'Tis the Season for Recycling!

Holiday Recycling Tips from the Baltimore City Department of Public Works.

Check out these tips for recycling and reusing gift wrap, mulching Christmas trees, using rechargeable batteries, and more.

How to Establish and Maintain an Ornamental Flower Meadow

Establishing and Maintaining Ornamental Flower Meadows for Low Maintenance Sites

A detailed guide to installing an ornamental flower meadow for a low maintenance site.

A garden that is TOO natural?

Native Plant Garden at the New York Botanical Garden

     A caveat from a Susan Cohan, Certified Designer, Association of Professional Landscape Designers. She teaches landscape design at County College of Morris, Bergen Community College and has been a lecturer at the New York Botanical Garden.

     In this article, written in 2013 after the opening of the Native Plant Garden at the NYBG, Ms. Cohan notes that the garden "could be perceived as just another messy, unmanicured space that so many find threatening because they are so far removed from the wild."

     She does not to say that a "natural" garden style or the predominant use of native plants is wrong. She does, however, raise the question, "When does a natural landscape become so natural that it ceases to be a garden and becomes unrecognizable to all but professional horticulturalists?"

     For me, a successful contemporary landscape design should incorporate concepts such as "designed plant communities," articulated by Thomas Rainer and Claudia West in their groundbreaking book, Planting in a Post-Wild World* (Timber Press, 2015) and also be recognizable by the merely curious observer as a thing of beauty.

*Planting in a Post-Wild World, Timber Press

Native fern installation

carolynsshadegardens.com

On Wednesday, November 25 we installed christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) in the bed behind the Rector's office. See some before and after photos below. The 1st photo is the before photo, the bed planted in english ivy (Hedera helix). The second photo shows the plants installed but before mulching. The orange cord that is visible is the church's internet cable that we found buried about 2 inches below the surface. It was subsequently re-buried for future landscapers to deal with. The 3rd photo shows the finished installation, mulched with pine bark mini-nuggets. We hope our stand of ferns will look as good as the mature stand pictured in "Carolyns's Shade Gardens" above. 

Native fern installation at St. B's

St. B's following a professional maintenance visit - November 25, 2015

St. B's post-professional maintenance visit - November 25, 2015

St. B's before a professional maintenance visit - October 2015

Here are a few photos of what the campus looked like before it was visited by the professional maintenance crews the following month. I wish I had more. The difference is dramatic.

St. B's before professional maintenance - October 2015

Leave the leaves: How doing less yard work helps the environment

From http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2015/1105/Leave-the-leaves-How-doing-less-yard-work-helps-the-environment

Raking leaves, bagging them up, and hauling them away is standard autumnal practice, but scientists and conservationists are beginning to argue you should leave your leaves to be mulched – and risk the side-eye from your tidy-lawned neighbors.
Taking away the leaves does the lawn no favors and simply adds to landfills, claims the National Wildlife Federation.
"Let fallen leaves stay on your property," naturalist David Mizejewski told the National Wildlife Federation.

 

 Michigan State researchers began studying the effect of leaves on lawncare in the early '90s. They piled leaves onto grass plots to see how much it took to kill a lawn, and they discovered that leaf-covered lawns were among the first to turn green in the spring.

"It's not only not a problem, it's awesome," says Dr. Thomas Nikolai, a specialist in Michigan State University's plant and soil science department, in an interview with The Christian Science Monitor.
Yes, big piles of leaves can inhibit grass growth and even kill the lawn, but mowing the leaf-covered grass breaks leaves into small pieces that enrich the soil and enhance the lawn's "natural fertility," Dr. Nikolai explains.
"It's almost common sense," he says. "Where the leaves fall, just mulch them in."
Another benefit: A chemical common in maple leaves can discourage dandelions and crabgrass from growing, according to Nikolai's research with Drs. Paul Rieke and Bruce Branham.
Nikolai describes the new lawn care technique as a "win-win-win," because it saves the time and effort of raking, improves the health of the grass, and keeps giant leaf bags out of landfills.
If you really must remove your leaves, says Nikolai, take them no further than the local soccer field.
This suggestion represents a shift from the most common approach to suburban lawn care, which requires conscientious homeowners to rake up all the leaves, creating a tidy lawn and preventing slimy yard build-up under winter rain and snow.
Robert Fulghum described his desire to let fallen leaves lie as downright countercultural in his bestselling 1989 book, "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten."

Mine is the only yard in the neighborhood with leaves, in fact.... I like the way it looks. I like the way it looks very much. My wife does not. The gardening magazine does not like it, either. Leaves should be raked. There are rules....
There is a reason for leaves. There is no reason for mowed grass. So say I.

Mulching solves the aesthetic problem of leaving leaves on the lawn (read: that brown leaf slime that emerges from under the snow in the spring), writes Rebecca Finneran of Michigan State University, because the leaf pieces will sink into the lawn shortly after mowing. That may not satisfy the strictest of yard-keepers, but even some of Mr. Fulghum's "gardening magazines" may relent.
"The good news is, you don’t have to rake (leaves) entirely," Felder Rushing wrote for HGTV. "A thin layer of chopped leaves spread evenly over the lawn will compost quite readily, 'feeding' your lawn and the earthworms underneath."

Explore The Ivy Files and expand your knowledge of Hedera hibernica and Hedera helix

From Portland, OR, Rec and Parks--see https://www.portlandoregon.gov/parks/article/201781 for links.

