native plants Archives - A Way To Garden

designing for ‘abundance,’ with ecological landscaper kelly norris

margaret — Sat, 07 Jun 2025 13:16:47 +0000

WE MAY KNOW ONE when we see it, but what word best describes an ecological landscape? Compared to traditional, more formal gardens, such native-plant-forward designs are variously labeled as looser, or naturalistic, or wildish—all perfectly accurate. Is there perhaps a word, though, that really gets at both the visual and functional aspects that these beautiful, biodiversity-supporting plantings embody – a word that can help us set the intention for the plants we choose and where we place them? “Abundant” is the descriptor of choice and a primary design goal for today’s guest, landscape designer Kelly Norris, author most recently of the book “Your Natural Garden” (affiliate link). Kelly, the former director of horticulture and education at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden for eight years, is the founder of The Public Horticulture Company, a Des Moines-based ecological landscape firm. His motto is “just keep planting,” which indeed adds up to abundance … if we follow some general guidelines on what key players we make room for. Plus: Comment in the box near the bottom of the page for a chance to win a copy of Kelly’s book “Your Natural Garden.” Read along as you listen to the June 9, 2025 […]

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adventures of a ‘bad naturalist,’ with paula whyman

margaret — Fri, 23 May 2025 19:36:47 +0000

AGAIN AND AGAIN, as I was reading the recent book “Bad Naturalist” by Paula Whyman, I kept thinking: Good thing I only have a couple of acres of land. Whyman tackled 200 acres on a Virginia mountaintop, dreaming of reshaping it, she writes, into “a native plant paradise, a model of conservation, a meadow that would inspire Julie Andrews to break into song.” But the natural world often has other things in mind than the ones on our to-do list, doesn’t it? On any scale, all the lessons nature delivers—lessons like ones about invasive plants, or about the unstoppable forward march of succession, about the impossibilities of enforcing concepts like control or perfection—are lessons hard-earned, and I talked with Paula, who shared some of her takeaways from years of ecological experiments on the land. Paula Whyman is an author, including of the award-winning book of short stories titled “You May See a Stranger.” These days she lives in the Blue Ridge foothills in Virginia on the piece of land that is the subject of her latest book, “Bad Naturalist: One Woman’s Ecological Education on a Wild Virginia Mountaintop” (affiliate link). Plus: Comment in the box near the bottom of the […]

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powerhouse native shrubs to enliven the garden, with dan wilder

margaret — Sat, 03 May 2025 21:20:43 +0000

WOODY PLANTS, especially trees, can be pure ecological powerhouses, but most of us don’t have room for an entire forest in our backyards. So on a garden scale, which shrubs in particular really get the job done best? Dan Wilder, a longtime native plant expert who is director of Applied Ecology for Norcross Wildlife Foundation in Massachusetts, shared some ideas about just that. Dan urges us to make room for more shrubs in our landscapes to support birds and caterpillars and other animals, while at the same time getting to enjoy their beauty in flower and fruit and even the showy fall color that some of his favorite species boast. In addition to his work at Norcross Wildlife Foundation in Wales, Mass., and its 8,000-acre sanctuary, Dan’s a board member of the Ecological Landscape Alliance and also co-author with Mark Richardson of the book “Native Plants for New England Gardens.” (Above, native steeplebush, Spiraea tomentosa.) Read along as you listen to the May 5, 2025 edition of my public-radio show and podcast using the player below. You can subscribe to all future editions on Apple Podcasts (iTunes) or Spotify (and browse my archive of podcasts here). powerhouse shrubs with dan […]

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