Wet or dry, sunny or shady…. Site conditions can determine whether or not a plant survives beyond a single season. If you’re designing with native plants, you’ll want to be sure to site plants so that they’ll be reliable hosts for the wildlife that relies upon them. Two plant nurseries make their recommendations for native…
Native Plants
Monarch Memories Last a Lifetime
by Hendrica Regez and Donna VanBuecken Butterfly gardeners show they care deeply about the environment and their connection to nature. While providing food and shelter for monarchs and other pollinators, they also help to conserve native plants, reduce habitat fragmentation, and increase biodiversity in the landscapes. In turn, these healthy ecosystems directly affect the quality…
Edible and Landscape-worthy Native Plants of New England
by Ellen Sousa and Russ Cohen Edible gardening generally brings to mind beds of lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, melons, and other foods with origins in distant continents. As natives of often vastly different climates and growing conditions, many of these plants require a lot of time and attention to bring to a successful harvest here in…
Go Botany! A 21st-Century Approach to Learning About Plants
by Elizabeth Farnsworth All of us who grow plants, design with plants, or simply admire plants know how to recognize different species. But with over 3,500 species, subspecies, and varieties growing around New England alone, identifying and keeping track of the names of all those plants can be a daunting task, yet one that is…
This Place We Call Home
by Cayte McDonough Imagine you have been abducted by an alien spaceship, whisked away from your homeland, then deposited back on earth in a fast food restaurant. The place looks familiar, but you have no idea where you are. Thanks to the proliferation of fast-food chains and big-box stores, all Main Streets are starting to…
Pawpaw Asimina triloba – Native Tree for Residential Landscapes
by Karyl Seppala This article first appeared in Volume 96 of Wren Song. Pawpaw Asimina triloba is a lovely little understory tree I would not be without. I first discovered it in my oak woods, happily naturalized and looking like something a bit more tropical than belonged there. Soon I fell in love with its…
Make a Splash with Native Wetland Perennials
by John Mark Courtney Plants are a key element to a balanced pond ecosystem. No matter how big or small the body of water may be, plants play an essential role in maintaining good water quality and a healthy balanced habitat. Some of the functions plants perform include bank and soil stabilization, nutrient uptake from…
Late Blooms in the Landscape
by Kathleen Salisbury As you spend the winter planning additions for your landscape and troll through the countless catalogs you have been getting in the mail, it is easy to think about the colorful spring blooms that put an end to the dull winter months. However, as you plan, don’t forget the late blooming flowers!…
Current Favorites – Native…and Nearly Native
by Lorayne Black, ASLA I always like this time of year. The deadlines seem to be spaced out a bit more than during the spring and fall months. The last of the site visits are wrapping up as the ability to write with mittens in the freezing cold and wet weather becomes more difficult. It’s…
The Place and Time
by Jack Pizzo The time of critical mass is approaching. All around us we see green initiatives. The kids see it at school; we see it at work; we see it when we play. We hear about why a product or service is the one to buy because of some green ingredient or process. I…
Spotlight on Native Habitat Gardens: An Interview with Ellen Sousa
Ellen Sousa, author of The Green Garden, is a garden coach who helps local gardeners build, maintain, and nurture safe, healthy, and beautiful landscapes. She writes and speaks about habitat gardening with an emphasis on native plants and recently answered some questions for ELA.
Habitat Essentials
by Ellen Sousa The following excerpt is reprinted from The Green Garden (Bunker Hill Publishing, 2011) with the permission of the author. Habitat gardening is just like planning and designing the interior of your home. You consider the everyday needs of those you invite into your space, furnish or rearrange the space accordingly, and stock…
