Matt Buchholz knows dozens of ways to kill an ant. None of them involves pesticide.
Buchholz, co-owner of Novato's Suburban Habitat, is a landscape designer and gardener who creates the kind of backyard that's inviting to birds
and butterflies - while keeping ants, mice and other pests at bay.
Buchholz's store, which opened on Novato's Grant Avenue in August, grew out of his experience as a landscaper and his recognition that many
customers wanted to create a garden that was more than just a pretty space.
"I've seen a trend toward people wanting to have a garden that's more than the sum of its parts. They want to create a habitat, an ecosystem,"
Buchholz said. "There was a niche in the market that was going unfulfilled."
The difference between a "backyard" and an "ecosystem" is merely a matter of perspective, Buchholz said.
"Every garden is an ecosystem," Buchholz said. "Every one has people, plants and animals interacting with each other and with the greater
environment. If you provide birds with food, with a house and perhaps a bath, you increase the likelihood that they'll want to stay in your yard -
and you'll make it a better living space for humans.
"It's not so much that gardening has changed," he continued. "But the way people interact with their garden has changed. People have always tried
to attract birds to their yard with bird feeders. But now they're looking at the birds, the food, and the plants around them as different aspects of
their gardens."
Born in Kansas, Buchholz grew up with a love and respect for nature, feelings that deepened as he grew older.
"We lived on an acre of pastureland that backed up to a lake, and I spent a lot of my time in the woods," Buchholz said. "I'd catch tadpoles and
watch them turn into frogs. It was an easy place to be in tune with nature.
"As an adult, I worked for a cactus relocation company in Tucson," he continued. "We'd go into the desert, to places where they were going to build
mines, and move those big Saguaro cacti."
Buchholz's affinity for unusual plants continued after he moved to California 11 years ago. He is working on a display for the San Francisco Flower
and Garden Show about poisonous plants.
"It's called 'If Looks Could Kill,'" Buchholz said. "There are a lot of common houseplants people see every day that are poisonous: foxglove,
schefflera, Easter lilies, irises. Greek soldiers died from eating honey made by bees that pollinated rhododendrons. A lot of plants that are OK to eat
are poisonous in parts. A tomato is the only part of a tomato plant that isn't poisonous. The same is true with potatoes."
Buchholz describes Suburban Habitat as a combination gardening store, hardware store, gift shop and museum.
"You can find bird feeders at hardware stores or gift shops. You can probably get them at Long's," Buchholz said. "What makes us different is the
quality of our stuff, and the fact that we'll take the time to talk with you about how it can fit into your overall garden."
Buchholz pauses to help a mother and son who have entered the store. They're looking for bat houses, but Buchholz steers them toward an owl
house instead.
"Right now, there are a lot of barn owls in Novato, and you have a good chance of attracting one, because they don't have many places to nest,"
he tells them.
Across the store, a mother and daughter approach a child-sized table with crayons, paper and books on bugs and flowers. Buchholz does his best
to accommodate a variety of customers with everything from books on mycology, wild plants and herbs to a stainless-steel water dish for visiting
dogs.
"They have something for little kids and for people who know nothing about gardening. And for people who know about gardening, they have
Gardenopoly, and all those good things from the people in Petaluma who are making cosmetics, and things for the school gardens," said gardener
Pam Scott.
The store hosts educational presentations on topics of interest to gardeners and nature lovers. Last month, Suburban Habitat welcomed members
of San Rafael's Hungry Owl Project, who explained the role the county's barn owls play in controlling populations of rats, moles and gophers.
On Feb. 10, the store will host a children's class on how to make hand salve and lip balm from common backyard plants from 2 to 3:30 p.m. The
class will be taught by Lisa Ludwigsen of School Garden Company in Petaluma. Other classes will likely follow, Buchholz said.
Many of the store's products, like copper bird baths and hummingbird feeders, are designed to attract particular animals to homes and gardens.
But the store also offers its share of items intended to discourage particular plants and animals. Its "squirrel-proof" bird feeder, for example,
features a motorized perch that rotates whenever anything heavier than a bird comes looking for food.
Buchholz said he doesn't believe in lethal mousetraps or deadly sprays - except for a mint-oil solution that kills ants but is harmless to people and
pets.
Instead, he encourages customers to try introducing praying mantises to their garden - a set of three egg cases is available at the front counter. Or
building a house to shelter songbirds. Or owls. Or bats. Or ladybugs.
"You can use a chemical application to kill aphids, or you can use ladybugs," Buchholz said.
"A lot of people come looking for ways to scare away deer. We have a product called 'Not Tonight, Dear' that's a motion-sensitive sprinkler head.
When a deer comes around, it sprays the deer with water and scares it off."
It's that kind of approach to pest control that impresses San Anselmo gardener Karen Detweiler.
"I like the spirit of the store," Detweiler said. "I think it seems to emphasize wildlife, and maintaining the natural balance. There's a lot for birds,
too, which is great."
Suburban Habitat began as an online-only store, and Buchholz does about half of his business over the Internet. But he said the store's location in
Novato's Old Town is attracting more walk-in business.
"Downtown Novato has changed a lot," Buchholz said. "We've only been open for a little bit, but we seem to be at the right place at the right time."
Suburban Habitat
866 Grant Ave., Novato
898-7678
