Create a wild and wonderful garden with food and flowers

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It’s okay to go a little wild in your yard — actually, it’s essential for a healthy ecosystem in the garden.

Wildflowers, typically low maintenance and easy to grow, are an important component of supporting biodiversity, says Erin Berkyto, who shares the growing adventures of her Fraser Valley garden with more than 100,000 Instagram followers @theknottygarden and will be talking about how wildflowers complement food growing at this year’s BC Home + Garden Show.

Berkyto was motivated to transform her backyard into a space that produces homegrown food for her family, while the front lawn has been converted into an “alternative lawn” of microclover and tall fescue grass that is drought and chafer beetle resistant. She also has a space dedicated to a wildflower pollinator garden.

“One of the biggest benefits of a wildflower garden is the diversity and variety of wildlife the plants will attract,” she says.

Black-eyed Susans, with their golden yellow blooms, are one of the popular wildflowers that contribute to biodiversity.

“It’s very hardy and fast-growing, and the seed head, left to mature, will feed the birds through fall and winter, so it’s a great multi-purpose flower,” says Berkyto, who also has many Shasta daisies, cornflowers, poppies and lupins in her landscape.

“I think the greatest benefit from wildflowers comes with native species of plants because you are going to be supporting native species of wildlife. One of the added benefits of growing wildflowers is that if you have fruits or vegetables in your garden, you are going to have a more