This design relies on muted colors and a refined layout to provide eco-friendly beauty
As a landscape designer , I ’m well accustomed to a challenge . So I was n’t too worried when the homeowner of a dimension in Aldie , Virginia , give me a seemingly straight mandatory : she desire apollinator garden . An well-to-do request , right ? Not quite . I was call for to create a more formal aim with a “ unique feel ” that matched the upscale home and surrounding neck of the woods , which is far different than a messy meadow with loudly colored wildflowers . I had to embrace a special pallette of colour consisting of onlygreen , dispirited , purplish , and white . Additionally , set aside for seclusion from a golf game course that march the backyard was an infrangible must , as was managing stormwater to minimize runoff in this lawn - heavy orbit . This would by far be one of the most challenging projects I had claim on , as this garden needed to be transformed from a mostly barren space dominated by a few distinctive non - native landscape staples like spirea ( Spiraeaspp . and cvs . , Zones 3–9 ) and genus Liriope ( Liriopespp . and cvs . , Zones 6–11 ) into an environmentally sustainable pollinator paradise . At the same time , this space require to provide interestingness during fall and winter when many of the perennials had wither . The answer was something truly different from what one would think of when picturing a traditional pollinator garden — a backyard privacy border with berm ofnative plantsthat still provides tremendous ecological value , which is underscore by the inclusion of two big rain gardens that manage stormwater overspill .
Select pollinator-friendly native plants that thrive in tough conditions
“ The right plant for the veracious plaza ” is a phrase you hear a spate in gardening , but you should also moot the right plant for the right pollinator . Nearly seventy metal money of pollinator - friendly native plants were chosen for this garden and arranged in intercellular substance planting , not only for their wildlife value but for their power to adapt to the specific challenge of the situation : expectant clay soil , hot and humid summer , and a few very moist areas . These unlike microclimates had to be dealt with accordingly . On the drier berm , combining like rattler master ( Eryngium yuccifolium , Zones 3–8 ) and ‘ Standing Ovation ’ small bluestem ( Schizachyrium scoparium‘Standing Ovation ’ , Zones 4–9 ) thrived ( photograph p. 61 , top right wing ) ; and in spot where we ’d institute rain gardens , a selection of swamp rose mallow varieties ( Hibiscus moscheutoscvs . ,Zones 5–9 ) , switchgrass ( Panicum virgatum , Zones 5–9),buttonbush ( Cephalanthus occidentalisZones 4–10 ) , and gloomy mistflower ( Conoclinium coelestinum , Zones 5–9 ) help oneself soak up runoff ( photograph p. 65 , top ) . These plants not only pull threatened native pollinator species with their ambrosia , but many also do as host plants for butterfly and moth larvae .
To keep trespassing metal money organisation from plant life like Nipponese honeysuckle ( Lonicera japonica ) and bittersweet ( Celastrus orbiculatus ) , belligerent natives were brought in to outcompete them . Mountain tidy sum ( Pycnanthemum muticum , Zones 4–8 ) is a majuscule option for covering soil while providing unbelievable pollinator habitat . I combined that with uncivilized bergamot ( Monarda fistulosa , Zones 3–9 ) to stay within the color parameters give while creating plush unfolding bed ( picture p. 60 , bottom ) . aniseed hyssop ( genus Agastache foeniculum , Zones 4–8 ) was also used in gravid tract . This is a industrial plant that freely reseed itself ; it was invaluable not only for its attractive blue flowers but its resiliency and toughness . A few non - native plant postulation from the householder needed to be oblige as well . We kept a few of her favourite shrubs like hydrangea ( Hydrangeaspp . and cvs . , Zones 3–9),boxwoods ( Buxusspp . and cvs . , Zones 5–9 ) , and some purport roses ( Rosaspp . and cvs . , Zones 3–10 ) ( exposure p. 60 , top ) .
Native insects flock to native plants . Any wildlife - well-disposed garden must contain both horde and ambrosia plant . Promethea silkmoths place eggs and pupate on buttonbush .
rattler maestro is buzzing with bee when in full bloom .
Build a sophisticated multi-season display with a mix of contrasting textures and forms
Principles of balance , repetition , and symmetry were used to help fix the formalness of the garden , with orotund matrix plantings and key combinations reiterate throughout for eubstance . A few specimen plants were also used to emphasise points of aspect . Woodies like a weeping easterly Cercis canadensis ( Cercis canadensiscv . , Zones 4–8 ) , clean bang tree ( Chionanthus virginicus , Zones 3–9 ) , and river birch ( Betula nigra , Zones 4–9 ) were used as focal points ( photograph remaining ) .
