Tag: native plants

From Eyesore to Educational Masterpiece

On By durhammastergardenersIn art in the landscape, garden design, gardening education, sustainable garden art, sustainable garden design, sustainable watering, sustanability

By Lisa Nadler, Mary Hanlon, and Martha Keehner Engelke, NC State Extension Master GardenerSM volunteer of Durham County

The Durham County Extension Demonstration Garden (DG) is a unique, widely-recognized city garden that welcomes and inspires visitors. It is a place of education and entertainment even during the winter months because of the plant tags used throughout the garden that are linked to the NC State Extension Toolbox. The art installations in the garden make the garden a haven for native plants and pollinators and the garden has received Bird Friendly Habitat Certification from New Hope Bird Alliance.

Recently the DG has undergone a few changes. A chronic eyesore has been converted to a work of educational art and a beloved member of the garden died and had to be removed.

Changing an eyesore to a work of art that is beautiful and educational.

The demonstration garden is located at the Durham County Extension Office (721 Foster St Durham, NC 27701). The majority of the garden is in the front of the building and consists of a variety of plants that are grouped according to their sun requirements. Water to nourish the garden comes from two large cisterns located on the side of the building. The cisterns reduce the need for hand watering which saves time and provides more consistent watering but they were ugly.

The large cisterns were valuable but not very attractive. How could they become a work of art and serve the educational purpose of the Durham Master Gardener Demonstration Garden? (Image credit: Allie Mullin, Lisa Nadler)

The goal was to make the cisterns more visually appealing to people visiting the Extension Office and create an opportunity to educate the public about native wetland and garden plants. Master Gardener Lisa Nadler, in conjunction with local muralist and Master Gardener Dave Milkereit, led a team1 in transforming the cisterns into a welcoming and  educational experience for visitors to the Extension Office.

The first step was to remove the peeling paint manually and through the use of electric sanders. Next the cisterns were covered with several coats of primer and a background color. The idea was to use a fairly neutral dark color of paint so that the images of the plants and pollinators would “pop”.

Preparation for painting included sanding and application of several coats of primer (Image credit: Lisa Nadler and Allie Mullin)

Dave Milkereit painted the plants and pollinators to be featured on the cisterns on canvas and then rolled the canvas to see how it would look on the cisterns. The design included plants, insects and birds from swamp and wetland areas as well as garden and prairie environments.

Dave divided his painting into grids to allow him to transfer his work onto the cistern scaling up the size appropriately. From there, he used chalk to draw the outlines of the plants and pollinators from his drawing. Dave then painted over the chalk outlines with black paint. (Image credit: Dave Milkereit)

After Lisa and Dave mixed paints to match the colors of the plants and pollinators, they taped on numbers corresponding to the colors to be painted, and set the rest of the Master Gardeners to work filling in the image using a “paint by number” system. Several of the paints were translucent and required a white background before the color painting.

The color palette on the left is then being applied by Ashley Troth, Durham Extension Agent and Joan Barber, chair of the demonstration garden committee. (Image credit: Lisa Nadler)

The final step will be to add a UV protection and a graffiti protection system. Lisa Nadler comments on the lessons learned through this project:

“In all, about 400 hours of volunteer time went into this project. We have gotten lots of positive feedback about the results as well.  It would never have been possible without Dave’s creativity and his willingness to let amateur painters work on his creation. In addition, his support and skill were what allowed this project to go smoothly.”

On the left the Extension Master Gardeners are recognized for their efforts. Lisa Nadler and Dave Milkereit were instrumental in providing leadership and creativity (Image credit: Lisa Nadler, Dave Milkereit)

Now that the project is completed visitors are encouraged to visit the Extension Office to admire and learn. As you face the cisterns you’ll see the left cistern features native plants for gardens, while the cistern on the right highlights native plants found in wetlands. The images of plants include both the common and scientific name and when the cistern website is completed they will be linked to the NC Extension Toolbox through a QR code which will be posted on each cistern.

The illustrations on the cisterns include both the common name as well as the scientific name of the plants and pollinators on the cisterns making them both beautiful and educational (Image credit: Lisa Nadler)

The Disappearing Electric Boxes

There was one more painting project that the Durham EMGs decided to tackle. The front façade of the extension building has long been dominated by a large, grey, electrical box. For years, members of the demonstration garden team had discussed adding a design to make it more appealing. Mary Hanlon had an idea to hide the box in plain sight by painting it to match the bricks of the building.

