Why Plant a Native Habitat Garden?

Invite nature into your yard by planting a native habitat garden.

Transform your backyard into a thriving habitat garden—a vibrant sanctuary where native plants invite birds, butterflies, and bees while conserving water and celebrating California’s natural beauty.

A habitat garden could also be called a backyard restoration because if we implement some specific design elements into our home landscape, we can create a beautiful and welcoming environment for our native wildlife. A naturalistic native wildlife garden can not only be beautiful and fragrant, but can attract and benefit birds, bugs, butterflies, bees, lizards, and other wildlife. Besides attracting wildlife, why else should we plant California native plants?

• Conserving water with native plants is important in our drought-prone Southern California and can save the homeowner money when it comes time to pay the water bill.
• Using natives eliminates the need for pesticides, herbicides, amendments, and fertilizers which would be counter to our goal of attracting wildlife.  It’s also easier to maintain.
• Seasonality: A native landscape is likely to have high seasonality, something that imported plants often lack.
• A sense of place: Native landscapes are beautiful and represent our natural heritage.
• Exploration and experience are heightened for children and adults if we plant locally native species due to the conjunction of beauty, wildlife, and local aesthetic.

Elements to maximize the attraction of a habitat garden:

• Structural plant design is an important consideration when planning your habitat garden after the hardscape such as paths and circulation have been decided upon. Tall trees, small trees and large shrubs, dense and open shrubs down to ground covers and border plants present a wide variety of opportunities for any number of critters. Plan to leave some open bare soil to encourage ground nesting native bees and wasps.
• A diversity of native plants will not only attract a diversity of wildlife but will provide an interesting garden of beauty and habitat value all year long. Bush Sunflowers may have finished flowering in May and making seed for birds in June and July, but the Coastal Buckwheat is just starting to bloom and providing nectar for butterflies and later in September, the California Fuchsia will be blooming for hummingbirds. The diverse plant palette will supply nectar, pollen, seed, fruit, nesting material, cover, and prey for predators.
• A water feature in the home landscape is irresistible to many birds seeking a bath or drink but is also valuable to many insects and other critters. This could be an elaborate pond if one has the will to build and maintain it or a simple shallow dish that you would put under a planting pot will suffice. I set up a drip line to a hanging bird bath and within seconds of turning the drip on, a Black Phoebe was taking a bath.
• Pick some plants for their scent as well as their wildlife value.  Many sages (Salvia) have beautifully-scented leaves and the smell can waft unexpectedly around the garden on warm days.  Many other native plants have distinct and wonderous scents.  To test a plant for its scent, rub a leaf (or crush a leaf if you have permission) and smell the leaf or your fingers.  Show your garden visitors this wonderful trick too.
• I recommend that the home gardener not be fastidious in pruning, raking and cleaning. For instance, our native Purple Sage blooms with beautiful lavender flower whorls in April and June, but after the flowers have withered, edible seeds are picked out of the stalks by birds like Gold Finches and Bushtits will find bugs in the empty pods. Later, garden spiders will spin their webs between the stems.
• Consider replacing a lawn with a meadow of native wildflowers, bulbs, native grasses and perennial ground covers not only for a profusion of color in spring, but an abundance of wildlife. A meadow is difficult to create and manage, but worth the effort if successful.
• Finally, create a space in the garden where you can sit down with family and/or friends to watch the activity and enjoy the fruits of your efforts.

See the companion article, “California Native Plants for the Southern California Garden”

Find native plants in your area using Calscape.  Explore plant distributions using Calflora.

Written and compiled by Tony Baker, 10/2020. Thanks, Tony!