In preparing an estimate for removing remaining invasives and renovating the perimeter of the the KPVA retention pond with native plants, Lindsey Spaulding of Botany in South Bend, IN, visited to measure the bordering area. The vision proposed by Botany includes candidate pollinators like Columbine, Cone Flowers, Black Eyed Susans, Butterfly Weed, Asters, and Goldenrod.
Since 2022, volunteer homeowners have been clearing the KPVA parcel of the dominant invasive plants (see Blog posts tagged "pond"). Next comes installation of native growth to displace future unwanted invaders.
Spaulding detailed the process, the plants, the preparation, and the pressures to anticipate:
Designing a new garden space:
Botany envisions a 3 ft wide native planting along the perimeter of the pond bank to stabilize the pond edge through their deep root systems as well as by slowing down water flow into the pond. These natives are suggested for their adaptability to both dry and wet conditions, as the soil fluctuates throughout the seasons. These specific natives also play crucial roles in the environment by providing food sources to caterpillars, nectar sources for pollinators and seed heads for birds over the winter. Neat boundaries between lawn and wetland plantings allow this garden to blend into a residential setting.
Botany will combine our knowledge of native plants with important design elements to create a designed plant community using large drifts of plants, a succession of blooms throughout the year and the rule of odd numbers to give the new space a balanced blend of formal garden design using native plants. This garden style is known as the New American garden style.
It is important to have something flowering at all times, both for beauty and aesthetics and also to support the wildlife that finds your new garden.
I like to have 1-3 flowers for each season (spring, summer, fall) so as to have continual blooms.
When creating a plant list and plug ratio, my designs use 50% of the plants as ground cover and 50% as your statement flowers. This minimizes weeds and creates a knit together plant community.
Leave flower stalks and grasses standing over winter to allow native bees/butterflies to overwinter in the plants. Wait to cut back the garden until springtime, once you see new growth for the bugs to hide.
I plant densely to create a plant community that best mimics nature, minimizes weeds and covers the soil for less water loss. I like to plant plugs 18” apart so that they can knit together within 1-2 years.
Planting as a pattern will bring cohesion to a space and make it feel balanced. I use the basic rules of clumps and drifts to allow the native garden to double as a designed formal space for front yards and more public spaces.
Potential plant list for the pond bank
Botany envisions a 3-4 ft wide native planting along the perimeter of the pond bank to stabilize the pond edge through their deep root systems as well as by slowing down water flow into the pond. These natives are suggested for their adaptability to both dry and wet conditions, as the soil fluctuates throughout the seasons. These specific natives also play crucial roles in the environment by providing food sources to caterpillars, nectar sources for pollinators and seed heads for birds over the winter. Neat boundaries between lawn and wetland plantings allow this garden to blend into a residential setting.
Short term maintenance of the garden, through the first year, is minimal and requires watering the new plants 1x a week for 2-3 hours each time using a sprinkler or soaker hoses to ensure the roots grow strong as well as a monthly weeding to keep annual weeds at a minimum while the perennial natives establish.
After the first year, these native plants will not require additional watering and will only need small interventions over the years at certain times to maintain the balance of the plant community.
Preparing the site
TBD- The site needs to be completely cleared of invasive plants before planting can take place. The area may need to have a coco coir mat laid on the bare soil to prevent erosion while the native plants establish. The site preparations can be completed by an outside company or by Botany.
Deer and Rabbit Pressure
Planting as plant communities, meaning planting 18” apart in a dense planting to ensure full soil coverage, goes a long way to plants handling the pressure that comes from animals. The more plants you have, the less each plant has to resist the nibbling and chewing, allowing that pressure to be spread amongst the planting and increase the resilience of the planting. A plant can handle chewing from rabbits and curious deer, the plant's roots will send up new growth, so long as the chewing is not continual. A plant can only send up new growth so many times before it runs out of energy.
With deer and squirrels, it is vital to keep an eye out for freshly pulled or dug up plugs following an installation. I find the most animal pressure comes in the first couple days when animals are curious about the new plants.
Further Resources for learning about native plants
● The Nature of Oaks: The Rich Ecology of Our Most Essential Native Trees by Doug Tallamy
● The pollinator Victory Garden by Kim Eierman
● Pollinator Pathway
● Homegrown National Park
Botany may use a coco coir mat to help the plants get established and to lessen soil erosion.