Oh glory hallelujah, it’s spring again! It’s that time of the year when gardeners in the northeast prepare to welcome the emergence of previously planted bulbs and tubers, from daylily to lily of the valley to a mind-numbing variety of flowering plants. But one expert in the field of garden design and all things growing from the verdant earth, Kerry Ann Mendez, also welcomes a vast number of native species into her gardens, and she’d like you to join that movement.
On May 11, Mendez took center stage at the Elizabeth Taber Library, a presentation hosted in concert with the Friends of the Elizabeth Taber Library and the Marion Natural History Museum, to speak to gardeners on the subject of planting native specimens. She explained the importance of selecting healthy plants from trusted garden centers but also noted that even she has been drawn to big-box stores for plants if the price was right and the plants appeared healthy.
Mendez’s approach to creating gardening is multilayered; she selects plants for color, texture, size and hardiness. But she is mindful that plants are food for a variety of insects and animals; thus fruits, nuts and pollen production are a large part of the equation.
Mendez said that by planting as many “natives” as possible, you are supporting a healthier ecosystem that in turn supports greater diversity of animals. From the internet, we learn that native plants, also known as “straight native species,” are plants that occur in the wild minus human manipulation. Researchers found that native oaks, for example, host over 550 different moths and butterflies (primarily their caterpillars), thus feeding thousands of songbirds.
A nativar, a variant of a native plant, may sometimes occur naturally but more often than not, would never be found in nature.
Mendez pointed to milk weeds as a good food source (for animals and bugs, that is) which can easily be grown in home gardens. We took seeds of the common milk weed from a natural habitat and now two years on, have tens of spikes shooting out of the ground on their way to flowering and serving as a monarch butterfly nursery. What joy to see those newly emerged little wonders flapping around the garden. We also planted swamp milkweed, which is doing well in the upland flower beds.
The educator, landscape, architect and author of several gardening books, including “Perennially Yours” also explained how, due to homeowner-association restrictions, she has turned to container gardening. When asked, Mendez explained that she manages the large containers by moving them into the garage once they have gone dormant. In the spring, when the plants appear to be budding, they are returned to their outdoor locations. There’s more than one way to circumvent what might be considered too-restrictive rules and still have amazing, flowering native plants.
Mendez talked about the importance of reading the tags that most plants come with for information on sustaining the plant and even whether or not it is a native or nativar. We tried that at a local garden center and found the tags to be woefully absent of that detail. But there were other plants that clearly proclaimed “native!”
So, as you prepare to add new plants to your gardens, don’t forget you can also feed the birds and bees, keeping the circle of life more vibrant and sustainable even in the smallest ways.
Friends of the Elizabeth Taber Library
By Marilou Newell