The Humane Gardener: Nurturing a Backyard Habitat for Wildlife

by Nancy Lawson

In this eloquent plea for compassion and respect for all species, journalist and gardener Nancy Lawson describes why and how to welcome wildlife to our backyards. Through engaging anecdotes and inspired advice, profiles of home gardeners throughout the country, and interviews with scientists and horticulturalists, Lawson applies the broader lessons of ecology to our own outdoor spaces.

Detailed chapters address planting for wildlife by choosing native species; providing habitats that shelter baby animals, as well as birds, bees, and butterflies; creating safe zones in the garden; cohabiting with creatures often regarded as pests; letting nature be your garden designer; and encouraging natural processes and evolution in the garden. The Humane Gardener fills a unique niche in describing simple principles for both attracting wildlife and peacefully resolving conflicts with all the creatures that share our world.

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction, Nature, Science, Animals, Ecology, Plants

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2017

About the author

Nancy Lawson is the author of The Humane Gardener: Nurturing a Backyard Habitat for Wildlife and Wildscape: Trilling Chipmunks, Beckoning Blooms, Salty Butterflies, and other Sensory Wonders of Nature. A nature writer, habitat consultant, popular speaker, and founder of The Humane Gardener, LLC, she pioneers creative wildlife-friendly landscaping methods. Certified as a Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional and master naturalist, Nancy co-chairs Howard County Bee City in Maryland and helped launch a community science project, Monarch Rx, based on discoveries made in her own garden. Nancy's work has been featured in Science Magazine, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Oprah magazine, Entomology Today, and Ecological Entomology. Her new book, Wildscape, is a finalist for the 2024 AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books.

Reviews

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hope every animal lover and animal advocate reads this book. So many of us are (necessarily and understandably) advocating for animals thousands or hundreds of miles away on factory farms, laboratories, fur farms, etc), and while we should never stop, we can at the same time do SO much in our backyards -- literally. A must read for compassionate people.

[Frank · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone who has been gardening professionally for nearly 40 years I found Nancy Lawson's book an interesting, informative, and provocative read, although there were a few things I would take issue with. As someone who has run a practice that is pesticide and herbicide free and who eschews gas powered blowers and ornamental front lawns I am very sympathetic to the authors approach. And even though this book gave me a better appreciation and awareness of gardening from the point of view of a naturalist, I think that there is a bit too much of a fundamentalist ideological perspective that is not only impractical for the average homeowner but also irritating in a way that may turn off people who might have some small inclination to garden in a humane way using good cultural practices.

This hard core ideology is certainly thought provoking: for example, I wonder how most experienced gardeners will respond to the idea that honeybees, earthworms, mulching and deadheading are negative components of a healthy garden. The history and impact of these elements in the American garden are certainly worthy of consideration but it is impossible to accurately assess the full net value of them without taking into account each particular context.

First off, one thing that will stand out for any landscaper is that none of the photos in the book show any of the gardens featured with a broad perspective. What you do have, and what you might expect from a naturalist and not a gardener or landscaper, are lots of close up photos of animals and insects. I know enough about the types of gardens in this book to know that they are the kind of wild mess that very few people are going to appreciate or even be able to feature in the urban and suburban areas in which I work. There is something to be said for the art of landscaping, and we have a long historical legacy from the Greeks and Romans, Moors, Persians and Europeans, as well of those of the Aztecs, to draw on to create our personal paradise. I believe that this can be done in an intelligent, sensitive and sustainable way while using good aesthetic principles that uplift us and connect us to plants. I don't see any examples of this in the book.

The format of the book is that each chapter is dedicated to a different "gardener" and "garden." Something that stood out for me was that each of these properties featured was 1 plus acres. I think this clearly defines a scope of privilege to which most homeowners are completely excluded. It makes perfect sense to me that keeping large parts of a garden wild and as a habitat for wildlife in gardens of this size would be appropriate and I applaud that. How to make this approach functional within the smaller spaces in which most of us live and work is not addressed at all. The title of this book could have been, more appropriately, "Nurturing an Estate habitat for Wildlife."

