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Going Wild in Texas

How to foster a natural environment that's wildlife-friendly.

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Home » Meeting the Challenges

Meeting the Challenges

With all of the clear benefits — to humans, to wildlife and to the environment — of wildscaping, why doesn’t everyone adopt these practices? Well, there are plenty of obstacles that stand in the way. One of the purposes of this site i`s to talk frankly about those challenges and provide resources for meeting and beating them.

I’ll start by naming some of the things that keep people from going this route with their properties, and, over time, I’ll detail what I’ve discovered to help allay these concerns.

Why not Wildscape?

  • Fire hazards. How can you leave leaves and fallen branches while abiding by best practices for preventing wildfires? Are Ashe Junipers (aka Cedars) hazardous to keep around?
  • Homeowners/Property Owners’ Associations’ restrictions. It may not be the case in other states, but in Texas, HOAs and POAs are incredibly powerful. What do you do if your neighborhood requires you to maintain a park-like lawn and use water-hogging plants?
  • “It just isn’t as pretty….” If your idea of a beautiful landscape has been formed entirely by lawns in England or by what’s in the aisles at your local big box store garden center, you may think a native garden less than aesthetically pleasing. Thankfully, native landscapes can be gorgeous!
  • Pest control. Leaving leaves where they fall gives insects a place to live, and putting out food for birds can attract rodents. How do you reconcile this with a desire for a native landscape?

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Updates

Wildscaping Around the Web

  • [priv] Livescience.com: 'A direct relationship between your sense of sight and recovery rate': Biologist Kathy Willis on why looking at nature can speed up healing
    Bookmarked on 2024-11-11
  • [priv] https://makeitsparkle.co/?ref=producthunt
    Bookmarked on 2024-08-15
  • [priv] The Conversation: One garden, one year and one woman’s mission to make space for urban wildlife
    Bookmarked on 2024-07-30
  • [priv] Los Angeles Times: They turned a junk-filled L.A. yard into a weird and wonderful habitat garden
    Bookmarked on 2024-07-30
  • [priv] Why you should let insects eat your plants
    Bookmarked on 2024-05-05
  • [priv] Walking in nature proven to significantly boost brain functioning
    Bookmarked on 2024-01-31
  • [priv] The Independent: People told to 'leave the leaves' on your garden and lawn. Should you really do it?
    Bookmarked on 2023-11-15
  • The Guardian: Non-native grass species blamed for ferocity of Hawaii wildfires
    Bookmarked on 2023-08-16
  • https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2023/06/28/aging-green-spaces-nature-health/
    Bookmarked on 2023-07-06
  • https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/05/realestate/formal-landscaping-native-garden-stoneleigh.html
    Bookmarked on 2023-07-06
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