Habitat Gardens

Habitat Garden for Flora and Fauna Recognition Program
Register your Habitat Garden with the Northern Shenandoah Valley Master Gardener Association. Learn more below.

What are Habitat Gardens?

A Habitat Garden is earth friendly, critter tolerant, and pollinator and native plant friendly. Native plants, composting, and knowing how to keep pests under control, as well as supporting native species of birds, frogs, bats and insects are all goals of the program.

Pollinators are extremely important to our gardens and our food production. Without these beneficial insects, our ability to grow food would be truly impacted. Habitat loss, invasive and exotic bugs, and disease are growing concerns, along with homeowners’ increased and improper use of pesticides. By providing a season-long source of food and living conditions for insects, birds, reptiles, and animals, you’ll help with protecting plant diversity and food sources.

Master Gardeners are helping Northern Shenandoah Valley gardens keep an eco-friendly balance for the home garden landscape.

Why should you register your habitat garden with the Northern Shenandoah Valley Master Gardener Association?

The Habitat Garden program is an ever-expanding resource for homeowners in our area. We will include frequent resource updates, share upcoming events pertinent to your garden, and provide you with a way to contact Master Gardener helplines when you need questions answered or need help to help solve programs. This program is free, and you’ll receive a certificate of recognition when you meet the minimum requirements.

You may also choose to purchase a weather-proof sign to add to your garden.

Register Your Garden.

Ready to register your Garden as a Sustainable Habitat? Complete our registration form.

Choose the elements you have in your garden. We’ll follow up with your certificate and, if you’d like, the opportunity for you to submit up to two photos of your garden to add to our list of Recognized Habitat Gardens

Contact NSVMGA’s Extension Master Gardeners

Resources to Learn More about Creating Sustainable Habits

Already registered? Order your full-color weatherproof garden sign.

Northern Shenandoah Valley Master Gardener Association

1 day ago

Incorporating Native Plants in Your Garden – Lowbush Blueberries (Vaccinium pallidum) by EMG JennBlueberries are a welcome sight, both to us and to the birds, who also love them! The caveat with our native blueberries is that they really prefer acidic soils, ideally with sandy or rocky material, according to PlantNoVa Natives. Leaves will yellow and become chlorotic in alkaline soil. This is a one to two-foot shrub, which flowers in March to May, with berries ripening by June to July. Partial sun to full shade is preferable; in the wild they are found in open woods. However, too much shade will lower or even stop fruit production, in which case you may wish to limb up trees to thin the canopy. Blueberries are members of the genus Vaccinium, which hosts more than 35 species native to North America. Interestingly, they have only been cultivated in the United States for the past hundred years – prior to that they were picked in the wild, and distribution was limited. V. pallidum, AKA Blue Ridge Blueberry, is a native deciduous shrub in the Ericaceae (Heath) family. It is native to much of the central and eastern US, and most cultivated blueberries are hybridized from this plant. It spreads by underground runners, and has lovely fall color. Happily, it is also drought tolerant once it is established!Berries ripen on branches over a long period in the summer, making this an important, reliable food source for birds and small mammals (and hungry hikers!). Bird species that eat blueberries include eastern bluebird, tanagers, wild turkey, northern bobwhite, and ruffed grouse; other fruit-specialist birds include American robin, cedar waxwing, gray catbird, northern mockingbird, brown thrasher, orioles, blue jay, northern cardinal, chickadees, finches, and grosbeaks. The flowers of blueberries are visited by a variety of bees, as well as a large range of insects (in many cases, the insect is specialized for eating only members of the Vaccinium genus and their close relatives, and nothing else). And many butterflies and moths use blueberries as a host plant, including Henry’s elfin, spring azure, Harris’s three-spot, decorated owlet, azalea sphinx, pawpaw sphinx, huckleberry sphinx, apple sphinx, and yellow-washed metarranthis. Wild blueberries have a flavor that is not matched by commercial fruit. Pick early and often to enjoy them, or plant the shrubs to enjoy their beauty, and let the birds eat their fill!Photo by Caleb Slemmons, National Ecological Observatory Network, Bugwood.orgJoin us each Tuesday to learn about #NativePlants you can add to your garden. See previous posts at #AddNativePlantsFor more information, see:extension.illinois.edu/blogs/garden-scoop/2019-01-19-history-blueberrymdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/lowbush-blueberryextension.umd.edu/resource/hillside-blueberry ... See MoreSee Less

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