possess some evergreen off-white to the garden such as unfermented bay magnolia ( Magnolia virginiana , Zones 5–9 ) helped to define the chassis of the garden year - one shot when herbaceous plants had died back , and they also provided winter protection for wildlife . But even those faded perennial impart to the beauty . Feathery switchgrass look sensational in the cold-blooded months next to buttonbush ( Cephalanthus occidentalis , Zones 5–11 ) seed head and the fruit of winterberry ( Ilex verticillata , Zones 3–9 ) . solid texture from faded mountain mint contrast well with the bright end - of - twelvemonth foliage of threadleaf bluestar ( Amsonia hubrichtii , Zones 5–9 ) ( exposure p. 62 , top ) .
reduce care is key to reach multiseason interest . get out herbaceous plants standing for winter exsert the show , not to name how good it is for wildlife . Many of the plants take for this garden are rearing spreaders and self - seeders . While some redaction can be done in a garden like this to assert the more formal look of the ground substance plantings , it ’s crucial to agnise that in a experience landscape painting , plants will of course move around .
When the blooms fade , the garden keep go . During crepuscle and wintertime , fade grasses and seed head provide shelter for winter insects and food for wildlife .
Bright leafage from plant like threadleaf bluestar uphold to add visual interest .
Bermed planting beds and rain gardens maximize functionality
To create privacy from the smother golf game course , I land in soil and mound it around the edges of the holding . This enabled me to make a invention with varying high , providing a rude - looking border without creating a complete barrier . All in all , roughly 1,000 tons of soil were bring in , then carefully shaped into shoulder , which were planted and mulch . The sculpting was gentle enough to make the berm rise and settle and look like a innate part of the landscape , coalesce in with their surroundings ( pic right ) . The backyard became three - dimensional in the blink of an eye .
The slope of the land also made it easier to install pelting gardens . In northern Virginia , where there are miles and miles of impervious surface in which water can pick up weedkiller , pesticide , and other pollution before finally draining into the Chesapeake Bay , adding rainwater gardens made sense . That way , stormwater could be mostly contain on - internet site to foster adaptable aboriginal works that can take damp soil and keep waterway uncontaminating . By piping rain runoff from the house ’s ceiling into bed at the bottom of the place , it was possible to create a home for water - loving plants such as swampland rise mallow and buttonbush ( picture top ) .
Native and eco - friendly does not have to mean mussy and ungoverned . With specific design and construction choices , this garden provides year - round interest and privacy while also serve as a haven for wildlife .
Provide the right spot and the correct plants for rainfall garden success . These garden lie at the very edge of the dimension to make the most of the gravity of the sloped lawn . Adaptable perennial and shrub like swamp rose mallow and buttonbush must be able-bodied to handle the excess moisture and also brave hot and humid summers in full Sunday .
Bermed plantings make a life fence . Creating more natural slopes and curves and not too construct the berms allow plant to layer effortlessly while still render secrecy from passersby .
| Technique |
The dos and don’ts of maintaining a pollinator garden
There can be a soft balance between keep up appearances while also maximizing sustainable practice with wildlife in mind . These tips allow you to get the most ecological welfare out of your garden while still asseverate a hard design .
1 . Overplant . The time you ’ll save in weeding when you decent cover earth is a lifeguard . Planting densely with loyal spreaders can keep out unsuitable plants and cut down on sustentation .
John Magee is the owner and operator of Magee Design , a landscape painting pattern firm in Middleburg , Virginia .
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Building a pollinator haven around existing plants. A few non-native favorites that the homeowner couldn’t part with, such as ‘Limelight’ panicle hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight’, Zones 3–9) form anchors in the landscape and pair well with nearby companions like bluemist flower.
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Building a pollinator haven around existing plants. A few non-native favorites that the homeowner couldn’t part with, such as ‘Limelight’ panicle hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight’, Zones 3–9) form anchors in the landscape and pair well with nearby companions like bluemist flower.
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Fast-filling natives beat out thuggish invasives. When choosing cool-colored perennials that would complement each other, aggressive spreaders like mountain mint, along with floriferous pollinator favorites wild bergamot and anise hyssop, established themselves quickly to form dense plantings that are impenetrable by weeds.
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Native insects flock to native plants. Any wildlife-friendly garden must contain both host and nectar plants. Promethea silkmoths lay eggs and pupate on buttonbush.
Rattlesnake master is abuzz with bees when in full bloom.
When the blooms fade, the garden keeps going. During fall and winter, faded grasses and seed heads provide shelter for overwintering insects and food for wildlife.
Bright foliage from plants like threadleaf bluestar continue to add visual interest.
Woodies add structure year-round Sweetbay magnolia and river birch provide some additional screening from the golf course and make natural focal points to break up the drifts of perennials. There’s still plenty to look at as the garden season ends.
Provide the right spot and the right plants for rain garden success. These gardens lie at the very edges of the property to make the most of the gravity of the sloped lawn. Adaptable perennials and shrubs like swamp rose mallow and buttonbush must be able to handle the excess moisture and also weather hot and humid summers in full sun.
Bermed plantings make a living fence. Creating more natural slopes and curves and not overly constructing the berms allow plants to layer effortlessly while still providing privacy from passersby.
