Katie’s Indiana Garden

Beauty and habitat go hand in hand

I ’m Katie . I ’m a proudMidwesterner , and all of these photos are from my Indiana backyard garden . By day , I am a commissioned and certified speech - language diagnostician . By weekend and summertime , I turn full - fledged nurseryman and spend most of my clip in my humble backyard paradise .

About six years ago , I began transforming our empty , desolate , almost full - acre yard to rich , healthy ecosystem in the form of garden layer , shrubs , and trees . In improver to this , I “ raise”monarchsand proudly have on the title of a boo nerd landlord . I ’ve raise hundred of monarchs over the last few summertime and successfully hosted wads of brood ofnative birds , including robins , easterly bluebirds , chickadees , swallowtail , and Wren . I am incredibly passionate about demonstrating how to have beautiful gardens that serve ourwildlifeand reach to be cogent evidence that you may have garden for both you and the ecosystem to simultaneously enjoy .

It ’s traditionally thought that native garden look wild , messy , and weedy . I enjoy sharing with others how to have aesthetically appealing garden that not only become our eye but furnish substantive nutrients , shelter , habitat , and life - cycle support to everything from petite insect to our biggest backyard visitor . This can be done with intentional gardening through clean edges , arrangement of industrial plant , and destine educational signage .

I am most proud of the change that this yard has endured . Going from what previously was one matured crabapple tree(Malus sp . ,Zones 4–9 ) and some mature flatware maples(Acersaccharinum , Zones 3–9 ) along the side and front , this G now has five moretrees : a red oak(Quercus rubra , Zones 4–8 ) , tulip poplar(Liriodendron tulipifera , Zones 4–9 ) , blue spruce(Piceapungens , Zones 2–7 ) , easterly redbud(Cerciscanadensis , Zones 4–8 ) , and river birch(Betula nigra , Zones 4–9 ) . These were all opt in an travail to render more natives to the arena and support the insects and birds that trust on these tree for shelter andhost nutrient . Along with these Tree , I ’ve added five large garden beds . One bottom has allberry shrubsfor our birds . I call it “ shrub row . ” Another bed , which is my fall - interest bed , has native gage , winterberry , goldenrod , a beautiful treillage that support the native Australian honeysuckle vine , and aster , to name a few . It is a beautiful focal point when everything else has faded .

Two of the large beds are my mini - meadows . This is where I spend most of my meter in the summer , drench in the sights and sounds of the pollinators with either a coffee mug or a wine glass in hand . These spaces are home to so much life ! Being that this yard is wholly chemical - free , the gardens are registered wildlife habitats , monarch waystations , accolade - winner for bring natives home , and the best part : my true heaven on earth .

I ’ve been part of several garden base on balls , and it just nominate my sum beam when multitude visit and can truly hear and see ( and learn ! ) about the things we can do right in our own gardens to help brook ourpollinators and birds .

Gardening was n’t always easy for me . My first year , I did so much wrong ! Like puttingannualsin containers without drainage kettle of fish and not having enough dirt in the flock . I preserve to learn , bought gardening Scripture at garage sales , listened to veteran gardener , and attended free class at Wild Birds Unlimited and local woods conserve . These events really help further light my inner Passion of Christ for gardening .

My hope for the future is that more masses will count planting natives in their yard space and rethink their heavy function of chemicals , insecticide , and atomizer , which have such a significantly minus shock on our ecosystem . I bang experience encouraging conversation with others and love helping guide people on where to start . I ’ve helped lashings of friend and family take up up , make , and institute their own garden . It ’s SO heartwarming when they separate me how much they enjoy it and wish they ’d done it sooner .

I ’ll keep pitter-patter my passion showers wherever I can ; I ’ve helped put together our shoal garden , a pollinator garden in township , and now a tree effort where we will be planting 100 native trees . And I dream of wherever else this marvelous rocking horse of mine will take me !

This beautiful garden is full of flowers and even has a hammock for lie in down and enjoying the infinite . It ’s substantiation a garden can be full habitat for wildlife and beautiful at the same sentence .

mass of blossom please the heart and feed pollinator .

An honest-to-god chair is now a plant standstill .

White obedient plant ( Physostegiavirginiana , Zones 3–9 ) bloom in the foreground of this riotous , blossom - filled bed .

Birdhousesand a birdbath ensure that feathered visitors finger at home in the garden .

A path from the deck of cards leads to the garden beds beyond .

Plantings leading up to the front door are healthy and beautiful , with masses of lamium ( Lamiummaculatum , Zones 3–8 ) sate in withsilvery leaf .

A big stand ofpurple coneflowers(Echinaceapurpurea , Zones 3–8 ) providesnectarand pollen for a wide chain of mountains of pollinator , and goldfinches dear eating the come once they age .

A bird feeder is surrounded byfall - blooming perennial .

This all-embracing view shows the many garden beds and tree .

If you want to see more from Katie , hold out her instagram:@mylittlekatecod

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garden bed with white and pink flowers

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