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Special Interest Gardening |
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Everything you need to know about construction,
maintenance, and design of special interest gardens. |
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Bog Garden
Bonsai Garden
Container Garden
Rock and Alpine Garden |
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Water Garden
Xeriscape - Dry Landscape
Garden
Wildflower Garden Companion Planting |
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Attracting Wildlife to Your Garden
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Attracting wildlife to your garden is an essential part of
gardening. |
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Attracting Bats
Attracting Birds
Attracting Butterflies
Attracting Hummingbirds
Attracting Ladybugs and other Beneficials |
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Attracting
Reptiles and Amphibians Banishing
Bothersome Beasts Creating Botanical Sanctuaries |
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Many linked articles are written by gardeners and
scientists outside of our region but the information there is either
universal or can be easily adapted to the climatic conditions in the
Kootenays. |
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| Kootenay Gardening |
Bog garden |
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Bog Garden |
Building a bog garden, bog plants, maintenance.
Just everything you need to know.
A very good article based on the book by C. Colston Burrell The Natural Water Garden.
Brooklyn Botanical Garden website. |
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Simple Bog Garden |
An interesting idea for creating a bog garden in container. This project takes just a few hours to finish once you have your container, plants, and soil.
Rainy Side Gardeners website.
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| Kootenay Gardening |
Bonsai garden |
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Penjing: Chinese Landscape Bonsai |
"Penjing and bonsai are closely related art forms.
Penjing is the older form from which bonsai derived. While the
similarities by far outweigh the differences, there is a significant
variance in scope: Bonsai literally means a tree in a pot
and therefore as an art form, bonsai is more narrowly defined than penjing, a landscape in a pot.
The penjing artist's goal is not only to re-create
a natural scenery in a container, but to capture its essence and spirit.
Bonsai and penjing may be viewed as objects of
meditation. The act of creating bonsai or penjing by itself is a
contemplative, meditative exercise - a practice of Zen."
Penjing: Chinese Landscape Bonsai website. |
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Articles About Bonsai |
A set of very comprehensive articles on everything
you need to know about creating Bonsai.
Evergreen Gardenworks website. |
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Images |
The Bay Area Bonsai Associates (BABA) annual Bonsai
shows 2000-2004. A lot of nice pictures of Bonsai art.
Evergreen Gardenworks website. |
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| Kootenay Gardening |
Container garden |
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Container
Gardening 1 |
"Container gardens are one of the
fastest growing segments of gardening. Containers can be grown where
traditional gardens are not possible, including apartment balconies,
small courtyards, decks, patios, and areas with poor soil. They are
an ideal solution for people in rental situations, with limited
mobility, or with limited time to care for a large landscape."
Excellent article on everything
you need to know about container gardening: choosing a container,
soil, cultural practices, design basics, and more. Some nice pictures, too.
Colorado State University website. |
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Container Gardening 2 |
Another good article on container gardening.
Choosing your containers, growing mixture, sunlight, fertilizing, watering,
flowers and vegetables suitable for container gardening.
Garden Guides website. |
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Container Gardens - Eight Rules |
Eight Rules for Creative Container Gardens.
Article by John Richmond at Garden Guides website. |
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Colorful Container Gardens |
Creating Colorful Container Gardens.
Article by Naomi Mathews at Garden Guides website. |
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Hanging Hummer Baskets |
Heavenly Hanging Hummer Baskets!
Article by Naomi Mathews. Garden Guides website. |
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Deckscaping |
Designing container combinations for your deck.
Excerpted from the book Deckscaping by Barbara W. Ellis.
Garden Guides website. |
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Trough Garden |
Great article on trough gardening:
making the trough, preparing the trough for planting, landscaping, and actual planting.
The Alpine Garden website. |
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Growing Roses in Container |
A set of short articles on selected topics related to container gardening.
Colorado State University website. |
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Container Water Gardens |
A few nice photo-ideas for creating miniature water gardens in containers.
Colorado State University website. |
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| Kootenay Gardening |
Rock and alpine garden |
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"Gardens in which rocks and plants appropriate to them are
the chief landscape elements are called rock gardens or sometimes, if the
plants are entirely or mainly sorts to grow naturally at higher altitudes or
under sub arctic or arctic conditions, alpine gardens." |
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Rock and Alpine Gardening |
A very comprehensive information on rock and
alpine gardening, from choosing the site, through soil requirements,
choosing rocks, garden construction, choosing plants, installing special
features, planting the garden, maintaining the garden, and good rock garden plants.
The North American Rock Garden Society website. |
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Good Rock Garden Plants |
A very comprehensive list of
plants suitable for rock gardens, selected for ease of cultivation
and availability. You will find there a short description of each
plant, including color of foliage and flowers, soil and sun
requirements, climatic zone, and very often a beautiful picture.