• Learn the basics of ivy, and its interaction with our natural areas.

• Ivy Removal Methods

  Review the techniques of ivy removal. Familiarize yourself with the field-tested techniques developed by the No Ivy League.

• No Ivy League Project Statistics

   See the mind-boggling totals of ivy removed by the No Ivy League and dedicated volunteers.

• No Ivy League Chapters and Other Ivy Removal Groups

  Get in contact with a removal group near you or suggest others to be added to the list.

• Knowledge is Power!

  Still hungry for more ivy info? Here you'll find important literature regarding ivy removal, other invasive species, and the No Ivy League.

• Ivy Removal Instructional Video

  A handy visual guide to our field-tested techniques, perfect for preparing to remove ivy on your own.

• Community ResourcesLearn how you can make a difference, view resources available to citizens who want to remove invasive species from their property or community.

An Ivy Overview and Why We Remove Ivy from Natural Areas

Forest Park is one of America's largest urban forests. Set aside as a natural area within Portland's city limits, its 5,000+ acres are host to over 70 miles of hiking trails and bicycle paths. This natural area provides an unsurpassed opportunities to connect with the forest environment. However, our treasured resource faces a challenge experienced by many natural areas around the globe. Not only are humans changing the physical, chemical, and climactic structure of these ecosystems but we are responsible for the introduction of organisms previously not present. In the Pacific Northwest (PNW) one such organisms is the plant English ivy (Hedera spp.) 
Members of the Hedera genus have long been admired by humans in their historic range throughout Eurasia, Northern Africa, and Macaronesia. The hardiness of these evergreen plants, their tightly weaved vines and intimate relationship with trees led them to become a symbol of vitality and fidelity in Western culture. It is because of this rich cultural significance that we humans have taken ivy, and many other organisms,  with us to new lands. The prevalence of Hedera spp. in the PNW is thought to be primarily due to escape from horticultural uses.
Evidence suggests that modern ivy's relatives have been present throughout regions of Western Eurasia and Northern Africa for more than 1 million years [1]. In this time ivy evolved to fill the unique ecological niche of a liana, a climbing plant dependent on a host for support. Important to these ecosystems, ivy plays an role in nutrient cycling, soil erosion reduction, and animal forage [^2]. Ivy is highly plastic plant that can grow in a variety of light conditions, soil types and water levels - allowing it to rapidly recolonize disturbed areas as well as succeed in dense forests. The characteristics that make ivy a successful part of its native ecosystems have also made it a successful transplant in the PNW, though its success may be at the cost of our own native species.
English ivy has been observed to dominate the understory of PNW forests, especially in disturbed areas and edge habitat. In these areas the juvenile phase of ivy forms a thick mat of vines and climbs any available surface. This thick mat of vines may prevent significant amounts of light from reaching the forest floor and thus alter the species composition in these areas[3]. As the liana climbs it can reach below the crown of its host tree. A physiological change occurs when the juvenile form receives enough light and resources, transitioning to a mature form that spirals outward from the trunk of its host tree. Through this process ivy may further alter the composition of light reaching the forest below and in extreme cases from the host tree itself. The mature form of ivy is able to produce berries and distribute seeds, with the help of birds, expanding across a greater range than by vegetative growth alone.
Recent studies of ivy populations in the PNW have determined that the most prevalent species is Hedera hibernica (83% of 119 populations sampled) and not Hedera helix as was previously thought [4]. These species are closely related but differ in their ploidy, the number of duplicate sets of chromosomes, H. helix containing 2 sets (diploid) and H. hibernica containing 4 sets (tetraploid) [5] This distinction could be important for understanding why H. hibernica has been more successful in the PNW, but has not yet been explored in depth. H. helix includes over 400 cultivars with only a few identified as species of concern in the PNW including H. helix "Star", "Pittsburgh", and "California."
The efforts of the No Ivy League focus primarily on removing mature English ivy from trees in Portland's natural areas to reduce seed distribution and prevent possible damage to mature trees. In a number of areas the No Ivy League also removes substantial amounts of ground ivy in conjunction with non-native shrub removal and native plantings. This work aims to restore the plant community present before the introduction of species such as Hedera L. The No Ivy League uses hand removal exclusively throughout Forest Park and other natural areas. Though chemical and mechanical removal can be effective in the appropriate situation the No Ivy League uses hand removal techniques to provide the experience of stewardship to a wider audience than other methods would allow.

Footnotes and Further Readings
- 1:  Grivet D, Petit RJ (2002) Phylogeography of the common ivy (Hedera sp.) in Europe: genetic differentiation through space and time. Molecular Ecology (2002) 11, 1351 – 1362
- 2: Schnitzler A (1995) Community ecology of arboreal lianas in gallery forests of the Rhine valley, France. Acta Oecologica, 16, 219 – 236.
-3: This idea has not been the focus of specific research yet but could be reasonable. Seeds sense the ratio of red and far-red light to determine if they are shaded or not and thus whether they will face competition if they germinate. Notoriously shade tolerant, ivy could be altering the red/far red light ratio found beneath the mat and influencing the germination of the local seed bank. If you are interested in exploring this idea please contact us.
-4: Metcalfe, D.J. (2005) Hedera helix L. Journal of Ecology 93, 632–648.
-5: Clarke, M.M. Reichard, S.H. & Hamilton, C.W. (2006) Prevalence of different horticultural taxa of ivy (Hedera spp. Araliaceae) in invading populations. Biological Invasions 8, 149-157.

