"Once only turf, mulch, and non-native plants, I converted my small townhouse front and back yards to native and edible plantings over three years. The garden is a Certified Wildlife Habitat and was featured as a stop on the first annual Green Team Urbana garden tour (a group I co-founded to help restore the land in our heavily developed area). I'm an enthusiastic amateur gardener and currently a Certified Master Naturalist intern in Frederick County."
Plant list:
"Black- and brown-eyed Susans, tall phlox, rattlesnake master, bee balm, blanket flower, goldenrod, aster, coral honeysuckle, American wisteria, purple coneflower, anise hyssop, sunflowers, mountain mint, false sunflower. Various herbs, vegetables, and berries. I used marigolds, catmint, and alliums as low-profile "edging" around taller native plants and transplanted violets into my garden beds as ground cover."
Lessons learned:
"This was a DIY project. I started by marking out garden beds and layering them with cardboard and compost, then cutting holes in the cardboard and planting plugs. I found gardens or pieces of gardens I liked on Pinterest and then recreated them with native plants. (I'm a particular fan of English cottage gardens, and the look is easy to recreate with the lush, organic, slightly messy look of native plants.) I tried and failed a lot, but I dug in and got my hands dirty and wasn't afraid to fail. Some plants will surprise you; let them. Don't be afraid to start. You can always dig up or move plants later on."
-Bethany Adams, Frederick County