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Going through the garden gateway |
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Written by Maura Brady McMullen
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Thursday, 12 July 2007 |
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 Bill and Sue Miller’s backyard has been a labor of love for more than 30 years.
Bill purchased the Fort Collins home at 322 Scott Ave. in 1971 and the lawn needed work. “My parents came out in ’72 and said I could start a pottery factory because of all the clay in the soil,” he said.
When he and Sue moved in, in 1983, the yard was primarily used as a vegetable and flower garden with apple, pear and cherry trees around the property.
But the Millers weren’t satisfied with the state of the yard.
“The concept of doing something with the yard was 15 years in the making,” Sue said.
The Millers’ backyard is one of five on this year’s Fort Collins Audubon Society’s 2007 Wildlife Habitat Garden Tour.
To have lush green lawns in this arid, Colorado climate, a lot of water is a necessity, and because their sons had moved out, the Millers didn’t have a labor force to mow. So in 2003 the Millers began to establish a wildlife garden. They added flagstones and have for the last four years been making a natural home space for the birds and butterflies in Fort Collins.
Bill and Sue have been interested in the environment for years. Bill’s interest was piqued in the ’60s and ’70s while he served in the Army. Sue, a Texas native, grew up on a farm where the environment was a part of her daily life.
“When you change a piece of land to our (human) philosophies, the wildlife there won’t just move, they will fade away,” Bill said. “Those being displaced will starve and crowd each other.
JoAnn Thomas, an Audubon member and co-organizer of the Garden Tour, called Sue a “hidden gem” in Fort Collins.
“She’s amazing with plants and it comes from growing up on a farm. She’s one of those people who know by doing.”
And while Sue is humble about her plant and flower know-how, it is clear from the thriving garden she is more than adept with the flora. The Millers’ garden is a fantastic mix of nectar plants, flowers, shrubs and everything in between.
“It takes about five years to establish a good wildflower garden,” Sue said while walking through her yard. “Almost all the plants are native to Colorado.”
The general theme of their backyard habitat garden is, “From Mountains to Plains.”
The center of the yard is a prairie grassland that came from one pound of Buffalo seed grass.
Butterflies are regular visitors along with three species of hummingbirds, one of which nested in their yard, and many different species of birds, including a duck who decided to nest near the pond.
Bill’s best advice for anyone wanting to start their own wildlife habitat garden is quite wsimple: “Buy an apartment.”
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GARDENS TO VIST
Hildy and George Morgan garden
4824 Regency Drive (southwest Fort Collins)
80526
Sue and Bill Miller garden
322 Scott Ave. (central Fort Collins)
80521
Idea Wild garden
420 Riddle Drive (west Fort Collins)
80521
Janie and Larry Griffin garden
5105 Mail Creek Lane (south Fort Collins)
80525
Nix Natural Area
City of Fort Collins Native Plants and Backyard Habitat Demonstration Garden
1745 Hoffman Mill Road (east Fort Collins)
80524
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TO GO ON THE TOUR
The Fort Collins Audubon Society’s Wildlife Habitat Garden Tour is a self-guided tour.
8 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, July 14.
Tickets are $13 in advance and $15 at the gardens with children’s tickets available for $5 at the gardens.
Each garden exhibits a different approach to designing bird, butterfly or other wildlife-friendly gardens.
“We’re trying to start a wildlife garden movement,” said Lynn Hull, an Audubon member and co-organizer of the tour.
For more information, call 490.BIRD (2473) or visit the Web site at www.fortnet.org/Audubon.
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