Number 2 of 52! It's Official! It's Certified! It's Another Bee-Friendly Garden.

 

Once Jerry and Marie Mayfield of Austin decide to do something–they do it with gusto!

 That's what happened in 2007 when Jerry and Marie decided they had had enough of mowing St. Augustine grass. 

They took classes on native gardening and–after studying landscape design and management through the LBJ Wildflower Center, jostling–or should it be jousting–with other native plant lovers at the LBJ Wildflower Center native plant sale, learning how to collect and disperse rainwater from their roof, moving rocks, creating raised beds, ponds, and toad houses–they have created a wonderful backyard habitat–suitable for birds, butterflies, and bees! And a lot of other insects and wildlife, I bet.

Jerry and Marie say they have noticed natives bees seem to be especially fond of several plants: Frogfruit (Phyla nodiflora) , Salvia (Salvia sp.), Mistflower, and Asters. 

And now they've also become Bee Watchers and they've planted the #2 Official Certified Bee-Friendly Garden in Texas.

Jerry and Marie wrote a nice description of how they established their garden. It is available by clicking here: Download About the Mayfield Native Backyard Habitat If you have been thinking about putting in a more wildlife-friendly backyard, Jerry and Marie can show you how you can do it.

They also compiled a list of plants in their garden. It is available by clicking here: Download Plants in the Mayfield Garden 10-04-09.