Plus, the surprising No. 1 component of successful planting

Dear Yardener,

This is going to be quick, because I’ve got to get back to readying the yard for winter. As an episodic gardener, I go weeks without doing much at all, then — with Pete’s help — tackle big projects under deadline, as I’m doing now. Zoe — my daughter and business partner — works more steadily, regularly chipping away at large, long-term projects. And, frankly, she’s transforming her current yard more quickly than I am. But both approaches eventually yield a gorgeous native garden.

As a reminder, neither Zoe nor I are “cleaning up” our gardens. We leave the leaves mostly where they fall as habitat for lepidoptera and other beneficial insects and to add valuable organic matter back into the soil. And we also leave spent perennial stalks standing for native bees to overwinter in. (We both have beds under our trees; if you don’t, consider preparing for spring planting by piling leaves six or more inches thick around the trunks of trees.)

Here are the three fall projects Pete and I are packing into four or five days:

1. Protecting new shrubs and trees from deer

“Deer are a much bigger problem than I realized,” Zoe told me after her recent master naturalist training at Cornell. “They decimate young shrubs and trees, allowing invasives to take over.”

Exactly. Deer tear off tender new shoots on small shrubs. And, in spring, when males rub their antlers on trees to remove the velvet, they can break off the trunks of young trees. We lost a pagoda dogwood and a sweetbay magnolia to such rutting last year.

That’s why Pete and I are stepping up our temporary winter tree and shrub protection. We’re installing ​seven-foot t-posts​ with two layers of​ four-foot safety fencing​ around our new trees and shrubs. To help them establish while the soil regenerates, I’m also applying organic ​Holly-tone fertilizer​, as recommended by native plant pioneer Francis Groeters of ​Catskill Native Nursery​.

2. Direct seeding meadow and par terre

I’m doubling down on last fall’s direct seeding, overseeding more of what grows quickly and easily from seeds, especially those available in bulk — like little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), and partridge pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata). I’m seeding both meadow areas — i.e., dominated by native grasses — and perennial gardens of wildflowers without grasses. Next spring, I’ll plant longer lasting perennials into these areas to add variety and longevity.

What I’m really enjoying is using seeds like paint, casting individual species seeds or my own mixes of a few species to create patterns. For example, I edged the back of a large (20 by 10 feet) patch of common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca L.)with a one-foot swath of tall showy goldenrod (Solidago speciosa) backed by a four-foot swath of sweet Joe Pye weed (Eupatorium purpureum); the other side of the common milkweed patch is a mown path to control the spread of this aggressive but valuable species. And around the perimeter of a circle of lawn within the tall meadow, I sprinkled the tiny seeds of shorter purple lovegrass (Eragrostis pectinacea), like a chef sprinkling finishing salt on a special dish.

For the direct seeding methodology and list of easy-to-grow species, see my recent ​answer to A. in New Jersey​. I added New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae) for more fall color.

3. Seeding bare patches in my lawn

This summer, I came to love white clover. It’s not the ecological miracle some people make it out to be. In fact, I’ve written before how clover ​provides significantly less ecological value​ compared to native lawn replacements such as common violets, American self-heal (Prunella vulgaris), and Pennsylvania sedge (Carex pensylvanica). However, I’m not looking to my remaining lawn to do the heavy lifting ecologically; the native shrubs, trees, and taller perennials that I replaced about two-thirds of my lawn with do that. The remaining lawn is for walking, sitting and playing.

And the greatest benefit of clover to me is how quickly and easily it establishes. When one of our various building and planting projects left a patch of bare soil in my lawn, I watered them, sprinkled ​clover seed​, stomped on it a bit (to hold it in place) and – voila – in two weeks tiny clover plants covered the area. Clover also fixes nitrogen and doesn't require mowing. And the rabbits seem to love it, keeping them away from the establishing perennial beds.

