• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • DIY Projects
    • Homemade Bath and Body
    • Sewing
    • Flower Crafts/Decor
    • Thrift Store/Vintage
  • Gardening
    • Flower Gardens
    • Container Gardening
    • Houseplants
    • Indoor Gardening
    • Landscaping
    • DIY Garden Art
  • Decorate
    • Room Makeovers
    • Spring Decor
    • Summer Decor
    • Fall Decor
    • Winter Decor
    • Home Decor Projects
  • Recipes
    • Breakfast Recipes
    • Lunch Recipes
    • Dinner Recipes
    • Dessert
    • Salad Recipes
    • Soups and Stews
    • Side Dish Recipes
    • Appetizers and Snacks
    • Healthy Recipes
  • Holidays
    • Valentine's Day
    • Easter
    • Mother's Day
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Christmas
Hearth and Vine
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • About Hearth and Vine
  • DIY Projects
    • ...Flower/Gardening Crafts
    • ... Bath and Body
    • ...Sewing/Fabric Crafts
    • ...Thrift Store/Upcycle
  • Gardening
    • ...Flower Gardens
    • ...Container Gardening
    • ...Indoor Gardening
    • ...DIY Garden Art
  • Decorate
    • ...Home Decor Projects
    • ...Spring Decor
    • ...Summer Decor
    • ...Fall Decor
    • ...Winter Decor
    • ...Room Makeovers
  • Recipes
    • ...Appetizers and Snacks
    • ...Dinner Recipes
    • ...Side Dish Recipes
    • ...Salad Recipes
    • ...Dessert
    • ...Drinks
  • Holidays
    • ...Valentine's Day
    • ...Easter
    • ...Mother's Day
    • ...Halloween
    • ...Thanksgiving
    • ...Christmas
  • Subscribe
  • Instagram
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Gardening

    Rewilding Garden Ideas You Can Try in Your Own Backyard

    February 27, 2023 by Patti Estep 2 Comments

    A bird bath on a blue stand in the garden.
    A picture of a garden in flower with a graphic overlay saying Ideas for Rewilding Your Garden.

    Learn about a few ways to rewild your garden and start you on your path to transforming your outdoor space into a haven for wildlife.

    Anemone September Charm in bloom with limelight hydrangea in the background.

    What is Rewilding?

    Rewilding is the process of restoring natural habitats to their original state. You can do this by planting native plant species, protecting existing wildlife, and creating diverse areas for plants and animals.

    This isn't about using all organic fertilizers and ceasing the use of herbicides and pesticides. That's important but I'm talking more about what you can bring or build to encourage creatures large and small to enjoy the land.

    Newsletter Signup
    Join Our Newsletter List!

    Be the first to receive new posts and get access to our Subscribers Only Page.

    Variegated Solomon's Seal

    Steps to Rewild Your Garden

    Add Native Plants and Insect Friendly Plants

    Native plants are always a sure bet for success in any garden. You can find native plants by state here and ask your local nursery if they offer them or purchase some online.

    Many flowering plants also provide essential nectar, food sources, and habitats for butterflies, other beneficial insects, and small mammals. Flowering perennials are especially good choices as they will come back year after year.

    You could also consider creating a small wildflower meadow or area. 

    Impatiens pallida aka jewelweed.

    Provide Areas for Weeds and Natural Plants to Grow

    So many weeds or wild plants are helpful and many are beautiful. The jewelweed shown above has been used to make a nice jewelweed salve for itchy skin. Queen Anne's lace is a pretty flower that works great in flower arrangements.

    Leaving some space for these "weeds" perhaps in the back of your garden area or to the side will certainly offer interesting surprises. And depending on the shade in that area you can also encourage moss and interesting fungi to prosper.

    homemade bug hotel in a tree.

    Add Wood Piles, Bug Hotels, Feeders, and Nesting Spots

    Having spaces where wildlife can nest or shelter is a big part of promoting biodiversity in your garden. You can make a bug hotel, hang birdhouses, and feeders that will encourage more birds and critters.

    Trowel digging up compost

    Make a Compost Pile

    Whether you want to DIY a garbage bin, buy a system or simply designate an area off to the side of your yard having compost is a great way to support the garden. Plus it's a handy recycling spot as a place you can deposit old leaves and pruned plant material.

    Blue pot solar water fountain in garden.

    Add a Water Feature

    Depending on the size of your property you can consider adding a water source. A small pond or something as simple as the water fountain shown above offers water for birds, bees, and other native insects and is essential for their well-being, especially during times of high heat and drought.

    Rudbeckia seed heads in the fall.

    Allow Your Garden to Get a Little Wild

    Spend less time mowing the lawn and manicuring the garden and more time enjoying it. At the end of the season consider leaving plants unpruned through the winter to provide shelter to animals and more winter interest.

    With less pruning and weeding you will have more time to sit and walk through your beautiful garden and enjoy all the wonder it embodies. Not just the lovely plants, but all the wonderful wildlife that will soon make its way to your little haven as nature takes over.

    Patti signature

    More Gardening Ideas

    • The Buzz on Vanishing Bees
    • Easy Summer Gardening Tips
    • The Importance of Ornamental Gardening
    Collage of garden pictures including a compost pile, a bug hotel, a water fountain , flowers and jewelweed.

    « Stove Top Chicken Stew Recipe
    Easy Spring Wreaths »

    About Patti Estep

    Patti is the creator of Hearth and Vine, a home and garden blog filled with projects to inspire your creative side. She loves crafting, gardening, decorating and entertaining at her home in Pennsylvania. When she is not working on a project at home or searching for treasures at nurseries and thrift stores with her girlfriends, you’ll probably find her with family and friends, at a restaurant, or home party enjoying new and different food adventures.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Carole West

      February 27, 2023 at 8:06 am

      This is where I am at with gardening and I'm having the best time looking around our new property to decide what we will implement and where. Great information and a good reminder too. So far, we have welcomed many crawdads, butterflies, bumblebees, frogs, dragonflies, deer and the list goes on. I can hardly wait to finish this house and start living again. Great post!!

      Carole

      Reply
      • Patti Estep

        February 27, 2023 at 9:26 am

        Sounds wonderful Carole. Can't wait to hear more about it in the future.

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Follow Me

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

    Patti profile pic

    Hi! I'm Patti

    Join me to create lots of fun DIY projects including crafts, gardening, home decor and tasty recipes.

    more about me

    Popular Posts

    Blue jean crossover bag

    DIY Crossbody Bag from Jeans

    tabletop water gardens

    How to Make an Indoor Water Garden

    Echievera planter

    What to do With a Stretched Succulent

    Fabric bowl covers in 3 prints

    How to Make Fabric Bowl Covers

    Collage of flowers including russian sage, pink hydrangeas, coneflower and yarrow.

    10+ Long Blooming Plants

    Chicken black bean tortilla casserole

    Chicken Black Bean Casserole Recipe

    Footer

    ^ back to top

    About
    Privacy Policy
    Disclosure Policy

    Sign Up Here!
    for our
    newsletter &
    special offers

    • Shop
    • Web Stories

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. i.e. as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2021 Hearth and Vine