Bloomfield Hills

Installed in spring 2026, this project brought native plantings to an entire property, from the front foundation beds to the back borders. Eighteen native species went in the ground: over 300 Michigan native perennial plugs and nearly 40 shrubs, layered to support pollinators, birds, and other wildlife through the seasons.

The front of the property is planted as a Midwest prairie, set densely in drifts for a neat, structured look where first impressions matter most. The back transitions to a shaded woodland garden, looser and wilder, with plants given more room to spread. Across the property, the garden is organized into more than 20 planting zones, each matched to its own conditions of light, moisture, and soil. Deer-tolerant species were chosen throughout so that plants recover from browsing and keep growing.

The planting is designed to support a functioning food web, which depends on host plants, not just flowers. A plant that only offers nectar feeds adult insects, but a host plant is where the next generation grows. Butterfly Weed does both: it hosts monarch caterpillars, supports milkweed specialists like the Large Milkweed Bug, and draws bees and butterflies to its flowers. Wild Geranium feeds early spring pollinators and hosts more than 20 species of moth and butterfly caterpillars. Mapleleaf Viburnum hosts the Spring Azure butterfly and the Hummingbird Clearwing moth. More insects means more food for birds, especially during nesting season, when chicks need protein-rich insects rather than seeds.

Native gardens take about three years to fully mature, but this one bloomed in its first season, with Spotted Bee Balm, Sweet Joe Pye Weed, Nodding Wild Onion, Bradbury's Monarda, and Butterfly Weed in flower.