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Native plants in public spaces

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Article by Plant NOVA Natives

Shopping center parking lots and other public spaces can be tree-lined havens from the summer heat, with beautiful blossoms to induce people to linger. Imagine yourself resting on a shaded bench, listening to the birds as you enjoy watching the people stroll by.  Do the commercial spaces in your town look like this, or do you find yourself hurrying from car to building to get out of the glaring heat? Wouldn’t you prefer to do your shopping at the place with more greenery? 

Commercial establishments across the region are starting to appreciate the return on investment of native plants. There are practical reasons related to the fact that they are adapted to the Virginia climate. Native Virginia plants require less watering (once established) than rows of annuals and only need to be planted once. Native shrubs such as Virginia Sweetspire require no pruning and provide more natural-looking alternatives to conventional landscaping choices that get leggy with continuous trimming. No fertilizers and pesticides are needed, either. Beyond the practicalities, though, companies that choose native plants are signaling to the public that they are good corporate citizens who care about our common home and are working to preserve our heritage. 

In many cases, property managers are taking the simple step of swapping out the non-native in their curbside beds for reliable natives such as Threadleaf Coreopsis, Common Yucca, Black-Eyed Susan and Common Yarrow. Winterberry Holly, with its bright red berries, has become a popular choice to place next to buildings. Some landscapers are installing innovative designs that give the property a whole new look, incorporating a wide variety of shrubs and ornamental trees such as Redbud and great swaths of native grasses such as Switchgrass waving in the breeze. An example of that can be seen at Caboose Commons in Fairfax, where imaginative landscaping adds a new dimension to the dining experience. Still other establishments such as Vienna Vintner have planted extensive pollinator gardens leading up to their entrances, with flowers that bloom in succession and attract butterflies from early spring to late fall. 

You may have noticed sidewalks and parking lots that have sunken islands. Stormwater retention areas, which are mandatory for new development, provide an opportunity for creative landscaping. Water and drought tolerant trees such as Red Maple and Serviceberry can provide shade while their roots absorb the runoff. Native grasses, perennials and shrubs help clean the water while adding color and interest to the design. 

Photos and details about landscaping with native plants in commercial spaces can be found on the Plant NOVA Natives website. The Caboose Commons project is highlighted in the first Plant NOVA Natives video for landscape professionals. Produced by volunteer Joe Bruncsak, owner of Blue Land Media, this series of very short videos will feature projects that exemplify landscape design at its best.

Restoration of an Extinct Ecosystem: Lessons Learned with Dr. Douglas Gill

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The Clifton Institute
6712 Blantyre Road
Warrenton, VA, 20187
Friday, December 6
6:30 PM – 8:00 PM

For 20 years, the Native Grassland Restoration project on the eastern shore of Maryland has studied the processes of restoring native Mid-Atlantic warm-season grasslands. Come hear Dr. Gill share an overview of his involvement with the project and practical advice from years of experience with grassland restoration. The talk will be valuable to anyone with similar goals on their own land, no matter how small-scale!

Douglas E. Gill, Ph.D. is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Biology at University of Maryland, College Park where he has worked since 1971. In 2010, Dr. Gill was named Conservationist of the Year by the Maryland Ornithological Society. $10 per person.

 

Using native plants to deal with drought (and deluges)

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Margaret Fisher

Neither droughts nor deluges are new to Northern Virginia, but as everyone has noticed, weather extremes are becoming more common. The prolonged drought this year that followed a wet 2018 was particularly hard on plants, as roots that have been weakened by too much water and accompanying fungi are more vulnerable the following year. When choosing which species to plant, we need to keep in mind the likelihood of these stressors repeating themselves in the future.

People living in the western part of the United States are more used to xeriscaping – planting for a dry environment – than those of us on the east coast. Lawns in California are being converted to native plantings at a rapid rate. But Virginians have been lulled by plentiful rainfall into settling for empty expanses of turf grass as the default landscaping choice, and those lawns start to look pretty peaked after weeks of drought. Fortunately, most native Virginia plants that have been installed in appropriate conditions held up quite well during our recent long dry spell. The gorgeous asters and goldenrods that define our fall landscape were no less beautiful this year. Having evolved here, they are used to both wet and dry summers. The exceptions tended to be plant species that have been experiencing ongoing stresses from disease, such as the Flowering Dogwood, and new plantings – all plants need appropriate amounts of water until they get established. By “appropriate,” we mean “not too much!” After the first few days, rainfall may indeed provide all that is needed during a wet spell, and supplying so much water that the plant never dries out is a good way to kill many native plants.

