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Creating a Wild Backyard - Porches, Decks & Windows

Backyard wildlife habitat does not have to be acres and acres of well-landscaped yards. This pamphlet is designed to give you ideas on how to turn your porch, deck or window into a wildlife garden, with helpful hints on how to arrange food, water and shelter elements of habitat for wildlife in small spaces. Songbirds, butterflies, hummingbirds, bees and moths comprise the majority of wildlife species that will visit a porch, deck or window wildscape.

The landscape drawing was created exclusively for Wild Acres by Melissa Gerber of Gerber Landscapes in Queenstown to help you visualize the concepts behind creating backyard wildlife habitat. Melissa is a landscape designer specializing in landscape plans for wildlife. Below is a plant list that details each plant's wildlife use with a code, along with a description of the different kinds of food, water and shelter elements used in the drawing. Finally, we've included a substitution plant list that will enable you to create and personalize your own wildlife garden.

Landscape Drawing

When choosing plants, always be sure of the light, soil and watering requirements of each plant and whether or not those needs will be met in the place it will be planted. Also, when choosing plant, select ones that do "double duty" in the wildlife garden, such as food and shelter, to maximize the wildlife use of your wildscape. Try to use organic solutions for insect and disease problems instead of pesticides whenever possible.

A Special Note on Bird Feeders
There are many different kinds of bird feeders commercially available that are specifically designed for small spaces. Some have suction cups that easily attach to your favorite window, while others can be attached directly to porch and deck railings.

If you live in a condominium or townhouse complex, make sure that seed spillage and bird feeding byproducts do not cause problems for neighbors beside or below you. We recommend that you only put out enough supplemental seed or fruit that can be readily eaten in the morning. Supplying birds only with the amount of food they readily eat helps reduce the growth of molds, which can make birds sick.

Tips on Plant Containers
Plant containers found in stores come in so many types, colors and sizes that it's sometimes difficult to choose. Make sure that all containers, whether window boxes or pots, have adequate drainage. Regular potting soil can be used to pot plants in containers or you can mix your own potting soil using 2 parts loam, 1 part leaf mold or peat moss, 1 part course sand and 1 pound of bone meal per bushel of the above mixture. Large tub containers do not need to be filled up completely with potting soil unless trees or shrubs are planted. Try filling the container up halfway with packaging "peanuts" ; then fill the rest with soil. Recycling packaging peanuts is not only good for the environment, but also reduces the weight of the pot and the amount of soil necessary for planting.

Planting in Pots
When transplanting store-bought plants, be sure to check the root system before you pot. Roots that encircle the bottom should be gently pulled down and loosened slightly and then plant as usual. Water immediately after potting and fertilize as necessary. Some plants never need repotting but others may need to be periodically repotted which should be done when the plant is not actively growing.

Habitat Elements
The landscape drawing above illustrates the use of a diversity of plants, blending shrubs, annuals, perennials and vines in an arrangement that makes good use of available vertical space as well as horizontal space. Plants used attain different heights at maturity and are arranged aesthetically to complement one another. Other vertical components adding dimension to the design include the window box, hanging baskets, and the clematis trained on the deck railing.

Food
The yew is an evergreen shrub that produces berries eaten by songbirds. Evergreens also provide an excellent backdrop that accentuates the colors of flowers potted nearby.

When choosing shrubs for decks, keep in mind the height of the shrub at maturity or the ease of keeping a shrub pruned. The fruiting characteristics are also important when choosing food-producing plants. Yews are dioecious, meaning that male and female flowers are on separate plants. If berries are desired as a food component, then a male and female must be planted near each other as shown in the drawing. It's also imperative to prune shrubs carefully and at the right time of year so you don't severely prune off your future food supply.

The other plants chosen are annuals and perennials that either are excellent are excellent sources of nectar for hummingbirds, butterflies, bees and moths or produce seeds after flowering that are eaten by songbirds. Be sure to select flower varieties that produce single rather than double flowers because singles are richer sources of nectar. Annuals as a general rule flower for a longer period than perennials and can provide vivid colors. Perennials should be chosen so that something is flowering throughout the season to ensure a steady supply of nectar. Some of the best bee and butterfly plants are herbs and an herb container garden can be planned for the kitchen as well as for butterflies.

Water
Fresh water is probably the most important habitat element that you can add to your wildlife deck or window garden. A ground birdbath placed on the deck is a good choice for porches and decks that aren't accessible to free-roaming predators. A shallow saucer or dish filled with fresh water does just as well. There are also birdbaths commercially available that attach directly to porch railings or windows. These are also useful for birds to drink and bathe. A saucer filled with sand and kept wet provides water for butterflies too!

