The Ultimate Wildlife Habitat Garden

One way to address the environmental threats facing pollinators and other creatures is to provide a habitat garden for them, and this book offers an excellent look at how to do that. The book contains specific sections for attracting birds, bees, butterflies, and other wildlife (such as bats, insects, spiders, amphibians and reptiles) and lists tips for providing food, water, and shelter for them. Each section also includes full-color photos of different species -- both of the animals and of the plants that attract them -- along with the information needed to identify the creatures and to grow and maintain the plants.

The book emphasizes planting native species to attract other native species and using organic or at least pesticide-free growing techniques, with information on both in the FAQs at the end. And as the author notes, planting to attract one kind of wildlife often helps to attract others as well, creating a space for natural diversity in your own backyard. It's a beautiful reference book for the home gardener and for anyone who loves wildlife and wants to see more of it. 5 stars.

Thank you, Timber Press and NetGalley, for providing an eARC of this book. Opinions expressed here are solely my own.

I absolutely love this book. I feel like it would be a great reference. I loved the tutorials on what the gardens could look like like starting on page 189. And I know that this is a book I can reference time and time again, and will reference.

My only caution is that some of the plants (rose of Sharon) are considered to be harmful as non-natives (and perhaps invasive, (it depends on the state etc.) in the US. I would love some guidance there, maybe an asterisk where there is a possible invasive telling folks to check their state invasive lists.

I plan to use this book heavily, and I plan to buy it (I received a net galley copy for review). I purchase maybe 1 of 10 books I read, so this is an exceptional compliment.

I've read a few books this year about developing a garden to support wildlife, but this is the first book that I've found that tells you HOW to actually do it in a way that a beginner could understand. The information presented in a clear and concise manner. The organization of the book is also well thought out and easy to navigate. The book is divided up by the type of wildlife you want to attract to your garden. Then each chapter covers: general info, common backyard species, and plant recommendations. The author gives just the right amount of information for you to make informed decisions when planning. I already pre-ordered a copy! :)

Short, but concise book that explains what to plant to attract the kind of wildlife you are hoping for. There are descriptions of birds and bees that include what they eat, where they nest , flowers etc that they attracted to.
Includes very good descriptions of the plant life and how to care for it, where and when to plant it.
There is also a question and answer section. Well illustrated and thoughtfully laid out.
I will use this book to plan for hummingbirds and song birds next spring.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me this ARC.

Ever have an occasion where you stumble upon exactly the right book at exactly the right time? That was the case when I discovered The Ultimate Wildlife Habitat Garden: Attract and Support Birds, Bees, and Butterflies by Stacy Tornio. I’d been wanting to repurpose part of our large yard into a garden that would benefit my local wildlife and plants and also bring me joy, but I was overwhelmed by how to go about it. Torino’s book provided clarity and is making the time spent planning my wildlife habitat garden a pure joy!

The book is organized into sections according to whether you want to attract birds in general, hummingbirds specifically, bees, butterflies, or other wildlife. Each section shares a variety of species followed by plants that will meet the needs of the wildlife in that section. Once you have decided which creatures you want to welcome, Tornio uses illustrations to show how to plan your garden, providing reference to plants that have been described earlier in the book that would be a perfect inclusion in your garden (ex. low maintenance garden, native garden, birdseed garden, bird habitat garden, etc). The book finishes with a helpful FAQ section.

The simplicity of the organization of this book, coupled with the gorgeous photographs of the wildlife species and plants make it exactly what I needed to take an idea of wanting to make better use of our property and turning that idea into reality. I will definitely be purchasing a hard copy of this book. What a treasure!

Thanks go to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Ultimate Wildlife Habitat Garden is a great beginning book for determining how to plan a garden in order to attract different types of wildlife. The book is broken down into the type of wildlife you might want to attract (birds, butterflies, hummingbirds, bees, and other). The images used are high quality. I love how the author includes growing zone for plants and location for animals. I have quite a list of plants I want to plant next year! The only drawback is the limited information on attracting other animals.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. (via Netgalley)

Well organized and full of information. I liked that it was broken up into sections for what you're trying to attract along with the best plants to succeed with.

This book was great! It gave me fantastic ideas for planning out my 2024 wildflower garden and I really liked the illustrations of the different garden plans based on what types of critters you want to attract.

I absolutely love this book. The photos are stunning and helpful for identifying the various plants, flowers, and wildlife. The book is well organized and easy to navigate with multiple garden plans and wildlife focus. This makes it easy to build your garden to attract the wildlife of choice. The chapters cover general information, common backyard species, and plant recommendations. I also loved the Garden Plans and FAQ sections which were full of information and tips.

This is the perfect resource for someone who is trying to create an environment that attracts specific wildlife and/or learn more about the wildlife and plants that have already taken residence in their yard and garden.