POLLINATOR GARDEN + NATURAL BIRDFEEDER

Client Property, Bloomfield Hills

When a tree removal and sewer line replacement left this 500 square foot bed compacted and disrupted, it became an opportunity for something better. The redesign preserved what was worth keeping, including established Ostrich Ferns and Jack in the Pulpit, and wove in new part-sun native species selected to support pollinators, provide habitat, and feed wildlife across every season.

The “natural birdfeeder” in the title is intentional. A central planting of sturdy upright species, including Purple Coneflower, Wild Bergamot, Dense Blazing Star, and Prairie Dropseed, is left standing through winter, their seed heads providing a reliable food source for birds and small mammals long after the growing season ends. The garden doesn’t stop working when it stops blooming.

The plant palette was designed to span the bed’s varied light conditions, from the sunnier front edge to the shadier back, with species including Rose Milkweed, Culver’s Root, Sweet Joe Pye Weed, Black Cohosh, New England Aster, and Great Blue Lobelia. Together they provide continuous bloom from spring through fall, and structure and food through winter.