See my page How to Make a Wildlife Garden to get inspiration for your own.
Zines
First of many zines: Who Lives Here? Monarchs!
Information on Native Plants
- Doug Tallamy changed how I garden by convincing me that native plants, especially trees, are essential for biodiversity.
- National Wildlife Federation’s Native Plant Finder lets you find natives that support birds and pollinators by zip code.
- North Carolina Extension Gardener Tool Box, my go-to plant database.
- North Carolina Native Plant Society, which has excellent guides on what to plant and what to rip out. They also have meetings, plant rescues, seed swaps, and more.
- Pollinator Paradise Garden, an excellent place to visit with many guides on the website created by Debbie Roos. Her workshop on Designing a Pollinator Garden Workshop really helped me plan the garden.
- The Audubon Society suggests native plants based on your zip code. The results show which birds a plant supports.
Where to Get Plants in Raleigh and the Triangle Area
My favorite ways to get plants are to share with friends, go to plant exchanges at the Native Plant Society, and having the birds or wind bring seeds. But when I buy plants, here’s where I go.
- Rachel’s Native Plants at The Plant in Pittsboro. They also have a wonderful selection and helpful staff.
- Dirtbag Gardens aka Carolina Habitats is where Niche Gardens used to be near Chapel Hill. They have a wonderful selection and knowledgeable staff. They seem to be changing their name as of March 2024 from Dirtbag Gardens to Carolina Habitats, a good move.
- Sorrell’s Lawn Care and Nursery in Dunn. They have a great native selection and she delivers to Raleigh.
- Field to Cottage Nursery
- Sandy Mush Herb Nursery
- Meadowview Biological Research Station in Virginia for pitcher plants and other bog plants.
- UNC Botanic Garden in Chapel Hill, a top source for plants with splendid display gardens and educational programs.
- Big Bloomers Flower Farm in Sanford has great prices with a large selection of natives.
- JC Raulston Arboretum has a small but increasing number of native plants in its sales.
Where to Get Mulch in Raleigh
- If you can afford it, call Capital Area Mulch. They have good quality mulch and, for a reasonable extra fee, skilled people to install it. See the mulch I got from them in 2024.
- If you have the energy and a truck, get inexpensive but good quality mulch from the City of Raleigh’s Solid Waste department. I used to do this when I was younger and had a pickup truck. It’s disconcerting when they drop a big load of mulch in your truck and I found more trash in with the mulch than I did with compost from Capital Area Mulch.
- Many friends have had good experiences with Chip Drop, which connects you with an arborist who will bring by free woodchips. You can’t specify how much you want, though.
Rain Gardens
- Raleigh’s Rainwater Rewards Program provided funding and valuable technical support for the rain garden. They have great handouts that would be useful wherever you live. Many thanks to Project Manager Justin Harcum.
Other Garden References
- Tree Benefits Calculator offers several tools to help quantify the value of your trees, including carbon sequestration, storm-water runoff mitigation, and more. Interesting for your own use and possibly helpful to persuade your neighbors and friends to welcome trees.