Great source of information for the beginner as well as for the
advanced alpine garden lover.
The North American Rock Garden Society website. |
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British Columbia Rock Gardens |
Short information on Rock Gardens in
British Columbia, Canada. You can contact the gardeners.
The North American Rock Garden Society website. |
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Constructing and Planting Rock Garden |
Great article, supported by diagrams, on constructing and planting a rock garden.
The Alpine Garden website. |
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Alpine Trough Garden |
Great article on trough gardening:
making the trough, preparing the trough for planting, landscaping, and actual planting.
A very nice pictures, too.
The Alpine Garden website. |
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| Kootenay Gardening |
Water garden |
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Water Gardening |
A set of short, introductory articles on topics related to water gardening.
Colorado State University website. |
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Ponds |
Some photos of nice pond designs for your inspiration.
Colorado State University website. |
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Container Water Gardens |
A few nice photo-ideas for creating miniature water gardens in containers.
Colorado State University website. |
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| Kootenay Gardening |
Xeriscape - dry landscape garden |
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Xeriscape Gardening |
"XERISCAPE comes from a combination of two words: xeri
is derived from the Greek word xeros meaning dry; and
scape, meaning view or scene, together they mean a dry scene.
Xeriscaping is landscaping with slow-growing, drought
tolerant plants, allowing a conservation of water and nutrients. Xeric
landscapes are conscious attempts to develop plantings which are
compatible with the natural environment."
Avant-Gardening: Creative Organic Gardening website. |
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| Kootenay Gardening |
Wildflower garden |
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You may consider using the whole
or part of your site to create a low-maintenance, native wildflower
garden or meadow. The plants indigenous to the region are well
adapted to local climatic and soil conditions and do not require any
special watering or fertilizing. Over thousands of years of growing
and evolving there together with other native flora and fauna, they
developed resistance to most local pests and diseases. They provide
shelter and food sources for other forms of local wildlife, like
birds, insects and butterflies and help to preserve, restore and/or
create biologically diverse, sustainable ecosystems.
Native shrubs and trees also support wildlife in the garden.
Berry bearing plants native to the area are sources of food for many
species of birds and small mammals. By growing native plants
you may help to increase biodiversity in your area as much as 10 to 50 times. Many wild, native plants
can also be used in traditional herbal medicine.
Native wildflowers are not weeds. They coexist
with other |
plants on
equal basis. Weeds tend to take over. They are usually imported
plants that become invasive because there are no natural predators
and other controls in their new environment to keep them in check.
They take over native habitats. Foreign plants and weeds are pushing
native wildflowers to extinction in many areas of the planet, what leads
to extinction of native species of birds, insects and butterflies, as well.
You can select wildflowers
to provide a succession of bloom from early spring to the first
killing frost. Have a look around which plants are native to
your area. It is illegal to uproot wildflowers in British Columbia
but there are native plants nurseries that sell wildflower seeds
and plants. There are meadow seed mixes made up of fine grasses and
wildflowers.
Don't be afraid to change your almost
lifeless and taking too much resources lawn into a meadow teeming
with wildlife. Gardening with wildflowers is rapidly growing in
popularity. You will not be alone.
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Wildflower Farm - Wildflowers
and Wild flower seed mixes |
Wildflower seed farm located in Coldwater, Ontario, Canada.
You can choose spring, summer or autumn blooms,
woodland flowers, dry soil flowers, butterfly, song bird or
hummingbird attracting flowers, as well as native grasses suitable
for your region in Canada. All plants are hardy through gardening zone 3. |
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| Kootenay Gardening |
Companion planting |
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Have you ever noticed that some plants grow better
(or worse) when planted together with some other plants?
It looks like for plants it works the same way as it does for us. We also
feel better in the company of some people, while company of some others can
make us feeling not that well. |
"Some plants exude chemicals from roots or aerial parts that suppress or
repel pests and protect neighboring plants. The African marigold, for
example, releases thiopene—a nematode repellent—making it a good companion
for a number of garden crops. The manufacture and release of certain
biochemicals is also a factor in plant antagonism." ATTRA |
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Basic Concepts and Resources |
"Companion planting is based on the idea that
certain plants can benefit others when planted in near
proximity. The scientific and traditional bases for these plant
associations are discussed. A companion planting chart for
common herbs, vegetables, and flowers is provided, as is a
listing of literature resources for traditional companion planting."
Article by George Kuepper & Mardi Dodson at
ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service website. |
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Companion Planting Information |
"Companion planting, or
intercropping, allows us to take advantage of certain chemical
interactions between plants. These interactions can be used to
encourage plant growth and health in a symbiotic manner. Every plant
releases different chemical agents, either above ground through its
leaves, or below ground from its roots."
