he beans in the fenced in vegetable garden were ravaged by a little rabbit who squeezed through the chicken wire fence. My trusty dog Lulu came to the rescue, chasing the little guy out of the garden, but then spent the next half hour frantically chasing a herd of deer through the woods while I helplessly called her name. I swear I saw her playing with a small fawn, as if it was the next-door neighbor’s dog.

Deer, rabbits and groundhogs are the triumvirate of garden wildlife which drive us mad, but there are reasons to plant for other creatures, who will help us garden.

Feeding and providing habitat for birds is a way for nature to help us garden. Entomologist and author Doug Tallamy estimates that one pair of chickadees must find between 6,000 and 9,000 caterpillars to feed their brood. Providing food for the birds creates a foraging route, which they use year-round.

In my garden, I hang birdhouses to attract wrens. Both parents feed the young, and it’s amazing to watch them hunt, flying back to their babies with cabbage worms in their mouths. The sound of the little birds singing for their supper is wonderful.

Also important is a source of water, moving water if possible. Even a small solar-powered fountain will do a good job at attracting the birds. In winter a small heater, specifically designed for birdbaths or fountains provides water for the birds, and for small mammals.

Evergreens provide a staging area and nesting site for birds. Many deciduous trees offer fruit and shelter. They can be planted all year long, if the ground is not frozen. Fall is the best time to plant as shorter days and cooler temperatures are conducive to root growth, not top growth. When planting earlier in season, it’s imperative the plants are watered all the way up until the ground freezes solid.

When considering an evergreen, Japanese pieris, spruces, cedars, cypress, boxwoods, hemlocks, black gum mountain laurel, viburnum and many others are deer resistant.

When planting any tree or shrub, it’s important to find the right spot. Know how big the plant will get at maturity and respect that. It’s heartbreaking to see a beautiful specimen tree planted too close to a structure, eventually having to be taken out.

Native deciduous trees like serviceberry, oak, cherry, mulberry, holly, dogwood and many others are perfect to help the birds, pollinators and other wildlife.

Shrubs include elderberry, spicebush, winterberry, beautyberry, buttonbush and many more will provide protection and food for many species.

If you have a soft spot for rabbits and they are not bothering the garden, they would love to hide under a discarded Christmas tree or in an area left wild.

Another key to helping wildlife is to stop using chemical pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers.

Any problem in the garden can be controlled organically with a little knowledge and natural products available at garden centers and nurseries.

It makes no sense to dose a cabbage plant with a chemical, have the cabbage worm ingest the pesticide and then watch a wren take the caterpillar to its’ young.

Speaking of wildlife, did you know moles are good for the garden? They eat grubs, aerate the soil and leave a little bit of fertilizer behind, but when their tunnels become unsightly or pose a danger that they need to be dealt with.

Voles will damage plants underground, as they are vegetarians.

Both can be controlled with a product called Mole Scram. The active ingredients are garlic and castor oil. The granular product is spread on the garden as a repellent to push the moles or voles to another area.

That leads us to the other category of wildlife to encourage—pollinators.

In general pollinators are in decline, not just honeybees, but our native insects too.

As gardeners, we rely on pollinators to make our lives easier and provide more produce along with abundant flowers. The water we’re using to help the birds will also help pollinators. By planting a wide selection of natives, annuals and perennials, pollinators will be drawn to the garden. If possible, leave a corner wild for the good bugs to live and mate.

The idea is to have these different plants blooming for as long as possible. In early spring that means snowdrops, crocus and even dandelions. Although the former is not the best source of pollen for pollinators, it’s important as an early source of food for bees and other insects.

Continuing the weed thread, jewel weed, from the impatiens family, has beautiful yellow or orange flowers and is a great plant for insects. Leave a few plants up, maybe in a wild area and you’ll be surprised at how much action the flowers have.

There are a host of other plants for summer and fall. One of the best half-hardy annuals is Mexican sunflower (tithonia). The most common cultivar is Torch, which can reach upwards of 15 feet and covered with 3-inch orange blossoms which are irresistible to pollinators, including hummingbirds.

Plants from the salvia family, either annual or perennial, are not only deer resistant, but will bring in the good bugs. Cosmos, zinnias, sweet alyssum, sunflowers, petunias, lantana, daisies just scratch the surface of plants that help pollinators. Small flowering herbs like dill, thyme, sage and oregano will be covered with pollinators.

Perennials like coneflower, phlox, anemone, milkweed, Joe Pye weed, sedum, mountain mint, lavender, Russian sage, bee balm and a host of others will work for the job. Asters and goldenrod are both important sources of nectar and pollen at the end of the season.

Some things in nature will drive gardeners to madness, but embracing this wildlife will not only make the garden more prolific, but also fill the landscape with beauty in many ways.