Autumn Light Landscape Design

03/22/2023

Another early bloomer: bluets, also called Quaker ladies (though these particular flowers were sped up in a greenhouse environment). They're hard to get established in a native lawn, but if you're lucky enough to get them, they are beautiful. Behind the bluets in this native-plant container are wineleaf cinquefoil (Sibbaldiopsis tridentata), and blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium angustifolium). All three retain some foliage over the winter, and all feel at home in tiny gardens.

03/22/2023

American hazelnut (Corylus americana) has the earliest, tiniest flowers around - see the little red puffs? The pollen-producing catkins are much more noticeable and dramatic. Early-emerging native bees will eat some of this pollen in the near future, even though hazelnuts don't need them to pollinate their flowers.

The resulting hazelnuts are tasty, but you have to be quick about netting the developing nuts later in the summer, or the squirrels will beat you to them. With its spectacular fall foliage, high wildlife value, and easy care requirements, American hazelnut is one of my favorite wild shrubs.

03/11/2022

I've begun to schedule clients for the 2022 season. Contact me if you want to rewild your lawn, add native plants to your landscaping, or rethink your entire yard from an ecological perspective. Make your garden someplace that you (and the monarchs) want to be!

My 2022 schedule is still open, so let me know what you need! I am happy to communicate over Zoom or FaceTime instead of meeting face-to-face, if that's more convenient for you. One-hour consults do need to be onsite; if you want, I'll mask up as I walk your property with you.

05/23/2021

This hot, dry weather is hard on new plants - even those that were put in last year. Water them deeply and gently, either by pouring lots of water around their crowns, or by soaking the ground gently with a sprinkler or mist. Don't aim a hard stream of water at the ground, as that blasts mulch out of the way and compacts the soil. Take your time, and make sure that the top few inches of soil are damp when you're done - not just the surface.

Also, don't forget your established trees. They need water, too! Soak the ground around them, even beyond the dripline; surface roots for big trees can travel a long way away from the trunk. Preventing drought stress now will help them stay resilient later in the year.

(Photo: ferns and sweet woodruff after a rainfall)

03/07/2021

Chestnuts used to be the most important trees of the Eastern forests. They fed wildlife, created habitat, and supported humans. One can still buy American chestnut saplings, but they aren't likely to live long enough to produce nuts - the blight is still here, still killing trees. But efforts are being made to breed resistant American chestnuts, using both crossbreeding and GMO. Neither are perfect. But with enough time and focused work, we will have chestnuts in our forests again.

Before a disastrous blight, the American chestnut was a keystone species in eastern forests. Could genetic engineering help bring it back?

02/13/2021

Need a last-minute Valentine's gift? I've got you. Unique plant arrangements in beautiful pots, lovingly planted in organic Coast of Maine potting mix. Contactless pickup on Forest Street (in a protective box or bag), or I could drop it off if you live nearby. I take Venmo, Paypal, and checks. PM me with your request. Thank you for supporting a local small business!

02/07/2021

Even though there's snow on the ground, it's not too early to start thinking about spring landscaping. I'm ready to take on new spring clients. Planning is about all we can do right now, but isn't this a lovely time to look through gardening sites for inspiration? And as soon as the ground thaws enough to dig, we can start putting in dormant perennials and trees - they'll appreciate having all spring to get settled in!

More pointedly, some plant vendors are ALREADY selling out of high-demand plants, like Pennsylvania sedge plugs. This will be a wild year. And I don't want to disappoint anyone by not getting the plants you want.

Long story short, talk to me soon if you'd like to create native-plant gardens or rewild your lawn this spring.

01/22/2021

How to think about houseplant placement:

12/31/2020

Why does mulch matter so much during winter? Leaf litter and snow cover insulate the ground during cold snaps. When it's -18C outside, the ground underneath stays comfortably between -5 and freezing. (The yellow line shows the ground temp under both leaf litter and snow; gray is when both are swept away. Blue is the air temperature.) Your plants' roots appreciate that warmth!

Warm leaf-covered ground also keeps insects alive over the winter. That's great for hungry wild birds, who will gleefully toss leaves aside to pick off the bugs underneath. It's also great for the survival of beneficial insects, including butterflies. But this graph came from a presentation on... ticks. They, too, will survive under leaf litter - and that's why you should be careful doing spring cleanup.

12/23/2020

Fascinating background on this ubiquitous holiday plant. Euphorbia pulcherrima is a dry-tropical Mexican species that normally grows into a large, rangy shrub - but our domestic cultivars are "dwarfed" by a bacterial inoculation. The "petals" are really bracts, which is why they look so much like red leaves. And while you shouldn't let your pets eat it (true for almost all houseplants), it's not as toxic as many people think.

In Defense of Plants is a terrifically nerdy plant blog, with an equally nerdy podcast that I enjoy.

Poinsettias Wild Origins December 27, 2017 Poinsettias are famous the world over for the splash of color they provide indoor spaces during the colder months of the year. The name "poinsettia" is seemingly synonymous with the holiday season. They are so common that it is all too easy to write them of...