Building a Back Yard Habitat
There are great companies such as The Arbor Day Foundation , who will give you 10 free trees for paying a low $10-15 membership fee. You'll also receive deep discounts on other trees, shrubs and more. You will get to choose from a package of preselected trees which will be sent during planting season to maximize your success. I chose flowering trees that had a selection of dogwood, eastern red bud, crab apple, and golden raintree.
The trees, which look more like twigs, come dormant and ready to plant immediately. I chose to plant them in pots because I received them in the winter and I want to be able to bring them in if we get more frost. Planting was easy because they give a step-by-step guide with full color pictures. I just planted my 10 trees in plastic pots that I got from Home Depot and set them out in the sun after a healthy drink of water.
To encourage some wild life, you should also consider planting fruit and nut bearing trees and shrubs, such as blueberry bushes, butterfly bushes and nut trees. I chose a gala apple tree, an apricot tree and a cherry tree in addition to my free flowering trees. In January I plan to plant a row of blueberry bushes in my front yard. To further encourage wild life, you can build a small pond or install bird baths. You may also choose to hang a bird house or two. Benches and other shady areas may encourage squirrels and other critters to come out since they will feel secure having a place to hide.
I would suggest natural pest defense, which can be done yourself with a little research, or you may contact a company like AJ Southwest ( www.ajsw.com ) for help in purchasing the right products. Peppermint, rosemary, lemon, tea tree and citronella oils are all wonderful for discouraging insect invasion. Those oils can be found at www.allnatural4life.com .
Some other things I did for my habitat was to plant an herb patch as well as a vegetable patch and some roses.
If you love the great outdoors and want to do your part to help the environment as well as get reimbursed for your efforts, building a back yard habitat is the way to go! Happy planting!
Published by Holly Moulder
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- Summer Fun: Create a Certified Wildlife Habitat in Your Backyard
- Plant a Tree for Arbor Day
- Three Components to Landscaping Your Yard to Attract Wildlife
- Create a Backyard Wildlife Habitat for Birds
- Planting an Apple Tree
- How to Encourage Birds to Nest in Your Back Yard
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- Plant a back yard habitat and get tax credit.
- The Arbor Day Foundation gives away 10 free trees to all members.
- The National WIldlife Foundation will give you a plaque in recognition of your hard work.
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Post a Commentthings to think about doing, thank you