Your garden has the power to connect you to the wilder world

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Marin County Habitat Garden by Suzi Katz Garden Design
The Vicar's garden at Saint Columba's church in Inverness, May of 2020 Photo © Suzi Katz Garden Design
Much of our residential landscaping emphasizes tidiness and uniformity so that when we're at home, we feel isolated from our favorite wild places and the creatures who inhabit them; but it doesn’t have to be that way. We can design our gardens to be more like the landscapes of wild California, filled with plants that provide food and shelter for birds, pollinators, and other wildlife, allowing us to stay connected while we're home.

I belong to an expanding community of gardeners who encourage people to view their own gardens as living, ever-changing systems that support the web of life, and to see this as part of a larger effort to restore valuable habitat that has been lost to residential development.

Your garden can be a link in a chain of habitat gardens, uniting your home ground with the wider, wilder world beyond your neighborhood, and I can help you get started.

Next: Evolution of a Garden: A Case Study in 4 Photos 

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Habitat in Marshall, CA. This late-summer garden is a giant bird feeder when the white flowers of Eriogonum (various California buckwheat species) are fading and turning brown. These plants are a rich nectar source for bees and butterflies while in bloom; later in the season, the birds can enjoy their seeds and the homeowners can enjoy the plants' form and character as flowers fade.

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A pollinator garden in Marin County which provides forage for bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies throughout the seasons. June 2021 Photo © Suzi Katz Garden Design

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This Marin County habitat garden is filled with flowering annuals and perennials that provide a succession of bloom from early spring until frost. June 2021 Photo © Suzi Katz Garden Design

Suzi Katz Habitat Garden

I planted my garden with a succession of bloom in order to support wildlife year-round. This photo was taken mid-August with a mix of native and non-native annuals and perennials (Eriogonum, Penstemon, Hemizonia). The manzanitas form the backbone and will bloom in the winter. Photo © Suzi Katz Garden Design