Can one yard make a difference? The answer is an emphatic yes. More than a decade ago, a handful of neighbors eager to restore native habitat in SW Portland started the first iteration of the Backyard Habitat Certification Program, which ultimately sparked a movement that has now spread to more than 6,000 yards across the Portland-Vancouver Metro Region.

Adding new plants to your garden is popular in the spring and summer months thanks to Oregon’s ample sunshine and the wide selection of flowering plants, shrubs, grasses and trees.