Habitat & Gardening Resources

Backyard Habitat Videos

Biodiverse backyards Pollinator Friendly & MNL

Native bee specialists, plant hosts, threats & conservation, Heather Holm

Backyard habitat for birds & pollinators, JoAnne Eckles

Regenerative lawns with Bob Dahm

Helpful Links & Tips for Habitat, Landscape and More

  • Garden Plants to Attract Beneficial Insects

    •Achillea millefolium - Yarrow

    •Eriogonum - native buckwheat

    •Rudbeckia - black-eyed susans

    •Ammi majus - laceflower

    •Eupatorium perfoliatum - common boneset

    •Leucanthemum x superbum - shasta daisy

    •Symphyotrichum - hardy aster

    •Baccharis - baccharis

    •Labularia maritima - sweet alyssum

    •Coreopsis - tickseed

    •Cosmos bipinnatus - cosmos

    •Phacelia tanacetifolia - lacy phacelia

    •Pycananthemum - mountain mint

    •Ratibida pinnata - prairie coneflower

    •Veronicastrum virginicum - culver's root

    •Zizia aurea - golden alexanders

    •Zizia aptera - heartleaf alexander

    •Solidago - goldenrod

    •Anethum graveolens - dill

    •Healianthus annus - sunflower

    •Spirea alba - meadowsweet

    •Angelice - angelica

  • Companion Planting to Deter Pests

    •Heirloom tomato or corn, green bean or pea and cosmo, marigold or rosemary (repels beetles)

    •Do not plant tomato, potato and corn nearby to avoid earworm and blight

    •Peppers and basil (repels aphids, spider mites)

    •Cucumber, winter squash and zinnia (repel aphids, beetles)

    •Bush beans repel beetles, nitrogen-fixing

    •Strawberries as cover crop around asparagus, rhubarb

    •Lettuce, mint keeps slugs away, chives and garlic (repel aphids)

    •Broccoli, carrots, peas, radishes work well with marigolds

    •Lupine repels beetles, nitrogen-fixing

    •Tomatoes repel cabbage caterpillars

    •Zucchini, watermelon and marigold

    •Potato and marigold

    •Onions deter many pests

    •Radishes deter cucumber beetles

    •Heirloom corn and sunflowers

    •Borage repel insect pests, attracts pollinators

    •Strawberry, onions, lettuce and marigolds

    •Carrots with onions and leeks repel carrot flies

  • Benefits of a Chemical-Free Landscape

    •Clean environment for health of pollinators, wildlife and people.

    •Improved overall landscape health, carbon storing capacity and water retention of soil without use of toxic chemicals or synthetic fertilizers.

    •Increases nutrients in soil, and reduces need for fertilizers alleviating runoff of nitrogen and toxins into waterways.

    •Improved water availability, plan hydration and less irrigation needed, conserves water and saves money.

    •Increased plant vigor and disease resistance.

    •Protects wildlife, pollinators and other natural resources.

    •Provides healthier environment for children and all people.

    •Organic turf costs less. Studies find that every one percent of organic matter added to soil can hold an additional 16,5oo gallons of plant-available water which results in reduced watering costs.

    •Once established, organic turf management can reduce costs by 25% compared to conventional management with chemicals.