Native Plants and Wildlife Gardens
Healthy Gardens. Healthy Planet
We are remaking the world in our own image. From carbon emissions to water use, to shifting climate zones and exotic plant choices, to habitat loss and oil extraction, not one square inch of this world is unaltered. It’s far easier psychologically to reframe this sad reality with hope – hope that things will get […]
I recently heard Dr. Mark Brand from the University of Connecticut speak about his work evaluating cultivars of Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii), an invasive plant species. For over a decade, Dr. Brand has been studying and assessing the invasive potential of different cultivars to determine whether or not the entire species should be banned here in Connecticut, or if […]
The exotic (non-native) Japanese Pachysandra (Pachysandra terminalis), periwinkle (Vinca minor), English ivy (Hedera helix) and Wintercreeper (Euonymus fortunei) have long been staples of New England gardens for their shade tolerance and ground covering habit. Go to any garden club sale or plant swap in the spring and you’ll find these plants available by the bucketload — but if you live in […]
Much of the material I write is ultimately intended for kids. “Native” and “invasive” are deceptively simple words that describe complex concepts. I know many of you are working hard to create habitat with native plants in their yard. You might find yourself in the position of sharing the concepts of “native” and “invasive” with […]
It’s almost fall here at Native Return®, and the meadows are alive with color! Goldenrods, Partridge Pea, Sunflowers, and Black-eyed Susans burst with yellow; Joe Pye Weed adds pink; Marsh Mallow and Eupatoriums plenty of white; and Obedient Plant and Asters offer contrasting deep purples. There is still also plenty of green, most of it intentional. It has been […]
I’m conflicted. Everything about the Norway maple (Acer platanoides) points to it being a blight on the landscape. It’s invasive; taking over our ravines and crowding out native species. It is not a multi-purpose tree. True – it gives shade, produces oxygen, filters the air, and mitigates stormwater. But, it doesn’t host any insect parties. […]
Each of us has tackled an invasive that gobbled up part or parts of our cherished garden (not to mention hours, if not weeks or months, of our time, energy, and muscle). In some cases we inherited invasive plants when we bought or rented our home. Some of us, looking back, now know that we […]
Yesterday, in Time to Get Tough, Emily DeBolt introduced the topic of invasive plants and legislation in the Northeast to control their sale. Today I’d like to take the conversation to the opposite coast where I live in Washington State. Washington’s Noxious Weed Board issues an annual list of noxious weeds. The list is divided […]
A grand old sugar maple stood beside the road at the edge of the hayfield across from my house. By the time I moved to the neighborhood, this tree was no beauty: it had already lost its leader, and several branches jutted out as jagged stubs. Foliage up top was so sparse, the local redtail […]
Like most gardeners, my garden is composed of some plants that I inherited when I bought my home, others that I bought before I really knew much about plants and still others that I purchased in my ongoing efforts to create a wildlife garden. And like many native plant lovers, my garden is a mix […]