Climate Change Crisis

Climate Change Crisis Forum - Episcopal Church of Los Angeles

A link to a forum held by the Episcopal Church of Los Angeles in March of 2015 about climate change crisis. The forum was created to help fulfill the 5th Mark of Mission of the Episcopal Church:

"To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth."

The web site includes a webcast and links to related content and additional resources.

Definitely worth exploring if you are interested in learning more about climate change and how our Episcopal faith can inform our response to this signal event occurring right now on "earth, our island home."

Plant This, Not That: Shade Plants for Suburban/Urban Woodland Buffers By Ellen Sousa

From http://nativeplantwildlifegarden.com/plant-this-not-that-shade-plants-for-suburbanurban-woodland-buffers/?utm_content=buffer230fe&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

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 the northeast US and have a bit of woods separating your property from your neighbors, think twice before bringing any of these plants home.

Vinca minor forms mats under trees, but can spread into nearby woods if not contained or blocked with edging or walkways. This small wooded buffer in Boston’s suburbs is completely covered with vinca which has crowded out the lady’s slippers, lowbush blueberries and solomon’s seal which once grew here.

Because these plants spread aggressively by their roots or stems, when they are planted adjacent to moist woods in New England, they can quickly spread into the woodlands, choking out anything else that happens to be growing there and threatening unique and fragile woodland plant communities. English ivy and Wintercreeper also climb trees and can eventually kill them (not to mention the damage the  ivy can do to your house if you allow it to climb walls).

And once these plants are established in an area to their liking, good luck getting rid of them if you ever decide you’d like to plant anything else! Pictured below is a small woodland buffer in Sudbury, MA, highly valued by the homeowner for its summertime privacy screening from neighbors. The vinca, pachysandra and English ivy planted decades ago near the house have escaped into the woods and the homeowner is frustrated that the young trees are dying, and that she cannot get seem to get any other plants established here:

This client opted for professional removal of the invasive plants using a mixture of low-impact (non-herbicidal) removal methods and looks forward to establishing a woodland garden with plants such as trilliums, bugbane, wild phlox, baneberry, wild ginger and ferns.

If you drive around the leafy outskirts of Boston MA, you might be impressed at the established trees, especially in older neighborhoods (more than 50 years old).  Many of the spaces between houses are heavily wooded — in New England, trees don’t need much encouragement to grow. But take a closer look at what else is growing under those trees. You’ll quickly notice those same few species of plants in just about every neighborhood!
You won’t see these plants on New England state invasive plants prohibition lists, simply because they don’t reseed themselves the way invasives such as Asiatic bittersweet do — by birds eating and dispersing their berries far and wide. They spread mostly from being planted in favorable conditions near moist woodlands. As so much of our region is now gobbled up by roads and development, those wooded buffers between homes are often the only wildlife habitat that remains in metropolitan areas of the northeast. Although birds might utilize the trees for their nesting opportunities and insect forage, a buffer taken over by invasives will lack most of the ecological benefits provided by a diverse understory of native woodland plants. For homeowners that understand that their yard plantings have an impact on the wider environment, a little effort to search out appropriate native plants will go a long way towards increasing the biodiversity and wildlife value of suburban yards. Not to mention, the results are much more interesting!

Woodland garden at New England Wild Flower Society’s Garden in the Woods in Framingham, MA.

So, if you do border on moist woodlands, what are some “safe” alternative groundcover native plants to look for? Try the beautiful running foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia), which is (mostly) evergreen and forms a thick weed-suppressing mat under trees:

There is also a native pachysandra called Allegheny Spurge (Pachysandra procumbens) that hails from the southeast US, but grows happily in my zone 5 central Massachusetts garden. It looks a lot like Japanese pachysandra but its leaves are less glossy:

Early season foliage of allegheny spurge is bright and green, and later in the season turns to a mottled pattern. It is not evergreen in my Zone 5 Massachusetts garden.

Canada Yew (Taxus canadensis) is a native yew that loves the cool, damp shade of New England forests. Unlike its popular Eurasian cousins that are standard as sheared foundation shrubs in the US (T.cuspidata, T. baccata, T. x media), this yew stays low (2-3′) and spreads up to 10′ from its base:

Canada yew growing along a stream at Turkey Hill Brook Farm in Spencer, MA. It loves the cool damp microclimate of this forested north-facing valley slope.

Because it’s a deer favorite, wild populations of Canada yew are becoming rarer in Massachusetts, as suburbia pushes outwards and deer populations soar out of control. Unlike other conifers, however, Canada yew will resprout after being pruned (by deer or hedge-clipper), so if you live where deer populations are somewhat under control (or you are willing to put up deer fencing), the evergreen Canada yew is worth growing to help preserve local populations and genotypes.
Wild ginger (Asarum canadense) is another native that will quickly cover an area in moist shade. It’s growing here at Garden in the Woods along with several types of fern and Allegheny Skullcap (Scutellaria serrata).

