The Winners of Our 'Wildlife-Friendly Vegetable Gardener' Book Giveaway
03/17/2021
Winner Lynne Griffin, of Aurora, Colorado, USA.
We're pleased to announce the winners of our book giveaway. Two lucky subscribers each received a signed paperback copy of Tammi Hartung's book, The Wildlife-Friendly Vegetable Gardener. Winners Lynne Griffin and Lila McClellan are avid gardeners and nature lovers, and they also both live in Colorado, a landscape that can be a challenge as much as it is a joy for gardeners. We're excited to share their stories and images with you.
Lynne Griffin of Aurora, CO
In Lynne Griffin's garden, a monarch on purple coneflower.
Our first winner talks about what it's like to garden in Colorado. As it's also where Tammi Hartung herself runs Desert Canyon Farm, Lynne is in good company. Lynne explains:
Since we have a fairly short growing season in Colorado, we normally start the seeds indoors in March and plant during the Memorial Day weekend, after the ground has warmed. We put in the usual vegetables; multiple varieties of tomatoes, multiple types of squash, cucumbers, cabbage, beets, etc. We also grow several herbs like basil, rosemary, thyme, parsley, sage, etc.Our flower gardens are literally for the birds and the bees. Our yard has lots of native species of flowers to help keep everyone happy. We have several seed feeders as well as multiple bird baths. Since we're birders, we just love watching all of them visit.
Living close enough to visit Desert Canyon Farm, Lynne was already a fan of Tammi Hartung but had never read this book. She's now a regular reader of Cat in the Flock, too, and we're really glad to have her. "Many thanks for mailing Tammi Hartung's wonderful gardening book," says Lynne. "I've started reading it and am greatly enjoying all of her advice and wisdom."
More pictures of her garden.
Lynne makes birds welcome with a bird bath and feeders, in addition to native plants.
We love the solution to the backend slope, with a grouping of native trees and plants set off by a rock wall.
Lila McClellan of Coaldale, CO
Lila McClellan is an accomplished painter and photographer in addition to gardener; you can see her breathtaking work over at Wolf's Head Art. Before COVID-19, she took a whole season of classes offered at Desert Canyon Farm, drawn to Tammi Hartung's focus on living in harmony with nature. "I am looking forward to reading this latest book and using her techniques for helping the wildlife and pollinators," says Lila. "Thanks so much."
Lila already does quite a bit to make her garden wildlife-friendly, whether that's placing perching spots - in this case, crystals - in her bird baths to enable small insects to sip there in addition to the birds, or putting in bluebird houses. But she's excited to find new ideas in Tammi's book.
While Lynne's garden has more of a suburban feel, Lila's is a bit more rugged. Her struggles with the harsh Colorado environment are sometimes profound:
Living at the foothills of 12,000-foot mountains has its challenges. I mostly plant natives that are adapted to this climate of harsh winds, extreme temperatures, and the multitude of animal life and insect populations. I know gardening starts with the soil, so, I've been paying closer attention to this and began making my own compost with worms and an insulated compost bin. We also have 11 ducks that help by adding lots of fertilizer and eating the bugs (especially those voracious grasshoppers). We also mulch the outdoor beds with their 'used' straw when we clean out the duck pen in the spring and fall.
The bird bath gets some visitors in Lila McClellan's garden, at the foot of the mountains.
Lila's biggest foe isn't the lack of water or the shorter growing season, though. It's the weather itself:
The number one problem I have is the WIND! It can be discouraging to amend the soil and watch it blow away on windy days. I also wonder how the plants survive when they go sideways instead of up. My husband built a seven-foot wall on the south side of our yard to block some of the wind, which helps a lot. This summer, I will be putting up paver stones to make two-foot walls on some of the beds. I installed a soaker hose watering system a few years ago, which is a tremendous help since it saves water and time. Some wells near my house can go dry when there is a severe drought situation, but we haven't had that problem.
Spirea, growing in Lila's garden.
We decided to use the wind to our advantage; this summer, my husband will be installing a wind turbine to power the electric in our geodome greenhouse that we finished last fall. To keep it cool in the summer and warm in the winter, we have a swamp cooler and a heater, which will greatly extend our growing season for herbs and produce. Living in/with nature is an ongoing process as the seasons change. I enjoy the challenges and rewards and am thankful and in awe of the plants that survive.
Lila's domed greenhouse, soon to be powered by the wind.
Beets and chickweed.
Congratulations to Lynne and Lila on their wins, and we hope they both enjoy Tammi's book as much as we did.