joene's garden » On the Bookshelf

What defines a native plant; why it matters

joenesgarden — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 01:57:55 +0000

What defines a native plant; why it matters

You may look at plants growing naturally in the woods, a meadow, or wetlands and think they are natives to Connecticut, but often this is not the case. To be a native, a plant must have grown in our region prior to European settlement. Some of the plants, trees and shrubs growing in Connecticut wild spaces are actually naturalized – they've become accustomed to and grow quite comfortably in our area. Other plants are invasive bullies that overtake or crowd out other plants, often natives. Why does this matter? Think bugs and evolution. Local insects co-evolved with local plants in local conditions. Each Connecticut- or Southern New England-based insect and plant may have a slightly different genetic code than the same type of insect or plant from the Mid-Atlantic region.

This is the topic of my article «In Search of Natives» in the July/August 2012 issue of Connecticut Gardener. In it you'll find further explanations of what the term native means in regards to plants, where gardeners can find plants native to Connecticut, and where many of the natives sold by Connecticut garden centers are actually grown. Because this is a misunderstood topic, the publishers of Connecticut Gardener, Anne and Will Rowlands, have graciously posted this article online.

What you won't get from this link is all the other informative topics covered in Connecticut Gardener: Plants for Dry Shade by Sydney Eddison, Plants for Wet Shade by Nancy DuBrule-Clemente, and Wrapped Up in Vines by Tovah Martin. If you don't subscribe to Connecticut Gardener you'll miss a story about efforts to bring the American Chestnut tree back, a Designer Forum on Plants for Privacy, and advice on what gardening tasks to complete in July and August.

But back to natives. New England-based garden coach and designer Ellen W. Sousa covers the value of and how to use native plants in her book, The Green Garden, and professor of entomology and wildlife ecology Douglas W. Tallamy explains the important role native plants play in the lives of insects, and the birds and other creatures that survive on them, in his book, Bringing Nature Home.

Habitats friendly to native flora and fauna are ever in decline. Gardeners can be front-line defenders against habitat loss by gardening organically and with more natives. These resources will provide any gardener with the knowledge and tools necessary to become a habitat defender.

Garden thoughtfully.

Categories: Gardening, Gardening Education, General, On the Bookshelf.
Tags: Bringing Nature Home, Connecticut Gardener, In Search of Natives, The Green Garden: A New England Guide to Planning.

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On The Bookshelf: The Green Garden: A New England Guide

joenesgarden — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:24:22 +0000

On The Bookshelf: The Green Garden: A New England Guide

Are you a New England gardener seeking a good gardening book in which to lose yourself during cold winter months? Look no further than Ellen Sousa's book The Green Garden: A New England Guide to Planning, Planting & Maintaining the Eco-Friendly Habitat Garden.

Sousa is a fellow garden coach and a natural gardening instructor. She holds a certificate in Native Plant Horticulture & Design from the New England Wild Flower Society and has written about habitat gardening for National Wildlife Federation and other magazines. Sousa writes for a few blogs, including Native Plants & Wildlife Gardens, and the Massachusetts farm she shares with her husband is a Certified Wildlife Habitat and Monarch Waystation.

She walks the walk and talks the talk.

Now she has compiled an extensive and comprehensive guide for other New England landowners interested in making their property more user-friendly for non-human naturally-residing creatures and, ultimately, more enjoyable for human residents as well.

Sousa explains the what, why, and wherefore of habitat gardening in rural, suburban and urban areas in addition to forests, fields, fresh and saltwater shorelines, and wetlands.

She explains how to replace lawns – or most of a lawn - with diverse plantings needing less human input.

She describes how to begin transforming a patch or a property to a wildlife habitat - perhaps as simply as insuring a fresh water source for birds or planting nectar sources for butterflies and moths- and how continue the multi-year process.

Sousa separates plants as:

· New England natives - growing in New England prior to European settlement. Think violets, goldenrod, hemlock and oak;

· naturalized non-natives - plants that native creatures have adapted to and count on. Think Queen Anne's lace;

· introduced non-natives - cosmos, peonies and nasturtiums - brought to New England as ornamentals or edibles. These provide some nectar, pollen or seed benefits to native wildlife;

· and to be avoided and controlled invasive non-natives like Asiatic bittersweet vines that overpower and destroy trees and the purple loosestrife overtaking many New England wetlands.

Then, so readers are not left guessing, she offers more than 40 pages of specific tree, shrub and plant recommendations keyed for their habitat value (attractive to birds, butterflies and moths, amphibians or mammals) and growth characteristics (light and water requirements, deer resistance, ease of growth, etc.).

Sousa further provides lists and links to more information, source nurseries, public habitat gardens, and wildlife gardening organizations, just in case readers crave even more guidance and learning.

