This 10 year old garden is certified as an official Backyard Wildlife Habitat site by the National Wildlife Federation.  It has numerous food, water and shelter areas for the abundant wildlife that call it home.  I have used a lot of plant material native to Georgia in order to learn about and preserve the natural ecosystem.  A few of the native specimens include: Solomon’s seal, pipsissewa, heart’s-a-burstin, wintergreen, tupelo, styrax americanus, and several varieties of trillium.  Many of these items were rescued from nearby woods as developers started clearing the land.  On the deck, is a container bog garden purchased from the Chattahoochee Nature Center. It contains native varieties of bog plants such as pitcher plants and Venus fly trap.

My goal is to create a beautiful, serene, yet functional space in a typical suburban backyard while addressing the needs of a busy household.  Over the years, this garden has accommodated a pitching mound, a paintball target, a play fort and the hunting instincts of a Brittany Spaniel!  I am continually redesigning and reworking the garden as I get new inspirations, my children grow up or the dog decides to dig out a chipmunk burrow.

There are several interesting touches such as the birdbath filled with a variety of sedums, the water feature made with a boulder and the play fort roof planted with a variety of shade loving groundcovers and herbs.