The first step was to find the right colors. Lisa Nadler found a brick that appeared to match the building perfectly.  Mary purchased a paint sample that was color-matched to the brick, experimented by painting a poster board with this color, and confirmed that it blended well with the building.  It was more challenging to color-match the multiple types of grout that had been used on the building.  The starting point was a custom color mixed by Dave Milkereit, but it took several trips to paint stores to collect similar color chips and paint samples, and multiple experiments on the poster board to find a color that blended well with the building grout.

The box was cleaned with a dry cloth followed by a damp cloth, being careful to avoid getting water in the box. The team painted the electrical box with exterior primer and paint that matched the building. The next step was to add the grout lines. Jeff Kanters and Mary Hanlon drew horizontal level chalk lines on the box, and taped mock bricks (cardboard cut to the size of a brick) on the lines, to form the desired pattern. They then outlined the “bricks” with chalk to indicate where the grout lines would be before painting  the lines.   The next step was shading the bricks and grout to give them a little dimension. Again, they practiced on poster boards before moving on to the electrical box.

Before and after pictures of the electric box at the front of the building. Jeff Kanters and Mary Hanlon did the majority of the painting and Mary coordinated the project. (Image credit: Left: Lisa Nadler others by Mary Hanlon)

A tree dies and is removed: What now?

A large crabapple tree (Malus coronaria) died and had to be removed. This tree was a beloved feature of the Shady Bed and a staple of the Demo Garden, so its removal marks a bittersweet moment.

Before its removal the crabapple tree (Malus coronaria) was the anchor of the shady bed which isn’t so shady anymore and the bed is now awaiting new plants and a native tree. (Image credit: Martha Engelke)

According to Extension Agent Ashley Troth, ” We will be adding another tree, this time a native, and adding lots of native shrubs and perennials. It will be a sunnier set of plants than were there previously, with an emphasis on drought tolerance, as that bed can get quite dry under the willow oak.“

In the coming year the Demo Garden team will explore innovative ideas and exciting plans for this area. We’re looking forward to creating something special to honor this space!

1. Thanks to all of the EMGs that worked on these projects: Ashley Troth (the Boss); Alice Hall; Allie Mullin; Anna Glasgow; Carol Tierney; Cathy Lambe; Darline Burgess; Dave Milkereit (the artist); Diane Catotti; Jeff Kanters; Joan Barber; Mary Hanlon (artist in charge of the electric boxes); Marya McNeish (website creator and organizer); Lisa Nadler (leader and herder of cats)

Additional Resources

To learn more about art in the garden, take a look at a previous post by Durham Master Gardener Wendy Diaz. https://durhammastergardeners.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=15791&action=edit

A website that includes more details on the cistern project as well as other resources is in development. Once completed, stickers with the QR code linking to the website will be placed on each cistern. Stay tuned!

Short Link: https://wp.me/p2nIr1-5uY

Designing a pollinator-friendly garden: Tips from a pollinator expert

On By durhammastergardenersIn bees, beneficial insects, bird friendly habitat, coastal goldenrod, garden design, garden tasks, Gardening information, gardening NC, goldenrod, insects, landscaping for wildlife, native bee habitat, native plant list, native plant list for Piedmont NC, native plants, Native plants of NC, Natives, NC Native Plants, nesting bees, nesting insects, perennials, pollinator gardening, pollinators, sustainable garden design, sustainable gardening, Uncategorized, urban gardening

By Martha Keehner Engelke, NC State Extension Master Gardener SM volunteer of Durham County

Winter is the perfect time to make a plan to revise your garden. For many, that means making your garden more attractive to pollinators. Recently, I learned that building a garden that makes the A-list for pollinators is not just about the plants. I had an opportunity to interview Dr. Danesha Seth Carley, PhD Associate Professor in Horticultural Science at North Carolina State University (NCSU).

Dr. Carley’s expertise is sustainable management of urban landscapes with a focus on pollinator ecology. Her recent research programs include pollen quality in commonly planted wild-flowers, pollinator ecology, and pollinator habitat establishment.  She has conducted her research along North Carolina roadways and at the historic Pinehurst #2 and #4 golf courses.

