Love this! We have done this too, and now (year three) our pollinator meadow garden is thriving. And full of bees, moths, butterflies, and birds. It's heaven!
We can thank the Brits and the sheep pastures that no high class manor seems to do without. Or not. Another approach for less lawn is trees under which the fallen leaves accumulate as a mulch (no purchase necessary). If you want to speed up this process, plant black walnut trees. The toxic fallen leaves make short shrift of your unwanted lawn.
As for bee/wasp hotels, they're easy to make: thick blocks of wood with holes in a range of sizes drilled in them, hung in a protected place. These will attract trap-nesting bees and wasps that will seal their brood inside. For industrial scale, stacks of soda straws in a protected box. Some farmers use these to attract alfalfa bees on a grand scale.
I have to limit the trees in my front yard so that they won't shade all the solar panels on my roof. The oaks will probably start doing that in another 10-15 years.
“It’s my honor to be the seed bank for all the dandelions in my neighborhood “, hahaha. Thank you for devoting yourself to this important work. I am becoming more tolerate of non-native “weeds” growing in my yard because I hate glyphosate and 2-4D. I tried corn gluten this year which seemed to suppress the crab grass but did little for the black medic. Guess I will continue pulling them by hand and try using a liquid iron spray on them.
Those oak trees are going to be beneficial for so many different kinds of wildlife. Good choice. Your big yard will be able to accommodate even more shrubs and trees that will provide wildlife habitat. And you are getting a great start by planting a variety of perennials that bloom at different times of the year. So many plants, so little time. One native plant I like to promote because of its copious production of nectar early in the season is early figwort. It’s not popular because it doesn’t produce showy flowers but it’s a pollinator favorite. Enjoy your gardening journey. I look forward to reading more posts about your gardens.
Excellent description of the processes and accompanying emotions and frustrations. I am also trying to reduce the amount of lawn. We have in a more hodgepodge manner. Have planted native plants on half of our septic mound and let the other half go wild with golden rod, which are one of the most potent pollinator attractors. I have simply left unmowed part of the lawn with varying results. While they are mostly non-native flowers I’ve found a lot of both pollinators and a huge number of insects ranging from grasshoppers to spiders to leafhoppers and so on, so figure it is better than simply mowing. I also have some more formal gardens that are mostly native plants, waiting for them to attain more bulk so I can see how things progress. Bees are one of my curiosities, and I have found a variety of native bees, but also several non-native bees, other than the honeybee. Fascinating process. Thanks for sharing and keep it coming!
Love this! We have done this too, and now (year three) our pollinator meadow garden is thriving. And full of bees, moths, butterflies, and birds. It's heaven!
We can thank the Brits and the sheep pastures that no high class manor seems to do without. Or not. Another approach for less lawn is trees under which the fallen leaves accumulate as a mulch (no purchase necessary). If you want to speed up this process, plant black walnut trees. The toxic fallen leaves make short shrift of your unwanted lawn.
As for bee/wasp hotels, they're easy to make: thick blocks of wood with holes in a range of sizes drilled in them, hung in a protected place. These will attract trap-nesting bees and wasps that will seal their brood inside. For industrial scale, stacks of soda straws in a protected box. Some farmers use these to attract alfalfa bees on a grand scale.
Good luck on your gramminocidal efforts.
I have to limit the trees in my front yard so that they won't shade all the solar panels on my roof. The oaks will probably start doing that in another 10-15 years.
“It’s my honor to be the seed bank for all the dandelions in my neighborhood “, hahaha. Thank you for devoting yourself to this important work. I am becoming more tolerate of non-native “weeds” growing in my yard because I hate glyphosate and 2-4D. I tried corn gluten this year which seemed to suppress the crab grass but did little for the black medic. Guess I will continue pulling them by hand and try using a liquid iron spray on them.
Those oak trees are going to be beneficial for so many different kinds of wildlife. Good choice. Your big yard will be able to accommodate even more shrubs and trees that will provide wildlife habitat. And you are getting a great start by planting a variety of perennials that bloom at different times of the year. So many plants, so little time. One native plant I like to promote because of its copious production of nectar early in the season is early figwort. It’s not popular because it doesn’t produce showy flowers but it’s a pollinator favorite. Enjoy your gardening journey. I look forward to reading more posts about your gardens.
the bees, bugs, and other critters will thank you for your persistence
Excellent description of the processes and accompanying emotions and frustrations. I am also trying to reduce the amount of lawn. We have in a more hodgepodge manner. Have planted native plants on half of our septic mound and let the other half go wild with golden rod, which are one of the most potent pollinator attractors. I have simply left unmowed part of the lawn with varying results. While they are mostly non-native flowers I’ve found a lot of both pollinators and a huge number of insects ranging from grasshoppers to spiders to leafhoppers and so on, so figure it is better than simply mowing. I also have some more formal gardens that are mostly native plants, waiting for them to attain more bulk so I can see how things progress. Bees are one of my curiosities, and I have found a variety of native bees, but also several non-native bees, other than the honeybee. Fascinating process. Thanks for sharing and keep it coming!