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A visit to Chickadee Gardens

I was excited to finally get to see Chickadee Gardens last week. I have followed Tamara's blog  for years. She and her husband garden on 2 acres in Saint Helens, Oregon.  When you look at the map, it appears that St. Helens is directly across the Columbia River and slightly to the north of us. However, there is no convenient bridge to get over to the Oregon side. You must go north to Ridgefield, Washington (about 30 minutes north of our house) and go across there  or travel through Portland and then go north through Scappoose. Either way, it is about a 45 minute drive. I decided to try the Ridgefield route and I was glad I did. Not only did I not have to contend with Portland traffic (it was Rose Parade weekend), I got to see country on the Oregon side that was new to me.  Tamara used to work at the beautiful Joy Creek Nursery (my favorite, but alas they are now closed) and she now works part-time at Cistus Nursery.  She focuses on native plants and sustainabili...
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The Ultimate Wildlife Habitat Garden - a book review


The Ultimate Wildlife Habitat Garden
by Stacy Tornio
Timber Press, 2024

This colorful guide is a good introduction for beginning gardeners who want to attract wildlife. The focus is on four major groups - birds, butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees. There is also an additional chapter on "Other Wildlife" which offers brief notes on attracting dragonflies, spiders, amphibians, reptiles, earthworms, etc. It even mentions squirrels and rabbits, but my question is - who would want these in the garden?!!

Each section begins with profiles of the major players with a description, photo and list of statistical information such as physical characteristics, nesting habits, diet and range. This is followed by a section of plants that are beneficial. The plants include trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals.


A section titled "Show Me How to Plan a Garden" features five or six plants with an illustration to use in whatever type of garden you are making (shade, drought-tolerant, songbird, hummingbird, etc.). 



A final FAQ section answers questions about native plants, organic gardening and problems one might encounter.

The book is well illustrated with beautiful photographs and drawings. I would recommend the book as a gift for someone just starting out with gardening or for someone who wants to identify birds or butterflies. I'm not sure I would use the word "Ultimate" in the title as the information on both plants and birds is quite minimal, but it is a good starting point.

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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