Rethink Garden “Clean Up” While planting natives is an essential step toward creating habitat, how we manage our plantings will determine whether we can sustain and support the life-cycles and successful reproduction of many other organisms including birds, butterflies, moths, bees, salamanders, and frogs. Autumn is when many of us think to put our gardens […]
The term rewilding first appeared in the conservation world in the 1980s with a continental-scale vision to protect large tracts of wilderness and connect these areas with migration corridors. Biologists recognized the important role of wide-ranging large carnivores in maintaining the health of the whole landscape by controlling populations of grazing animals that they prey […]
We share our meadow with many living things, and we do our best to keep them happy. Each fall, we leave the dead stems and seedpods standing to provide winter food and shelter for wildlife. The little bluestems hold their beauty through the winter, but by early spring even I can admit that the rest […]
By now, many of us have heard about the wonderful health benefits of elderberries – they are high in antioxidants, vitamins C and B6, and support overall immune health. It has also been shown to reduce the length and severity – [ Read More ]
Ferns are ancient plants whose ancestors first appeared on Earth over 300 million years ago. Members of a division of primitive plants called Pteridophytes, ferns are one of the earth’s oldest plant groups and dominated the land before the rise of flowering plants. During the age of the dinosaurs, ferns and other primitive plants such […]
Urban environments are dominated by pavement, the bane of most living things. One area ripe for community greening is the hellstrip—the narrow space between the sidewalk and street curb. Sometimes planted in grass, filled with weeds, mulch or simply bare trampled earth, this public space could be planted with tough native plants. Let us reclaim […]
Planting a native tree is a powerful act that directly benefits local wildlife, moderates ground temperature, and helps remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Since the dawn of agriculture, people have been cutting trees and replacing forests with farmland. More recently, sprawling urban centers have displaced millions of acres of woodland and, here in Maine, […]
I am intimidated by the bald-faced hornets that forage nectar from raspberry blossoms and the yellow jackets that swarm over ripe blueberries, having experienced the stings of both. Yet each has an important role in our local ecosystem and in our gardens. I tolerate them, but give them a wide berth. Numerous other species of […]
Asters and goldenrods are some of New England’s most recognizable late season wildflowers. Asters range in colors from blue, purple, pink to white, and goldenrods have abundant yellow flower clusters. These two wildflower groups brighten and enliven the end of season landscape, from tidy gardens to meadows and woodland edges. Asters and goldenrods attract loads […]
What do plants like ‘Crimson King’ Norway maple, burning bush and Japanese barberry have in common? They are long-standing favorites in urban and suburban landscapes; they grow easily and they provide beautiful red or purple foliage all year long or in – [ Read More ]