Shelter
Evergreen shrubs on decks and porches can provide shelter for songbirds. Depending on the shrub, birds may even nest in it. Grape vine wreaths hung on walls, as well as hanging baskets, are other unusual places where birds sometimes nest. Espaliers of shrubs and vines trained to railings or trellises also provide places to nest.

Plant List

Clematis - Perennial vine - HN
Fuschia - Annual - HN
Impatiens - Annual - HN
Lavender - Semi-evergreen shrub - BN, BEN
Marigold - Annual - BN, BEN, BC
Nasturtium - Annual - BN
Nicotiana (Flowering Tobacco) - Annual - HN, MN
Oxeye Sunflower - Perennial - BN
Petunia - Annual - BN, HN
Red (Scarlet) Salvia - Annual - HN, MN
Rosemary - Perennial - BN, BEN
Sedum - Perennial - BN, BC
Spreading Yew - Evergreen shrub - FB, SH
Thyme - Perennial - BN, BEN
Verbena - Annual - BN

Other Shrubs for Tubs
Blueberries - Deciduous - SB, BN, BEN
Coralberry - Deciduous - WB, HN, BC
Junipers (dwarf varieties) - Evergreen - SH
Rhododendrons/Azaleas - Evergreen and deciduous varieties - HN, BN

Window Boxes
Ageratum - Annual - BN, S
Button Zinnia - Annual - BN, S
Geraniums - Annual and perennial varieties - HN
Impatiens - Annual - BN, HN, S
Marigolds (Tagetes) - Annual - BN, BEN, BC
Nasturtium - Annual - BEN
Petunias - Annual - BN, BEN, MN, S
Scarlet Sage - Annual - HN, S
Wax Begonia - Annual - HN

Vines for Railings & Trellises
American Bittersweet - Perennial - WB
Cardinal Climber - Annual - HN
Clematis - Perennial - HN
Scarlet Runner Bean - Annual - HN
Scarlet Trumpet Honeysuckle "Dropmore" - Perennial - HN, ON
Sweet Pea - Annual - BEN

Hanging Baskets
Fuschia - Annual - HN
Garden Verbena - Annual - BN, BEN
Impatiens - Annual - HN
Nasturtium - Annual - BEN
Petunia (cascade forms) - BN, BEN, MN, S
Waxleaf Begonia - Annual - HN

Herbs
Anise - Annual - BC
Bergamot - Perennial - BN, MN
Boneset - Perennial - BN, BEN
Borage - Perennial - BEN
Catnip - Perennial - BEN, S
Creatan Dittany - Perennial - BEN
Dill - Annual - BEN, BC
Garden Sage - Annual - BEN
Hyssop - Perennial - BN, BEN
Lavender - Semi-evergreen shrub - BN, BEN
Leadplant - Perennial - BN
Lemon Balm - Perennial - BEN
Lovage - Perennial - BEN
Parsley - Perennial - BEN
Peppermint - Perennial - BEN
Rosemary - Perennial - BEN
Selfheal - Perennial - BEN
Spearmint - Perennial - BN, BEN
Sweet Marjoram - Perennial - BEN
Thyme - Perennial - BN, BEN
Wild Marjoram - Perennial - BEN
Winter Savory - Perennial - BEN

Plants for Containers
Ageratum - Annual - BN, S
Amaryllis - Perennial - HN
Annual Phlox - Annual - HN, S
Asters - Perennial - BN, BC
Canterbury Bells - Biennial - BEN
China Pink - Annual - HN
Daffodil - Perennial - BEN
Dusty Miller - Annual - BN
Flowering Tobacco - Annual - HN, MN
Gladiolus - Perennial - BEN
Garden Balsam - Annual - HN, S
Garden Verbena - Annual - BN
Geranium - Annual and perennial varieties - HN
Globe Candytuft - Annual - BN, BEN, S
Heath Aster - Annual - BN, BC, BEN
Heliotrope - Annual - BN, MN
Hyacinth-Flowered Candytuft - Annual - BN, BEN, S
Marigolds - Annual - BN, BEN, BC
Moss Pink - Perennial - HN, S
Petunia - Annual - BN, BEN, MN, S
Pot Marigold - Annual - BN
Primrose - Perennial - BN
Sander Tobacco - Annual - HN
Scarlet Sage - Annual - HN, BEN, S
Sweet William Phlox - Perennial - BN, MN, HN, S
Wax Begonia - Annual - HN
Zinnia - Annual - BN, S

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