Avant-Gardening: Creative Organic Gardening website. |
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Attracting Wildlife to Your Garden
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| Kootenay Gardening |
Attracting bats |
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Attracting Bats to Your Garden |
"Bats have been maligned for centuries, miscast as the familiars of
witches, associated with Halloween, and feared for the false belief
that they will get caught in hair.
In reality, bats are incredibly important to the health of the
environment and our gardens."
Canadian Wildlife Federation Wild About Gardening website. |
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Building a Bat House |
"The scarcity of suitable roosting sites threatens bats' survival.
Putting up bat houses is a great way to help bat populations."
Canadian Wildlife Federation Wild About Gardening website. |
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| Kootenay Gardening |
Attracting birds |
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The evergreens at my property are getting bigger and already supply a good shelter for birds.
This year I had a little flock of about ten Chickadees visiting my bird feeder all winter.
I buy for them pesticide free mix of their favoured seeds and clean
the feeder every few days, so the feed is always fresh.
It was nice to see those little sparks of life and hear their happy
"Dee, dee, dee, dee" amidst otherwise silent nature.
I hope I will have more of those little friends next summer helping
me in my holly war against pests. |
Last year, in late spring, I had a small
infestation of little, green caterpillars devouring new leaves on my Currant bushes.
One Currant was caterpillar free.
When I looked at it closer, trying to find out what
was the reason, I noticed a tiny nest fixed in-between the branches,
filled with small, open, hungry throats.
The Chickadee mom, or may be dad, can't say which, was
flying around chirping frantically, trying to avert my attention from the chicks.
I quietly retreated, since disturbing them was not my intention. |
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It is in the gardener interest to attract birds to the garden.
The damage birds may do is definitely out-weighed by the good they do in the garden.
During the summer months most of smaller wild birds live almost
entirely on insects and their larvae. They also feed their young on insect food.
To feel at home birds need sunlight as well as shade, shelter,
safety, access to water, and food.
Evergreens, old trees with cavities, and thickets are excellent for their nesting needs.
In addition, the gardener may supply some nest boxes, and place
them on trees or, preferably, on poles.
Well built nest boxes should be durable, rainproof, cool and easy to open and clean.
Different birds have different preferences as to the box size,
depth, height and size of the entrance, and height the box is placed above ground. |
Birds need security, especially during their nesting season.
The presence of cats or dogs may prevent birds entirely from nesting in the area.
Sometimes mice, squirrels or other bird species may eat or
destroy eggs and young nestlings as well.
Bird houses should be protected by putting a sheet-metal guard
around the supporting tree trunk or pole.
Water, preferably running, should be always available. If it is
provided in flower-saucers or other receptacles it must be kept fresh, clean and cool.
Lack of water may cause birds to eat the fruit in your garden to quench their thirst.
In addition to drinking, birds need water to bathe. |
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Attracting Birds to Your Garden |
"Aside from the colorful distraction birds provide, they also play an
important role in pest control.
Nuthatches, woodpeckers, and chickadees clean up the larvae and eggs
of gypsy moths and other insect pests of trees. Horned larks devour
weed seeds. Owls, using their excellent vision, strong beaks, and
sharp talons, are efficient hunters of mice and rats. These are just
a few of the many birds who provide an invaluable service in
regulating insect, weed, and rodent species.
Birds are also one of the easier forms of wildlife to attract to your
backyard. To attract a variety of birds, consider their need for
food, shelter, and water."
Canadian Wildlife Federation Wild About Gardening website. |
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Food and Housing |
"There are many possible additions to your backyard that
will please the birds.
The dwindling existence of natural cavities can be augmented with a few
nesting structures. You can also attract hungry birds by recycling a
few household items and filling them with the foods they love. Add
instant appeal to your birdbath with a simple trick to create the sound of moving water."
Canadian Wildlife Federation Wild About Gardening website. |
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Bird Fact Sheets |
"Where do most birds gather in
Canada? In British Columbia, where you may find 362 species, and in
Ontario, where 318 species regularly appear."
Good information on many bird species in Canada.
Hinterland Who's Who website. |
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What Bird |
Great site, the best information, beautiful pictures.
Identify your bird by location, body size, colour or shape.
What Bird? - The Ultimate Bird Guide website. |
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Canadian Biodiversity: Birds |
"Birds first appeared 150 million
years ago, branching off from the dinosaurs."
Information on Canada's birds.
Canadian Biodiversity website. |
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Attracting butterflies |
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Attracting Pollinators |
"While some plants, such as grasses, have very light pollen which can be
transferred by wind, about 80% of flowering plants are dependant on
pollinators to help them transfer their pollen."
Great article on Attracting Butterflies, Hummingbirds, and
other Pollinators to Your Garden.
