Flora for Fauna

Bonnie and Ed Worme shrunk their lawn and added beautiful trees, shrubs, vines, and flowers to enlarged planting beds, providing more habitat for wildlife. Transforming a garden into a wildlife refuge doesn't require a big cash prize; you can do the work gradually. Start by expanding your existing borders with flowers that butterflies, hummingbirds, bees, and other pollinators love.

Front Yard

1. Red osier dogwood [br] Cornus sericea
2. Moonshine yarrow [bt, in] Achillea x 'Moonshine'
3. Purple coneflower [bt, in] Echinacea purpurea 'Bravado'
4. Boston ivy [br] Parthenocissus tricuspidata 'Veitchii'
5. Dwarf arborvitae [br] Thuja occidentalis 'Danica'
6. Coreopsis [bt, in] Coreopsis verticillata 'Zagreb'
7. Clavennae yarrow [bt, in] Achillea clavennae
8. Winterberry holly [br, in] Ilex verticillata 'Red Sprite'
9. Blue wild rye [br] Elymus glaucus
10. Dwarf Colorado blue spruce [br] Picea pungens f. glauca

Backyard

1. Chokecherry [br, in] Prunus virginiana
2. Oakleaf hydrangea [in] Hydrangea quercifolia
3. Blue juniper [br] Juniperus scopulorum 'Wichita Blue'
4. American cranberry bush [br] Viburnum trilobum 'Wentworth'
5. Winterberry holly [br, in] Ilex verticillata 'Red Sprite'
6. Winterberry holly [br, in] Ilex verticillata 'Jim Dandy'
7. Grape vine [br] Vitis labrusca 'Eastern Concord'
8. Carolina allspice [bt] Calycanthus floridus
9. Coreopsis [bt, in] Coreopsis verticillata 'Zagreb'
10. Dusting area and birdbath [br]
11. Water-lily [in] Nymphaea odorata Cattail [in] Typha latifolia Rush [in] Juncus species Pickerelweed [in] Pontederia cordata Frogbit [in] Elodea canadensis
12. Purple-leaf coralbells [hm, in] Heuchera micrantha 'Palace Purple'
13. Gayfeather [hm, in] Liatris spicata
14. Red-osier dogwood [br] Cornus sericea 'Isanti'
15. Evening primrose [bt, in] Oenothera speciosa
16. Dwarf fothergilla [bt, hm, in] Fothergilla gardenii

Note about the garden plans

The best plants for wildlife are shown in medium and dark green. Most of these plants were added when the Worme family's garden was redesigned.

Resources

Landscape designer Damon Scott of the Long Island-based firm Ireland-Gannon Associates created the blueprint for the Worme's new garden. He can be reached at (516) 922-4800, or online at the Ireland-Gannon website. Monrovia offers a special selection of wildlife-friendly plants called the Audubon Habitat Collection. For details, call (800) 999-9321 or visit the Monrovia website.