Please note, that some of the information below is informed by permaculture teachings, which itself draws on a long legacy of regenerative agriculture practices including Indigenous knowledge, as well as dedicated observation of the patterns of nature. Given this framework, this article thus at times considers not just flower gardens, but productive food gardens too, and how both spaces can be rich habitat for pollinators, wildlife, and biodiversity in general. The overall focus is on planning a garden in a way that mimics nature, is ecological and regenerative, and supports all life. Everything is connected, and when we support the health of our soil, increase the diversity of our garden, and start to pay attention to how other forms of life are doing… we are helping the bigger picture of biodiversity!

This article uses the terms pollinator-friendly, wildlife-friendly, and biodiverse garden somewhat interchangeably. While the focus is on pollinators like bees and butterflies, everything is connected and thinking about the health and diversity of the whole system is important!

Planning a Garden
Below are some principles and values you may wish to consider when planning your garden. These are broad principles that are useful to apply in all circumstances, and will inform the more specific suggestions later in the article.

Dedicated Observation
The first step in any garden planning, and I would say in many circumstances in life in general, is to observe. What is happening around us? Dedicated observation and curiosity attune us to our surroundings and to the natural world, and connect us to weather and climate. It is useful for planning a garden because many factors can play into where you site your garden, what plants you grow, what changes you make to your existing garden, etc. Observation need not be difficult and technical, but rather it is about cultivating a practice of intentionally observing the world around you and making note of what you see.

Perhaps you have lived at your house for many years and are well acquainted with your backyard/land, with its climate and microclimates. However, maybe you have a new spot for a garden (at a new house, a community garden, a rental unit, etc.), and thus we can use a few tools to get to know the landscape.

The following questions may be useful to guide your observation.

Sunlight: How much light is there? Where is the path of the sun (in the growing season)? This will inform what plants you can grow, and where you may choose to add flowers to your garden, depending on their sunlight requirements. You may know this anecdotally, but you can also track the path of the sun using various sun charts or maps online. One method that I quite like is this sun charting program, which creates sun path charts in Cartesian coordinates (set for you location of latitude and longitude) for either certain “typical” dates that you select, for between the solstices, or for a specified date.

Wind: What is the wind like? What direction do storms generally come in from? Do you have windbreaks, like a row of trees or hedges? Many pollinators do not fly in high winds, so providing a sheltered access to habitat and food is valuable.

Water: Do you get a lot of rain? How does water flow through your yard/space? Are you on an incline? Does water collect in certain damp areas, or does it tend to run off down a slope, leaving your site dry? The amount of water, and how it moves through the landscape, can help inform what types of plants who may choose to grow (e.g. swamp milkweed would love the damp ditch but yarrow will prefer the higher and drier spots). It may also inform the layout of your yard – working with the natural contours and dips in the landscape, you may seek to add rain gardens in low-lying damp areas, or plant in such a way that allows run-off to flow through your yard. Do you have any water features (e.g. a pond) that hold moisture during dry summer months? Are there are puddles or ponds for butterflies and bees to drink? Are there other water features nearby (in your yard, maybe in your neighbours yard) that the pollinators can drink from?

Soil: What is your soil like? It is dense or light? Dry or moist? Rich with organic matter? Do you notice lots of worms and critters? Is your soil clay-heavy, sand-heavy, or a silty loam (you can use a simple shake test to figure out your soil texture)? Knowing your soil can help inform what types of plants you might want to plant, and what amendments you may choose to add. But importantly, soil is alive. Soil is clay, silt, sand, water, humus, nutrients, and other molecules… but it is (and should) also be microbes, bacteria, nematodes, beetles, worms, mites and more. The best way to have good soil is to ensure you are building good soil and replenishing nutrients (especially if in a vegetable garden where plants are extracted for crops each year).

Generally, the best way to amend or improve your soil is to add organic matter. This can mean adding compost, sheet mulching on the surface of beds or garden areas (this is described later on in “starting a new garden”), or adding cover crops to hold in the soil, reduce weeds and provide a layer of rich organic matter to decompose into the soil come fall (like buckwheat, rye or clover). You can also use a broadfork to aerate tight clay soil.

Noticing… Yarrow in bloom late into fall.

Existing Vegetation
What plants are already growing? When do the flowers bloom? Do you have flowering plants for nectar for pollinators in the early spring through to the fall? Are there any gaps in bloom times?

Do you have any trees or shrubs that may be habitat for butterfly larvae or birds? How about any tall grasses like sedges for caterpillars, and skipper butterflies in particular? Do you have any plants that have hollow stems, such as goldenrod or wild bergamot? Hollow stems are important for many cavity-nesting bees, for habitat and to lay their eggs. However, consider also where you do not have vegetation… Ground nesting bees need areas of bare ground.

Animals
Pay attention, what pollinators do you witness in your yard, on your land or in the area? What plants do they visit for food, shelter, protection from predators? What other wildlife do you see (birds, insects, mammals?)

Consider also your interactions with wildlife. Are there deer nibbling on your vegetable garden? Can you add in a hedgerow of plants like thorny bushes or maybe currants or gooseberries to appease (and keep out) the deer, and also to provide some food for you and other wildlife? Can you balance feeding wildlife and yourself?

Climate & Microclimates
What is the climate of your area? Consider temperature fluctuations, frosts, precipitation. Do you know your zone and bioregion? These can help determine what plants grow in your region. Consider also any microclimates? Are you in a low-lying area that gets severe frosts? Perhaps we are near water that provides a temperature buffer and keeps your area more moist? Perhaps your yard/garden borders onto a woodlot that provides shade and cool air.

