I've never seen as much effect on wildlife due to plant selection as I have with garden practices. Most any flowering plant attracts nectar/pollen collectors, but beyond that... Leaving leaf litter/seed pods under trees creates a habitat for bugs, from bacteria on up to the larger bugs which birds and lizards eat. Basically composting in place and the birds turn the compost for you. Adding water like Toucan said, but water features specifically for wildlife. Like a shallow pan for bird bathing in addition to drinking. That will also provide water for other creatures. Birds don't like cover near the water where cats can hide but they do like branches nearby where they can stage and check for predators before moving to the water. And also water in the landscape. Some higher water plants means moist ground, more insects, more food for wildlife. True desert landscapes don't generate a like of life compared to when water is added. Rocks/rock piles for lizards, crickets and other bugs. Add some wood in there and some plants on top with added water and you have a good insect producer. Shade I think increases insect production and therefore wildlife. These things are more a all year. more wildlife type thing. A plant that generates berries for example provide a really short window of food for wildlife while habitat is an all year type thing.

I read through this thread last night, but was unable to post to it. Rather than read through it again, I'll touch base on a few things that stood out in being a native of Kansas City. Welcome to Kansas City AprilK and to the rest of you that have migrated here, or plan to soon. The Brookside area is a lovely area with lots of beautiful well established gardens and fully mature trees that are loaded with robust color and foliage. As for the Kansas vs. Missouri thing, grins, I grew up in Kansas and moved to the Missouri side in my early 20's. I moved back to Kansas only for a short while back in the 90's, 8 months to be precise, and I could not WAIT to buy a home again north of the river on the Missouri side. I've been in Clay County now for over half of my life and love it. Both states have their pros and cons, and much of it is more about the neighborhoods you select than it is what state you live in. There are "some" differences in politics and it shows in some of the ways laws are governed; especially Family Law. Also, a thing to keep in mind whenever seeking to move here, you should consult with your insurance agencies to get quotes on both homeowners insurance and auto rates; the amounts you pay might make the difference you spend in a mortgage or rent payment. Plus, the insurance companies are privy to high and low crime areas; it's a great way to weed out some of the less safe districts. The higher the crime rate, the higher the insurance premiums. One final note on location; if you are considering living on one side of the state line while working across the border, you will pay taxes to both states. Ok, all that said for the "transplants" (pun intended), now for some garden talk. I noticed multiple references to Peonies and wanted to mention a personal negative experience I had with them. I suggest that you do not plant them near the foundation of your home unless you enjoy ants. Peonies are a magnet for ants and if not tended to properly; they will invade your home. The previous home I purchased had a beautiful peony garden across the front of the home's foundation; very mature and robust. Once I got in the home, there was a constant issue in having to deal with sugar ants trying to invade my home. Finally, once I learned that the peonies were the root cause of the ants being along the foundation of the home; I moved them away from the home's base and planted them along the outside property lines where they drew the ants away from the home; doing so resolved the problem. While I love peonies; the flowers are short term on many species. Right now, with it being the end of summer and heading into autumn; we are beginning a new planting season here in Kansas City. The autumn is a great time for planting bulbs that require a hard freeze to bloom the following season. Irises, tulips, lilies, daffodils, hyacinths, crocus, etc... Again, many of these flowers have a short lived flowering life and provide the best show of colors when planted according to bloom span noted on planting guides; early spring, mid spring, late spring, early summer, mid.. etc.... You will want to layer bloom cycles to where you have a constant show of color. Just be careful not to over-crowd your garden and divide your plants, once well established, to keep them from choking each other out. Many of the above mentioned are full sun to part sun plants, and while they will still grow in the shade, they are less likely to bloom. Hyacinths do well in the shade, as well as Lily of the Valley. Beware though, the Lily of the Valley plant can be invasive given the right conditions and is also known to be deadly to children if ingested; not sure if it is the same for pets, but most likely would be so. For shade gardens, my favorites are ferns and hostas. When I plant my ferns, I loosen the clay soil by digging the hole double the size of the plant and filling in around the roots with cypress mulch or peat humus before adding dirt back in to fill. I've had the best luck with ferns I plant along the foundation of my home in a well shaded area; North side, and east side. I have not had as much luck in planting the ferns around trees; they seem to lose out in a battle against the tree roots. Hostas seem to do much better for me around the trees in lightly filtered sun locations; but primarily shady gardens. As I have 18 trees in my yard with this newer place I acquired a few years ago, I'm getting ready to try my hand with coral bells, columbine and some other shady hummingbird magnets. My full sun location in my yard is limited to about 10 feet wide by about 30 feet long. The area borders my driveway and my mailbox, which makes me think twice about filling the area with bee balms and other plants that will draw bees as well as butterflies and hummers. Lawrence, KS has pretty much the same planting specs as the Missouri side does. Sorry for the long winded post, but I love gardens, and hope you all find Kansas City a very welcoming community.

