Thinking about native species

Spring is here!


The trees are budding and the greenery is poking through the cold wet dirt... ah, spring is here!


Over the winter I have been thinking about what I need and want to do this year... it's a long list and will take a lot of effort and planning to execute, but it will be worth it.


Besides all the transplanting and garden reorganizing that I need to finish from last years efforts, I want to add some new native species to my garden, and also start a new native rehabilitation project at a near by conservation area.


more to follow soon...

Xeriscape additions

This is what i added in the fall:

• 3 x Dense Blazing Star (Liatris spicata)
• 2 x Green Coneflower (Rudbeckia nitida or Rudbeckia laciniata 'Herbstonne' or 'Autumn Sun')
• 4 x Dwarf Fountain Grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Hameln')

Quite a bit of change...

The front yard is also coming along. The first several steps have come together and I find it more enjoyable to spend time out there now - less randomness and confusion... 

Before: early june with hodge podge garden...

After: early october with new Green Earth EcoTurf grass, two anchor gardens and some remaining shrubs that will be moved in the spring...

yellow potentilla from original garden, with two white potentilla added. They are surrounded by an unidentified perennial in this triangular anchor garden...

all the creeping euonymus or wintercreeper (Euonymus fortunei) that was growing around the garden, has been moved to the opposite corner along the driveway. It is accompanied by an Emerald 'n' Gold Euonymus Shrub. This area will get the most winter damage from snow and salt so we will see if it survives. I also just found out that wintercreeper is highly invasive in the USA and possibly Canada - it may need to come out next year!

the xeriscape garden has filled in nicely, but I am waiting until next year when it explodes in size (maybe the following year for the grasses). I extended this garden all the way to fence and added more perennials and grasses...

Before: early july, just before planting grasses and perennials...

After: early october as the grasses have gone to seed and the perennials have started to brown off...

overall the view from the house is a lot more simplified and calmer...