More native eastern ground covers suitable for moist shade include bunchberry and mayapple:

I don’t believe Japanese pachysandra or Vinca will disappear from our home landscapes any time soon, and admittedly, as long as they are contained, they should not cause much harm. A patch CAN be useful if you have dogs. Our border collie Speck hates the heat of summer and loves to cool off in pachysandra, which appears to bring him much relief. I have left one well-contained patch as his personal dog bed…

Maryland's Wild Acres

http://dnr2.maryland.gov/wildlife/Pages/habitat/wildacres.aspx

 

Today, more than ever, wild animals and plants are facing many pressures from humans. Many natural areas have been affected by people in some way, and the quality of wildlife habitat has been steadily decreasing. As a result, habitat loss is the number one threat to wildlife and plants throughout the world.

Proper habitat for wildlife includes an area which supplies food, water, shelter and a place to raise their young. Because wild animals need areas of suitable habitat, your backyard, schoolyard or development can be designed to be a part of an important network of "Wild Acres" used by Maryland's wildlife.
Maryland’s Wild Acres is a voluntary program which encourages Maryland citizens to create backyard wildlife habitat. Backyard wildlife habitat can increase food and shelter for wildlife, control soil erosion, reduce sediment in waterways, conserve water, improve water quality, inspire stewardship and beautify the landscape. The goal of the Wild Acres program is to create backyard habitats across the State that maximize wildlife benefits and highlight conservation stewardship. Backyard wildlife habitat can include decks, yards, large lots and everything in between. The Wild Acres program offers fact sheets on how landowners can enhance their habitat for wildlife by creating food, water and shelter resources. In addition to providing fact sheets, a quarterly publication, Habi-Chat, is produced which highlights native plants, animals and habitat-enhancing activities. While the Wild Acres certification program does not exist anymore, homeowners can still use Wild Acres information to enhance their habitats. You can certify wildlife habitat through the National Wildlife Federation and/or the Maryland BayWise program.
So, if you feed wild birds, place nest boxes around your house and/or planted flowers and shrubs to attract wildlife, then you are already part of Maryland’s Wild Acres! Check out the fact sheets below as well as previous Habi-Chat publications for useful tips and tricks to attract wildlife. If you want to learn more about wildlife found in Maryland, then check out the Maryland Wildlife List page. Keep in mind, Wild Acres does not provide license to ignore local or county laws, homeowners' agreements or other covenants. Please respect local guidelines.

Invite Wildlife to Your Backyard!

Wildlife Fact Sheets & Nest Box Plans (see original article for active links)

• What’s the Buzz: All About Pollinators
• American Kestrel
• American Robin
• Barn Owls
• Bees
• Butterflies of Maryland
• Common Dragonflies and Damselflies
• Common Spiders of Maryland
• Discover Maryland's Bats
• Eastern Bluebirds
• Eastern Gray Squirrel
• Feeding Wild Birds
• Hummingbirds, Butterflies & Bees
• Living with Wildlife
• Northern Cardinal
• Mourning Dove
• Owls in Maryland
• Purple Martins
• Squirrels in Maryland
• Turtles in Maryland
• Wood Ducks
• Wrens

Landscaping for Wildlife

Habitat Suggestions

• Groundcovers
• Planting Shrubs for Wildlife
• Native Maryland Trees
• Shrub and Tree Pruning
• Water Drips for Wild Places
• WildScape; 1-Acre or More
• WildScape: Porches & Decks
• WildScape: Townhouses & Condominiums
• Backyard Ponds
• Bad Plants Planted by Good People
• Brush Piles
• Crops for Wildlife
• Feeding Wild Birds
• Hedgerows
• Mowing Cycles
• Predator Guards
• Snags and Logs
• Warm Season Grasses
• Wildflower Meadows

Greening Your Landscape

• Beneficial Bugs
• Composting
• Rain Barrels

Wildlife Identification Guides

• Common Backyard Herps
• Common Bees
• Common Butterflies and Skippers
• Common Feeder Birds
• Common Mammals

Backyard Wildlife Habitat Resources

Check Out Habichat! DNR's Online Quarterly Newsletter for Stewards of Maryland's Backyard Wildlife

Five Plants You Think Are Native But Aren’t by Vince Vizachero

http://www.bluewaterbaltimore.org/blog/five-plants-you-think-are-native-but-arent/

October 4, 2015 · by Vincent Vizachero

Because native plants have a long co-evolutionary history with the native wildlife of a location, they are uniquely well-suited choices for the modern garden. In this age of climate-change and habitat destruction, our gardens should do more than just look good: they must do good as well.
Whether that means providing food and shelter for wildlife or reducing stormwater pollution, native plants are great plants.
But human memory is short, and people sometimes equate prevalence with history. Yet many plants that Americans think of as native here are actually introduced from Europe, Asia, or Africa.

Here are five plants that people often think are native that aren’t.

We’ve also included a few suggestions of native plants you can use in their stead.
1. Crepe myrtle (Lagerstroemia) is a group of plants introduced to America from China and Korea in the 1790s by a French botanist. These colorful small trees are so common in southern states that they are often assumed to be native. While crepe myrtle offers colorful summer blooms, the plant produces no nectar and is a host plant for only three kinds of caterpillars. A good native alternative? Try smooth sumac (Rhus glabra), a native shrub with red berry clusters on female plants.  
2. Despite the cunning name, American boxwood (Buxus sempervirens) is decidedly un-American: the native range includes Europe, Africa, and Asia. Commonly used as a highly pruned hedge plant, we generally encourage gardeners to take a lower-maintenance (and more wildlife-friendly) hands-off approach. Herring Run Nursery offers several varieties of the native inkberry (Ilex glabra) that can make a fine substitute for boxwood. The ‘Densa’ and ‘Gem Box’ varieties are especially dense and compact.