As one might expect, the subject of native plants is addressed. I have to say that the book has inspired me to want to use more native plants in my gardens and I am looking forward to doing so. On the other hand, I feel the emphasis on using natives is a bit overdone. Here is the reality: it is simply too late to turn back the clocks on non-native introduced plants in our gardens. Yes, we should try to control as many invasive non-native plants as we can. But the idea of only using native plants...

Interestingly, Lawson does address the idea of "nativism" as being a racist concept, even citing the "Nazi-connection" link between fascism and native plant gardening, and she also does allow for the fact that many exotic species provide valuable habitat for wildlife.

I think that the most valuable contribution of this book is the emphasis on the interconnections and interdependence of the plant, animal, and insect life in our gardens. It is so true, as she states, that the petrochemical industries have conditioned so many people to fear creatures that are part of the dynamic of life that is happening right outside our doors. To this end I think the book is a success. It would be great to see a follow up work that is more appropriate to the gardens in which most of us live and work.

[Merewyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, love, love this book! :D It is so inspiring! I started looking for "bee hotels" online after reading it, and then remembered that we've got a dead tree on our property already (with lots of holes drilled into it by the local wildlife). I persuaded my family to not have it chopped down since our power-lines are underground and should it fall, it won't block the driveway nor damage any building or structure. :)
We're also looking into planting more native plants. :) I'll be planting some sunflowers just for the bees, butterflies, and the birds. ;) I've never been particularly fond of eating the seeds myself, but seeing all those critters will be a treat for me.
I'm definitely going to be rereading this book many times in the future!! :) And I'm going to HIGHLY RECOMMEND this for anybody that loves gardening, the wildlife, and the outdoors. There's so many ideas!! (just don't try to do them all at once or you'll get overwhelmed) The pictures are nice. I really like the individual interviews/spotlights on various gardeners around the country. It gives me ideas of what I could try and experiment with here in my neck of the woods. But it is also refreshing to know that there are lots of people elsewhere who are doing so much to help the world around them. :)

[Abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

So inspiring! Nancy Lawson makes a powerful case for gardeners to focus on native plants and cultivate landscapes to benefit wildlife. I read it swiftly and eagerly, ready to get back into my yard and make plans for adding more native wildflowers and shrubs. I felt persuaded, too, that gardening in this way is the best chance we have at stalling, at least in our own local sphere, the grave threats to our planet. The photographs and gardener profiles throughout are wonderful, too. I'm looking forward to following her blog eagerly.

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars--THE HUMANE GARDENER is a wonderfully written and beautifully presented (lots of color photos!) book that should be read by not just gardeners, but anyone with even the smallest patch of lawn to their name. It would make a really nice gift, as well.

While many people think of "saving wildlife" and "preserving the environment" as abstract concepts miles or even continents away, Lawson reminds us that there is plenty of overlooked nature literally right outside our doors. There is so much we personally can do to prevent species extinction and needless suffering, by making the simplest changes in how we care for our yards, gardens, and flowerbeds.

I am happy to say my yard is a bit of a riot of both wild and planted species, including irises, hostas, Rose of Sharon, various small trees, random flowers, and Jerusalem artichoke. However, after learning about the downsides of some of the cultivated species, I am glad I purchased and planted a package of native wildflowers from a regional wildlife preserve. Tellingly, these flowers are gigantic and sturdy, while the marigolds, begonias, and other flowers I bought from a big box store have remained in pretty much stunted condition.

Granted, I won't allow them to grow from cracks in the driveway because of the destruction that causes, but I don't get upset about weeds in my lawn. I don't pull up anything except thistles and poison ivy, owing to the delightful rashes they cause. Purslane, dandelions, and wild onions are edible, so they're OK. Clover is good for the soil and it feeds honeybees, so why kill it? The dreaded weeds my grandpa used to refer to as "pig ears" are the only thing that seem to be able to survive my dog's apparently weapons-grade pee, and I like that patch of yard green better than brown and dead!

I learned a lot from this book and most likely, so will you.

