird feeders. I love having bird feeders and even bat houses because they are just fun to watch. However, I did learn this the hard way. If you do get a bird feeder, a couple of things. 1) Even bird feeders that claim to be squirrel proof are not. So it is best to place your feeder somewhere away from your garden. 2) Make sure to look at the type of bird seed you are buying. We made the mistake of putting our feeder in our flower area and the seed we were using had thistle seeds so, when the seeds would fall from wind or animals or whatever, out came these thistle plants below the feeder.
Working with the balance between flora and fauna can be tricky at times but all it takes to be successful is a little research and dedication.