3. Another non-native with good marketing is Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis). This turf grass has no direct native equivalent, but for places where an old-fashioned lawns is simply not needed a meadow that includes shorter native grasses might be just the ticket. One of our favorite native grasses is little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), which is both a stunningly gorgeous plant in fall and also a host to several native butterflies and moths.

4. Queen Anne’s lace (Daucus carota) is so common along roadsides and in old fields that it seems totally at home here, but it doesn’t belong. Instead of planting this in your garden, we suggest a white-flowered boneset or thoroughwort instead. These are better choices for pollinators, and supports dozens of species of lepidoptera.  
5. Daylillies, especially the orange Asian species Hemerocallis fulva, are so popular that it is hard be believe that they don’t belong here. But they don’t. In fact they aren’t even true lilies. Worse, these are listed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as one of the “Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas”. Remove these if you have them and replace with Rudbeckia triloba or Heliopsis helianthoides.
Don’t be fooled by a plant just because it is common. It is easy to look up any species of plant in the USDA Plants database to see if it is native or introduced.

Can Native Plants Be Invasive? By Kim Eierman

Can Native Plants Be Invasive?

By Kim Eierman

I hear people talking about common milkweed as invasive. Can native plants be invasive?
Answer:
No matter where I travel throughout the U.S., I often hear people talk about certain native plants as “invasive” perhaps mentioning plants like Canada Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis) or Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) – two plants that can spread extensively by rhizomes and create large stands.
Hmmmm, aren’t those great ecological plants?  They certainly are! An extraordinarily large number and variety of pollinators visit these plants and many species of birds eat their seeds. Canada Goldenrod blooms in the fall, a time of year when resources are slim for pollinators. Common Milkweed is the preferred species of milkweed used by Monarch butterflies as a host plant for their caterpillars. So, are they invasive?  Not at all.

Canada Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis)
photo by Peter O’Connor_Flickr

Some indigenous (aka native) plants are certainly more aggressive than others, but that does not make them invasive. Sometimes aggressive native plants are exactly what you need to replace and outcompete truly invasive plants that have been introduced from other ecosystems. Japanese Knotweed, Black Swallowwort, Autumn Olive, to name a few – are some of the bad boy invasives that terrorize landscapes in the Northeast.   If you were to remove a patch of Japanese Knotweed, replacing it with native plants, then you’d better bring out the big guns that have a prayer of standing up to that Godzilla of invasive plants.
Would you ever use aggressive native plants in an average garden setting? You certainly might, siting these “friskier” natives appropriately, where they have ample space and/or ample competition. Or, you might select similar species that are more subdued – perhaps Asclepias purpurascens (Purple Milkweed) in lieu of Asclepias syriaca (Common Milkweed). “Put the right plant in right place” still rings true.
So what are invasive plants anyway? Ask 10 people, get 10 different answers. In 2006, the National Invasive Species Council and the Invasive Species Advisory Committee adopted the following definition:  “a species that is non-native to the ecosystem under consideration and whose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health.”

Silphium perfoliatum
Photo by Rockerboo_Flickr

To make things even more confusing, some states are including indigenous plants on their “noxious weed” and prohibited plant lists. It is confusing. New York State, includes Silphium perfoliatum (Cup Plant) on its list of “Prohibited and Regulated Invasive Plants.” Yes, it’s frisky, but it is native to New York, and has great ecological value. Not only is Cup Plant highly attractive to pollinators, its leaves are attached to the stem in such a way that a small “cup” is formed, capturing rainwater, and attracting thirsty birds and insects. Noxious weed or valuable native plant? Like, I said, it’s confusing.

Cup Plant Holding Water for Birds
(photo by Benet 2006_Flickr)

Let’s flip the initial question and ponder – “can invasive non-natives be ecologically beneficial?”
This question is even trickier. I have heard from more than one beekeeper that Japanese Knotweed is a great nectar plant. Honey bees (non-native, albeit valuable to man for the surplus honey they produce) flock to Japanese Knotweed. As noted above, Japanese Knotweed (Polygonatum cuspidatum) is a beast, swallowing any plant within its grasp, and not stopping there, but continuing its mighty reach until a massive monoculture results. Surely, we can make the argument that in spite of its nectar, this is a plant that should be removed, as it presents environmental harm.
The takeaway here – use regionally appropriate, site appropriate native plants, understanding that some a bit more boisterous than others – and that can sometimes be exactly what you need.
Thanks for your question!
From Kim Eierman at EcoBeneficial!
Photo: Cup Plant (Silphium perfoliatum) with a happy native bee.

The Many Benefits of Hugelkultur from http://www.permaculture.co.uk

( Saw this on FB (thanks to Les Squires, Transition in Action), thought of Jack. Not just for vegetables, good for shaping rain gardens.  And the steep ones would be great for arthritic gardeners.)

 

Hugelkultur are no-dig raised beds with a difference. They hold moisture, build fertility, maximise surface volume and are great spaces for growing fruit, vegetables and herbs.