Determining which plants can withstand drought is not entirely straightforward. For instance, some of the best trees for dry, compacted soil are ones such as Baldcypress that normally live in swamps. They tolerate standing water not so much because they need the extra moisture but because they can deal with conditions of low oxygen. One way to quickly assemble a list of drought-tolerant plants is to look at recommendations for rain gardens. Rain gardens are designed to hold water for a couple days after a storm but then to absorb the water into the soil, leaving the plants dry in between. Another good reference is the plant lists for professionals page on the Plant NOVA Natives website. The plants in bold have been curated to include those that are particularly reliable as well as widely available, with detailed notations about their cultural needs.

Are you puzzling over where to install native plants instead of turf grass? Start where it is difficult or dangerous to mow, or where grass is growing poorly already. Or simply plop some shade trees in the middle of your lawn. In time, the summer temperatures in your yard will be noticeably lower.

Plants of the Forest Floor, A Talk by Margaret Chatham, Oct. 10th

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Green Springs Gardens
4603 Green Spring Road, Alexandria, Virginia 22306
Thursday, 10 October 2019
7:30 pm

Everyone knows that plants use the energy of sunlight to grow and feed the rest of the world. So how do plants live on the dark forest floor? Margaret Chatham will discuss a number of the strategies plants use to survive in the (relative) dark, with special attention to the mycorrhizal associations scientists are still in the process of unravelling.

Margaret is a devoted Fraser Preserve Volunteer Visitation Committee Member who removes invasive barberry shrubs in winter and wavyleaf grass in summer and knows the preserve intimately. She is also editor of the VNPS Potowmack News newsletter, a volunteer at the VNPS propagation beds at Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria, and an Arlington Regional Master Naturalist.

For more details visit https://vnps.org/potowmack/events/plants-of-the-forest-floor-with-margaret-chatham/

South Run Rec Center “Erosion Knoll” needs gardening TLC volunteers

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South Run Recreation Center
7550 Reservation Drive, Springfield VA
1st and 3rd Wednesdays from 9-11 am
2nd Saturdays from 9-12 for May-October and 12-3 pm from November – April

Enthusiastic and energetic volunteer gardener at South Run is seeking like-minded individuals to provide input on erosion control native plantings for a fairly small incline. Ideally, these volunteers would supervise the planting and maintenance of this area once the plants are obtained. South Run has dedicated landscape volunteer days monthly as shown above but knowledgeable supervision is much needed.

Interested? Contact Sally Berman via Joseph.Lauer@fairfaxcounty.gov.  Planning volunteers may meet with Sally outside of scheduled volunteer times.

Those who just want to volunteer occasionally can go to https://volunteer.fairfaxcounty.gov/custom/1380/#/opp_details/180570

Those that want to volunteer regularly go to:
https://volunteer.fairfaxcounty.gov/custom/1380/#/opp_details/179743

Native Plants Intern needed at Meadowlark Botanical Garden

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Meadowlark Botanical Garden
9750 Meadowlark Gardens Ct, Vienna, VA 22182

Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, a NOVA Park, is seeking a paid intern to support its work with native plants and conservation gardening.
Meadowlark has several native plant collections including the Potomac Valley Collection (PVC) and the Virginia Native Wetlands Collection (VNW). The gardens within the PVC are based on biogeography and floristic composition within the Potomac River basin. The VNW includes species that occur within the state as a political unit.
The Native Plants Intern will gain experience:
• Managing and communicating with volunteers;
• Participating in all aspects of horticultural duties-weeding, mulching, planting, propagation;
• Maintaining databases of bloom time, plant records, etc.
This position is a paid, two day a week internship from 8:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday. If interested, please email Keith Tomlinson, Park Manager, at ktomlinson@nvrpa.org.

Community Associations Supporting the Local Ecosystem

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Article by Plant NOVA Natives

Homeowner and condominium associations make many of the decisions that will determine the future of the birds and butterflies of Northern Virginia. Not only do community associations set standards for landscaping on private property, they also own and control large amounts of community property, including much of what is left of the undeveloped land in Northern Virginia and the environmentally sensitive areas along many streams. In recent years, the managers and Board members of more and more community associations have started adopting practices that both increase home values and support our local ecosystem.