[Athena · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was appreciating the scenes Nancy Lawson paints of sustainable, symbiotic backyard ecologies, but as I progressed through this book it felt more and more ecofascist. It made me very uneasy that Lawson worked up to the point of saying that humans invaded Brooklyn, effectively colonizing raccoons and other wildlife, without ever mentioning Indigenous peoples or how settler colonialism is the reason why many Americans have such an unsustainable relationship to the land. Lawson's target audience is clearly (white) people with at least an acre of land and a lot of money and/or time -- all the case studies she includes are of people in this group. The kind of environmental activism she champions is people who get leaf blowers banned, with no acknowledgment of the complexity that the people who are most adversely affected by leaf blowers as well as by their being outlawed tend to be low-wage, immigrant gardeners with no health insurance. There is no sense whatsoever that humans have a differential impact on the environment based on systemic injustices, or that Indigenous knowledge transmitted through generations is why those of us who are settlers are able to know as much as we do about how to exist as if all living beings mattered. Shame on Princeton Architectural Press for publishing a book on this topic with this limited, dangerous perspective.

[Matt]

A quick, delightful afternoon read. I’ve often felt conflicted about my garden with the question “how wild is too wild?” The Human Gardener gave me insight into how and why I should cultivate the wilderness already present in my yard and let it take over even more, lending a helping human hand by planting more native species; allowing dead trees and their leaves to remain and provide crucial habitat; and not being so scared of “weeds.” This book doesn’t get into the nitty gritty, but provides further resources at the end specific to region. Another thing I enjoyed was the periodic showcases of North Americans who have embraced wildscaping in and how it has impacted their lives.

Found this one randomly at Cedar Park Public Library. Glad I did!

[R.B. Lemberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

This is a great book, but at times I basically felt that the author was suggesting that I let my yard go wild and go away to give the animals some privacy. Thing is... I'm all for that approach. I did that in my first home. We had the most amazing patch of wilderness that I very much opted not to mow, prune, or weed; a home to many butterflies, birds, rabbits, turtles, and even a coyote visitor. The city sent me frequent "mow-or-fine" warnings and I had to do violence to that piece of land or else be fined (and they would mow it anyway). It would be great to get some [more] advice about negotiating these issues while maintaining a wild space in a suburban environment. The author did suggest putting out signs, but I am not sure it would be enough, here.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is first of all a beautiful book, with many color photographs of plants and animals. It is also a beautifully written argument to do what we can to detoxify our own backyards. I like this general approach of thinking globally and acting locally, as René Dubos said. While we're waiting for big picture policy change to happen, we can literally cultivate our own gardens.

I have a yard and I stopped using pesticides years ago, but I don't know much about native plants and wildlife. Recently however, some neighbors have put up "No-mow May" signs and so I thought it was time to learn some more about all this. The idea of replacing much of my lawn with violets or strawberries or whatnot appeals to me. In the meantime, doing stuff like mowing from the inside out costs nothing and is something I'd never thought of. The book is full of practical tips like this. I live in the city so the parts about large wild animals are not relevant for me, but we have rabbits and birds and such, and I would be happy to see more butterflies. The websites and other resources at the end are useful for finding out about plants and wildlife across North America. The book is useful for people with different types and sizes of yards in various climate zones.

I am personally acquainted with the author, but not enough to have read the book when it came out 5 years ago, so I think I can give an honest review.

[Kasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book - I think it's the beginning of a conversation about wildlife, gardening, and what we can do for animals in our backyard - - - how we treat land and how self centred humans can be in regards to their (our) immediate environment. I wish there was a little more research done into historical and modern Indigenous understanding of plants and growth. That being said, I enjoyed the profiles of each amateur environmentalists and their gardens the best.

[Patty Sampson-Bouchard · Rating 4 out of 5]

So interesting, and her approach seems so logical and doable - I am inspired! I can't wait to start working towards being a humane gardener.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short, very informative, and engaging. I was able to read this in an hour and get together a useful list of techniques + natives and their uses.