Hugelkultur, pronounced Hoo-gul-culture, means hill culture or hill mound.
Instead of putting branches, leaves and grass clippings in bags by the curbside for the bin men... build a hugel bed. Simply mound logs, branches, leaves, grass clippings, straw, cardboard, petroleum-free newspaper, manure, compost or whatever other biomass you have available, top with soil and plant your veggies.
The advantages of a hugel bed are many, including:
The gradual decay of wood is a consistent source of long-term nutrients for the plants. A large bed might give out a constant supply of nutrients for 20 years (or even longer if you use only hardwoods). The composting wood also generates heat which should extend the growing season.
Soil aeration increases as those branches and logs break down... meaning the bed will be no till, long term.
The logs and branches act like a sponge. Rainwater is stored and then released during drier times. Actually you may never need to water your hugel bed again after the first year (except during long term droughts).
Sequester carbon into the soil.
On a sod lawn Sepp Holzer (hugelkultur expert) recommends cutting out the sod, digging a one foot deep trench and filling the trench with logs and branches. Then cover the logs with the upside down turf. On top of the turf add grass clippings, seaweed, compost, aged manure, straw, green leaves, mulch, etc... 
Hugel bed in Ontario, Canada (By Travis Philip)
Hugelkulter from permies.com: Pallets used around periphery
Steeped raised beds: From 'Sepp Holzer's Permaculture'
Sepp Holzer recommends steep hugel beds to avoid compaction from increased pressure over time. Steep beds mean more surface area in your garden for plants and the height makes easy harvesting. The greater the mass, the greater the water-retention benefits.
Vertical logs
Hugel bed dug in clay with logs put in vertically, next branches and lots of wood chips. Top 6" will be wood chips and dirt. This bed will store water and give nutrients for many years to come.

Straw bale gardens require less soil, less water and hold heat. As the straw breaks down nutrients feed the plants. Combining a straw surround with a hugel interior, topped by lasagne layering is an excellent idea for an area with poor quality soil.

Hugel bed in Ontario, Canada (June 28) by Tim Burrows. Tim surrounded his very tall hugel bed in pallets!

Sheet mulching (lasagne gardening) is like composting in place. Above: just a suggestion as to sheet mulching layers. Nitrogen-rich material such as fresh grass clippings or green leaves put right on the hugelkultur wood would help jump start the composting process. Could also include seaweed, straw, dead leaves, leaf mould, etc...

The first year of break down means the wood (and fungi) steal a lot of the nitrogen out of the surrounding environment, so adding nitrogen during the first year or planting crops that add nitrogen to the soil (like legumes) or planting species with minimal nitrogen requirements is necessary, unless there is plenty of organic material on top of the wood. After the wood absorbs nitrogen to its fill, the wood will start to break down and start to give nitrogen back in the process. In the end you will be left with a beautiful bed of nutrient rich soil.
Tree types that work well in hugelkultur:

Hardwoods break down slowly and therefore your hugel bed will last longer, hold water for more years and add nutrients for more years. But softwoods are acceptable as well, a softwood bed will just disintegrate quicker. Mixing woods with softwoods and branches on top, to give off nutrients first, and hardwoods on bottom, sounds like a plan if you have access to multiple types of wood. Yet the newly decomposing softwoods at top will eat up a lot of nitrogen at first, so compensate for that.

Woods that work best:
Alders, apple, aspen, birch, cottonwood, maple, oak, poplar, willow (make sure it is dead or it will sprout).

Trees types that work okay:
Black cherry (use only rotted), camphor wood (well aged), cedar/juniper/yew (anti-microbial/anti-fungal, so use only at very bottom or unless already well aged. Cedar should be broken down before new plant roots reach it), eucalyptus (slightly anti-microbial), osage orange (exceptionally resistant to decay), Pacific yew (exceptionally resistant to decay), pine/fir/spruce (tannins and sap), red mulberry (exceptionally resistant to decay).

Tree types to avoid:
Black locust (will not decompose), black walnut (juglone toxin), old growth redwood (heartwood will not decompose and redwood compost can prevent seed germination).
This article was cross-posted from www.inspirationgreen.com/hugelkultur.html

Further resources

Want to learn more about huglekultur beds? We highly recommend Sepp Holzer's Permaculture, a ground breaking book that will teach you all you need to know! (Also available as an eBook) (For US readers, you can buy from Chelsea Green HERE)
Desert or Paradise by Sepp Holzer 

Looking Good All Year by Benjamin Vogt

People often have the illusion that gardens are static places, manicured and perfect, stable and constant. Some botanical and public gardens contribute to this idea, but they are highly stylized examples, with legions of workers and volunteers — which most of us don’t have access to. What can we do to maintain an aesthetically pleasing landscape year-round that’s also sustainable and a wildlife haven?

Ellen Sousa/Turkey Hill Brook Farm

1. Begin with design planning. You know how asters tend to get leggy? That’s the chrysanthemum lace bug at work, and there’s not much you can do about it. What you don’t want to do is put those asters in the front of a border or near a path where everyone can see their bare, brown decaying bottoms. Underplanting with sedges (Carex spp.), grasses or other low-growing perennials is what you’ve got to do.

There’s black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), a biennial and sometimes a triennial. But in late summer, if it’s near the end of its life, it’ll just go brown and die. It needs to be surrounded by other plants, especially plants that come online in late summer — say, sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula), little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) or aromatic aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium).

Some taller plants flop in a lush garden setting, so buttress them with other medium-high to tall plants. Think about and design for the issues that will come up down the road, and when you design your garden, those issues won’t make the garden appear worn, spent or generally unattractive.

