In 2017 we moved into a new build property in the mid-Hudson Valley and inherited several acres of woodland and land.
Learning to identify existing plants – What’s native and What’s invasive
Since nature did not evolve to be disturbed like this we also inherited lots of poison ivy (a native that I like to think of as a forest protector since the only things sensitive to it are people). Other than poison ivy I was essentially plant blind when we first moved here. I grew up on the west coast and while I knew certain flower names I could not tell a maple from an oak or name most of the plants present on the property. So I set about learning by joining many gardening groups on facebook and signing up for a library card to check out as many books on gardening as I could.
Learning to identify weeds was a start but that quickly led into learning about invasive species, and then learning about what native plants were host to raising different pollinators or food for local birds. I started to keep track of all the bird species we had on the property, and each sighting invited me to learn what plant or habitat drew that bird here.
It wasn’t until after a year or two of learning that I set the goal to plant things in harmony with nature, and restore some of the natural balance that the construction process destroyed. Compacted soil, dead trees, and invasives like stiltgrass and multiflora, honeysuckle, and barberry were things we tackled aggressively in the early years and continued to remove as they popped up. Of course I made mistakes
See what we manage on our property: In the garden – Invasives management
Restoring balance – planting a meadow
Our first plan was to grow a wildflower meadow and later we developed plans to restore and maintain woodland paths and cultivate the transitions from grass to woodland. In 2019 we added a raised bed vegetable garden and started planting perennial fruits and veggies – check out our “in the garden” series here on the blog for more on that.
Read more about the benefits and how we established a meadow on our propety – Among the Flowers – Cultivating a Wildflower Meadow
If your goal is to support pollinators and influence gardening trends – Preserving your habitat (pollinator habitat, other certifications)
Planting Trees for the future
Future proofing native forests at risk of climate change and invasive pests by planting trees.
Have a large area to restore? Check out our post on planting saplings: In the Garden – Arbor Day Plant Saplings
From culivated to wild – a plan for beauty and landscape management
Part of intuitive design of the property began with lines of sight – I looked to the areas we could see from our windows for what to plant and grow. That naturally led to a more cultivated garden closer to the home and a wilder one the further from the home you get.
if you don’t have room for meadow consider something functional and beautiful like a rain garden or pollinator strips – In the Garden – Rain Garden.
Finding Joy – Bringing Nature Indoors
While not the only goal of native gardening, cut wildflowers are also a way to invite nature in. Mix native perennial flowers into arrangements with traditional annual cut flowers like dahlias or cosmos, zinnias, and snapdragons. check out our post on “creating a cut flower garden” and “cultivating a wildflower meadow“
We need acts of restoration, not only for polluted waters and degraded lands, but also for our relationship to the world. We need to restore honor to the way we live, so that when we walk through the world we don’t have to avert our eyes with shame, so that we can hold our heads up high and receive the respectful acknowledgment of the rest of the earth’s beings.
― Robin Wall Kimmerer
Follow our journey in growing and share in our experience and lessons learned from nature with more posts from In the Garden