Spring and fall are the perfect times of year to assess your yard, changing or adding to your landscape. I enjoy taking a walk around my yard to see if I can find spots for any new shrubs or trees so that I am ready with a list when nurseries open for the season.

Years of gardening and tending a yard have taught me several lessons. First, plantings will flourish if they like their location in a yard. I tend to give something two tries. After repeat failures, I cross off the option. I've had to do this with lavender. I love the plant, but it doesn't prosper in my yard. There's no use being endlessly frustrated.

Next, plantings do grow old, lose their shape, or become bothersome and need to be replaced. I've learned not to be reluctant about change. Refreshing designs with new plantings keeps my interest active and helps foster a relationship with the landscape. A question as simple as "do I like it or does it have to go" guides my action plan.

Third, I've found that native trees and shrubs make good property line borders. They grow readily, and many offer the added advantage of attracting wildlife to my yard. If I need to replace plantings, I try to select shrubs or trees that will attract birds. It's a fact that native plants support 10-50 times more wildlife species than do exotic or non-regional plants. Plants common to our area also usually require less fertilizer, water, and effort.

Developing small areas defined by paths, rocks, borders, fences or walls gives more interest to my yard. I have a wildflower walk border, a native shrub border that I fondly regard as bushes for birds, a pleached apple gazebo, an herb garden, a formal hosta-daylily garden, and large areas of foundation plants that hide the base of my house.

We are lucky in Indiana to have a wide variety of greenery from which to choose. For shrubs, you may want to consider Serviceberry, Spicebush, Ninebark, Sumac, Elderberry, Gray Dogwood, Silky Dogwood, Virginia Sweetspire, Winterberry Holly, Buttonbush, Coralberries, or Viburnums. Some trees to consider are Hackberry, Tulip Poplar, Shagbark Hickory, Red Maple, Walnut or Butternut, Redbud, and Black Gum.

If you are browsing the seed and plant options, any of the following attract birds: Asters, Bachelor Buttons, Black-eyed Susans, California Poppies, Chrysanthemums, Columbines Marigolds, Purple Coneflowers, Sunflowers, and Zinnias. Most any red flower will attract hummingbirds to your yard and add to your viewing pleasure.

Planting to attract wildlife will provide summer and winter visitors a reason to stay. There's still another enticement: The National Wildlife Federation (www.nwf.org) offers a program to become a Certified Wildlife Habitat.

All you have to do is meet their basic requirements for a backyard habitat and you can join the thousands of responsible hobbyist that love their yards. Get ready to evaluate and plan your plantings this year. Your yard can be one that attracts the birds for their song, butterflies for the beauty of their flight, and bees to pollinate flowers.