I heard Dr. Carley speak at a program sponsored by the Gardening Association of North Carolina . I contacted her, and she graciously agreed to a follow-up interview.  She expanded on topics discussed in her presentation as well as her book Pollinator Gardening for the South: Creating Sustainable Habitats (co-authored with Anne M. Spafford)1.

orange white and black butterfly on green leaf
brown and black bee on yellow flower nectar
black and red flying insect perched on green leaf
bumblebee insect sucking nectars on flower
P
green and black hummingbird

Butterflies, bees, flies, wasps and birds are all considered to be pollinators. The most important pollinator is the bee. Bees contribute millions of dollars to the U.S. economy through pollination. (Images credit: Pixaby)

What does a pollinator want?

Let’s talk about the most important pollinator: Bees. There are two main categories of bees: social and solitary. Social bees are divided into 3 categories: bumblebees, honey bees and stingless bees (which are not well understood). Solitary bees, which are a larger category, include carpenter bees and the tiny sweat bee. In her book, Dr Carley tells the fascinating story about the social life of bees (as well as other pollinators).

The gardener needs to remember that pollinators choose plants that are best suited to their anatomy particularly tongue length (proboscis) and mouth parts. Bees are attracted to bowl-shaped flower that often have a prolific pollen ring in the middle. Native bees enjoy feasting on plants in the Asteraceae, Salix, Solidago, Helianthus, and Symphyotricum families. Butterflies and hummingbirds have longer tongues. They will be attracted to more tubular flowers such as Fuchsia (Fuchsia spp) ; Bleeding heart (Lamprocapnos spectabilis); and Turk’s cap lily (Lilium superbun).

All varieties of a particular plant are not equal when it comes to pollinators. Cultivars are often bred to maximize flower size, disease resistance, or aroma. This means that the cultivar may have less quality pollen than the plant from which it was bred. If you see the plant described as “flora pleno” (meaning with a full flower) it is likely to be a double bloom and thus less accessible to pollinators. A plant that is considered to be a great pollinator as a single, loses some of its attraction when it is a double. For example, Purple coneflower (echinacea purpurea) is one of the best plants for a pollinator garden but a number of cultivars with double flowers are more difficult for pollinators to access.

On the left echinacea purpurea has single flowers and is considered to be a great flower for pollinators. One the right, the flowers of Echinacea Supreme™ Elegance make it more difficult for pollinators to access. To some gardeners, the cultivar may seem more beautiful but the pollinators don’t see it that way. (Image credit: NC Tool Box; National Gardening Association, NJ Bob)

Someone like Dr. Carley is frequently asked which plants are the best for pollinators and she has an answer for her “Big Five” plants. They are: Mountain Mints (pycnanthemum sp.); Coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea); Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa); Asters (Symphyotrichum sp); and Blanket Flower (Gaillardia pulchella).

Pollinators are attracted by pollen and nectar. Desirable pollinator plants include: Mountain Mints (Image credit: ( NC Extension, Kerry Woods CC BY NC); Coneflowers (Image credit: NC Extension, Cathy DeWitt, CC BY 4.0) ; Butterfly Milkweed (Image credit: NC Extension, Mary Keim CC-BY-NC- SA-2); ; Asters (Image credit: NC Extension Douglas Goldman, USDA CC BY 4.0) ); and Blanket Flower (Image credit: elephantkitty CC BY NC ND 2.0)

The Importance of Structure/Composition

Just like humans, pollinators need two things to survive: nutrients (carbohydrates from nectar, protein from pollen) and a safe place to live and work. To be on the “A-list” pollinators want access to high quality pollen and nectar and protection from predators. This is why the structure of a garden is important.

Many of us approach gardening from the perspective of “buy one, plant one”. In our quest to have a lot of different plants, we may be reducing the attraction of our garden to pollinators. Planting clumps of plants rather than a single plant can help pollinators be more efficient. For example, honey bees and bumble bees enjoy goldenrod (Solidago). If you plant one goldenrod the female bees (the males don’t forage) collect the pollen on their hairy bodies (which is one reason they are the best pollinators), and then transfer it to their rear legs into their “pollen basket”. They mix the pollen with a bit of nectar to hold it in place and head back to the hive. If she has to do this several times because one plant doesn’t provide enough pollen, she is less efficient and it means that she might have less energy and be more susceptible to disease. There are two ways to prevent this: plant clumps of good quality plants or increase the diversity of your plantings (next section).

