Bringing Nature Home
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Using Native plants in our gardens
Comments (17)Sandy: Wonderful pictures. It's interesting to me that the Little Yellow, Phaon Crescent, and Dogface were all more strongly marked than ones I have seen. What time of year were those pictures taken? --- About those sterile cultivars: We have a tree around here, the Bradford Pear, that is a sterile import from China. However, it is also fragile. Branches fall off either in wind, or else in the spring when the branches are full of sap and flowers. We had one fall over in our yard (when the girls were outside ... yikes!). So, to remedy this, other sterile cultivars with improved strength were created to replace the Bradfords. BUT It turned out that the sterile cultivars could *cross-pollinate* the Bradford. The result is that Bradford hybrids are now escaping, and taking over, in the wild. Bummer, dude. (That's not a criticism of the Lantana; garden flowers are not much of a threat. Rather, I'm making a general observation about the quirks of sterility). Jeff...See MoreDoug Tallamy on Prunus serotina
Comments (7)I've got at least a couple dozen P. serotina in this yard (1.25 acres), ranging from numerous young trees, to about a half dozen middle aged trees (25-50 years old). All are growing in the back yard. They grow up to become a large and rangy tree, with a loose form and dark craggy bark in older age. They are quite weedy, so they've naturalized around the back yard - and some years there are lots of seedlings that I have to weed out of the back garden. Such a great wildlife tree, but not the most ornamental tree. Also, black cherry is the source of wood for cherry cabinets and furniture. That is amazing that D. Tallamy's small trees are hosting so many lep larvae. Perhaps he doesn't have much in the way of host plants or predators in his neighborhood? I've never found any caterpillars when looking over the small P. serotina, but I don't look that often....See MoreEcologically minded garden design without trees?
Comments (10)For a neater looking shrubs I picked up the viburnum nudum cultivars witherod and brandywine. They are still tiny but the foliage is nice and is still hanging on out there. It's a cultivar and maybe not as valuable to the wild gene pool, but it's native and supposedly will provide a lot of berries. I want to pick up Myrica pennsylvanica for a visible area too which is supposed to be flexible as far as soil, deer resistant, and can be sheared into a more formal shape if you want. I have a couple compact Ilex glabra shrubs for the front of the house, but they are kind of boring. Ilex verticillata is a nice option too. There's a land trust that does native plant sales which I plan to visit in the spring. Heres a list I made of what they offer that will work in different areas of my backyard, and I think would work in Maryland too. -Cercis canadensis Redbud 15-30' -Carpinus caroliniana American hornbeam 20'-30' -clethra alnifolia summersweet -Cornus amomum -Cornus florida 20-40' -Diospyros virginiana American persimmon 35-40' -Euonymus americanus -Hamamelis virginiana common witch hazel -Lindera Benzoin spicebush -Lyonia ligustrina Maleberry -Magnolia virginiana 10'-35' -Myrica pennsylvanica Northern bayberry 3-12' (Myrica cerifera would be perfect for Md too) -Nyssa sylvatica Blackgum tree 30-60' -physocarpus opulifolius -Sambucas canadensis -Sassafras albidum 35-50' -Staphylea trifolia bladdernut -Viburnum acerifolium maple leaf viburnum -Viburnum prunifolium Blackhaw Viburnum 10' - 20' tall, 8' - 12' wide Id consider serviceberry (amelanchiar spp.) Pawpaw (asimina triloba) , catalpa speciosa, and hazelnut Corylus americana as well, although pawpaw reportedly attracts flies, and catalpa attracts hordes of caterpillars....See MoreBooks, movies or shows that changed you?
Comments (25)“A Language Older Than Words” by Derrick Jensen. Felt like something written by a kindred soul, really incredible. And he’s alive and can be reached on Facebook! He has a lot of other good books, too. Especially “Thought To Exist in the Wild” and “Dreams”. I also had an astounding experience at a poetry reading when I was in college. Most times readings are pleasant, at best, or thought-provoking, but James Tate’s poetry reading was HILARIOUS. Not in a cheesy jokey way, but in a surreal, absurd, and shockingly silly way. The crazy imagery/scenarios would just build and build until the entire audience (it was a big audience) was roaring with laughter, including me. And I do not generally laugh easily, at least not deep belly laughs (I’m one of those quiet laughers). I don’t even know how he did it because when you just read his poetry on your own it’s pleasant and amusing but not laugh out loud funny! It was a really special experience perhaps once in a lifetime. I feel grateful to have been part of it!...See More- 22 days ago
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Jay 6a ChicagoOriginal Author