The Evelyn Jackson Wild Life Garden provides the water, native plants, shelter, and safe space for wildlife to thrive. It’s a place for all beings to enjoy, including birds, frogs, lizards, and insects. It’s named for Evelyn Jackson, my beloved aunt whose bequest made the water feature and rain garden possible.
The garden is in the suburbs of Raleigh, North Carolina, surrounding a mid-century modern house built in 1962. I’ve been gardening here since 1988. The garden still shows signs of my earlier focus on strange, exotic plants.
Why Native Plants and Wildlife?
I’m deeply concerned about the loss of biodiversity worldwide. Reading Doug Tallamy’s book Bringing Nature Home showed me that I could help heal the planet by changing how I gardened.
In the past, we have asked one thing of our gardens: that they be pretty. Now they have to support life, sequester carbon, feed pollinators, and manage water.
Doug Tallamy
Now, my garden is prettier and more bizarre than ever as wildlife add to the glory of plants. The camera I bought to see the visiting birds better revealed the world of insects. I’m now at least as much of a bug watcher as I am a bird watcher. I choose plants based on their appearance, fragrance, and who they will welcome.
Check out the video showing how the backyard was transformed from a weedy slope to a wildlife paradise.
Certifications
- Certified North Carolina Native Plant Habitat #140, NC Native Plant Society
- Homegrown National Park (Doug Tallamy’s project to create a distributed national park)
- Certified Wildlife Habitat, National Wildlife Federation