Adam Woodruff + Associates, Garden Artisans

2. Redefine attractive. There’s growing awareness in landscape design of the value and beauty of seed heads, sedges, dried grasses and woody stems. For a long time, gardeners have been cutting down plants in autumn to maintain a neat or tidy look, but then you have to look at a moonscape for several months — not to mention the wildlife habitat you’ve eradicated for overwintering insects and birds seeking shelter.

Designing not just with winter in mind but intentionally for the winter garden season creates a landscape that’s full of intention and resonates with power for anyone experiencing it. Those rudbeckias that die back? Boy, do they have stunning jet-black seed heads. Indian grass is an upright stunner that maintains its flamboyant tops into spring. A “dead” garden can be as beautiful as one flush with Crayola color just months before.

See more reasons not to cut back your fall garden

Donald Pell - Gardens

3. Use self-seeding as a jackpot and a scourge. I don’t know about you, but I find it helpful to let the plants tell me where they like to grow. Sometimes I’ll place something in a spot my research suggests is ideal, but then I find that it struggles or slowly moves — by roots or seeding — to a better spot where it thrives. This is not a defeat for a gardener wishing to maintain a cohesive and presentable, aesthetically pleasing landscape; it is a wonderful opportunity to engage with plants on their level.

Let some of your less architectural or anchor plants find their way around your garden. If seedlings pop up where you can’t stand them, toss them, move them or give them to your friends.

Minglewood Designs

4. Let shrubs take up the perennial slack in spring. The spring cut-down exposes soil to light, which is necessary for new seedlings and awakens the dormant ones. It also exposes a naked design. I find spring the ugliest time in many of my landscaped areas, even if it doesn’t last but a month. There are two strategies to fix this: Go crazy with spring ephemerals and other early-blooming perennials, or think about adding flowering shrubs and small trees.

When my perennials are a foot tall at best, and the grasses are another month away from rocketing into the air, serviceberries, plums, chokeberries, ninebark, spicebush and viburnum carry the midspring weight — and not just because of their blooms. These shrubs add architectural structure and a vertical stretch of green that gives the garden the appearance of being further along than it is. A bonus is that they help the winter garden look good, too.

See how to grow more shrubs for your home garden

L. A. Peluso Designs

5. Celebrate the hard realities of life. Plants are a lot like us: They get sick, they get stressed and tired, they get lonely or overcrowded, and sometimes they just give up. I want to see us celebrate the realities of plants and gardens — the occasional broken stem, the monarda covered in mildew and the plants gone dormant too early in an unusually dry summer. When we embrace the realities of the natural world and stop fighting them with added watering or chemical inputs, we might find the garden an intrinsically more beautiful and inspiring place.

These are just a few ideas for how to maintain a healthy and vibrant-looking native plant garden over the seasons. What binds all of these strategies together is the principle of planting thickly and in communities of plants that are also found together in the wild. The benefits they give one another — often intangible and unseen to us — help them thrive and also provide an aesthetic that never falters or calls into question the skill or vision of the gardener.

How to Grow a Wildlife Garden in 5 Easy Steps; August 8, 2015; by Nancy Lawson

How to Grow a Wildlife Garden in 5 Easy Steps

August 8, 2015 Nancy Lawson 2 Comments

A widow skimmer enjoys the perimeter of a new native rose garden.

How’s a person supposed to get any work done when such exquisite creatures are flying in front of her face all day? That’s the question I’ve posed to the birds and bees and butterflies doing their best to distract me from a book project this summer. They’ve remained conspicuously silent on the matter, but my sister has confirmed my suspicions about this winged conspiracy: “There are so many,” she said of the pollinators crowding the swamp milkweed and green coneflower near my patio, “it’s hard to look away!”
Although my blog writing has become more sporadic in light of the looming deadline, I can’t let this week—the one-year anniversary of the launch of Humane Gardener—go by without paying homage to all creatures great and small who’ve made it possible.  With gratitude to them and to the many wonderful members of our two-legged species I’ve met along the way, I offer these tips.

Step 1. Make Friends.

Dozens of great spangled fritillary butterflies make their home in my yard every day. Though they enjoy butterflyweed and other plants in the milkweed family as adults, their caterpillars must have violets to survive.

You don’t need to earn a landscaping degree or hold a PhD in bee biology to start a wildlife garden. But it helps to have people in your life who are willing to share with wild abandon.
If it weren’t for my friend Sally, we would not have such a proliferation of fritillary butterflies. Though they’re attracted as adults to the nectar of many native species, they can lay their eggs only on violets. From the three Sally uprooted 15 years ago, we now have thousands that provide essential habitat for these little beauties.
At only two weeks old, our newest milkweed patch is much younger than Sally’s violets. But I’ve already found monarch eggs on each of the seven little transplants. And that’s thanks to Molly, who generously offered up her extras at a time when my battered milkweed in the front yard seemed to be getting too tired to support fall migrations.

My latest milkweed patch is sited near a pollinator garden, where last night I spotted a monarch butterfly among all the swallowtails, fritillaries, skippers, wasps, and bees. Wondering if she’d laid eggs on the transplants, I went to look under the leaves. Sure enough, some even had two eggs. Given to me by a new friend, these plants will heretofore be known as Molly’s Magic Milkweed.

My gardens are filled with such gifts: the aptly named “queen of the prairie” flower from Lisa, the tasty strawberries from Janet, the sweet-smelling mountain mint from Stephanie, the exotic-looking native hibiscus from Jan, the misunderstood but much-beloved-by-pollinators dogbane from Angela, the giant late-flowering asters from Christine.
Whenever I see all these plants and the life they sustain, I am grateful for the friends who care so much about our earth that they want to share its bounty.