The Green Garden: A New England Guide to Planning, Planting & Maintaining the Eco-friendly Habitat Garden is a wonderful primer for those just learning about natural habitat gardening, but it's also a valuable educational resource for seasoned gardeners seeking to hone their habitat gardening knowledge.

It is one of the books I'll reach for time and again as I care for my property and continue to urge others to garden thoughtfully.

Want to read another great book about habitats and native plant gardening? Check out my review of Bringing Nature Home by Doug Tallamy.

Disclaimer: Ellen Sousa provided this book, free of charge, for me to review. I know Ellen only through her blog and through our mutual membership in a Facebook group. If I did not like her book you would not be reading about it here.

Categories: Gardening, On the Bookshelf, Techniques.
Tags: Bringing Nature Home, habitat gardening, native plants, Native Plants & Wildlife Gardens, Planting & Maintaining the Eco-Friendly Habitat Garden, The Green Garden: A New England Guide to Planning.

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Books for Gardeners–Holiday 2011

joenesgarden — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 14:13:42 +0000

Books for Gardeners–Holiday 2011

It's easy to become overwhelmed trying to decide on just the right book for the gardener or plant lover on your gift list. There are so many wonderful gardening-related books from which to choose, so here's a few suggestions.

Gardeners or homeowners looking to re-do an existing garden or add a new one might appreciate having the winter months to read The Perennial Gardener's Design Primer. Co-authors Stephanie Cohen and Nancy J. Ondra delve into the ins and outs of gardening with perennials in all types of conditions – soggy, shady, sunny, dry, small, and large. These two life-long gardeners and plant aficionados share their wisdom, which they have a ton of, and offer suggestions for gardens in various color themes and for creating year-round interest. They give step-by-step instructions for creating a new border, expanding an existing garden, and reworking old gardens. This is one of those books an active gardener will reach for whenever germinating ideas for new plantings. Published by Storey Publishing.

An aging gardener who finds it more and more difficult to keep up with gardening tasks will surely enjoy Gardening for a Lifetime: How to Garden Wiser as You Grow Older. Sydney Eddison, one of Connecticut's garden-world treasures, shares her experiences transforming some of her extensive perennial beds to easier-care shrub borders as she realizes she just cannot maintain her gardens as she did while younger. But she doesn't just share her own wisdom, she draws from experiences of other local gardeners who downsized. Published by Timber Press.

Speaking of aging, grandparent gardeners are sure to find fun outdoor and gardening-related activities for grandchildren in Toad Cottages & Shooting Stars. Author Sharon Lovejoy describes hundreds of ways to entice a child's interest in the outdoors. I know I will reach for this book many times for ideas to encourage my granddaughter's curiosity of nature. She already loves eating sun-warmed cherry tomatoes she picked from the vine. Lovejoy offers a lot of ideas for cross-generational outdoor activities. Published by Workman Publishing, available through Storey Publishing.

Another go-to reference book is What's Wrong With My Plant? (And How Do I Fix It?). David Deardorff and Kathryn Wadsworth take readers through plant symptoms, what causes them and how to remedy them, and organic methods to deal with plant problems. The book goes into basic botany then illustrates the meaning and potential culprit of different types of leaf munches and which flower or leaf spots equate to specific diseases. It even has photos of common plant problems. This book is sure to make at least one trip outside to help diagnose a gardening problem each season. Published by Timber Press as is the authors' newer book, What's Wrong With My Vegetable Garden? which I have yet to read but expect is a similarly great resource.

Timber Press also has available what they refer to Michael A. Dirr's 'most comprehensive visual training yet.' It's Dirr's Encyclopedia of Trees and Shrubs. This is not on my bookshelf but I wouldn't mind adding it to my copies of Dirr's Hardy Trees & Shrubs and Dirr's Manual of Woody Landscape Plants … both fantastic reference books for serious gardeners.

A book I'm in the midst of reading and enjoying is Energy-Wise Landscape Design. Author Sue Reed is a landscape architect who provides practical planting and landscape ideas to beautify outdoor spaces while reducing energy costs. Want to reduce or eliminate a lawn, plant trees to block the summer sun or winter's winds, or manage rainwater? This book has answers. Published by New Society Publishers.

When it comes to book suggestions I could go on and on. If these ideas don't meet your gift needs then visit the publisher's websites … that's where I'm headed to add to my reading wish list.

Categories: On the Bookshelf.
Tags: Dirr's Encyclopedia of Trees and Shribs, Energy-Wise Landscape Design by Sue Reed, Gardening for a Lifetime by Sydney Eddison, New Society Publishers, Storey Publishing, The Perennial Gardener's Design Primer by Stephanie Cohen and Nancy J. Ondra, Timber Press, Toad Cottages & Shooting Stars by Sharon Lovejoy, What's Wrong With My Plant by David Deardorff and Kathryn Wadsworth.

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