Just for the fun of it, I’m also testing ​creeping red fescue​ (Festuca rubra) in areas where clover did not cover as completely as I’d like. Creeping red fescue is a fine, cool-season grass ​native to western and northeastern states​; like clover, it tolerates moderate foot traffic and shade. It also hosts more caterpillars, but requires occasional mowing to stay lawn-height.

I’ll let you know in spring the results of these lawn experiments — or you can join me and we can compare notes.

Now, back to raking…

— The Avant Gardener

Why, How, Wow!

Why?

My north star in landscaping is biodiversity. But beauty is almost as important. In fact, my guiding principle is an adaptation of William Morris’s famous edict about houses: Have nothing in your yard that you do not know to be ecologically useful or believe to be beautiful — preferably both. For me, the two concepts — ecology and beauty — are so closely entwined that I cannot appreciate a pristine lawn, knowing the pesticides and chemical fertilizers required to maintain it.

Some natives — like oaks — play an outsized role, both ecologically and structurally. Others may contribute uniquely. Martha Stewart’s new American sweetgums (Liquidambar styraciflua), for example, play a unique ecological and structural role. Ecologically, L. styraciflua hosts at least four specialist caterpillars that cannot survive without it. Weird and wonderful ​large paectes moths​ (Paectes abrostoloides), for example, must lay their eggs only on the leaves of this tree, which its caterpillars eat when they emerge. According to photographer Patrick Coin,

This moth has such a great cryptic posture with the abdomen upraised, resembling a twig, I guess. However it really makes them stand out when they come to lights, as this one did several years ago in Durham, NC. In one image, I was able to get a view of the "face", with a large eye and projecting palpi, which give it a comical expression. — ​iNaturalist

How

A biodiverse landscape contains a diverse mix of native shrubs, trees, wildflowers, and grasses. A good place to start is with keystone species, including those that host the most lepidoptera in your area. To find them, use the National Wildlife Federation’s ​Native Plant Finder.​ You can also use it to learn about which specialist species a plant supports.

Wow!

Frankly, yard-sized beauty is harder to achieve than biodiversity. Yes, all native plants are beautiful. But, let’s face it, many pollinator plantings look meh — scruffy, unkempt. A beautiful yard-scale landscape requires sophisticated design with clear structure.

“Structure is the most important component in a successful planting; color is important too, but it is a secondary consideration.” — Piet Oudolf, ​Designing with Plants​

In addition to being the sole host for the large paectes moth, Stewart’s ‘Slender Silhouette’ American sweetgum cultivars play a specific design role in her garden. They are unusually tall and narrow — growing 50 feet tall but only eight feet wide. Their unusual shape beautifully frames the entrance to Stewart’s living maze.

(Zoe and my focus on design is what differentiates our course from other native plant gardening resources. If you would like to create a yard that’s beautifully designed for your lifestyle and goals, as well as biodiverse, you might enjoy our live virtual course, which will run for 14 weeks, starting mid January. To receive early access and a discount, sign up for the ​Transform Your Yard waitlist.​)

Gorgeous Native Gardens

Vermont sustainable landscape designer Liza Kiesler uses her Viburnum Gardens Instagram to illustrate design concepts. I love how she sketches over photographs to show clients the structure of proposed plantings. Here’s an example of a small garden at a village home.

We are going for fresh, clean and classic, and also mostly native. (Actually, it is ALL native with the exception of some Calamagrostis! And a few Galium odoratum). It’s wonderful to already see bees chasing each other in circles around the clethra. — ​Viburnum Gardens

Encouraging Ecological News

• ​This Low-Maintenance Garden Trend Can Also Improve Your Home Value​ (Bob Vila)

• ​How grocery stores are breaking down supply chains by growing their own hyper-local produce​ (Modern Farmer)

• ​Some farmers are integrating strips of native prairie back into their fields. This conservation practice has expanded to more than a dozen states.​ (Illinois Public Media News)