Inspiring pics, Celestial! I loved the bumblebees. I miss seeing chipmunks (we had them in Va.), and the squirrel I saw up close most recently was in an unmentionable condition on my rug (thanks to Houdini-one of my cats). The squirrel at the corn feeder was so cute! Lots to look at in those pics. I love my sunflowers too and so do the goldfinches. Thanks for sharing! Brandy

Hello.... :-) I was searching for something and came across this old thread. I thought it would be nice to update a little. I recently created a spreadsheet to do an inventory of all the plants in the garden and I just counted out that I have 54 different native plants now. Not individual plants, because I have more than that, but 54 different kinds. Here is a review of what I have and how I feel about it, five years later.... Amelanchier has not done well for me, I don't understand why. I moved it twice but it does not perform. The winter moths do a good deal of damage every year to two shrubs, but even the tree I planted, seems to be diseased. Odd. Asclepias incarnata....I had to remove it. It was reseeding and coming up away from the original location. I also found that I just don't have a large enough area to do a good job of a sunny border. My garden is mostly part shade and shade. I love my native ferns and asters. Native azaleas have yet to perform, but have not been in the ground very long. I have one Baptisia australis and I love it. Very easy, very dependable and very attractive when in bloom. Lobelias have been performing well and although I am hoping they will attract hummingbirds, haven't seen one yet. Callirhoe from seed three years ago, this year looks like it will really be great. It's only the end of March and it is full of pretty new leaves. Clethra 'Hummingbird' ...a cultivar, but I really enjoy this every year. Fragrant, with very pretty leaves that always look great. That brings me to the Cornus racemosa. Oh boy. That was a mistake. I was inspired by Elaine's description of hers and I had no idea it was going to sucker and spread like this. It also has not bloomed or fruited in the four years it's been growing. It did amaze me how quickly it grew. It is already 8ft tall. It is large already from a small start. But I'm not sure it is going to work out. I really wonder how far away from the trunk this shrub will sucker. Every year it has traveled. I pulled them up the first year, but that barely slowed it down and I can't keep up with pulling them all every year. I like the shrub and if I had more room, it would sucker into a nice hedgerow. If I had more sun, maybe it would flower and fruit? I have a Viburnum carlesii right next to it that blooms, so I don't understand it. Unless you need a pollinator? LOVE my Hydrangea quercifolia ! I had to move mine a couple of times to find the right location but they are enjoyable at every time of year. Hydrangea arborescens are only two years old, but I am already liking those too. I've been disappointed that some of the spring natives have not increased very much, Mertensia, Tiarella, Uvularia, Trillium, Phlox divaricata and Iris cristata. One of these days they will I suppose. Last fall, I added Maidenhair Fern, Blueberry Bushes, Arctostaphylos, Gaylussacia, and Leucothoe. So it will be awhile before I know how those do. I tried Lilium candense and they didn't come back the second spring, which surprised me. Lindera benzoin has underwhelmed me and so far I have not seen any butterflies using it. I tried a native Lonicera and it did not bloom and died out. A hybrid, called 'Orange Mandarin' did just fine and is still there. I started Viola labradorica from seed and that has seeded itself around a little more than I would like, so I am keeping my eye on it. So...that is the basic review of the progress I've made so far. I have made many trips to New England Garden in the Woods and I'm always on the look out for native plants. :-)