native groundcover; shade
“The ‘true artist’ planned landscapes-from gardens to entire cities-by first analyzing and recognizing the “characteristic and salient aspects of the place,” in order to “work in harmony with them instead of coming into conflict with nature. -Garden and Forest, 1893
Over the years I have designed, implemented, and assisted with many landscape and garden designs, and I’ve visited hundreds of gardens and landscapes around the world, but never have I witnessed a landscape so beautiful and enticing as those that exist where man has made no mark what-so-ever. There’s a woodland bed carpeted with wild lily of the valley (photo) just behind my house. It’s hidden by a canopy of wild raspberries, american sorbus, lindens, and ash, but it’s there. I know. If only man could master the art of preserving natural beauty.
Plant hunters for centuries have been scouring the world in search of exotic species, and what are they to do once they discover something exciting but to transport it ‘home’. Kings and Queens have funded these hunts. Men have lost their lives on these hunts. Rare plants have been harvested to the brink of extinction, and in the process of moving them to an alien climate we remove and replace alternate, perhaps truly native plants. In some cases we cross-breed these plants to a point that we no longer recognize the original treasure. But yet we insist on juggling the ‘non-native’ species of the world, and attempt to incorporate them in and around our own landscapes.
In this day of easy travel is it really necessary? Could it be a fault of human nature to not recognize and appreciate that which is easily and readily available?
Here are some tips to help maintain a healthy balance with natives in your own landscape:
1) Use native species for groundcover. Try (For reference and identification I recommend Roger Tory Peterson’s Guide to Wildflowers.)
2) Plant native trees. One of my favorite varieties is the American Linden, or basswood. Absolutely no other tree, shrub, or flower has such a magnificent scent during bloom as the American Linden.
3)Limit non-native and ornamentals to containers. If you are attached to the beauty of a non-native perennial try growing it in a pot and mimic its native climate as closely as possible during the winter. Plumbago falls into this category for me. It is a vine in its native landscape, but forms a small shrub in a container.
4) Be extremely cautious of aggressive and invasive non-native plants. (These, too, can be grown in pots if you insist on having them.) Every summer I deal with customers who are looking for ‘something’,… ‘anything’ that will grow ‘fast’ and ‘spread quickly’. I cringe every time I hear this. Too many obnoxious and invasive plants are still being marketed by garden centers. Two popular examples are the invasive white oxeye daisy, and the hybrid forms of Euphorbia, the latter because its seeds may revert back to Euporbia esula, an extremely invasive spurge. Another showy perennial which is commonly available at garden centers but will never make itself known in my landscape again is the purple Veronica. There are always alternatives.
5) When in doubt consult with a professional and heed the advise of the experts. A five dollar plant could become your five-hundred dollar nightmare in just a few years. Just because it made its way to the shelf at the local garden center doesn’t mean it needs to make its way home with you. Think of these plants as cute puppies (aren’t all puppies cute?) that turn into ankle-biting dogs.
One of the projects I have scheduled for next spring will be to help my daughter, Angel, and Nathan with the landscaping around their new home. When Angel and I talked about this last fall she mentioned not being partial to the color ‘red’. I wasn’t sure how to respond because directly behind her, serving as an awesome backdrop for the house and for the front yard, were some of the most beautiful maple trees I’ve seen in the area,…towering, gorgeous, and shimmering in every imaginable shade of ‘red.’
“Okay,” I said. Regardless, this will be a fun project. Most of the surroundings include the native species and I hope I can convince them to do more of the same in the areas that have been stripped and compacted during construction.
1 ‘Garden and Forest’, 1893; entire article available at http://www.loc.gov/preserv/prd/gardfor/essays/carr.html
Tags: Peterson's Field Guide to Wildflowers, projects 2010, wild lily of the valley
