By Emilie Grace Yochim
In the spring of 2019, I decided to add gardens and chickens to my yard to supplement my homeschooling curriculum. Fortunately, I came across a native nursery set up at my local farmer’s market. After listening to what they had to say, I decided to give natives a try. I began with a native pollinator patch.
During that summer, I saw the native plants thrive and attract many pollinators. The perennials I had purchased from big box stores sat untouched. They looked pathetic compared to the natives. I dug them up and replaced them with more natives.
I saw such a difference after creating habitat, that I was hooked. As the years went by, I added more natives: flowers, grasses, vines, shrubs and trees. I removed some invasives and replaced them with natives and non-invasive annuals for more color.
I started helping the nursery with their social media and learning as much as I could about natives. My passion and excitement for educating others about natives led me to create my own Facebook group to learn, share seeds, and create a community.
A previously empty landscape has been transformed into raised beds for a kitchen garden and includes noninvasive annuals for a spot of early color. The area includes small native trees and shrubs such as dogwood, sumac, ninebark, and redbud.
A huge empty patch is slowly being filled with native pollinator beds, a berry patch, a vegetable garden, fruit trees, and lots of native trees and shrubs, including edibles such as American hazelnut, pawpaw, persimmon, and elderberry. Note the growth in the trees in the back. It filled in quickly.
I removed invasive shrubs such as burning bush and installed a Monarch Waystation and a NWF Certified Wildlife Habitat with native host and nectar plants.
More empty space filled with noninvasive zinnias, a plethora of native host and nectar plants, and native grasses. Each summer, my yard is full of butterflies, bees, hummingbirds, birds, and other beneficial pollinators.
A journey of replacing invasive nonnatives and barren land with native flowers, shrubs, and trees. My yard is now full of life and habitat!
Emilie Grace Yochim is a homeschooling mom to two teens and has been married to Philip for 20 years. Since 2019, Emilie has developed a slight obsession with pollinators, poof heads (bantam Satin and Silkie chickens), and native plants.
She enjoys educating others about planting natives and identifying pollinators by sharing pictures and information about the native plants, chickens, and wildlife in her yard. She also enjoys making terrible memes and puns that she finds hilarious.