Consider Multiple Uses
When planning your garden, consider how each element can have multiple uses, otherwise known as “stacking functions.” For instance, your yard can be visually striking and ornamental but also serve as habitat and nectar for pollinators, such as by planting an array of pollinator-friendly flowers in various colours, heights, and styles. Consider how your garden can be a source of food for yourself and for pollinators, by interspersing flowers among your garden beds, or by planting flowering culinary or medicinal herbs. 

Your garden or yard should be a place to enjoy spending time in, to seek quiet or host company. It can (and perhaps – should) also be a place for supporting the ecosystem: from keeping the soil full of nutrients, to supporting biodiversity, to planting deep-rooted plants that hold in the soil from erosion during heavy rains, etc. It can be a place to sequester carbon, grow food, bring joy, see butterflies, teach others…

A garden does not serve a single purpose. In fact, thinking about the value of a landscape serving human and non-human needs can be a powerful source of connection and care.

Think About Use & Ease
Another important aspect of garden planning is thinking about how you will interact in and use the space. The type of garden, and its site, may be influenced by the distance from your house and your capacity to care for it. For instance, if you have ample space, perhaps consider putting a wildflower meadow and/or some trees or shrubs (to serve as windbreak, habitat and food source for many species), which require little or infrequent maintenance, at the back of your land. However, it may be best to site your herb garden, vegetable garden, and more ornamental pollinator gardens closer to the house, since they will require more regular upkeep, more frequent access and use (i.e. picking herbs for supper while cooking), or you may simply want to step outside and enjoy their beauty more readily!

This concept of thinking about use and space is also called “zoning,” and it attunes us to our relationship with our landscape. Of course, in biodiversity-friendly gardening, we do not simply want to plan a garden with only our needs in mind, but if we consider our use of spaces in the planning process, it means that (likely) we may be more inclined to create and upkeep the garden given the satisfaction and ease of use it provides to us, and we may be less likely to have to remove or change it because we didn’t factor in things such as paths, human use of space or other influences, or because it isn’t suitable to the area.

Consider taking some time to think about how you use the space and how to make it work for you, such that you are inspired to use, care for and sustain a biodiverse garden. Another great way to plant a biodiversity-friendly garden is to think about mimicking nature.

Plant Perennials
Perennial, meaning lasting through the years, refers to woody or herbaceous plants that can grow for at least two years. Nature is dominated by perennial plants, and a great step to support the local ecology is to plant perennials. While this is not to say we must replace annuals (many of which serve a vital and delicious place in our vegetable and medicinal gardens, to give an example), planting more perennials can have numerous benefits. In particular, perennial plants in a garden reduce the need for tillage each year, thus helping to preserve soil health. Moreover, they put down deep root systems, allow them to access nutrients and water, and thus making them more resilient. Perennial plants can help stabilize the soil, prevent erosion, and they are also a lot less work! No need to replant each year. All these benefits support the overall health and ecology of your yard, thus fostering habitat for many species, including pollinators. Indeed, many native perennial flowers, such as asters, goldenrods and coneflowers, are important for pollinators like bees and butterflies!

Lots of layers around this apple tree including food for people and food and habitat for wildlife. Source: Toby Hemenway.

Think Like a Forest
What do you notice when you go into a forest? Perhaps it is the fact that there is life all around you. Forests have growth on many levels and layers, from big trees, to shorter trees, to shrubs and bushes, to lower plants like ferns, to groundcovers and wildflowers, to vines. A forest is an interconnected ecosystem where organisms live in symbiosis, and where the presence of diversity supports the whole system and provides habitat for many species.

Planting a garden like a forest doesn’t necessarily mean you need to plant a forest (though food forests are a fascinating way of gardening!), but it does mean to think about layering and diversity – of height, plant type and function. Trees and shrubs provide food, habitat, shade, leaf litter (that covers the ground and adds nutrients, retains moisture, and provides habitat for species) and more. Many flowering plants attract and support pollinators. Ground covers can help prevent erosion and support soil health. Some plants in this system can fix nitrogen, while other have deep roots that pull up nutrients and water. If possible, try to have a mix of elements in your biodiversity-friendly garden, such as a shrub/tree for shelter and food, a nitrogen-fixing plant (like speckled alder, or clover), some deep-rooted plants to draw up nutrients and water, flowering plants for nectar, and ground covers. When in doubt, focus on diversity!

There is a lot more information on companion planting, tree guilds, and food forests online, too.

Ecological & Regenerative   
Pollinator and wildlife friendly gardens should also be ecological and if possible, regenerative. This means reducing impact (such as by not tilling the soil), by never using pesticides, by planting a good variety of native plants when possible, by reducing lawns and mowing, by leaving plant debris in the fall to provide shelter for many species, by supporting and regenerating soil fertility through the use of organic matter and low-till methods, and much more. Consider also ensuring your soil is rich in nutrients and organic matter, that you provide many layers of plants to provide habitat, food and diversity, and focus on perennials and deep-rooted plants to draw up water and nutrients.

Think of your yard or garden as an ecosystem. Everything is connected. Let us find ways to feed ourselves, the pollinators, other wildlife, and the soil.

Now that we’ve outlined a few guiding principles… click on the appropriate link to get some more ideas!

1) Starting a New Garden
2) Amending an Existing Garden
3) Making Use of Small Space