Designing your own natural landscape in your yard can benefit your local ecosystem by creating a habitat for local animals and pollinators.

I’ve always been somewhat of a forager, due to my love for the natural environment. At age 8 I would spend hours beachcombing on Bermuda’s pink sand beaches. I collected shells, sea glass, and filled tiny jars with sand.

We moved every two to three years while I was growing up as my father was in the Canadian Navy. Many of our summer vacations were spent in the car travelling from one base to the next. As we whizzed down the highway I would beg my father to stop every time I saw plants, stones or soil that caught my eye.

Today, I still love natural elements, and Mother Nature offers so much to admire in the Shuswap.

Since purchasing our cabin in Seymour Arm, BC, I have been fascinated by the vast variety and beauty of the native plants in this area.

I made discoveries along the side of the road, at the river’s or lake’s edge, and on our acreage.

I was so excited to find these wild strawberries on our acreage. They are so tiny, but pack a punch of flavour – if you eat a handful at a time that is!

In keeping with the wild rustic beauty of this area, I have decided to focus my energy on encouraging existing native plants to flourish on the property. I will also add new native plants that will help to provide habitat for wildlife, and attract birds, butterflies and other pollinators. At home I mostly plant cut flowers, so planting native BC varieties is new and exciting.

Let’s get started

Yarrow, Douglas Aster, Fireweed and White Fawn Lily are a few native plants of British Columbia that you can try adding to your garden. Devan Greenhouses Ltd. and Dinter Nursery both carry a variety of plants native to BC. For a complete list of plants native to BC visit www.eflora.bc.ca.

I’ll keep you updated on my progress, so stay tuned. If you love gardening as much as I do, I hope you try creating your own natural landscape, whether it be at home or away!