Each community has its own needs and standards, but there are some common themes. For example, most developments have lawn areas that require heavy inputs of chemicals and labor to maintain. Often these lawns came into existence not because they were needed but because sowing turf grass was the fastest way for the builders to prevent soil erosion after the area was regraded. In the long run, erosion and stormwater control would be managed better by naturalized areas. Excess lawns can be thoughtfully converted simply by planting more ornamental native trees and shrubs along the edges and gradually allowing them to fill in. Another common situation is lawn that is being mowed right down to the edge of a stream or pond, which results in contamination of the waterways from runoff. It is a simple thing to create a buffer of native plants, ideally 100 feet on either side, though any buffer is better than none. Yet another example is invasive plant management, a problem that might not have existed when the community was first developed but which by now has become an unavoidable component of responsible land stewardship.

Some communities enjoy a more relaxed look, while others prefer a more formal appearance to their landscaping. Either way, there are many opportunities for helping songbirds and turtles without any major change to the overall aesthetics. Among the hundreds of species of Virginia native plants that are available from nurseries, there are ample examples of those that conform to a conventional look. Healthy lawns can be maintained by using organic materials to enrich the soil and reduce the need for chemical applications.

To help residents and decision-makers in community associations explore the many options that are available to them, the Plant NOVA Natives campaign is hosting a series of short symposiums, starting on October 4 and November 2, which will be repeated over time to allow participation by representatives from the thousands of HOAs and condo associations in Northern Virginia. Details and registration can be found at https://www.plantnovanatives.org/symposiums-for-hoa-and-condo-assoc-. The campaign has also created a website section that outlines ideal practices, local resources and many examples of what local communities have already accomplished, often in a budget-neutral method. It can be much cheaper, for example, to control erosion by the strategic use of native plants than by digging trenches or building walls.

Volunteer at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens

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9750 Meadowlark Gardens Court
Vienna, VA 22182
Any morning Monday through Thursday

Calling all gardeners! Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, a NOVA Park, needs volunteers to supports its 95 acres of ornamental display gardens and native plant collections for the enjoyment and education of our community.

To volunteer any morning Monday through Thursday in any of the ornamental display gardens:
-Email Tammy Burke at tburke@nvrpa.org

To volunteer Tuesday or Wednesday with native plants (Potomac Valley and Native Wetlands Collections) : Email Keith Tomlinson at ktomlinson@nvrpa.org 

Earth Sangha fall open house and native plant sale

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Wild Plant Nursery
6100 Cloud Drive, Springfield VA
Sunday, 22 September 2019
10am – 2pm
Click here for the Wild Plant Nursery Species List.

The Fall is really the best time to visit the Earth Sangha nursery. In the Spring, plants are still emerging from winter dormancy, and so they cannot offer as many species. The Fall, as experienced gardeners know, is also the best time to plant! Trees, shrubs, and perennials like the cooler weather and greater rainfall lets them establish robust roots. Late blooming annuals can make great additions to your garden, and many will “volunteer” from seed next year.

All plant sale proceeds go toward local parkland restoration. Last fall, customers helped them raise over $15,600 for local parkland restoration!
Choose from over 275 local-ecotype native species and help them fund the restoration of our area’s native flora.

If you’re interested in volunteering at the sale please email Katherine Isaacson at kisaacson@earthsangha.org. There will be a morning shift (9:45 to Noon) and an afternoon shift (Noon to 2:30).

HOAs and condo associations: Sustainable solutions to landscaping headaches, Oct. 4th & Nov. 2nd

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Northern Virginia Community College, Richard J. Ernst Community Cultural Center

Annandale Campus, Annandale VA Friday, October 4 or Saturday, November 2
(Choose one date to attend. The content will be identical.)
9:30am – 1 pm

Is your community association board dealing with erosion or flooding problems? Is your property management company paying to maintain a lot of lawn that is not being used? Is your landscaping committee looking for ways to beautify community property while supporting birds and butterflies?

Unused lawns. Impervious surface. Heavier rain storms. Invasive introduced plants. These are just some of the reasons for our degrading suburban and urban environments. But planting native plants can help address these problems while improving the overall beauty, sustainability, and ecology of our area.

Board members, landscape committees, property managers, and landscape maintenance companies are particularly encouraged to attend, but everyone is welcome. See details and sign up here.