apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Yes, absolutely! It makes sense to think about your green space holistically -- not just in terms of your own enjoyment [fresh produce, outdoor entertaining, etc.], and also in terms of the critters in your area. In fact, my studio makes seed bombs that use a mixture of Midwest-native wildflowers, many of which attract birds and insects. More info here:

http://visualingual.wordpress.com/2009/04/27/seed-bombs-by-visualingual/

We're trying to keep "ecosystem" in mind. There was lots of rosemary when we moved in, and the bees love that. We've added birdfeeders, and the hummingbirds seem quite fond of the extant bouganvilla.

As we do our own gardening, this will be one of the factors we keep in mind.

We have bird feeders and a bird bath and flowers galore! We have dozens and dozens of birds around the yard including chickadees, two different types of woodpeckers, mocking birds, robins, sparrows, finches, and doves. I know of at least 15 nests around the yard. And boy do they sing. I love sitting in the hot tub around down, coffee cup in hand, watching the birds. We have lots of bees as well. Last year we had a hive just across the street. The hive was too exposed and a local beekeeper came and relocated the hive as they would not have survived the winter.

The only down side is the bird crap on the outdoor furniture.

We actually designed our garden so that we have NO bee's. We have numerous seriously bad epispodes w/ bees - so when we purchased our new home we ripped out all flowering bushes and flowers and the whole garden has been replaced w/ bushed, perinials, trees etc - all in shades of green and no flowers. We love it!

Yes, yes, yes!

I too started out with just veggies & herbs in mind.

Since I was doing things organically, I soon observed & learned how integrated bugs, birds, bees, bacteria, & other stuff were.

So now I am a big native plant advocate.

The native flowers draw in good critters. But also consider, later in the year, letting (at least some) plants die or decay naturally (without tearing them out/hacking off branches at the first sign of non-color) is helpful too. And leaf litter --- you might consider NOT clearing it all away. It's all good for the ecosystem. Certain birds will eat the larvae & bugs that might be there during the fall.

My parents used to grow a butterfly garden, full of flowers that butterflies and bees love (most of them were rather smelly). And they had a 'moon garden' full of plants that bloomed at night or early morning. We lived on a big farm so there was no shortage of gardening space. Lots of fun.