WildScaping Tools

Native Plant Lists and Information (click below for more info)


Wildlife Lists and Information (click below for more info)

What is Coastal WildScaping?

Coastal WildScaping is a process to restore and preserve the biodiversity of our coastal habitats.  A common definition of landscaping is modifying a natural landscape. The principles of WildScaping are somewhat the reverse; they include reintroducing parts of our natural landscapes (habitats) that are missing and removing introduced exotic/invasive species.

Coastal WildScaping creates and sustains beautiful landscapes that make a functional contribution to the biodiversity of the Southern Coastal Plain.  One garden, one yard, one green-space may seem small, but think of the natural world as a living mosaic and your garden as an integral connecting piece.  You will see that each home’s landscape and managed land has an influence on the rest of the natural world.  A wide diversity of native plants and wildlife is essential, not only to our health, but to our survival.

Our gardens, managed landscapes and natural areas are a part of the coastal ecosystems that sustain humans and the life around us.   We must keep them in good working order. Tending land in this crowded world carries both moral and ecological responsibilities that we must not ignore.

Principles of Coastal WildScaping

  • Practice responsible garden ethics and stewardship
  • Support coastal biodiversity
  • Provide wildlife habitats
  • Utilize regional native plants
  • Remove invasive exotic species
  • Conserve water
  • Practice erosion control
  • Reduce rainwater runoff
  • Eliminate or reduce chemical fertilizers and pesticides
  • Enhance our “sense of place”
  • Add beauty to your world

“Subtract flowers from the world and the whole world is dead from a human point of view. The nonflowering plants on earth include the mosses, liverworts, conifers, cycads, ferns, and gingko trees. Almost every other plant, everything we and other animals eat, requires a flower for reproduction.                                                                                                                                                                        We know that flowers are beautiful. We forget that they are also essential.”                                                                          From Anatomy of a Rose by Sharman Apt Russell

Habitat Certification

Preserving and Restoring the Biodiversity of Southeastern Coastal Ecosystems

Transform your landscape into a diverse, healthy and beautiful coastal habitat through our Coastal WildScapes Coastal Habitat Certification. Certification is a process designed to guide your understanding of the natural communities of the coast and your ability to maintain and enhance them in your own landscape. Whether you are working with a large scale landscape or container gardening, you can have a positive impact in supporting the significant biodiversity of the coast. By implementing the concepts of Coastal WildScaping in your garden/landscape and meeting the requirements for our Coastal Habitat Certification, you will make a difference.

Our goal is to facilitate your participation to protect natural communities, restore habitat structure, and sustainably maintain your garden and landscape. We provide educational experiences and information tailored to coastal species and natural communities. Join us to support biodiversity and the natural beauty of the coast.

Coastal Habitat Certification workshops are designed to help you:

  • Identify your vision for your garden habitat.
  • Understand the function and importance of gardening for biodiversity.
  • Recognize the native species and habitats on your property.
  • Imagine the original native species and habitats that might have been on your property.
  • Identify and safely remove invasive plant species.
  • Provide host and nectar plants for native pollinators.
  • Support wildlife nesting, shelter, food and water resources.

Our workshop schedule, including field trips, is posted on the website. Coastal Habitat Certification workshops and some field trips are open to the general public but certification is only available to Coastal WildScapes members. 

Download Habitat Certification here. 

Certification

This program has been discontinued. However, all information can still be used to self-evaluate your own property. Enjoy! 


Download application here.


View a PowerPoint presentation that helps explain the certification process here.


Awardee Spotlight  view photos from our first awardee Freya Zipperer


Freya Zipperer & Linda Lamb

Suzanne VanParreren & Aimee Gaddis


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