Goldenrod (Soldaigo spp. is a great plant for pollinators including this honey bee. When planted in clumps it helps the bees (and other pollinators) be more efficient. Of course, Goldenrod is a fast growing plant so you don’t need too many of them. (Image credit: NC Extension Plant Tool Box, Hope Duckworth)

Space for a happy home and safety from predators and toxins are other considerations related to the structure of a pollinator garden. While social bees (like honeybees) will live happily in wooden boxes or hollow trees, solitary bees dig their nests in the ground or in tubular stems. Resisting the urge to cut plants with hollow stems until the spring temperature is above 57oF (the temperature when bees become active) allows bees to have a safe home for the winter.

It is also important to plant your pollinator garden away from areas that will be treated with pesticides and away from public walkways. Some people are allergic to or afraid of bees or consider flies and wasps to be a nuisance. If your garden is in the front of your house, you might want to plant your best pollinating plants toward the back of the bed. A strategically placed shrub or tree is another way of protecting pollinators.

 A cluster of orange coneflowers allows butterflies and birds access to abundant nectar and seeds without excessive movement or exposure to predators. The shrub in the back offers protection. (Image credit: NC State Extension, Chris Moorman)

Diversity/Seasonality

A garden made of different types of plants (especially if they are native) is the best type of pollinator garden. Native plants are best because pollinators and native plants have evolved together. The NC Wildflower Association has developed an excellent chart of native plants that includes sun requirements and seasonality. The NC State Extension office provides a list of pollinator plants that include trees, shrubs and vines. These are useful tools in developing a garden that will valued by pollinators all year round.

As you begin your landscape design, be sure to think vertically as well as horizontally. Dr. Carley cautions that you need layers for depth and smooth transitions between plant layers. Thin clumps (or sweeps) of perennials that bloom early in the season that are planted close to other perennials that bloom later means that you have diversity as well as seasonality. It also makes your garden look better because something is always blooming.

To get some height consider a tree. One of the best is the Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis). It is one of the few plants that has flowers before leaves. It blooms in early spring when pollen from other plants is scarce and it has high quality pollen and nectar. Honey bees, bumble bees, mason bees, cuckoo bees, long-horned bees, mining bees, and sweat bees love it. Redbuds are also a host plant for the larvae of several butterflies and moths. Songbirds and some other mammals eat the seeds. What’s not to like?

Pair the Redbud with shorter shrubs such as a native Sweetbush (Clethra alnifolia) which blooms much later but is visited by hummingbirds, butterflies, native bees, and later by birds who enjoy the fruit and a few shorter plants like the Cardinal Flower (Lobelia sp). Maybe even a few annuals for filling those bare spaces? Now you have a garden that is on the A-List for pollinators but is also attractive to look at.

Eastern redbud (top left) is one of the first plants to flower in the spring, and cardinal flower (right) and goldenrod (bottom left) are two excellent late-season nectar sources for bees, butterflies and other insects. (Image credit: NC Cooperative Extension, left photo by Alice B. Russell; other photos by Chris Moorman)

As a final thought, I quote Dr. Carley “there is no garden too small or landscape too large to include pollinator habitat. Together we can help protect our pollinator friends, and maybe we can inspire others along the way”.1

Note1: If you are interested in getting Dr Carley’s book, it is available through UNC Press.

Additional Reading and Resources

To learn how you can foster a home for bees during the winter consider leaving these plants with pithy stems during the winter. If you need to cut them, leave the long stems until spring in an obscure place in your landscape: https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/how-to-manage-a-successful-bee-hotel/appendix-3-plants-that-produce-hollow-or-pithy-twigs-and-stems-used-by-nesting-bees

Here are some suggestions on specific plant that will attract pollinators to your garden:

https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/landscaping-for-wildlife-with-native-plants

https://gardening.ces.ncsu.edu/attracting-birds-beneficial-insects-other-wildlife/pollinators-and-other-beneficial-insects

The North Carolina Arboretum provides suggestions for plants and landscaping for a home pollinator garden: https://www.ncarboretum.org/2020/05/08/ask-the-arboretum-creating-a-pollinator-paradise-garden/

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