Step 2. Give Back.

Planted in June directly into the turfgrass, these elderberries, a great fruit source for birds, are already twice as large as they were when I bought them.

Preying on insecurities of new gardeners, a whole industry has grown up around promotion of fancy bagged products and potions. But more often than not, these external inputs are counterproductive, disrupting natural soil cycles and maiming bees, butterfly larvae, and countless other sensitive creatures who feed and reproduce on our plants or in the ground.
Using what you have on hand—and returning materials back to the earth—is more sustainable and infinitely more doable on a small budget. On our own two acres, carving gardens out of the sea of turfgrass used to be a daunting task. After spending too many sweltering afternoons jumping up and down on a shovel wedged into hard clay, I began papering it over instead. This method preserves both rich organic matter and my fragile back. It also means I can use natural materials already on site, as Maryland natives grown in their preferred light and moisture conditions usually thrive in existing soil.

All grown in: This is the edge of a large garden created last year by layering newspaper over grass. Clethra is one of many beautiful alternatives to butterfly bush, the seeds of which escape from gardens to invade natural habitats miles away. Native groundcovers golden ragwort and green-and-gold serve as “green mulch” in this garden, quickly filling in around the well-used birdbath.

While the most commonly recommended method is to layer paper or cardboard beneath compost or mulch and let it all sit a few months before planting, I prefer not to wait that long. To make an insta-garden, I dig holes in the grass, put my plants in, surround them with paper, soak the paper with water to hold it in place, and top it all off with whatever else I have handy—leaves, old coconut fiber from hanging pots, potting soil from transplants, and (when I run out of options) mulch from the landfill. The beauty of this method is that, even as the new plants grow taller and the surrounding materials start to break down, animals and wind begin sowing seeds of other species in the spaces between. And before I know it, the earth erupts in flowers sown by both me and by nature.

Step 3. Think of the Children.

Spread the word: This pearl crescent butterfly fluttered all over the newspaper I laid down around my new milkweed, reminding me that we need to consider the needs of all our garden visitors. Though adults can drink nectar from many flowers, the pearl crescent needs aster leaves for her babies.

Much attention has been paid to the plight of monarch butterflies, and for good reason. The wanton destruction of the only plants they can lay their eggs on—those in the milkweed family—has led to a steep decline in their numbers. But milkweed is only one host plant among hundreds needed to support the life cycles of many butterfly and moth species in our gardens.

If you want butterflies, you need plants that will feed their babies. Antennaria groundcovers—in this case, Parlin’s pussytoes—are a favored host plant for caterpillars of the American lady butterfly. Within two months of adding them to my garden this summer, we already had an American lady nursery.

A pearl crescent reminded me of that last week while I planted Molly’s Magic Milkweed to expand my monarch offerings. She made quite a show of enjoying the damp newspaper and mulch used to smother the grass of the new garden, but her presence had broader meaning for me. This milkweed is nice and all, she seemed to be saying, but I need asters for my babies! While I happen to have many species of aster in my garden—including heath asters, smooth asters, and New England asters—I can’t say I planted them intentionally for pearl crescent caterpillars. In the fall I will add more in honor of my small-but-mighty friend.

Step 4. Call in Quality Control.

What’s good enough for the catbirds is good enough for me. They enjoy a range of insects and fruits in their diet, and I am only too happy to provide for them.

Host plants for caterpillars? Check. Nectar plants for butterflies? Check. Is there something you’re still forgetting? You can always count on the catbird to let you know. Like many birds, and especially baby birds, they are voracious consumers of insects. To ensure you have a plentiful supply, stay away from pesticides and other chemicals that kill grasshoppers and ants and everyone in between. Manufacturers of these products like to promise you the perfect rose garden, but a garden too toxic for a bee and too nutritionally deficient for a bird is no garden at all.

Catbird-tested, goldfinch-approved: A year-old garden made from newspapers provides rudbeckia and other much-needed midsummer seed for goldfinches, one of the few birds who don’t feed their babies insects. They are “among the strictest vegetarians in the bird world,” notes the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Birds also need native fruits and seeds in varying supply when migrating, breeding, and overwintering. Shrubs offer both berries for sustenance and dense habit for nesting and cover from predators. Fortunately I was able to let my catbird friend know that this garden-in-the-making would soon be a thicket of native roses, a family-friendly spot for rose-hip dining and baby bird rearing.

 Step 5. Let the Team Take Over.

Because our native trees, shrubs, vines, perennials, and groundcovers feed many species of caterpillars, the bluebirds in our front yard had plenty of food to raise noisy, healthy babies this year. Photo by Will Heinz

In the spring hummingbird moths dine on phlox divaricata; in mid-summer they find this phlox paniculata irresistible.

Once you have a few spots planted with species native to your area, sit back and watch the magic happen. Leave as much of your garden as possible the way nature intended: Let perennial stalks stay up overwinter so the seedheads can feed birds and stems can shelter bees. Provide bare, undisturbed patches near your pollinator plants so ground-nesting bees can raise their babies. Let leaves fall where they may to give shelter to caterpillars, pupae, salamanders, and many other animals during the cold, dark days.
You’ll be amazed by how many furred, feathered, and antennaed friends swoop in to offer their help once you make your home theirs, too.