Canadian Wildlife Federation Wild About Gardening website. |
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Butterfly
Gardening 1 |
A good source of information for those interested in growing "flying
flowers" in their gardens.
Butterfly Gardening and Conservation St. Louis, Missouri, USA website. |
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Butterfly Gardening 2 |
Short, but good article on butterfly gardening.
Missouri Botanical Garden website. |
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Butterflies
in Canada |
Butterflies of four different regions in Canada:
Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, and New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
Pictures and some information.
Virtual Museum Canada website. |
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Butterflies of North America |
Great pictures of over thirty North
American butterflies, each accompanied by short description.
Photo Gallery by Cirrus Digital Imaging. |
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Butterflies of the World |
Great pictures of butterflies from
different regions of the World, each accompanied by short description.
Photo Gallery by Cirrus Digital Imaging. |
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Butterfly Gardens, Victoria, BC |
"Stroll amidst hundreds of exotic
butterflies flying free in an indoor tropical rainforest. Witness
the entire life cycle of these amazing insects."
Photos and information about
butterflies at the Victoria, BC, Butterfly Gardens website. |
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Attracting hummingbirds |
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Nature's Wonders |
William Zittrich's matchless photos
of "wonders provided for us in nature" - hummingbirds, flowers and butterflies.
Beautiful poems and numerous 'golden thoughts' accompany the images. |
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Attracting Hummingbirds |
Good article on how to attract and keep hummingbirds in your garden.
Canadian Wildlife Federation Wild About Gardening website. |
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| Kootenay Gardening |
Attracting ladybugs and other beneficials |
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Farmscaping for Beneficials |
A comprehensive list of beneficial insects, with some
pictures, and information on how to attract them.
ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service website. |
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Attracting Beneficials |
How to attract and keep beneficial
insects in your garden. Good article and some pictures.
Canadian Wildlife Federation Wild About Gardening website. |
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Bee Bungalow |
"Believe it or not, Canada has about 2,000 species of bees! There are not
only honey and bumble-bees but also leafcutter, carpenter, sweat,
mason, orchard, and digger bees to name a few. All are important pollinators."
Short, but good, article on how to provide a nesting sites for bees.
Canadian Wildlife Federation Wild About Gardening website. |
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| Kootenay Gardening |
Attracting reptiles and amphibians |
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Attracting Reptiles |
"Amphibians and reptiles are important in controlling populations of
slugs, rodents, and insects. Garter snakes are one of the major
predators on slugs. One toad can eat well over 1,000 earwigs in a
summer. Attracting these creatures to your garden can therefore be very beneficial."
Great article on attracting frogs,
toads, and other creepy critters to your garden.
Canadian Wildlife Federation Wild About Gardening website. |
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Dwellings and Dens |
"Frogs, toads, and snakes. Many people think of these slippery creatures as
unwelcome additions to the backyard. The truth, however, is that
these critters are handy to have around. Their ability to chow down
on insect and rodent pests will keep your garden clean and healthy
without the need for harmful pesticides."
"Toads are particularly fond of slugs, sowbugs, earwigs, cutworms, and
gypsy moths. In fact, nearly 90 per cent of a toad's diet consists
of garden pests. In a single growing season, a busy toad can consume
more than 10,000 of these uninvited guests."
Great article on how to provide shelter for creepy critters in your garden.
Canadian Wildlife Federation Wild About Gardening website. |
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| Kootenay Gardening |
Banishing bothersome beasts |
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Banishing Bothersome Beasts |
"While wildlife is usually a joy to behold, there are times when certain
species can become annoying at best. It then becomes important to
find ways to minimize the damage done."
Strategies for preventing your prize plants from being chewed up.
Canadian Wildlife Federation Wild About Gardening website. |
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| Kootenay Gardening |
Creating botanical sanctuaries |
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Creating Botanical Sanctuaries |
"The land where you live
is sacred and alive, even if it lies buried under concrete, or has had toxic
chemicals poured into it. It becomes our personal responsibility to act to
protect the earth and the creatures and plants who share our home and,
furthermore, to nurture and protect the expansion of the intelligence of
nature. The land will regenerate; the first soil microorganisms and plants
will detoxify, purify, and sanctify it. But we need to be willing to help.
Whether you have a small backyard, a working farm, or a
tract of wilderness, imagine it as a ‘sanctuary’, a haven for plants, wildlife and people.
We are stewards of the land, caretakers in the deepest sense
of the word. By creating sanctuary, we begin to restore the idea that land
belongs to all life, that it is life, and that our job is to restore it to its richest diversity.
In the process, you will find out much about health, vitality and your own
family’s well being."
Article by Christopher Hobbs and Rosemary Gladstar at
Garden Medicinals and Culinaries website. |
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Design and photos © kootenaygardening.com 2006 - 2008 |
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