[Cat · Rating 3 out of 5]

The photographs are just glorious, and the emotional appeal (for this animal-loving, eco-worrying reader) is a gut-punch. So many of the things people do to maintain their yards are so hostile to the critters, large and especially small, that live in the detritus on the margins. I especially found her chapter on the ecological importance of dead and dying trees very moving, even though I can't imagine that in my urban neighborhood that looks like a suburb, any homeowner is going to opt for allowing the tree to rot in their backyard. Lawson writes movingly about the critters she has encountered in her own backyard (including a toad they accidentally injured with a mower) and about the creatures nurtured in a series of gardens that she highlights from around the country that work as nature preserves. These profiles are exciting, especially one describing an organic farm that grows veggies, herbs, and seeds, while still offering a more-or-less all-you-can-eat buffet to deer and raccoons and the like. (Planting for wildlife as well as for the customer allows the farm to sustain that!) This is mostly not a user's guide, even though there are certain tips that are adaptable to a smaller scale (mow from the inner yard out, allow dead leaves to accumulate, leave shady and quiet portions of your yard). I do see a certain irony in the word "humane" serving to describe a conscientious approach to other species, given that the practices of pest-elimination that Lawson documents are anything but. I also feel weary about the limits of personal property as the medium for environmental advocacy. While Lawson means for this line to appeal to the homeowner as a steward of multiple animal and plant species--"While we often treat our houses and yards as transactional spaces to be perpetually bought and sold, these animals are trying to make a permanent life in the only home they've ever known"--it also reminds me that the rapacity of capitalism, its tendency to imagine all life and territory as raw material to be consumed, exchanged, or refined, is a big part of the problem that these individual landscapes seem perhaps too limited to remedy. That being said, I will certainly plant more native plants and let the lizards that scamper through our bushes be.

[Rift Vegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a follow-up read, after A New Garden Ethic: Cultivating Defiant Compassion for an Uncertain Future. That book totally convinced me about native plants. But this book is so gorgeous, loads of lovely photos, I wish I had read it first! Which sounds kind of silly... but I do wonder if this book would have convinced me as solidly as Ethic did.

I really like the profiles of the gardens across the US. I'm in the Pacific Northwest, a relatively small region which is likely to be ignored when it comes to our local natives. But an "urban woodland and pollinator garden in Portland, Oregon" was included, and I happily recognized the species in all the photos. :)

[Eden Hazardelirium · Rating 5 out of 5]

If, like me, you already have a fascination with the natural world right outside the door of your house, you will find this book to be further encouragement and justification for letting your outdoor spaces show you how they should look and work.

Nancy Lawson discusses the many reasons to provide native wildlife habitat at the scale of the space you own: to help save the planet by reducing the use of and need for pesticides, leaf blowers, lawn mowers, etc; to help save human beings by recognizing our dependence not just on bees (who fertilize most of our food) but on all of the life forms that sustain us; or to help animals. There are other reasons as well, but these are Lawson's focus, and she provides plenty of explanation on how to do it, as well.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally some humane-and common sense-talk about the wildlife we share our backyards with! Lawson calls out many of the common myths and ridiculous views people often have about animals such as opossums, raccoons, coyotes, etc. She explains how these animals all have behaviors and habits that are actually very beneficial to the health of our yards and gardens. Humans have been persecuting many varieties of wildlife, some for centuries now, due to erroneous beliefs about them. This is a wonderful (and beautiful) book full of smart advice for the gardener or just the person who simply wants a healthier way to plan their lawn space. Highly recommended!

[jrendocrine at least reading is good · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just more fuel for the fire about making our gardens places for animals and insects. This one is not particularly recommendation worthy, but the pages are the most beautiful paper, probably un-ecological.

A reminder to try and get rid of your turf grass, your non-natives, stop blowing your leaves away. All good stuff.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

An inspiring and hopeful read, especially for a topic that could otherwise tend towards preachiness. I'm looking at my backyard with fresh eyes and am excited to make it an even more welcoming spot to animal and insect friends of all stripes, spots, and sorts.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is wonderful! It's accessible for "beginners" but delves deep enough to interest those with more knowledge on the subject, and the author considers such a range of aspects that even a long-time, practicing humane gardener could learn something from this guide. The author presents her information without sounding like a PETA ad (no offense), is persuasive and eloquent. The gardeners she features throughout the book are fascinating and represent diverse situations, even while all have the same goal of fostering a wildlife habitat. The division of chapters was good, not too much repetition, and each makes its point clearly and impactfully.
Even if one doesn't want to turn their entire yard into a wildlife friendly space (and who wouldn't!), there is a wide scale of practices and habits mentioned in the book which can be implemented. It gives me a little more hope for our natural world knowing this book is out there, and with every person who reads it my hope gets a tiny bit stronger... everyone read this book! It's incredible.

