I love to garden but I consider myself a caretaker, not a gardener. Many years ago, I realized that trying to garden under mature Douglas Fir trees meant I needed to alter my mindset, and I moved from having a garden to having a habitat, from being a gardener to a "habitatter". I am a member of the Backyard Habitat Certification program that supports and encourages planting native plants to support native wildlife, insects and birds. My habitat is Platinum Certified but I am still improving it as the years go by.