Progress on the Woods

Deciduous Woods along the North Side of the Backyard

Planting a pollinator garden is a relatively easy task if success can be measured only in how fast one sees results. As I write this, I've successfully attracted a wide variety of bees, pollinating wasps, and butterflies to my front yard wildflower area. I've still got a long way to go, before I'm finished with it, but it is about three-quarters planted and most of the wildflowers and native grasses that I've added are on target to bloom this year - if they haven't started already. There are still too few butterflies using it with regularity and no bumblebees, but I expect that to change - at least as far as the butterflies are concerned, as their host plants mature a bit more. A landscape for birds and other wildlife, however, takes patience.
Birds need a variety of things for the plants to be considered habitat. In my former home, the mature canopy provided excellent foraging habitat for migrating songbirds and it was an exciting place to "bird" during the spring and fall months. Resident birds, such as Northern cardinals, blue jays, and Carolina wrens found what they needed to raise young. That is not the case in my new neighborhood and the input I am adding now to that limited local habitat is still too immature to provide nesting or foraging habitat. Planting a "woods" is one of the most optimistic things a wildlife gardener can undertake. It may well be 5 years before I see much difference in the population of birds that become common in my landscape and 10-20 years before it reaches its full potential. We who plant these things have no guarantee that we will still be here to see that and even less that new residents to our homes after we are gone will value what we have done.
I live in a rental home here, so my relationship with this land is even more tenuous than if I owned it. Some of my friends think I'm a bit crazy (and I may be) for investing so much effort into a rental landscape, but the hours and dollars I've spent here seem like a great investment to me. I've received back far much more from this landscape than I have spent on it. Only dedicated gardeners might understand this, but I need to putter around in the dirt to be satisfied. 
The woods I have designed is deciduous for a purpose. I want an understory of native sub-canopy trees, shrubs, and wildflowers that need winter/early spring sunlight to bloom profusely. Too often, where I reside in central Florida, we use evergreen canopy trees such as live oaks (Quercus virginiana) in our landscapes, and while the shade is nice in the summer and fall when temperatures are mostly in the lower 90's F, the lack of sunlight beneath them the rest of the year severely limits what will do well. My favorite trees and shrubs are the subcanopy species that simply won't grow in the deep year-round shade of a live oak.
My woods is anchored by an American basswood (Tilia americana). I love the shape of this tree, and its innocuous spring flowers are exceptionally fragrant and of great interest to bees. It also does not cast as wide a crown as a live oak. As it matures, there will be space and some sunlight for the great diversity of subcanopy trees I've also added. My favorites are the common serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea), two-winged silverbells (Halesia diptera) and the various hawthorns (Crataegus spp.). Eventually, these will produce a wondrous display of spring color, but it may take a few more years. The silverbells are mostly for me as they have very limited wildlife value, but the serviceberries and hawthorns will produce bird food in addition to the flowers for pollinators. To this, I've added three species of viburnums (Viburnum spp.) and two species of buckthorns (Sideroxylon spp.) - all exceptional pollinator plants and fruit producers. The same can be said for the flatwoods plum (Prunus umbellata) and the sparkleberry (Vaccinium arboreum).
I've yet to add the lowest level of shrubs to this woods. Right now, they still exist in pots. I likely will add them as the summer gets closer to fall. I've got all nine of the Florida flame azaleas (Rhododendron austrinum) I purchased in October in this area, getting acclimated to the site. I've planted the pink and Alabama azaleas (R. canescens and R. alabamense, respectively) elsewhere and they are doing exceptionally well. There is no reason that the flame azaleas won't also prosper here, but I'm in no hurry to plant them. I've set aside a good number of dwarf wild coffee (Psychotria nervosa) for this area as well.
I check the woods daily to monitor the growth of these plants. Most just sat there for the first 6-7 months, but all are now showing signs of new growth.  There is a saying that goes something about "creeping" the first year and then "leaping" afterwards. It looks like these plants are starting to adjust to life outside of their pots. I'm hoping for the "leap" that will lead to some spring flowers beginning in February of next year.
After all, we are optimists or we wouldn't be doing this.