[Ned Tillman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author makes an excellent point about caring more for the natural world and how to express that through your gardening and management of your own backyard. You will want to take a fresh look at all you do in your yard.

[Kailee · Rating 5 out of 5]

An easy read that served as a thoughtful companion to Doug Tallamy's "Bringing Nature Home" with beautiful pictures and case studies that show examples of how individuals have practically turned their land into sanctuaries for humans and non-human neighbors alike.

[Kat Libby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the kind of gardening/landscaping I aspire to have. I'm looking forward to putting some of her advice into practice next year. My pollinator garden has brought me so much joy- now to diversify and improve for other critters!

[Lydia Woolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

If Ms. Frizzle were to write a book, it would be this. Very informative for gardening novices like myself, and the author's 'can-do' attitude is certainly contagious.

The only fault I could find with this book is that it's sorely lacking proper photos of, well, gardens. We got a lot of closeups of plants and trees and animals, but I was really looking to be inspired by full-shots of urban woodlands and lush suburban meadows.

[Ashley (Tiny Navajo Reads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

An excellent beginning of resources to look into for humane gardening to encourage more bugs and birds and just about everything to come to your yard and garden. Something I may need to buy to keep looking into for my own gardening adventures.

[Reynold Witmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is written in a very easy and accessible way. I read it quickly, mainly as re-enforcement. I liked Lawson's perspectives, but I learned very little. It was an enjoyable read.

[Robyn Puffenbarger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heard Nancy speak on her garden and the book is a wonderful read in how to rescape your outdoor spaces for wildlife- from insects up.

[Adrian Delesdernier · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the way this book is written from both a personal and scientific standpoint with stories of individual successes. As someone who considers herself a "humane gardener" already, I learned quite a few things about ways I can improve my garden for wildlife.

[S · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main problem with this book is probably that it will end up preaching to the choir.(!)
I was already a member of that choir, and reading this only makes me want to sing louder (oh no!).

Everyone knows we live in a complex world of interrelationships - this book does a great job of making that concrete, and talking about the ways that so many things we do without thinking have wider effects, as well as looking at the variety of ways we can bring interest to the landscape by seeking harmony instead of control.

In too many cases, we know not what we do, and are easily swayed by the marketing tactics of big companies whose interest is $ rather than balance. Spraying for pests not only kills insects and other small creatures (those tiny cute lizards! frogs!), it also removes the food source for the majority of nestling birds. Is it any wonder that birds and pollinator populations are falling off so drastically? :(

A great discussion of gardening as living IN the world as opposed to ON it.
It made me see the dead tree in my yard from a whole different perspective.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. For a subject that really interests me (gardening being one of my main hobbies), this book left me a little cold. Lawson writes with really flowery, passionate (dramatic) language, which is just something I personally find grating. Also, with an exception below, I didn't learn a single thing from this book. Which kinda makes me a little proud of myself (and my garden). I would recommend this book to a beginner who needs a little motivation to adopt "humane" gardening habits, but otherwise this book is pretty boring.

The exception I mentioned was that Lawson spent a few paragraphs discussing a Seneca Nation member's work in restoring native plants on tribal lands: "At Native-run casinos, he [Ken Parker] pointed out the incongruity of buildings decorated with Native American artwork on the inside and European plants outdoors." That subject could make an interesting book all on its own!

[Dan Carpenter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too much fluff

My wife and I started reading this together because we are starting a garden of our own and want to make it friendly towards wildlife. However, we had to stop because it was incredibly uninteresting. The author spends quite a bit of time on her own garden as well as the gardens of her friends as well as gardens on the east coast. Since I live in the west, most of what she said didn't apply to me. I like evidence based on scientific studies, not personal experiences and anecdotes. I would not recommend this book but rather How Plants Work by Linda Chalker-Scott which is much more scientific and interesting.