A Wellness Garden For The Homebound

The R.O.O.S.T.

(Rosewood Ornithological Observatory, Sanctuary & Tweetzone)
Certified Wildlife Habitat

The Wellness Garden in my backyard is a miracle! All year long I get to “escape my bonds” and get away. It boosts morale, keeps the mind active and always surprises. It’s a wildlife habitat with a variety of food, water and shelter for the critters. Time passes unnoticed as I wait to see the next new bird or discover another crazy thing squirrels do or sit perfectly still as a skunk snouts around right under my elbow! It’s a wonderful way to repurpose a space in your yard that will benefit you and your family in countless ways. I never knew how expansive and majestic nature can be in a small, suburban backyard. Of course I never really paid attention to this fantastic environment until I couldn’t get around anymore.

I was diagnosed with a debilitating, rare, progressive, adult onset form of Muscular Dystrophy in 2014. It’s called Inclusion Body Myositis and is systematically destroying muscle tissue in my arms and legs. It won’t spread but it has been slowly causing me to have less mobility. To get around I use a roller, wheelchair and scooter depending on the situation. I no longer have the ability to walk unassisted. I can’t drive anymore and spend most of my days at my house. I do get out via the wonderful Paratransit service and good friends and family. But most of my time is spent at home in a very limited space.

My screened-in porch became my escape. When I cross the threshold from the washroom onto the porch it’s like leaving the house to go to my favorite bar!!! I enjoy great conversation, sports, music, cigars and cocktails with amazing friends. It’s wonderful. Since I was out there a lot an uncle dropped off a bird feeder. He thought I might like it. He was right. It changed everything.

I’m unable to have pets since I can’t take care of them and I live alone so there’s no spouse to help. So the birds (and squirrels) have filled that void. A monster was created! I added more feeders, wrap the porch in the winter so I can be out there all four seasons to enjoy the “open space”. I started researching the different kinds of food that would attract the most species of my avian friends I could muster from our region. I figured there might be 10-12, tops. Boy was I wrong! I’ve seen over 30 different kinds of birds in my little backyard paradise. Needless to say I was hooked. However, I had maxed out my ability to attract the birds.

That’s where John Winterbottom and Eastern Horticultural Services (EHS) came in. Full disclosure: EHS is a client of mine and John is a very good friend. John visits often to go over projects or enjoy my company (hah!) and our meeting space is always out on the porch. He started enjoying the bird watching too. We started talking about how to make the experience even better. His expertise took over. To quote John we had to “Patrick Proof” the backyard so I would need the least amount of help caring for it.

During one brainstorming session to discuss how we were going to approach the landscaping effort we had a great day with the birds. John had his “a-hah” moment! We were going to pick plant material that would attract the 3 “B”s: birds, bees and butterflies. And we were going to select varieties that bloomed different times of the year to maximize the visual appeal every season.

Everything put in the ground are perennials. With the exception of my favorite annual, the lantana. We reserved one strip of the yard to make a lantana field that would end up looking like a giant cloud of confetti in bloom. Friends don’t let friends plant annuals, but John listened to me and then he enjoyed how awesome it was. I had to promise no other annuals. I did. I’m ok with that!

As a final touch EHS created a natural fence along the border with my neighbor. It adds a nice touch of privacy when we’re all using the backyards during holidays and nice summer days.

It’s nice to have a place to go that seems “far away” from the small space I live in now. With a little bit of work a habitat was installed that allows me to sit and enjoy nature from the front row seat. I’m so pleased with this landscape. EHS hit a home run and John Winterbottom really did take his time understanding what we had to work with and then planning the installation.

I’m pretty sure when the habitat gets to the 3rd year it’s going to be wonderful!  In my experience it takes plants in my yard 3 years to really get happy. Maybe I’ll be up to 40 bird species by then. Happy plants = happy birds!

Size of habitat:

420 sq ft