Originally from Montana, Schjanna is a fashion designer. On the night of the New York City black out, she missed her flight to Greece, but instead of being upset, she was thrilled to see stars in the city. When she bought her co-op in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, we knew her terrace garden needed to be like her--chic and a little wild. According to the National Wildlife Federation, there are four main elements for wildlife habitat: Food, Shelter, Water, and Sustainability.

We went to the Catskills Native Nursery to purchase plants that provide food for birds, bees and butterflies. Showing no restraint, we bought lots of flowers in bloom right then. Black-eyed Susans, Purple Cone Flowers, Bee Balm and Coreopsis. We'll deal with spring and fall when they happen.

For the water element, Tiffany designed and created the fountain out of aluminum, which operates on a solar pump, but has an electric one for back-up at night. She also researched and built a bat box. Schjanna's boyfriend was doubtful about this until she explained that a bat eats up to 600 mosquitoes a night.

As for sustainability, we mulched with marble chips to give it a clean, modern look, and to retain moisture and keep the weeds down. Then Schjanna bought a tiny kitchen compost bin. She takes her organic waste to the Ft. Greene Park Greenmarket and exchanges it for fertile compost.

Finally, we applied for the certificate. NWF Garden for Wildlife