Native Horticulture Design and Installation

03/12/2020

A walk in the woods...

This past weekend we had beautiful Spring weather, so my wife and I took our son to the State Botanical Garden in Athens for a walk in the woods. My favorite section is a woodland garden path that meanders along a stream and is planted with native species in their natural setting. Early Spring is the only time to see many of our native wildflowers, many of which are also medicinal herbs. These plants emerge almost overnight and bloom quickly, and will disappear before the end of summer. I really appreciate the collection at the Botanical Garden because many of these plants are now very rare and this is the only place I know of to see so many different species in one spot. Photo 1 is a patch of Sanguinaria canadensis, Bloodroot, a medicinal which has reddish sap that is very astringent and can be used like iodine. Photo 2 is Mertensia virginica, Virginia Bluebells. Photo 3 is Claytonia carolinia, Spring Beauty, a tiny plant that can easily be overlooked. Photo 4 is a Dwarf Trillium, Trillium pusillum. Photo 5 is Cardamine maxima, Giant Toothwort. Photo 6, a Packera species, which also has medicinal qualities. Photo 7 is Carex plantaginea, Searsucker Sedge.

Here is a link to the State Botanical Garden:

https://botgarden.uga.edu/

03/04/2020

Check out this article explaining the many benefits of using native plants in your landscape. Based on research by Doug Tallamy, a professor of entomology at the University of Delaware.

Replacing grass with even a few plants native to your region can save insects and the ecosystems that depend on them.

03/03/2020

Check out this link for some great information from the University of Georgia Extension Office. I may be slightly biased, but UGA is well recognized for contributions to horticulture research, especially in the Southeast. You can sign up for a monthly newsletter titled "Shades of Green" for articles and updates on events in the community.

https://extension.uga.edu/county-offices/clarke/agriculture-and-natural-resources.html

02/28/2020

02/25/2020

Early bloomers: Spring is coming!
Even though our seasons can be hard to distinguish here in Georgia, we can still look forward to some great flowers in late Winter and early Spring. It is hard to miss these pops of color this time of year, before trees begin leafing out, and the sight of daffodils, Narcissus sp.(Photo 1), Magnolia liliiflora (Photo 2), and Prunus serulatta (Photo 3) signal Spring is right around the corner. Some native early bloomers to look out for include Rhododendron sp.(Photos 4-8), Eastern Redbud, Cercis canadensis (Photo 9), and Wild Plum, Prunus americana (Photo 10) A Native Horticulture Design will incorporate these plants into your landscape to give you something to look forward to after a dreary Winter!

02/25/2020

Native Plant of the Month:
Spring is fast approaching and many woodland perennials are starting to poke through the leaf litter. In my backyard, I have some Trillium cuneatum, Toadshade Trilliums (Photo 1), emerging for the 3rd year in a row since being relocated from a property in Jackson county where a house was being built. There are 22 different species of Trilliums in Georgia, and several are protected due to habitat loss. Finding Trilliums in the wild is an indication of a healthy and relatively undisturbed woodland ecosystem.

Check out this article in the Atlanta Journal Constitution:

https://www.ajc.com/lifestyles/home--garden/trilliums-the-floral-stars-early-spring-georgia-woodlands/vKVKOaVH1SZb6YAGpSGyGO/

02/15/2020

Thank you to everyone who has shown support for Native Horticulture and liked the page! The goal for Native Horticulture is to create ecologically sustainable designs for our urban landscapes. We believe it is our responsibility to future generations to restore native habitats and conserve our natural resources. An ecological design from Native Horticulture considers all aspects of the landscape ecosystem and strives to achieve synergy with wildlife, the environment, and mankind. Thank you all for your support as we support homeowners and businesses alike in implementing more sustainable landscapes!

Check out this article for more about this:

How your garden can help the planet and all life around you.

01/30/2020

Naturalized vs. Invasive
Native species are encouraged because they generally have adapted to their environment, finding and filling niche roles in the ecosystem, thus creating balance in the ecosystem in which they inhabit. This balance is not always maintained peacefully and harmoniously, predators kill and consume prey, animals consume and destroy plants, plants grow to exhaust available resources, but the cycle continues and balance is restored. Human interference often disrupts the natural balance by removing species and introducing others. These introduced species will persist if there is a role to fill, and often the newly introduced species becomes very successful inhabiting a new ecosystem and proliferating into the wild, becoming part of the natural ecosystem. These naturalized species have adapted to their environment and have now become "native". The term "invasive" implies that this proliferation has a negative impact on the balance of an ecosystem. The introduction of Pueraria montana, AKA Kudzu, is a great example of a naturalized plant becoming invasive, covering everything in its path, with no natural balance on population growth. On the other hand, a native species like Smilax lanceolate, Catbrier or Jackson vine, can become totally invasive in disturbed habitats, completely choking out the understory of a deciduous forest. Point being, introduced plants that have naturalized to fill a void in an ecosystem can contribute to the balance, and therefore should not be considered "invasive" only because they have been introduced. Photo #1 is Iris domestica, Blackberry lily, originally from China, but naturalized in the U.S. centuries ago. Photo #2 is Baccharis halimifolia, Groundseltree, a native to the U.S., but can be invasive in pastures and disturbed areas.