Tour seven certified backyard habitats this weekend

The xeric garden near Linda Webb's porch needs very little water. A bark path cuts through the garden, and allows visitors to access the hummingbird and butterfly garden farther from her Camano Island home. When looking at Linda Webb's Camano Island garden, the word sanctuary comes to mind.

Hummingbirds bathe in a sprinkler while birds munch on seeds from feeders strung well out of the reach of cats. A rabbit nibbles on grass near the meadow, where at times, Webb spies fawns hidden by their mothers.

Webb's yard became a certified backyard wildlife habitat in 2003 through the National Wildlife Federation. Her garden is among the eight on the Camano Island Backyard Habitat Project's upcoming free garden tour from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sat., June 27.

It's the second annual tour, and gives people a chance to see ways they can live in harmony with nature, said Sandy Koffman, garden tour coordinator and project steering committee member.

Camano Island is a certified wildlife habitat community by the National Wildlife Federation with more than 700 backyards.

The tour gardens are all located in the center portion of Camano Island. Each gives a different example of a backyard habitat, Koffman said. As for similarities, the various gardens make use of native plants and have a natural setting.

Other than that, all the gardens demonstrate a different approach, she said. One has an Oriental look, with ponds and beautiful statues.

"There is no right way or wrong way to create a wildlife backyard habitat," she said.

Franni Herrgott, of Camano Island, has a garden that features a mixture of native plants and exotics. She said she tried to choose plants she enjoys.

In her front yard, Herrgott has a woodland garden. In her backyard, she has planted a food garden, and uses the produce she grows.

Herrgott said she follows the rule that if a garden has weeds, there aren't enough plants. Her goal is to have her garden fairly easy to maintain.

Webb's garden has been an ongoing project.

When she bought the property, it had been logged once. She preserved the large trees, and got rid of the blackberry plants.

She started out with a house and lawn on her 2- and a-half acres. It took four hours to mow her lawn on a riding mower. Now, it takes only 40 minutes.

Gradually, she's replaced most of the lawn with different gardens. For the most part, she's used native plants, or near natives, that she first learned about in 1995 from friend Mark Peppinger, owner of Mossyback Farm in Stanwood.

Part of her property looks like a woodland. The Oregon grape she once pruned she's let loose. She's planted honeysuckle and other natives.

"I've kind of enhanced what was already here," she said.

Some plants, like the native alders, have come up on their own. Others, like conifers and Russian laurels, she's planted.

Another portion of her yard Webb just let go. She let the tree needles and leaves cover the grass, and waited until she saw what appeared.

Through the backyard habitat program, she learned to create habitat by making a dam-like stack of sticks and twigs.

"This wild look, to me . it's comforting to have it here because I know the little critters can find sanctuary in it," she said.

For each section, Webb said she has pictured the look she wanted, and then considered light, water and space different plants would need to survive.

She's practiced zone gardening, where more manicured plants that need more care are closer to her home, and the wilder, self-sufficient plants are farther away.

Her hummingbird and butterfly garden is one of her favorite parts of her yard.

"There's so much life in it," she explained.

In the center of her front lawn, Webb has planted what she calls "Mom and Dad's garden." Her father, who was interested in botany, planted the seed of Webb's interest in plants.

Pretty much any garden can be a backyard habitat, and provide food, shelter, water and a place to raise young for wildlife, Koffman said.

The tour is a chance to get questions answered. People will be on hand to identify plants for visitors. Lists of native plants that attract hummingbirds and butterflies will be available.

They will also supply information on how to deal with noxious weeds, Koffman said. Rather than using chemicals, weeds can be suppressed by laying down newspaper and piling dirt and mulch on top.

Having a backyard habitat goes beyond what plants are used, and extends to how people garden, Koffman said. For example, avoiding pesticides and herbicides means not adding pollutants into the area.

Herrgott said she hopes people experience the natural beauty that backyard habitats can have.

Garden tour maps are available at the Camano Multipurpose Center (the blue building) at 141 NE Camano Drive on Camano Island. For more info. on the tour, call 387-1615.

For more information about the habitat project, contact the Camano Wildlife Habitat Project at 387-2236 or camanobwh@ yahoo.com.

Staff Reporter Kristi Pihl: 629-8066 (ext. 125) or kpihl@ scnews.com.