This article first appeared in the What’s The Buzz? Penn State Master Gardener newsletter in October 2025–
Our 20th Habitat of Merit Award goes to Lisa and Dave Doseff of Lancaster, PA. The property is not only beautiful but incorporates several elements designed for children.
Lisa is also the author of the award-winning children’s book, Grandma Lisa’s Humming, Buzzing and Chirping Garden.
A Lancaster National Wildlife Federation Habitat Steward, she co-founded the Gardens Gone Native Garden Club of Lancaster, PA.
Since Lisa is a published author, we have extended “writer’s privilege”. Enjoy the article as she wrote it.
A Garden Where Children and Wildlife Thrive!
My love of gardening bloomed when we bought our first home. At that point, I must admit to planting things based on how ‘pretty’ they were without any regard to wildlife value.
However, I eventually became aware of the importance of restoring habitat with native plant species for wildlife.
So our vision when we moved to Lancaster in 2014 was to create a garden where all types of wildlife – grandchildren, and other animals – would thrive.
And it had to be fun for the children! It’s been a wonderful adventure; one that the children have helped us to realize.
And along the way, they’ve developed an appreciation for the native plants that draw the pollinators, birds and other creatures that visit our yard as a result of their plantings.
While the yard we inherited may have been aesthetically pleasing in a traditional sense, it was mostly lawn and the majority of plants were non-native; many invasive, including English ivy, vinca, pachysandra, privet, and Japanese spirea.
So the first order of business was to remove all the invasive species and replace them with a variety of natives to increase biodiversity.
Planting with the grandkids was fun.
We did decide to keep several of the exotic trees that were not invasive. The Japanese maple in the front yard, for example, makes a great organic hideout and climbing tree for the preschool set.
We also provided water features…a small pond and several bird baths, including one which is heated and visited by songbirds and squirrels throughout the freezing winters.
Our lot comprises half an acre in a suburban setting. It slopes slightly from east to west. Within our boundaries, there are many types of microenvironments.
At the back of our lot are 100 foot tall pine trees which are home to a family of great horned owls.
Beneath these stately trees, dry shade gives way to a woodland edge. At the low end of our property, we have a damp area that we’ve turned into a rain garden with a very small pond.
Along the borders, our lot is surrounded by trees that were here when we arrived and we’ve added shrubs and perennials underneath to create hedgerows.
One side of our house is now home to a small meadow. And in the narrow space next to the driveway on the other side, we’ve planted trees, shrubs and perennials on a dry, sunny slope.
We’ve replaced most of our lawn with islands of native plants, accessible by paths of grass.
We’ve left a small area of lawn for our grandchildren to play ‘short croquet’ and ‘mini baseball’.
But in all honesty, they prefer running through the paths and exploring what lies tucked around each bend.
Amidst all these plantings are a log fort, teepee, vine house, fairy garden, hopscotch, and many other elements where the children play, surrounded by nature. As such, they’ve unwittingly become stewards of the natural world that surrounds them.
Along the street, we’ve set up the “Chickadee Readery” where we invite neighbors to come into the garden and sit in the cool of the maple’s shade to read nature books with their children.
It’s hard to say how many species of plants have come to live here.
They have to number over a hundred. I’ll admit that I’m easily seduced by native plants at nurseries and plant swaps so we’ve incorporated many into the landscape.
Because we have so many micro-environments, I can tuck them into the area where they’ll be best suited. Other plants have just shown up on their own like Carolina elephant’s foot.
They attract all kinds of pollinators such as bees, butterflies, moths, hummingbirds, flies, and beetles. Many other bugs find a home here, too.
All these, in turn, draw in predators – birds, small mammals, reptiles and amphibians.
And at the top of our local food chain, great horned owls, red tailed hawks, and foxes find nourishment for their young.
There are so many plants that I love!
In early spring, the violets, woodland poppies, redbuds, and dogwoods provide nectar and pollen. And their leaves are host plants to many species of caterpillars. They’re like beloved old friends, returning after a long absence.
These are followed by penstemon, bleeding heart, and magnolias which lead us into summer when bee balm, coreopsis, and coneflower bloom.
Come late summer and early fall, the garden takes on a different tone as the goldenrods, asters, and snakeroot steal the show. The oakleaf hydrangeas turn a deep burgundy as the garden bronzes in autumn.
And in winter, the evergreen leaves of the hollies, rhododendrons, junipers, and pines provide a beautiful backdrop to the red osier dogwoods and stalks of perennials and grasses whose seeds are relished by foraging songbirds.
But I suppose if I had to pick a favorite, I’ll admit that I have a particular fondness for fothergilla with its fluffy white blooms in spring, blue-green leaves in summer, and fall color that ranges from yellowish-orange to scarlet.
In order to continue to provide for more wildlife, each year, we’ve installed a new bed or expanded an existing one using the ‘lasagna’ or ‘compost in place’ method.
Cardboard and leaves are always free for the taking on recycling days. But I often have to explain to early morning joggers what I’m doing when they see me fill my van with the neighbors’ “trash”.
While wildlife is definitely present and active in our yard, we’ve sadly noticed fewer and fewer pollinators these past few years.
Because so many of our neighbors use fertilizers and pesticides, my guess is that storm water runoff and wind carry in the toxins responsible for the decline we’ve witnessed. Yet I’m ever hopeful!
We continue to do our best to counteract this problem by adding more native plant beds and posting signs to educate people passing by.
We invite friends and neighbors in to see how lovely and serene a native plant garden can be and encourage them to incorporate more natives into their own gardens.
But mostly, we’re hoping to help the next generation experience the wonder, awe, and fun of being surrounded by nature in our natural habitat garden which, together, with our grandchildren, we joyfully continue to restore.
It’s always a pleasure to enjoy beautiful gardens created for all ages! We can’t think of a better garden to be awarded the 20th Habitat of Merit Award.
And Also From The Newsletter
— Goldenrods: Must-Have Plants For Pollinators
— Avoiding Invasives – Spiraea Japonica – Japanese Meadowsweet
— Children’s Reading: The Bumble Bee Queen by April Pulley Sayre
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[Posted: October 20, 2025] PA Environment Digest
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